Textual Analysis 3

The Fray - How to Save a Life

The Fray is an American rock band from Denver, Colorado. They formed in 2002, starting with school friends Isaac Slade and Joe King, they achieve national success with their first single 'Over My Head (Cable Cars)' it became a top ten hit in the US. Their release of their debut album 'How to Save a Life' in 2005, got double platinum by the RIAA, as well as getting platinum in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK. The band has four members: Isaac Slade, Joe King, Dave Welsh, Ben Wysocki. There were four previous members that left the band: Dan Battenhouse, Zach Johnson, Caleb Slade Mike Ayars. Their song 'How to Save a Life' charted in the top 3 of the Billboard Hot 100 and was a top 5 single in Australia, Canada, Irelandm Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK.The band were discovered through an article which led to them being officially signed by Epic Record in December 2004.

This song features performance of the band, which is done to show the audience the band to get them more recognised. The actual song lyrics is like a narrative, as it follows a linear pattern. The song consists of steps, which go in order from one to two etc. this is done to show that their lives a sequence of steps that are followed, a pattern of steps that have formed people to start a serious conversation. The series of cuts and close ups on peoples face through the chorus of the song is done to represent the loss of loved ones that these people have gone through, and the quick cuts are done to represent that they feel they were taken too soon and it was all too fast. They also use text on the screen to show who they have lost, and who they are thinking about.

The use of the close up on the butterfly represents life and nature, representing that life of others still goes on as well as more life is being created, as well as showing that nature took those they loved and nature will give life to another person. The butterfly can also represent that there are finer things in life, that the little things can still be beautiful and make a difference.

The long shot of the two people with the giant pencil represents that pain and loss of a person is greater and bigger than them both, as they can't prevent losing someone as it's an act of nature. But is also shows that there is always other people to help you through it.

Throughout the music video text is displayed on the screen, they are numbered, which shows that they are the steps people need to take when someone has lost someone, they say such things like 'don't be scared' and 'talk to someone' which shows what people should and do when losing a loved one.

The many uses of fast cuts it to show that life is short, and that there are so many people going through the same sort of things, love, loss, pain, hurt, and the fast cuts sort of merge everyone together in a way which represents that they can help each other through what they are going through, that they all can understand one another.

I would like to take parts from this music video and present it in my own way within my own music video. The use of the text in the music video is something I would like to try and include within my own music video, the text can create other meanings and create many connotations.

Textual Analysis 2

The Plain White T's - Hate (I Really Don't Like you)

The Plain White T's are an American alternative, indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois, that formed in 1997. They started in clubs, Chicago basements and bars and underwent many personnel changes. They are best known for their number one hit song "Hey There Delilah", first released on their third album "All That We Needed" in 2007, which achieved the platinum status in 2007 which also got two grammy nominations. Their band consists of 5 members: Tom Higgenson, De'Mar Hamilton, Dave Tirio, Tim G. Lopez and Mike Retondo. With previous members of: Ken Fletcher, Steve Mast and Kahealani Sanchez. Their single 'Hate ( I Really Don't Like You) was their first single from their fourth studio album "Every Second Counts", this song was regarded as a major success and one of the band's biggest hits, until their 'Hey There Delilah' which overshadowed previous song achievements. The band has been signed to both Atlantic Records and Fearless Records until 2006 when they signed with Hollywood records and are still with them.

This music video is also a mixture of performance and narrative. The use of fast cuts and people running around the main singer while he walks through the streets represents that hate is chaotic, which is what he is singing about, that hate is so strong of a word to be used and felt, and what he is walking through is one of the reasons why he wouldn't use the word. The use of everything being ciaos around him, such as the water exploding, people running around frantically, these are a way of them representing what she did to him and how she broke his heart, as well as showing that this is how his life became when she hurt him, ciaos and mayhem, and not making sense.

The use of the performance of the band playing the song within the video is also related to the narrative of the video, that the main singer is the one who is hurt by a girl he loved within the narrative and that part of the narrative is that he creates a song to reveal his emotions and feelings and is playing it along with his band as both part of the narrative and performance.

The use of close up shots on a picture of a girl, who is the person who hurt him, represents that he couldn't completely let go of her yet, but when he deletes the picture of her off his phone and the picture in the frame smashes, it represents that he is past it and wants to move on, but also that she destroyed him, smashed up his world, but he is finally getting rid of her out of his life. 

The actually song is like a narrative in itself, as it has a start middle and an end, that he is telling a story through his lyrics, starting with how happy they were and how much he loved he, moving onto how she broke his heart, and now that he has moved on and doesn't want her back in his life. Although he keeps repeating the word 'Love' as though she made the word and meaning something completely different to him, or that he would like to find it again but isn't sure if he could.

When he sings about hate being a strong word they use medium shots of both the guitarist and the drummer, showing elements of performance which entertains the audience, as well as symbolising that the word hate could be quite violent, and they represent that violent through the hits that the drummer makes on the drum, and the fast strums the guitarist makes, as well as them all violently banging their heads along with the music.

They use many contrasts within the video from the lyrics of the song, such as when he was singing about things being perfect with her, the video shows how opposite it is now, such as people being hit by cars and cars crashing into things, glass smashing, just bad things happening all around, this also represents how opposite his life is now that she has gone.

For my music video I would like to try use some of the elements used within this one, I would like to create many connotations within my video that link to my lyrics, like in this video. As well as the use of the artist walking in slow motion, I think this would work well with my chosen song, and I would like to feature this in my video.

Textual Analysis 1

The Script -
The Man Who Can't Be Moved

The Script are an Irish alternative rock band from Dublin, containing Danny O'Donoghue, Mark Sheehan and Glen Power. They're based in London after signing to Sony Label Group imprint Phonogenic in 2005. They released their debut single "We Cry" in April 2008, which peaked at number 15 on the UK Single Charts. Their second single, "The Man Who Can't Be Moved", was released in September 2008. The single reached number 2 in Ireland, Denmark, and the UK.

This music video is a mixture of narrative and performance, they use many lyric to image matches such as the police when he sings about the police saying he can't stay there, an image of a watch when he sings about waiting as long as he needs to. The music video represents him looking for the girl he loves, walking to a place where he hopes she will be waiting for him. It represents his hope on the girl, that he believes in love and that he will wait for as long as is needed for it to come back to him. And that he is a man who can't be moved from the place he is, or he can't be moved from the emotional place/state he is in, which he wants to stay where he is; in love.

The genre of this is like pop rock, it features the whole band playing together in parts of the video which makes them look like a rocky pop band, it ensures that the audience can view part of them performing, which is a way of them getting themselves known whilst pleasing their fans. They use narrative along with their performance to entertain the audience and keep them interested in them and their song. They use imagery to match their lyrics, such as the skies clouds moving, cars moving, as well as the moon moving across the sky, they speed this up and this creates a visual image for what they're singing about, that everything is moving and fast while he stays where he is waiting on this girl.

I would like to try and use some of the features within this video within my own, I would like to use the artist walking through the streets part, as it will show the searching for something that is described through the lyrics of my chosen song, as I feel this will work well with my song and will hold many connotations.

Theoretical Evaluation of Production

When I started my AS project I had some skills in relation to Photoshop, knowing just the basics of the program. Throughout my course I learnt how to do more creative things within the program as well as taking a more elaborate approach to what was capable of doing. For my AS course I created both a college magazine and a music magazine, I feel the college magazine helped a lot in advancing my skills in terms of Photoshop, ensuring that I was capable to do better work for my music magazine and make it look professional and creative. I feel that the skills that I learnt throughout my AS course will help me a lot with my A2 course, due to more knowledge with technology aspects that would be required to use.

For my AS course I also used Blogger, which is something I had never used before, I was quickly able to do the basic things required such as to upload my work to my Blogger, but during the course I felt I became more comfortable with it and was able to learn more about what Blogger had to offer, such as how to upload pictures etc. But for my A2 project I have begun to explore the other aspects of Blogger, such as to create a poll that would be displayed on my Blogger page, which has helped me to broaden the ways in which I can do my work and do required research, such as audience feedback. When doing my AS college magazine, I posted many post of my work, but I feel that when I came to do my music magazine it helped me with ensuring I post a lot of updates in relation to my work, and the progress I was making on my music magazine, doing a post every time I added or changed something on my magazine, this will help with my A2 course as I will make sure to upload many posts in relation to my progress and ideas.

When planning for my projects in my AS course, which is something I didn’t have a lot of experience with, I felt that the college magazine project helped me understand what would be required for my music magazine, which I did a lot more planning for, I feel that this will help with my A2 course as I understand the quantity that would be needed as well as what would be required within my research. The use of the internet throughout the course was very helpful in terms of research and planning; it meant that I could research magazines easily and find many different types of college or music magazines. It was very useful in terms of ideas and ensuring to use some of the conventional aspects that are used within professional magazines. I learnt to do a lot more research for my music magazine by doing the college magazine as it ensures I know a lot more about the product I would be creating myself, which would create a better overall outcome for the product as it would feature conventional aspects of those types of magazines.

During the course of AS, doing the college magazine and the music magazine helped with my camera techniques, in terms of getting the right angle, the shot requires in the brief for the college magazine being a medium shot, which I felt I achieved. For the music magazine I believe that I achieved better pictures due to the practice from the college magazine, knowing more on camera angles and shots and how to achieve them effectively. This will help me a lot with my A2 course as it will ensure that throughout my project I will be considering and applying my knowledge to ensure I get the correct camera shots and angles, and ensure that my framing is correct.

My AS course I believe will help me greatly with my A2 course in terms of all the experience and knowledge I acquired during AS, and will ensure that I know more about what is required and make sure that I get as much research and planning done, as well as uploading progress and ideas frequently to keep my Blogger well up to date. 

Audience Statistics for my Chosen Song

Lyrics

I lie awake again

My body's feeling paralyzed

I can't remember when

I didn't live through this disguise
The words you said to me

They couldn't set me free

I'm stuck here in this life I didn't ask for

There must be something more

Do we know what we're fighting for?

Breathe in, breathe out

Breathe in, breathe out
With all these masks we wore

We never knew what we had in store

Breathe in, breathe out

Breathe in, breathe out

A storm is rolling in

The thunders loud, it hurts my ears

I'm paying for my sins

And it's gonna rain for years and years
I've fooled everyone

And now what will I become

I have to start this over

I have to start this over

There must be something more

Do we know what we're fighting for?

Breathe in, breathe out
Breathe in, breathe out
With all these masks we wore

We never knew what we had in store

Breathe in breathe out

Breathe in breathe out

I've fooled everyone
Now what will I become
I have to start this over
I have to start this over

There must be something more
Do we know what we're fighting for?
Breathe in, breathe out
Breathe in, breathe out
With all these masks we wore
We never knew what we had in store
Breathe in, breathe out
Breathe in, breathe out

There must be something more
Breathe in, breathe out
Breathe in, breathe out
There must be something more

My Song Choice

Something More by Secondhand Serenade.

I have decided to do this song for my own music video