20. Out of the Box

Well yeah, here I am at home, ill. Anyway, I've finally got round to uploading the storyboards.

Just a few quick notes though:

• As you know, we changed the location from Woolpit Village Hall to Woolpit Village institute, meaning that the background stuff is shuffled about (yet still pretty similar, i.e. the kitchen window switches from the right to the left in the production).


• We also switched the cluster of close-up shots at the beginning so that they are now at the end of the video. We did this to cover up a cock-up in filming.


• On the storyboard in the transitions bit, where I've put a scribble basically means there is no transition. This is due to the obvious fact that most of our video is one shot.


• If the objects in the frames get bigger or smaller on the storyboard, do not take it to mean that zoom has taken place, because it hasn't. After the beginning tracking shot brings the camera to a rest in front of Zal it does not move again until the ending tracking shot, capiche? But yeah, it's been two years since I did art/graphics, forgive me.

Anyway, here is the infamous storyboard:

Well that's me done for today. Back soon.

Adios

19. He seemed impressed by the way you came in. "Tell us a story, I know you're not boring"...

So yeahh short post ... just thought I would add some research on indie films so I don't have any paper work to hand in at the end of this project apart from my evaulation. :)

Indie or "Independant" Films
A basic definition:

"An independent film, or indie film, is usually a low-budget film that is produced by a small movie studio and stars unknown, relatively unknown or famous actors specific to the genre. Additionally, the term is used to describe less commercially-driven art films which differ markedly from the norms of plot-driven, mainstream classical Hollywood cinema."

So there basically films made by people who don't need massive companies to fund their budget.

As the budget isn't massive it means most indie films are editted by the directors or in general not alot of money goes into the editting budget meaning ... the helpful part ... they use such programs as:

"Software

Popular software (including commercial, consumer level and open source) includes:

Mac

iMovie
Final Cut Express
Final Cut Pro
Avid Xpress Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro
Final cut Studio"

And tend to use expensive versions of the cameras we use as such as:

"Canon - XL2, XM2, GL2
Panasonic - AG-DVX100
Sony - PD-170, DCR-VX1000, VX 2000, HVR-Z1U"

Which means justify our film into the indie genre as we used FINAL CUT and smidgen below a really expensive sony camera.

That's all.

Focus group and storyboards coming soon to a blog post near you.

Laters

18. Let me in from the rain, don't you let me go again, let the water run down my face...

Ain't done a blog post in ages. This is probably because we've reach a stale part in editing where we've done all we can we're just waiting to film more shots.

So I decided throw done some more research onto the table of Nicholls and Sibley media productions. It's a nice mahogany table with gold leaf corners if you were wondering...

Sooooooo:

Institutions of Indie and stuff

The illustrious Strokes are owned by Sony BMG as the main big institution ... I think ... but their last album First Impressions of Earth was produced by RCA Records (Radio Corporation of America) which are an American record company, however it's a part of a trinity of companies as there is also RCA Victor (which does blues music, world music, jazz, musicals ... generally anything but pop) and RCA Red Seal (classical crap).

Now this is an American label so if I was to give you a copied and pasted history you would get bored because nothing good comes out of America until modern times ... and that’s usually because they've finally been discovered when touring the UK. Jimi Hendrix and The Strokes are massive examples of this (John Peel found the Strokes).

Back to Sony BMG, prepare for some opinion Mr Morrison because, they own:

• AC/DC (Mum likes them, no more needed to be said)
• Aerosmith (That guy’s mouth is way to big)
• Alicia Keys (Over rated ... only good song is "Falling")
• Anastacia (Big ... erm how you say? ... Lungs)
• Avril Lavigne (No qualms with her)
• Backstreet Boys (Burnnnn)
• Beyoncé (All she does is moan about men)
• Bob Dylan (Legend)
• Britney Spears (Again no qualms really ... just a bit white trash sometimes)
• Bruce Springsteen (famous in America ... not so much here ... I wonder why?)
• Celine Dion (Burnnn ... did that titanic song ... one of the worse songs ever)
• Chris Brown (Nice dancer ... shame about the speech impediment)
• Christina Aguilera (Alright when she’s not moaning about men)
• Dido (Should have never collaborated with Eminem)
• Duran Duran (Acceptable in the 80s ... should really just stay there)
• Elvis Presley (Incredibly over rated ... should be shot for destroying black music)
• Eurythmics (No qualms ... mum has their greatest hits somewhere)
• Franz Ferdinand (So much promise ... the 3rd albums really going to be make or break)
• George Michael (Club Tropicana was a good song I suppose ... just pray you never stumble across him in a public toilet)
• Good Charlotte (Factory produced Emo music ... women music now)
• Incubus (Good band)
• Jessica Simpson (Should never make music or reality shoes or spout her opinion of George Bush to us)
• Jennifer Lopez (Meh my sister likes her)
• Joe Satriani (Amazing guitarist if Paul Cooper is anything to go by)
• Johnny Cash (Again ... legend)
• Justin Timberlake (I like him ... and if you don't ... screw you)
• Kelly Clarkson (Another women making success over moaning about men ... yawn)
• Kylie Minogue (Another legend)
• Michael Jackson (The best solo artist in history ... bet they made loads of him)
• Natasha Bedingfield (There's a reason why you get writers block ... maybe take hint some time?)
• Nelly Furtado (Mum/women music)
• Oasis (English band? I thought this was Americans only...)
• Ozzy Osbourne (And another English guy ... what’s going on now?)
• Pearl Jam (Jack Stanton likes them ... and I prefer them to Nirvana I guess)
• P!nk (Aright I suppose ... again women music though)
• R Kelly (Paedophile...)
• Rage Against the Machine (Hmmmmm anti establishment band ... signed to one of the biggest record labels in the world ... makes perfect sense)
• Ricky Martin (Living the la vida loco in hell)
• Rod Stewart (STOP MAKING RECORDS AND RETIRE)
• Santana (Making Marks & Sparks sexy)
• Sean Kingston (DIE DIE DIE ... you get the picture
• Shakira (Her hips don't lie ... but that doesn't mean she won't tell you white lies)
• Stone Sour (I know one good song)
• System of a Down (Very good band ... one of the most decent things to come outta America for a long while)
• The Fray (Stupid emo music ... no one cares how you save a life ... and if we did, we wouldn't listen to this song for the simple steps on how to do it)
• Usher (Burn ... no please literally do)
• Velvet Revolver (Super band ... got nothing on Led Zeppelin ... maybe it should just be an English thing ... ok America?)
• Westlife (Almost makes me want to shoot who ever signed them)
• Will Smith (But they have this legend ... which makes up for it)

So as you can see they tend to be a very mainstream music company ... even with the rock bands they've signed.

This would lead me to be inclined that even though the Strokes are hypocritically INDIE because of INDIE is:

"Indie rock" is shorthand for "independent rock", for many of its artists are or were unsigned or signed to independent record labels, rather than major record labels."

Although Wikipedia still ranks them in:

"After 2000

Main indie rock genres after 2000

Post-Punk Revival: Maxïmo Park, Franz Ferdinand, The Kooks, Bloc Party, Editors, Interpol, The Cribs, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys & the Fratellis.

Garage Rock Revival: The Strokes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Hives, The Libertines, The White Stripes, The Vines, The Von Bondies & the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Dance-punk: !!! & The Rapture.

New Rave: Klaxons, Shitdisco, Simian Mobile Disco, New Young Pony Club, Cansei de Ser Sexy, Hadouken!

Additional less clear defined genres such as:

Baroque Pop: An updated take on the folk music (See: Arcade Fire).

New Prog: Muse."

Ahhh such a decent bundle of bands (minus Arcade Fire ... left them in for James) ... makes you proud to be an indie kid.

So yeah that’s the institution that The Strokes are represented by ... very mainstream but they still OWN HARD.

Now for some:

Conventions of Indie music videos and stuff

After some previous textual analysis I thought I would go through some major conventions of Indie music videos. Seems like the major dude theory wise is GOODWIN, who I previously mentioned in the 50 cent textual analysis. So here is his theory according to Long Road Media:

"Andrew Goodwin writing in ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’ (Routledge 1992)

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
   - Stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.
   - They are either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals.
   - They are either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting
4. The demands of the record label.
   - They will include the need for lots of CUs of the artist & there may be reoccurring motifs (a visual style)
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking
   - (Screens, telescopes, etc) & voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. There is often intertextual reference
   - (To films, TV programmes, other music videos etc"

Now for some indie examples:

1. Live performance - Bloc Party Hunting For Witches
2. Lyrics & Visuals - Muse - Hysteria
3. Music & Visuals - Klaxons - Magick
4. Reoccurring Motifs- The Hives - Tick Tick BOOM (The Hives tour in those suits now and even recorded the whole album in specifically those suits).
5. Voyeurism - The Cribs - Men's Needs
6. Intertextuality - Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Battle Royale

There's also a theory by some dude (Mr Morrison & Miss B ... help please) that says that music videos are either:

• Concept Based
• Live Performance
• Or a narrative

Also some indie videos go for the guerrilla look (filmed spontaneously) or the old school DIY feel.

So yeah there’s the institution behind the Strokes and some music video conventions for your ass. This post feels very Laureny (just copy and pasted stats and facts) but meh it just adds to our research pile. Once our videos finished and published youtube ... I'll try and apply Goodwin's theory to it.

Just the:

• Focus group
• Story board
• 1 piece of textual analysis (if I get bored)

...left to upload. Now to get the evalutaion started ... might do that on Sunday but I need to check with James whether we have a CRS on monday to see if there's any point of printing it off.

Hope everyone has a good weekend and gets filmed what they want.

Laters