Cultural Studies Approach On Audience

This approach, according to David Morley, says that audiences aren't just passive when consuming media forms of text. Instead, an active role is taken, and based upon the indivual themselves, readings can vary within the same social group. The Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies concluded that audiences adopt different standpoints in relation to the values expressed within a media text. This includes:

• A preferred reading, whereby the audience understand the values being presented by the media form and accept them as natural and correct.
• A negotiated reading includes audiences which recognise the values in the text as legitimate and accept them to a degree, but adapt their reading of the text to fit in with their own strong values based upon experiance and belief.
• An oppositional reading where the understood values within the text are rejected.

Our music video will most certainly cause divisons in readings dependent on both interest and age. Elderly audiences will most certainly take an oppositonal view of the text, due too the uncouth glorification of wealth and gluttony and the many close ups of cigars and alcoholic beverages. However, because our target audience consists of a 14 - 25 year range, this oppositional reading would not find itself too relevent in the success of the video. Those in publishing and reviewing, the writers who work for music magazines like NME are paid to be critical of media texts, however our music video will hopefully be recognised as a text that uses the convention of gloating and greed in successful rapper music video's, but twists it on it's head as we find out the success is immaterial and part of the rapper's dream. Perhaps this will cause UK magazine reviewers like NME and uncut too take a greater preferred reading too the text for this reason than, for example, an American magazine like Empire.

Time Mangement Success

So far we've managed to keep to our deadline's set in our course time mangement table. Up to the 19th we are supposed to have completed all our digipak work and gained the required feedback. Over the next couple of weeks we are supposed to have completed our planning, but we already have begun on that so are currently ahead of our predicted timeline!

Our original time mangement sheet - http://jameswallera2mediastudies.blogspot.com/2011/11/time-management.html

Shotlist

Shotlist:

*Our shot descions in editing are a matter of improvision. Therefore shots listed here are not all that we will take, but the neccessitiys. Many more shots will be taken inspirationally on-location.*

In Hyatt Suite Hotel -

1. Close Up of Jon's face
2. Zoom out and camera tilt as Jon sits up
3. Still MS of Jon
4. Vertical Tilt up Jon
5. Over shoulder shot of jon looking out window
6. Long shot of Jon looking out window
7. Close up of Jon's face looking out window
8. MS staring out of lift window
9. Close up of Newspaper in hands
10. Over shoulder, high angle towards newspaper in lap
11. Dolly backwards as Jon walks towards cam
12. Close up of Jon walking towards dolly cam
13. High angle shot looking down on jon on bed
14. Low angle of jon on bed
15. Close up of money in hand
16. Pan up hand and arm
17. Close up of Cigar
18. Pan towards mouth
19. MS of Jon's face with cigar in mouth
20. Long range shot of Jon with legs up on piano
21. Close up of shoes on Piano
22. Close up of view outside window
23. Close up of view as going up lift
24. Close up of Diamond earring
25. Long range of walking through lobby
26. Stationary MS behind pillar of Jon walking across frame
27. Close up of champagne bottle
28. Pan across to champagne glass
29. Close up of Jons face
30. High angle shot of Piano keys
31. Low angle shot of Hyatt
32. Long range shot of Hyatt

In Train Station -

1. Close up of Train Doors
2. Long range wide lens of Train
3. Stationary establishing shot of Train in station
4. Close up of Jon's Face
5. Close up when head against window
6. Over shoulder shot of Ticket master
7. MS of both having conversastion
8. Low angle shot of two having conversastion
9. Close up of ticket in hand
10. Close up of cheap jewellry
11. Pan up of cheap clothing
12. Long shot down carriagway of Jon on own
13. Close up of tacky newspaper
14. Over the shoulder shot of Jon opening up newspaper
15. Reactionary shot after looking at newspaper
16. Close up of feet getting onto train
17. Close up of fingers nudging Jon's shoulder
18. Slow pan following arm of ticket master

Outside Street View -

1. Stationary Long shot as Jon walks towards Camera
2. Pan as Jon walks past camera
3. Stationary LS as Jon walks away
4. Close up of Graffiti
5. Pan Down of Jon's clothes
6. Close up of lager can
7. Close up of shoes
8. Establishing shot of warehouse
9. Long shot of cracked pavement
10. Dolly cam of Jon walking across pavement

Storyboard

An 'animatic' storyboard of the first 30 seconds of our video. Liberties were taken on location, props and actors because of the difficulty in gaining access too all three.

Movement and blocking

In our music video, coreography and movement will be a reaction from the artist to the lyrics. This is unlike other music videos, where dancers etc are used to illustrate points and our music video research shows that nearly all hip-hop or alternative rap music videos do not use dancers.
Therefore, the matching of lyrics to specific movements from our star peformer are of the highest priority.

"Never take a time out"
These lyrics are in the first verse, and as an example of our technique of Andrew Goodwin's theorys of music videos, we will not be illustrative of the lyrics and instead amplifying. This is shown by how the lyrics do not relate directly with the video. However, their is slight irony in a connection of the artist calling for 'time out', whilst being lazy in the video and clearly taking a break.

"I'm in a major zone"
These lyrics are part of the first verse away from the beginning chorus, and this medium body shot will be used as part of a long take, to then be interjected throughout the rest of the verse by varying shots and locations. This will therefore be a dolly camera, as the artist walks towards the camera before gestures like seen here - in order to gloat his weatlh and success.

"Serious, higher than a nimbus"
Yet another 'riches' shot, the material boasting is highly present in this wide angle shot, and we would use a similar shot in order to show off as many expensive possessions as possible. The lyrics relate to the video here, in that whilst our peformer will smoke a cigar, lyrics will be talking of being high.

"To the penthouse we go"
These lyrics will be illustrated by the video, as a glass lift as seen in this image is available in our filming location straight to the penthouse. This allows us too pull off dramatic mid-range shots and quick cuts to reflect the movement of a rising lift.

"Watch me as I come up from the bottom and ascend the charts"

The first of our 'Rags' examples, this will be a dolly camera where our main peformer walks down the pavement towards the camera. This gesture of pointing towards the sky will be used alongside these lyrics, in reference too the future success of our star's rap.

"Train noise"

At the start of the muisc video, our track contains the noise of public transport in the background. Instead of trying too wait till the perfect shot, we came too the conclusion a close up of our star image will be used as the firstpart of our video's narrative.

Costume and Props

Our costume and props are mainly two different, opposing styles of 'rags to riches' that will be juxtaposed in the video  and so I'll differentiate between the two when listing them here.

'Rags' Costume

Costume - Adidas Red Tracksuit -Jon's
Costume - New Era Red Cap - Jon's
Costume -Nike SD Shoes - Jon's
Costume - Black Under-vest - Jon's


'Rags' Props
Props - Lager Cans- Jay's

Props - Coke Cartons - Tom's

Props - Tobacco Roll Ups - Tom's

'Riches' Costume

Costume - White Shirt - Jon's

Costume - Black Straight Tie - Jon's

Costume - Black Smart Shoes - Jon's

Costume - Black Silk Trousers - Jon's

Costume - Black Waistcoat - Jon's

Costume - Black Fur Coat - Jon's
Costume - Diamond Earing - Jon's

'Riches' Props

Props - King-size Bed - Supplied by hotel

Props - Piano - Supplied by hotel

Props - Champagne - Jay

Props - Cuban Cigar - Jay

Organisation of locations/permission

Hyatt Recency hotel, Birmingham

This is the Hyatt recency hotel, Birmingham. The idea of our video is to express the juxtaposition between rich and poor. This is where we're going to film the rich and glamorous scenes.


Permission ? 


Luckily, One of us have family who work there. He has managed to grant us permission.

Foregate train stations, Worcester

An idea within our video is that the star is going to fall asleep on a train and dream about becoming famous, so this is where we're going to film it. We are also going to film other general shots here.

Permission?


It's a public place, however we are going to contact the station before filming.

Worcester City

This is where we're going to contrast the star as a regular person using the 'rags to riches' theme.

Permission? 


Worcester City is a public place, therefore we're granted to film there.

Possible Casting.

Role? Main performer.

Who? Jon Goddin.

Why? Jon is very photogenic. He enjoys performing arts which he performed at college, he's at ease in front of a camera. His lifestyle, as reflected by his Facebook pictures here, matches the star image we wish to create, making him a natural fit to be our main peformer in our music video.

Role? Main performer.

Who? Marcus Dowdeswell.

Why? He is very reliable and confident, who will look good on the camera and be able to act well & efficiently . However, I'm concerned that because we are such good friends that he won't take it seriously and will mess around and it might be harder to film more complex shots.

Role? Main performer

Who? Stefan Vasiljevic.

Why? He fit the genre of a rapper appearance very well with some features like dreadlocks. He's close and reliable, however he's very busy and may not be reliable/flexible that we require.

This led us to conclude that out of our potential actors, Jon Goddin was somebody who could help with our organisation and mobilisation (E.g has a car for us all to travel is and lives by the area were filming at in Broad Street, Birmingham), and suits the star image that we are trying to create through our music video!

Research into target audience

Target Audience Profile

View more presentations from Drwallerbong

Our Audience Feedback from digipaks and advert suggested that our hip hop genre was being adhered too and ideas fulfilled in our finished design, this audience was just under 30 people in quantity.

Response to Digipak:
As you can see, the comment related to the questions posed, but gave constructive criticism alongside praising comments like "Really like the font".

Response to Advert:

The immedite response too the question of what genre this advert relates too, shows that we progressed onto the right direction for our music video in it's most conventional form.

This is a list of those in our focus group, an audience specifically picked out of our audience feedback group. I had a short interview with one, whose responses left us with far more positives then need for admendment.
Us: Out of our two music videos shown, did the two show enough to convince you a 'rags to riches' idea is feasible?
Audience: I think that both would work well together, like directly against one another. It would show the greater difference if both were sharing the same screen.
Us: Would you honestly consider purchasing our digipak, and if so why?
Audience: I probably would, it is similar to other rap albums. It's good idea though because while rich people are shown off all the time, poor people are not usually given the oppoutunity.
Us: In the music video we are using, 'Danger Zone' - Chiddy Bang. After hearing this song, do you think it suits our idea for a music video?
Audience: Unlike other Chiddy Bang stuff, this song is quite aggressive and i think the idea of a rich guy in a skyscraper shows that well. If you'd have picked nearly any other Chiddy Bang song though i would have flat-out refused.
Us: Finally, how realistic do you think a professional execution of our ideas for a music video is?
Audience: You'll be cool, just need to make sure the main actor gets their on the day.

Time management

In november we sorted of the time management sheet that we created on Microsoft exel and included every detail of our project that needs completing in a certain date to have full organisation on our project. I have included the idea process, the final research summary, and final deadlines.

I also used my Iphone which allowed me to update blogs on the move. Also I used my calender to help manage time management.

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