Survey Results

Below I've inserted photos of the results of my survey. On each one I'll explain what they are and how they affect the progress of my music video.


Which progressive rock band do you enjoy the most?:

The majority seem to prefer Pink Floyd the most. So, my original plans remain unchanged. However, I have been intrigued by the look and style of certain 30 Seconds To Mars music videos. So, I'll use a song and insert the meaning of it in the video, but I'll adopt 30STM's overall look (e.g. black eyeliner, long hair etc.).

The theme of Schizophrenia should be _______ in the video?

By this result, I thought I could make the video more surreal and ambiguous - and keeping to the theme of schizophrenia. 

What tones in music videos do you prefer?

From this it seems that the audience most prefer dark and colourful tones. It is interesting that they have equally chosen to contradictory tones. In spite of this, it is entirely feasible to include both tones for aesthetic purposes. Perhaps to indicate the dark reality and the colourful fiction, which the protagonist will experience in the video.


What colours would you expect in a video about schizophrenia?

To back up my decision to use a variety of dark and bright colours is this pie chart. It seems that the audience would accept a mixture of both in this kind of music video.


What relationship - in terms of lyrics to visuals - do you prefer?

This is the outcome I desired. I based this question on Andrew Goodwin's Music Theory describing the three types of music videos: those that are illustrating, those which amplify and those that contradict the lyrics of the song. "BRAIN DAMAGE"'s lyrics are quite surreal and almost nonsensical, so it would be a foolish attempt in trying to illustrate the lyrics. However, I still want to uncover the meaning of the song through the video, which I can do through amplification. I tend not to favour contradiction myself, which makes me relieved to see that most people prefer amplification.


What locations would you think would work best in a video about schizophrenia?

It is clear here that people think that an abandoned lunatic asylum is best for the video, which I would have to agree with. The difficulty is, which I foolishly hadn't considered before, getting to this abandoned lunatic asylum. There is one in Surrey called the Springfield Asylum - but since it is an hour and a half away by car, this does not seem to be very practical logistically. I may have to fall back on the other locations like the house and the town, because they would be very easy to get to.  

Analysis of the "Dark Side of the Moon" Digipak 2

• The front cover contains a beam of thin, white light entering into a metallic triangle. The light is then refracted on the other side, splitting it into all the colours of the spectrum. This all happens on a pitch black background. The cover is very enigmatic and dark, suiting the style of Pink Floyd's music. It also appears to be referencing space because it involves a physiological occurrence on a black background. The triangle reminds me of the monolith in "2001: A Space Odyssey" whose alien presence is an enigma but we try our best to understand it.

This may be reflective of the band's issues with Syd Barrett's schizophrenia and the epic confusion it caused. The cover's spacy element can also suggest that the music is 'out-of-this-world', which would appeal to the general public.

• The back cover is a live image of four prisms with many lines of coloured light going through them. The prisms all seem connected by these colours of light but not to the source of white light. Perhaps this is to symbolise how something may be more complicated that it appears. Since there are four prisms, I would guess that these resemble the four band members who are all connected by the colour of music. The CD and the back cover of the booklet also have this image.

Analysis of the "Dark Side of the Moon" Digipak 1

The Digipak I am analysing now is the 1992 remastered version of the 1973 album "Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd. Since my chosen song is from the same genre (prog-rock), band and even the same album - I thought this would be a good choice.

• Unusually, images of the band members are not featured in the front or inside covers of the pack - not even on the disc itself. They only reveal their faces in two double-pages of the booklet, which is included with the CD case. The band's absence gives off a sense of mystery and deeper appreciation for the music rather than their image.
• The double-page below shows four separate images of the band members playing in concert. They do not appear to be happy but SERIOUS about their craft. This fits into their style of music, which is psychedelic and dark. 

• The penultimate double-page of the booklet features all four Pink Floyd members in black-and-white. All are smiling and content with themselves. It is stating that since the album has been listened to - because the image is after all the pages of lyrics - one can be content without seriousness once again.

• The booklet contains the list of songs, the band members and who play which songs. This is to keep die-hard fans informed as well as teaching soon-to-be fanatics. The idea of the songs being more important than the artist is repeated in the font. The list of songs in the digipak are in BLOCK CAPITALS and the artists use only their surnames and are mostly in lowercase lettering. 

• Like many other digipak booklets, this one contains the lyrics for every song performed. Unlike most, however, each song has its own double page with differing images and colour scheme. The colour scheme follows that of when light is refracted in a glass prism. So, it begins with red and ends in a deep purple. The song lyric double-pages, on top of their uniform colour scheme, also have different abstract images on each to add to the enigma. For example, the image for the song "BRAIN DAMAGE" contains keys, a syringe, spoons, lobster cutters and a tablet canister. Since this song is supposed to a dedication to Syd Barrett's mental illness, it would be safe to assume that the objects are to do with that. The keys in particular probably allude to one of Barrett's breakdowns where he locked his girlfriend in a cupboard for three days - only feeding her biscuits, which he slid under the door. It is also alluded to in the lyric: 'You lock the door/And throw away the key'.

Practice Filming

I've finished editing the footage I shot last weekend. This is basically a rough version of what the finished product should be like. I'm sticking to the same song and practically the same scenario. Hope you enjoy it!

The fact that he is sitting on the grass is a contribution to the lyrics. In this respect, it makes the relationship between the lyrics and visuals - according to Goodwin - illustrative. I also wanted to make the protagonist - who I've named the LUNATIC - seem solitary in quite a wide landscape. This is similar to what Stanley Kubrick achieved in The Shining. Like The Shining, I also included many surreal elements to indicate the Lunatic's growing insanity. Here, I've included a red watering-can with an iconic Melting Clock - made so by the famous surrealist painter, Salvidor Dali. It also presents the theme of time, which recurs throughout the album (particularly the song Time). 

The shots of the Lunatic laying in his bed indicates that he is having a delusion - one of the symptoms of schizophrenia. But I want the audience to question whether he is having the delusion whilst on the bed, on while he's on the grass. This shot involves more handheld work to represent his mindset. His mindset is wavering and active in his own delusion.

The use of the key is alluding to what I'm going to include afterwards. Syd Barrett - the person who I base the Lunatic on - allegedly kept his girlfriend under lock and key for three days, only giving her biscuit rations which he passed under the door.

I made my actor wear all black to prepare the audience for the darkness of the video. To increase this intended effect, I desaturated the colour of the video to give it a more depressing feel. 

"Logoist"

I have recently purchased a new piece of software for my MacBook Pro called "Logoist".

 I'm going to use this to make a logo for my company "PHANTASMIC productions". This company will be used to produce the music video. I am not going to only use LOGOIST for this purpose however. I'm going to use it to create a logo for the band to create its identity. This will be particularly helpful when creating the website and the digipack for the song/band.

I will attempt to create a logo now and will be posting it shortly.

Also, I have finished editing together some practice shooting I did last weekend. That should be on the YouTube Channel: PHANTASMICproduction soon. I will post it on my blog as well.

Cheers!

E. M.

SPLIT-SCREEN EXPERIMENT

I have been experimenting with the "SPLIT-SCREEN" technique with a video I took. I believe this method will prove useful because it suits my planned use of schizophrenia within my music video. I have also used a close-up of my shadow lip-syncing with the song. I thought the shadow could be an aesthetic touch, symbolising a second side to the protagonist - one which is darker. Perhaps signifying the darker side of schizophrenia or the struggle of one's identity. I've pasted the video below:

I edited this using Final Cut Pro 7 because I don't believe iMovie can really achieve the same effect (or at least, the same quality).

Hope you enjoy it.

Audience Questionnaire - DONE

I have finished the questionnaire for my audience. Hopefully people off the internet will take the time to answer it. Here's a snippet of the survey:


Click Here to view the full survey.

Audience Questionnaire

I am now attempting to create a questionnaire for audiences to participate in. Instead of only asking people at school to fill in my survey, I am going to ask the entire internet. Using the Web 2.0 - the highest form of social interactivity - I can establish my audience more quickly and efficiently. I am using the online survey software "SoGoSurvey", progress from which I have pasted below.

My next blog entry will display the finished product.

Split-Screen Attempt

Currently trying to figure out how to do a "split-screen" effect on my music video. I got inspired out of the music video for "The Kill" by 30 Seconds To Mars, where Jared Leto appears to stand along side his double in the same shot.

I thought this would be ideal for my video, since it deals with the experience of schizophrenia. A video will be posted soon of my efforts.

Stay classy.
E. M.

MY TARGET AUDIENCE

In the podcast below, I have outlined the audience I would intend to target. It is from my own YouTube channel, which I set up for my company PHANTASMIC PRODUCTIONS. 

If you were unable to catch some of what I say, I have pasted the script of the podcast below to help.

MY TARGET AUDIENCE

AGE GROUP

·      12-25 year-olds - more focused in the teenage grouping. The video will predominately have teenage characters, so the intended audience will relate more to them. Teenage youth will be reflected in the mise-en-scene of the video. Characters could be wearing hoodies, playing on games consoles, watching TV, drinking alcohol, doing drugs or on the internet.

The video is aimed more towards people in the 16-25 age range because of the theme of mental illness. This topic may be misunderstood by people below this age group and so appeals to those who have a wider understanding.

·      46-55 year-olds. It may also appeal to this age range because of the age of the music itself. These songs were released in the 1970s and so this age range will be most familiar to them. It is also more likely that they would be die-hard Pink Floyd fans, and so they would understand the topic of Syd Barnett’s mental illness included in the video.

GENDER

My target audience would also be male. Since it is an all-male band it seemed appropriate to appeal to this audience. All of the characters in the video are male, including the protagonist. The protagonist, who represents Syd Barnett, is aggressive and independent to make his masculinity clear but also to highlight his mental illness.

To make this idea of masculinity clear: I would include men’s magazines, nude posters, razors for shaving etc.

SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHIC

I would want to appeal to the social grouping of ABC1 because of the privileges the protagonist has. I would have him live in a well-maintained household with all he needs – and more – to help him along. The protagonist, as well as other characters, will be playing instruments which they have been able to pay for themselves. They have not been at a disadvantage because of their social background.

The video is about the suddenness of the protagonist’s mental breakdown, which is not explained in the video itself. We see the people around him confused as to why he acts in a peculiar way, which the protagonist simply does not notice.

OCCUPATION

Being a music video, it would obviously appeal to musicians. The use of instruments and lip syncing will be key to obtain this audience.

It may also appeal to psychologists and doctors who treat patients with mental illness.

None of the characters are seen doing a paid job of any sort, so it would perhaps appeal to students.

HOBBIES

·      People who listen to music and/or play in a band would enjoy the video – since it would contain footage of the protagonist playing in a band.

·      People who like being with friends. Some shots include the protagonist being with other people.

·      self reflection – it is the creativity of the protagonist’s mindset that forms the basis of this video.

STYLE

Since mental illness is the key theme of the video, the style of the film needs to be suited to that. There would need to be dark features like black clothing, aggressive colours and fast edits. It is through these features that the audience can see the tone of the video and therefore appeal to an audience who enjoys it.  

MEDIA GROUPING

This video would appeal to audiences who enjoy films like A Clockwork Orange, Lost Highway and 127 Hours or TV shows like Dexter and Twin Peaks because it deals with the theme of mental illness. The video involves the subjectivity of a mental experience, like schizophrenia and hallucinations, which people who have watched the films above will relate to.

This video will appeal to fans of progressive rock, which features bands like Pink Floyd, Genesis and Yes. However, a modern audience would be more familiar with new-prog – having hardcore and alternative features – which includes bands like Muse and 30 Seconds To Mars.

USES AND GRATIFICATIONS

·      This video can provide an insight into the idea of mental illness – it may satisfy a possible curiosity which a certain audience group has.

·      The scenes where the protagonist is interacting with friends, in an aggressive or psychologically inactive way, can give a sense of how to behave.

·      Since the video is a subjective exploration of the mind of a schizophrenic, it provides aesthetic enjoyment for an audience.

UTOPIAN THEORY

People can use this video as a form of escapism to divert away from their everyday lives. Since a lot of the visuals will be fictional, and does not document actual schizophrenic experiences, it would be ideal for this utopian audience to delve into this fantasy world. In spite of this, it can also make audiences more aware of the real world – in this case, the problems of schizophrenia. It is a real issue which is somewhat dramatised in this video.

Further research

Since my music video is displaying what happens in the mind of a schizophrenic, I thought I would do some research into the disorder itself to give me inspiration.

I hope it does me a few favours!

First Stages of Establishing a Story

I have written down the lyrics of BRAIN DAMAGE in block letters so I can attempt to analyse them. I want to try and figure out the deeper meaning behind the song, which I can portray in my video. 

There are clearly references to Syd Barrett’s activities during his mental breakdowns. “You lock the door, throw away the key” could be alluding to Barret locking his girlfriend in a closet for three days and occasionally feeding her biscuit rations. I was thinking I can do a slow motion shot of a key going through the air and landing on a pile of opened biscuit packets.

I would try and make the video conform to Andrew Goodwin’s theory of amplification, though there will be some brief relationships between the lyrics and the visuals.

In the opening of BRAIN DAMAGE, I want to have a gliding shot, in a field of some sort, moving forward toward an unfocused figure – clearly sitting on the grass - in the distance.