Jordan Bahat

Whilst I intend to style my video after the works of Red Van Pictures using the vaudevillian style, Panic at the Disco's 'Miss Jackson' was the brainchild of Jordan Bahat. Bahat is yet another video producer that is popular with the genre, with fellow Fueled by Ramen act, Twenty One Pilots also seeking his expertise.

Bahat's video tend to focus on the binary opposition of light and dark, vibrant colours versus dim settings and the use of shadows. These draw the attention of the audience but are not as genre specific as those of Red Van.

'Miss Jackson, Are You Nasty?'

Miss Jackson: Quick Facts | Create infographics

Asking the audience

In order to find a greater range of audience feedback, I created an online survey in order to find which style of music video an audience most associates with Panic at the Disco.

Click here to take survey

I will collect these results prior to beginning filming.

Run for (CD) Cover

Fueled by Decaydance

Panic at the Disco's record label 'Decaydance Records' is primarily based on the Pop-Punk/Alternative genre, representing artists such as 'Fall Out Boy', 'The Academy Is', and 'Hey Monday'. Meanwhile, their other label 'Fueled by Ramen' which also represents artists of the genre and are a much bigger and more recognisable name sharing many artists with Decaydance, whilst also having a list of inactive artists and alumni at least four times the size, with Decaydance being co-founded by Fueled by Ramen founder John Janick and Fall Out Boy bassist and primary lyricist Pete Wentz in 2004, 8 years after Fueled by Ramen.


Fueled by Ramen Homepage



Decaydance Homepage

Footsteps of the Master

The aim of my music video is to combine the bands current electronica-esque aesthetic with their previous vaudevillian punk style by using a similar set-up to that used in earlier records such as 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies' and 'But it's Better If You Do' (both 2006). Both of these videos were directed by Shane Drake of Red Van Pictures. This first of the videos features the Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Cirque, inkeeping with the style of the bands debut album. The main focus of both videos shows a distortion of reality wherein everything is not entirely what it seems, with the 'truth' being slowly revealed to the audience.

 

Shane Drake also directed Panic at the Disco's 'Ballad of Mona Lisa' which follows the vaudevillian theme to an extent but with a large focus on Steampunk, including the appearance of League of STEAM's full ensemble, and largely harked back to their earlier work prior to the Pretty Odd. album and yet is distinctively dissimilar to their current videos, including that of 'Miss Jackson'.

 

My music video aims to incorporate the bands earlier style by using masquerade masks - a common feature in their videos - and heavy symbolism regarding characters, along with a cliffhanger ending.

Logo Production

Considering that when I first started this course, Adobe Photoshop was completely alien to me, I have braved the software for a second year in order to create a logo for my record label 'Mount Productions', so named after my former school.

 


By merging three found images, I wrestled with the screen in order to create the logo below.



The final logo for Mount Productions

Progression and Publicity of Panic!

Analysing the Genre

Rules and Regulations

Whilst it may seem that in recent times artists have gone haywire with raunchy videos, luckily there are always the men behind the red tape, Ofcom. The Office of Communications are a government approved regulatory authority  whose job it is to 'ensure that under-eighteens are protected' by enforcing 'generally  accepted standards so as to provide adequate protection for members of the public from the inclusion of offensive and/or harmful material'.

In order to do this, the following four points must be taken into account;

• the nature of the content
• the likely number and age range of children watching
• the start and finish time of the programme
• the likely expectations of the audience for a particular channel or station at a particular time and on a particular day.

Whilst Ofcom's primary purpose is to monitor explicit content, they also recognise that 'music videos are an artistic and creative medium, which can and do sometimes contain challenging content which some may find offensive'. In order to monitor the extent to which a music video may surpass the borders of artistic, they state that within a  video -

• Breasts, genital area and buttocks must be covered
• Any violence and sexualisation must be limited, but not prohibited

These may be relatively relaxed guidelines considering which videos are allowed to be shown on everyday, however many artists have found themselves breaking the rules, some on a regular basis.
This is particularly true for Rihanna and 50 Cent.
Rihanna not only caused a stir after her X Factor performance on ITV (which generated 4500 complaints), but also with her controversial video for 'Man Down' which shows her shooting a man that has sexually assaulted her.
50 Cent has also racked up the offences with videos shown on Greatest Hits such as 'P.I.M.P', 'I Like The Way She Do It' and 'If I Can't', all of which contained sexual content breaching Ofcom's guidelines.

Analysing the Artist

Andrew Goodwins Media Theories

Reaching a decision

After consulting my actress and showing her the draft storyboards for each song, we came to the decision to do 'Miss Jackson' by Panic at the Disco.
This decision was made due to the opportunity for intertextual references and Panic's traditional use of symbolism in videos which could be well incorporated into the piece.
Returning home to begin a more extensive storyboard, I decided to dress my three characters symbolically, with the innocent lover dressed in white, the cheating wife in red and the evil husband in black, along with using masquerade masks which is common in Panic at the Disco's videos and therefore in keeping with the theme.

The Video

And here it is... the practice video - a remake of Let Her Go by Passenger;

A Choice Of Six...

With six song choices to choose from - all with accompanying storyboards - I thought it was best to further research the songs that I hope to use;

Miss Jackson by Panic! at the Disco
single released
July 15th 2013
video uploaded
July 15th 2013


Belle of the Boulevard by Dashboard Confessional
single released
October 13th 2009


Not Like the Movies by Katy Perry
single released
August 3rd 2010


Sober by P!nk
single released
November 3rd 2008
video uploaded
October 25th 2009


Fairytale by Sara Bareillies
album released:
 January 20th 2004
video uploaded:
 November 17th 2009


Another Heart Calls by The All-American Rejects
album released:
December 16th 2008



As can be deduced by the links (or lack thereof) above, half of the song choices I have picked do not have accompanying music videos. Whilst this may be useful as it eradicates the chance of any ideas that could be considered too similar to the official video, it also means that there is no joining off point from which to start my own video and therefore no additional help.

Storyboarding

After finally narrowing 19 songs down to 6, I started to plan out my videos based on what I saw in my head as I listening to the songs. 

Next weekend I will be meeting with my lead actress to discuss which video she will be most comfortable with and to finalise plans regarding locations, dates and props which will all go towards creating the perfect mise-en-scene. 

Defined Lines

Although it may seem as though this blog is predominantly ruled by 'Blurred Lines', it isn't. However, with the stir caused by the video, the song and its affiliates have remained buoyed in the spotlight. 

The latest news is based on the feminist parody 'Defined Lines' which is the product of the imagination of University of Auckland law students, particularly Olivia Lubbock, Zoe Ellwood and Adelaide Dunn (the Law Revue girls). 

The video subverts that of Thicke's creation, with scantily clad men being treated like sex slaves by the three fully clothed women. However, the real controversy stems from the temporary removal of the video from YouTube after being flagged as having 'inappropriate content'. The video has now been restored after an appeal by the Law Revue girls, who stated that whilst they understand why it was flagged that it is also a 'massive double standard' with it being taken down and that the negative response is 'just funny' because it shows the public's views on the objectification of the male models, whilst the response to Thicke's video were predominantly positive. 

Banned Lines

Almost as if to prove my point about Robin Thicke's video 'Blurred Lines' that I posted about last Friday, Edinburgh University Students Association have banned the video due to it's sexism and the fear of promoting 'lad culture' with the EUSA vice president stating that it 'promotes an unhealthy attitude towards sex and consent' and with lyrics such as 'I'll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two', can you really blame them? 

All this once again leads me to question just how much explicit content in music and music videos is too much?

Saving Rock and Roll

During my recent YouTube browsing sessions, I stumbled across what is possibly the best idea that I have ever seen for promoting music known as 'The Young Blood Chronicles'. These are a series of music videos by Fall Out Boy for their new album Save Rock and Roll.

 So far, only 5 out of the 11 videos have been released, but I have to admit that I am now eagerly anticipating the release of the sixth. And with the fan-base left guessing as to which of the album tracks will be used for the next installment, it has proved to be a very effective marketing technique that I honestly have not seen before. Each music video works separately with its own distinct style, whilst all 11 tracks will form the story which began with the kidnapping of the band and them being subjected to various obscure methods of torture. Even guest vocalists such as Big Sean play parts in the story, with Big Sean helping release Patrick Stump (lead singer) from a trance before being killed by their captors.
Not only is this a great way to market their new album and tour, but it is also a great way to keep the fans on their toes whilst waiting for the next video release.

Part 1 - 'My Songs...'
Part 2 - 'The Phoenix'
Part 3 - 'Young Volcanoes'
Part 4 - 'Alone Together'
Part 5 - 'The Mighty Fall'
Part 6 - eagerly awaiting release...

21st Century Ease

Turn on laptop; open up Safari and iTunes; log into Facebook, check emails and open up YouTube. My personal daily ritual. Ever realize just how easy it is to get anything just from the tap of a few computer keys?
YouTube - type in Panic! at the Disco as I fancied watching their 'I Write Sins...' video. The first option to come up was the video for 'This Is Gospel', a newly released single from their upcoming album. Attached to the video are the options to preorder the album or to watch the other released video which is for 'Miss Jackson', and with the thought it mind that one song was not enough to make me wish to preorder an album, I chose to watch the second video. At which point I then figured that yes, I need this album on my iTunes. Click the link, iTunes opens, select 'preorder' and wait. Now as each single is released, they will be added to my library.

Is it just me that is astonished with the ease with which it is to do these things? The way that just from typing in one song, I can preorder an album that I wasn't even aware was to be released. The speed with which information is sent to us through the internet can only speed up the exponential growth of the music industry, with more platforms and bigger, worldwide platforms upon which music is released. Even amateur musicians can make a name for themselves both through YouTube or making music on SoundCloud.
And the most amazing thing about this is that YouTube is only 8 years old! And SoundCloud is only 6! Infact, the internet itself only became domestic in the early 90's and yet now it dominates all day to day life, from reading books to watching films, from chatting to classmates to chatting to that Australian friend you met in America on holiday 3 years ago.

More on mad music videos

After my rant about Miley Cyrus and her antics (which have broken the Vevo 24 hour record with 19.3 million views!), I figured it was only fair to include the men of the music industry, since they too have hit the headlines - without the need to 'twerk' at awards ceremonies.

It all started with the release of Robin Thicke's video 'Blurred Lines' which featured several models (that I honestly felt the need to 'save' due to their entirely expressionless faces which evoked images of incredibly depressing strippers) looking almost entirely nude and extremely objectified. This video was removed from YouTube and led to numerous debates over its flagrant disregard for women and lack of artistic merit (okay so the last one is just my opinion). However, as with Miss Cyrus, this may have only helped buoy the video's success to the point at which the single spent a record number of weeks in the number 1 spot on the charts and becoming the second-biggest-selling single of the year, just behind Pharrell Williams and Daft Punk's track Get Lucky. The single's unrated video has now racked up 19,660,723 views and the edited version with 171,437,468, showing that, yet again no publicity is bad publicity.

Meanwhile, in more recent news, YouTube lifted its recent ban on Justin Timberlake's video for 'Tunnel Vision' which was deemed acceptable due to the apparent artistic merit found in a 7 minute long video of female nudity which has claimed only 7,109,262 views and is yet to grace the UK singles chart.

With the recent increase in NSFW videos, it is not a stretch to deduce that this is fast becoming a sign of the future of music videos. 

Did iTunes kill the music industry?

With the recent release of the new iPhones and 10 years since the opening of the iTunes store, its time to take a look and see just how much of an effect its introduction has had on the industry.
The opinions surrounding iTunes range from it being the saving grace of music to it being the final nail in the coffin. I'm not denying that online music was rife prior to iTunes, with the existence of Napster and sites such as MP3.com, but the question has to be asked as to whether ease of access has endangered the existence of offline, real-world music stores, such as the recently collapsed and reconstructed retailer 'HMV'. It is also questionable as to what effect this has on the artist, as although it is easier and cheaper to sell their singles online, it is also cheaper to buy them and thus it could be said that it minimises the originally substantial profit margin that was available to artists of the 90's.
It should also be recognised that with official music downloading, comes unofficial music downloading which leads to no profits being passed on to the record companies or their artists. It may be easier and more efficient for the public, but one cannot deny the value of a physical CD or LP.
However, the digital revolution has also allowed for smaller and less mainstream bands to hit the singles charts and to be streamed worldwide to their niche market of consumers, as it is now easier to introduce music to the public without big name record company backing.

All of this suggests that whilst digital music is better for members of the public, it does damage bigger names in the music industry, but with the amount of money these artists pull in hourly, how much does it really matter to us little people sitting behind our mobile phone and laptop screens?

Whatever happened to music videos?

Needless to say that with recent music industry related events, the big news is the 'outing' of Miley Cyrus as being completely crazy. One overly sexualized video could be forgiven, but with the recent release of her 'Wrecking Ball' video, the public must question just how much damage the media industry has caused the once tame country girl who is now seen nakedly straddling a wrecking ball and performing sexual acts with a sledge hammer.

It has to call to question just who is going to go onto iTunes to buy the video, after all, the main purpose of a music video is to advertise the music, and with both the music and the video in mind I have to say that the god-awful video ruins the relatively decent song. I say relatively since it is a great step up from her earlier offering of 'We Can't Stop'. 

I have to admit that I struggle to think how her record company plan to market her video, since I can't see how they would release it into the mass population by any way other than the shocking press that it is receiving (which is the way that I came across it). Then again, in the media industry, it's well known that no press is bad press. Unfortunately, this is evidently true for Miss Cyrus with her video being the talk of Twitter, YouTube and various other online media platforms, leading me to not only ponder what happened to music videos, but also what happened to society for videos such as these to be becoming commonplace and for explicit content to be a part of modern music, a pattern which is backed up by the Arctic Monkeys' video 'You Only Call Me When You're High', which was banned from being shown on several music channels due to its sensitive material.

The Real Thing

With the preliminary task done and dusted it was time to take advantage of the two weeks between holidays to plan for my final piece. 

After browsing through the 2448 songs listed on my iTunes, I managed to narrow it down to 19 songs that were both suitable for the task and that I was able to imagine the possible video for.  

I then made a list depicting which films did not have their own official video as this would make it easier to create one with no chance of any infringement, especially since many songs have obvious corresponding videos, and I wanted to avoid these.

And now it was time to talk them through with my actress, a close friend who also starred in my AS piece.

Evaluating

With the video complete, burned to a disc and combined with all the ancillary projects, it was time to evaluate our pieces: 
 http://prezi.com/w4x0yqhpy6nc/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share


During this evaluation, it can be safe to safe that the skills of each team member have improved exponentially to the point at which we were able to successfully merge two separate pieces of the song in order to blend them to form a one minute long song with a more proffesional edge since we had no need to cut or fade the music artificially.  
This task also opened up a larger portion of photoshop for me as it had previously vexed me considerably, however now I can safely say that I am confident to roam around the application freely. This will hopefully allow me to use the technology more than in my previous AS work and to provide a better quality of work.

The Final CD Cover

With the addition of one of our shots taken during filming, our CD Cover is now at a stage where we can confidently call it finished :)

The Return of the Storyboards

After carting them around for the past two weeks we finally have the storyboards available to post online :)

Our video tells the story of a guy revisiting a tree that reminds him of a previous relationship, scenes from this relationship are shown in three flashback. The first flashback shows the pair sitting beneath the tree as a happy couple, the second shows them arguing beneath the tree and the final flashback shows his girlfriend leacing him under the same tree. This culminates in a final shot of the pair at either dsides of the tree singing about the relationship that ended followed by him eventually leaving the tree (and the relationship) behind.

Considering the song is about missing things when theyre gone, we felt that this was an appropriate angle in order to tie the video in with the lyrics and to also tie the soft melody in with the video delicate touch.

Keeping Consistent

Today we are working on our magazine advert with a key element beingto maintain consistent uniformity between the advert and the CD cover. This will be done by using the same colours and fonts with the exact same font for the band name as this is also the name of the brand and hence it should be immediately recognisable. It is also important for us to include the same image in both pieces of media to tie the two texts together and create synergy between the two to make them recognisable to the audience and therefore make the audience more likely to spot the CD cover based on the advert's image and buy it.

It is also important to include the release date along with the places that the item can be purchased, whilst acknowledging the use of sizing hierarchy so that the most prominent piece of text is the name of the brand that we are selling.

Another traditional convention is to include the record label on the advert, however this is nopt applicable as Passenger is an independant artist and thus does not have a record label.
Reviews should also be used to encourage the audience to buy and to back up claims regarding the brilliance of the band.

The 'indie' genre of the band should be reflected in the use of fonts and images, as on the CD Cover.
Many of these conventions can be observed in the magazine adverts for 'Noah and the Whale', 'The Killers' and 'Razorlight' below:

           

And here's the one you've all been waiting for: our official magazine advert:

In the Cutting Room

After only two days of filming, we are now editting our video.

First things first, we have to reorganise the music itself to fit in with our video and the time scale of 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds. To do this we are only using the first verse and the final chorus. Luckily these two blended well with each other and so when we play it back it is barely noticeable.

Next we have to sync up the lip-syncing with the music itself which is an extremely arduous task in itself and after several attempts we finallys have it worked out.

Then we altered the colour balance in order to highlight which clips are flashbacks and which are present day, we did this by altering the balance and setting them as 'Flashback' and 'Normal' presets to make the job infinitely simpler. With the flashbacks focusing on brighter and warmer colours such as red and orange and the normal colour being made up of colder colours such as blue and green.

Finally, we added in a few short transitions to ease the change in shot.

Aaaaand...we are done...all in a days work :)

Finishing Filming

Unfortunately, our actress dropped out leading to myself, as the only female member of the group, filling in for the day. However,on the fortunate side of things, for the second day in a row the weather has chosen to work in our favour



Happy couple




First fight



Final fight

Pièce de résistance

                                     Followed by a bit of relaxing before editting:

Filming

After a day of filming, we are halfway therewith only flashback shots left to shoot.

The perfect tree

Filming the daisy

Opening shots

Lip-syncing lessons

The final shot