Mise en Scene in my Music Video

Costume

My artist, when in the narrative as Cinderella, will first appear in an ankle length skirt and blouse, this is a typical lower class 1800s outfit for women. I have chosen to dress the artist here as old fashioned to present the fairy-tale concept as out dated. The long skirt will be blue as this connotes innocence, and the blouse white to symbolise purity, thus portraying Cinderella as the perfect young woman so to heighten the contrast when it is not her that gets the Prince.

When at the ball the artist is wearing a high-low peach coloured dress; I chose this not only as it depicts what my synaesthesia participants pictured but also as it is a modern style thus contrasting the 1800s outfit seen earlier, creating a distinction between the fairytale opening and twisted realism ballroom scene. As well, the dip hem will create a flowing dream-like stream of material behind Cinderella thus enhancing the fantasy atmosphere. When the artist is performing the song whilst playing piano I will have her wear the same high-low dress as this will allow the audience to draw a distinct comparison between the performance and narrative aspects of the music video.

In the narrative, the other characters consist of the Step Mother, Step Sister and Prince. Firstly, the Step Mother will be wearing a similarly old-fashioned outfit to Cinderella, so to maintain consistency of this forged era- the Step Sister will also be dressed this way.

During the ball the Step Sister will wear a beautiful modern dress; rather than an obvious red dress to point her out as the 'villain' in my narrative I will use subtle hints such as red lipstick as only in Cinderella's mind is she the 'villain' whereas in reality she is just another girl. I have decided against the typical 'Ugly Step Sister' as I want to create a more honest fairy tale and thus will not use an unattractive actress for this role but a good looking girl. Finally, the Prince will be dressed in a smart suit and tie, portraying a tall dark and handsome dream guy, to reflect the ideal concept.

Lighting

I will be using natural lighting so to present my music video as realistic as oppose to fantastical. However when the plot turns and Cinderella is left by the Prince I will use darker lighting to symbolise the darkness of the events.

Action

As my synaesthesia participants felt that slow movement would suit my chosen song rather than fast action, I have decided to incorporate a slow waltz into the ballroom scene as oppose to modern day dancing as this is more upbeat. As well this will blend the two eras of modern day and 1800s together in this scene.

 

Make-Up

The make-up of all the actors will be natural to create realistic characters so the audience can relate to the music video rather than them appearing abstract and overly constructed. However as I have previosuly mentioned, the Step Sister will be wearing red lipstick to suggest the 'bad guy' role as red connotes danger; yet as well it can connote passion and love which relates to how the Step Sister and the Prince are truly in love.

Props

The two key props I will be using are a fairytale book and invitation. The book will feature in the performance shots within my music video to act as an intertextual link to the Cinderella fairytale. The invitation is used at the start of the narrative and will indicate, clearly, the story I am portraying by having 'Cinderella' printed on the front of the invitation.

 

Setting

Five sets are being used for my music video: the room where the artist performs the song, Cinderella's bedroom in the narrative, the woods Cinderella passes through, the Ballroom, and outside the Ballroom.

The first will be a bare room, other than the fairytale book and Piano as this will focus all attention on the artist. However there will be a large window behind the artist to symbolise the concept of being able to see what you want but being unable to touch or reach it. This metaphor is enhanced further when the camera zooms through the window to a shot of the Prince with the Step Sister as this is ideal that the artist wants but cannot have.

The narrative settings will contrast to the previous as they will have lots of objects scattered around the rooms so to look realistic and not set up. Cinderella's bedroom will bare the typical bed, dresser, lamp and books often found in a teenage girl's bedroom; as well this is where the invitation prop will feature as during this scene Cinderella picks it up.

I have Cinderella run through a wood at night to present both the beauty of nature yet also the scary and mysterious reality of it, reflecting the two concepts I intend to portray: ideal and real.

The Ballroom will be a combination of old and new with both modern dancing guests and an old fashioned waltz by the key characters; this will seporate the main roles and draw the audience's attention to them, as well as introducing the transition to modern day from the out dated fairy tale era.

Equipment List

Below is a list of what film equipment I will need in order to shoot my music video:

• Video Camera (to record the video)

 

• Video Tape

• Tripod (to ensure my shots are steady)

• Clapper Board (so when editing I can easily note which scene and take I am dealing with)

• Speakers (so the sound track can play whilst we film to create the atmosphere the song suggests as well as allowing the artist to accurately lip sync)

Stroryboard and Lyrics

Narrative Theories

Having researched the four main narrative theories I have decided which my music video will comply to. From my discussion on Propp's theory I will clearly not be restricting myself to those roles presented as I could not find many other films let alone music videos which did. However as I want my music video narrative to progress I shall be incorporating the concept of an equilibrium, disequilibrium, and new equilibrium, founded by Todorov. As my music video will have a limited time frame I shall use Barthes' codes to portray the narratve within the time constraint; I will especially focus on the symbolic aspects which my mise en scene will convey. Also I feel it is key to include some cultural facets so my artist's star image can be constructed as British, however I will avoid casting too much of an English atmosphere as I want my music video to be suitable for a global market. Finally, as my music video is displaying the conflict between fairytale and reality I will obviously be presenting Levi Staruss' theory of conflict between two qualities- real and ideal.

Intertextuality

What it is

Originally developed by Julia Kristeva in the 1960s, intertextuality has morphed ever since. An overview of intertextuality is the basis of including other texts within your own, through borrowing words and concepts. This can range from an entire narrative to merely a word or phrase. This allows depth of meaning within the constructed text as connections can be drawn to that referenced; such as implications and ideologies from the original text can shape the audience's interpretation of this intertextual text.

In Practice

When characters within films are shot reading a novel with the title clearly on show to the audience this is a more subtle example of intertextuality as oppose to an obvious spoof or parody, such as the 'Scary Movie's which incorporate various other films into their narrative.

How I will incorporate Intertextuality

As my narrative presents a different interpretation of the fairy tale Cinderella, I have decided to incorporate obvious connections to this Grimm Brother's fairy tale. Therefore I have decided to include a Grimm Brother's fairy tale book in one of my shots, perhaps on the Piano during the performance sections of my music video, so the audience will relate my music video to the fairy tale even more so.

DigiPak Design

Having questioned my target audience on what aspects may be suitable for my DigiPak- such as the colour scheme- as well as discussing the synaesthesia with members of my target audience, I began designing, on paper, my DigiPak.

I intend to use corresponding images to link my music video and DigiPak so shall incorporate the theme of fairy-tale reality into my DigiPak as this was a concept highlighted in my chosen song ‘Almost Beautiful’. As well, due to the feedback from my questionnaire, I have decided to use a house style of black white and earthy colours, such as murky greens and browns. Below is my original design for my DigiPak- the red and green pen indicate aspects which my target audience commented on.

On the front cover I chose to use an image of the artist silhouetted against a large window; this adds a sense of mystery and the metaphorical concept of striving for something you cannot touch but can see- mirroring the fairy-tale reality motif. The album title is in an italic cursive font, as this appears dream-like, once again matching my motif; the font is also feminine, and is thus suitable for my target audience as the majority are female.

The back cover contains the image of two bare trees- this suggests the concept of loss. A spider’s web is then strewn between the trees as this can connote beauty and strength as well as ugliness and fear- presenting the ideas of both fairy tale and horrific reality. I have ensured that the key features of a DigiPak have been included: the price, barcode, artist website, record label and track list. I have slanted the track list to appear as though the text is written within the web to create a distorted and slewed effect.

The inside of the album consists of the image behind the CD as well as the image opposite it. I have decided to overlay translucent images of nature over opaque ones of the city for both these images to continue the theme of beauty and reality. The first is to be a wooded area overlaying the image of a car on a road; the second is a river overlapping a road, as both these shapes are similar, thus suggesting the misleading concept of beauty in reality.

I have decided to include two images of the artist inside the booklet of the DigiPak. The first is of the artist slumped to the floor wearing the flowing dress pictured by my synaesthesia participants, which will appear in my music video. The photo will be a long so that the artist appears overwhelmed by the background. I am yet to decide what the background image will be yet I intend to relate it to the overall motif of the album. The second image is also congruent with the music video, as it shall be of the artist sat at a piano- a shot I shall use within my music video.

Finally, my design for the CD itself is to remain simple as the rest of my DigiPak is very detailed. Therefore I have decided to use an image of a cut out of a tree revealing the various rings inside the trunk. I chose this image as it connotes the age of nature yet also a destruction of man, and thus the unkindness of reality, for the tree has been cut down.

Below is a compilation of just a few of the comments I received on this design from my target audience:

Having taken on board the comments made I have changed certain aspects of my DigiPak that were considered ineffective or unappealing. Below is my final paper design for my DigiPak:

As I received comments on how the front and back cover of my DigiPak weren't obviously linked I decided to continue the spider web as a motif, thus incorporating it into the window on the front cover. As well some people felt that the artist needed to be more distinguishable as oppose to a silhouette; however as I still intend to portray this sense of mystery I shall alter the image only slightly so that the rim of her is lit and thus identifiable.

I had contrasting opinions on the slanted track list text; some felt it was intriguing yet others found it hard to read. I decided to experiment with the angle of the text by having it straight and then gaining feedback on that to see which was the preferred style. As well, one of the negative comments of my DigiPak was that it was over priced. Taking into account the cost of digital copies on websites such as iTunes and Amazon I halved the price of the album to £3.99.

The inside image of the wood overlaying the street was commented on being unclear of when it is set. I disagree with the statement as the use of a car should suggest it is modern day, however I complied and have added traffic lights in hope that this may confirm the time period. Also I removed the building to the side of the street so that the trees of the wood image were more predominant. I also changed the other inside image of the road and river so that the two were clearer, by having the road and river part in opposite direction roughly half way along the image, as my target audience felt the images were originally indistinguishable.

The two photos of the artist that I am incorporating in the DigiPak booklet have also been subjected to slight changes. The image of the artist at the piano, due to consistency comments, now features the same window used in the front cover image. As well, to highlight the time period due to a prior comment made about the inside DigiPak images, I have included a light bulb hanging. This also suggests bareness, as there is no lampshade, portraying the concept of loneliness. The other image of the artist has now been altered to a mid shot rather than long shot so that the artist doesn’t appear as vulnerable. From comments and suggestions received in my feedback, I have decided that the background will be a city that is over run by nature. This presents hope as beauty is leaking through the constructed realism.

Due to suggestions of including the artist and album titles on the CD itself so that it is identifiable when not within the DigiPak, I have decided to include this as the comment is valid and when comparing other current CDs on the market I have noticed that the majority do include this information.

However, I decided to attain further feedback to ensure that the changes I have made work and appeal to my target audience. The concluding comments were that the previous long shot of the artist in the DigiPak booklet was more appropriate than the current mid shot as it highlighted the background more so. I agree with this comment and will thus refer back to the original idea of a long shot. As well one comment stated that the overlapping of the river and road image inside my DigiPak didn’t work and that it was unclear what I was portraying; on the other hand I received many comments on how this worked very effectively and thus shall comply to the majority and not change this image.

Now I have the final design for my DigiPak I shall begin creating it digitally by taking the photos needed and editing them together.

Camera Degree Rules

There are two rules within film making which I have focussed on: 180° Rule, 30° Rule.

180° Rule

This rule states that it is best to avoid crossing the '180° Line' as the image will appear flipped and thus confuse the audience. Below I have constructed an example of this rule in practise:

As you can see, from the example drawn, the camera shot from the opposite side of the '180° Line' does not fit with the other shots. This is because the audience's perception of the scene has been rotated by 180° and thus flipped.

30° Rule

The 30° Rule appears to be the agreed upon norm of angle change between shots in a continuous sequence; however some film makers rather an 'anything more than a 10 degree change in angle', and others settle for no less than 25 degrees. This is to avoid creating jarring transitions, also known as jump cuts, creating a seamless flow of shots. Below is a diagram of this rule in practise:

As you can see the cameras are positioned around the action at 30° intervals to create the harmonious sequence of shots.

Conventions of Music Videos

Semiotics

Music videos are a form of communication to the mass media and popular culture; consisting of visual and aural elements, and stretching across a short duration period.  By analysing these features as a collection of symbols that have been encoded, meaning can be extracted by the objective audience.

Applying the semiotic theory allows the interpretation of various facets, as well as the exploration of how the audience decodes these concepts.

Saussure and Barthes defined a ‘sign’ as being the construct of a signifier- the physical, whether it is a sound, image or object- and the signified- the internal perception. The relationship between the two aspects of a sign, signification, forms the associated meaning. This analytical theory suggests cultural diversity can affect the audience’s mental observation: such as religious symbols.

This theory can be expanded to further orders of signification. In the music video for the song ‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries the use of a large cross denotes simply a ‘cross’. However, by interpreting the image with the second order this can connote power of religion. This is done by positioning the cross looming over the woman and children; as well, the use of red lighting negatively associates danger and death to faith, which is drawn from the religious connotations of a cross. The sign has now become a cultural representation, as in Western societies a cross could be associated with Christianity whereas outside Europe it may not, as Christianity is not the predominant belief, and has thus now become a ‘myth’. By incorporating young boys sword fighting with planks of wood throughout the music video this portrays the metonymic symbol of not just youth violence but the destruction of man- further enforced by the presence of soldiers with guns.

The third order is thus the constantly morphing cultural and objective interpretation, this is known as the ideologies. By relating the lyrics to ‘The Troubles’, a current religious issue at the time of the song’s release, the public’s interpretation may support the concept portrayed through the song of war being destruction and negative. However as the objective opinion may have altered since then the song may be disregarded as the public may feel war as necessary for protecting the country due to current political situations.

Queer Theory

Queer theory is not about being homosexual but rather the changing representatives of all sexualities- ‘queer’ meaning anything ‘odd’ or that differs from the established normality. David Halperin defines queer as ‘whatever is at odds with the normal, the legitimate, the dominant’- the dominant being the social majority. Thus context is needed as these representations are constantly shifting; as well, audience perception is key as this is the interpretation.

To apply this theory to the music industry I created a fact file on the artist David Bowie.

Artist: David Bowie

Active: 1960s-2010s

Styles:

• Album Rock
• Glam Rock
• Proto-Metal
• Hard Rock
• Indie Rock 
• Proto-Rock
• Art Rock
• Blue-Eyed Soul
• Pop Rock
• Dance-Rock
• Experimental
• Rock Soul

1960s:

• Spent several years as a mod
• Recorded a proto-metal record
• Recorded a pop rock album
• Invented Ziggy Stardust (androgynous)

1970s:

• Created a sophisticated version of Philly soul- “plastic soul”
•  Recorded three experimental electronic album
• Released a German electronic album
• Each of his phases sparked multiple new sub-genres:  Punk,  New Wave, Goth Rock,  The New Romantics,  Electronica

1980s:

•  Recorded a dance-pop album

1990s:

• Created an industrial rock-tinged album
• Recorded an album influenced by techno and drum'n'bass

David Bowie supports the concept of queer theory as he constantly reinvented himself, his identity unrestrained. Such as when he became Ziggy Stardust to appeal to all audiences, proving you can’t categorize everyone for he was androgynous, wore women’s clothing, yet was biologically a man. This supports Judith Butler’s concept that identity is a performance- “identity is performatively constituted by the very expressions that are said to be its results.” This can also be applied to his musical identity as he shifts from pop to rock to soul to dance. This supports the queer theory as it suggests that the owner can reinvent the confines of their identity. Another example of this would be Madonna as she has passed through many phases in order to sustain a unique and popular identity; therefore she has remained in the charts for decades, shifting with her ever-changing audience.

However, the pop star Lenka contrasts this as she fits the typical female stereotypes: cute, innocent, sensitive etc. However her fame was short lived and has deteriorated quickly as oppose to artists that divert from stereotypes and are uniquely individual. For example, Nicki Minaj has been successful for over two years and is still fresh and challenging the ‘norm’. Her morphed personality intrigues the audience by merging stereotypes of both genders as well as having an ambiguous sexual orientation. By looking at photos of Nicki Minaj it is uncertain which gender she is attempting to impress, if any, enhancing her ‘unique’ personality. 

Judith Butler disagrees that gender is caused by sex and that “there is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender”; her theory is that one’s gender is formed by their identity, which can constantly change. For example, stereotypically women are sensitive, weak, and have long hair-; however where does this class female Olympians who are clearly very strong, or those with pixie cuts or bobs? From this derives the concept of sexuality being supposedly caused by gender. This is also denied by the queer theory as it states that individuals aren't defined by anything bar what they are doing presently. For example sexuality can change, whether that be from heterosexual to homosexual or vice versa; the individual can determine this by how they present themselves to be perceived.


However this will not apply to my artist as I do not intend on creating an androgynous character but rather a woman that is relatable to the majority; though not necessarily meaning she abides to the female  stereotypes.