Letter to Record Label

Dear Geffen Records,

I am writing to you in order to inquire the possibility of receiving permission to use the Blink-182 song “I Miss You”. The reason for asking this question is due to the nature of the advanced portfolio studies in my degree of education. I am in my second year of studying media studies in the UK and my course requires me to create a music video using a series of visuals relating to a chosen song. As mentioned earlier I have chosen your client’s song ‘I Miss You’. With your permission our product will be strictly uploaded to the sites “YouTube” and “Blogger” and can be removed, should you wish for it, after the marking and grading procedure has been completed. Please note that this procedure can take onwards from 8 weeks. The track will be used solely for educational and non-profit purposes. Your institution will receive complete accreditation for producing the track in the description of the video and we can assure you that the video will be devoid of anything to suggest any form of ownership on our behalf.  If you require a particular way for us to format the accreditation, please feel free to make us aware of this.

If you require any further information, please don’t hesitate to ask. I look forward to receiving your response.

Kind Regards

Ben Morgan (Student at Holmer Green Senior School studying OCR Media A2)

History of the Pop Punk Genre

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/history-of-pop-punk-genre

Audience Profile

'I Miss You' - Blink-182 Annotated Lyrics

Micro-elements within Music Videos

Mise-en-scene used in Pop Punk music videos

Pop punk is a hybrid music genre that combines elements of punk rock with foundations of pop music. This genre typically includes fast punk rock tempos, power chord changes and loud, distorted electric guitars with pop-influenced melodies and lyrical themes.

Band’s music videos in the genre of Pop Punk similar to Blink - 182:

• Biffy Clyro – Biblical  
• You Me At Six – No One Does It Better

You Me At Six:

Location:

• Very quiet
• Isolated - This type of setting is street based with a very quiet atmosphere making it have the effect that the band is isolated.
• Empty Road and hillside
• Stranded road trip
• Graffiti walls
• Outskirts of City shown at end - The reason for these choices of locations in the music videos that are in the genre of Pop Punk is because it relates to the narrative making it realistic and has a big effect on the storyline because if the setting didn’t relate it wouldn’t be as effective as won’t relate to the song.

Lighting:

• Low Key – realistic and empathising the emotion
• Revealing hidden emotions - this type of lighting empathises on the characters true emotion in the narrative, quite often revealing hidden emotions as well.
  

Props:

• Old school car, rooftop open
• Petrol Pumps
• Random objects from a dump such as a sofa,
• Horse
• Alcohol
• Skateboard
• Empty Caravan
• Guitars
  

Costume:

• Bland colours
• Casual clothing
• Denim jackets
• Sunglasses
• Tattoos - By looking at the costume that they wear again uses the media term of iconography because it represents the band and links to the genre and it also relates to the bands personality that we are shown further in the concept of the music video.    
• Ripped jeans
  

Colours:

• Bland
• Subtle
• Dull
  

Facial Expressions and Body Language:

• Emotion when singing
• Big arm movements
• Stressed facial expression
• Concentration
  

Biffy Clyro:

Location:

• Street based
• Very Quiet town - Empty roads are pictured in each shot with monstrous hills in the background making the subject look even more lonely and weak.  
• Dead End
• Hotel room
• Swimming Pool
  

Lighting:

• Low Key – realistic and empathising the emotion
• Low key lighting is effective because it makes the situation and image look lifelike to the audience; as if they would come across this themselves rather than be set up and unrealistic.
• Revealing hidden emotions from the characters
• The reason for this is that the lighting highlights the important subjects in the frame and also reflects the main characters mental state throughout the narrative.
  

Props:

• Old telephone
• Water fountain - I have noticed that the props I have seen in the frame are very obscure yet relevant to the narrative of the story which is quite effective because it is memorable.
• Old school cars
• Baseball bats - These type of objects are predominantly used to tell the narrative and entertain the audience to keep them interested in the music video.
• Barbed wire - Due to the inclusion of the more unusual  objects like a skateboard, alcohol, an old telephone and baseball bats the audience may struggle to put a name as to what genre the song belongs to from looking at the music video.
• Guitars
  

Costume:

• Bland colours - it has become clear that the band members wear casual clothing that are primarily bland, dull colours.
• Casual clothing
• Vest and open shirt
• Tattoos
• Sunglasses
• Hats
• Ripped jeans
• Slicked back Hair
  

Colours:

• Bland - The main colours that are used within this genre in music videos are subtle, bland and dull apart from the odd vibrant colour which is in the surrounding like the graffiti.
• Subtle
• Dull - Black has been used a fair amount as it connotes power and strength but it can also be interpreted as a colour that relates to fear and evil. This is effective because depending on the context of the song, the colour can mean one of the two meanings. For example in the music video Biblical by Biffy Clyro, the gang who followed the protagonist into a dead end with baseball bats in their hands all wore clothes which contained the colour black which showed their power and authority. These colours that are incorporated into these music videos create a dramatic effect.

Facial Expressions and Body Language:

• Emotion when singing
• Closed body language showing his inside feelings – clear that they are depressed at parts of the songs due to their closed body language portraying their inside feelings.  
• Stressed facial expression
• Concentration due to no eye contact with camera

Cinematography within Pop Punk

Pop punk is a hybrid music genre that combines elements of punk rock with foundations of pop music. This genre typically includes fast punk rock tempos, power chord changes and loud, distorted electric guitars with pop-influenced melodies and lyrical themes.

Bands in the genre of Pop Punk:

• Biffy Clyro
• Blink – 182
• Fall Out Boy
• Green Day
• You Me At Six

Biblical by Biffy Clyro:

• Close Up – In sections of this music video close ups are used on various different occasions. This shot is predominantly of the artists or band members face to show and bring attention to their emotions through their facial expressions in the close up which is used as the opening shot so the audience connect with the protagonist instantly.     
• Mid Shot – This shot shows the band from their waist upwards, focusing mainly on the subject whilst still providing the audience with an impression of the location. 
• Point-of-view Shot – A point-of-view shot is when the audience sees the scene as though they were looking through the eyes of the subject showing a sense of realism as it enables them to put themselves into the characters position making them interact in the music video and develop thoughts as to what they might do for example.
• Tracking – This camera movement is effective due to the fact that it enables the audience to track where the subject is moving which provides them with a sense of power as they are able to see where they are heading. A tracking shot was used when the protagonist was heading towards a dead end with a gang with baseball bats tracking him from behind. This is where the audience gain power because they are able to see where and what is surrounding him and in this situation we can see he is in danger and under threat.   
• Low Angle – The low camera angle which is carried out by positioning the lens under the subject giving the impression of the subject being more powerful with authority. This is used when he is walking out of his apartment of his feet.  
• Hand-held – The usage of hand-held cameras gives a sense of realism, making it less formal, and also more relatable to the audience due to the fact that they aren't shown straight and simply by the camera. This is used in this music video when the tempo of the music is high in the fighting scene meaning it is in time with the beat which is effective whereas sometimes it is out of time but is also effective in a different sort of way.   
   

Conventions used in Pop Punk Music Videos

• Costume are mainly bland colours with aspects being quite bright making a contrast 
• Live clips of the band performing
• Montage of the narrative footage then clips of band performing
• Performing whilst the narrative is being shown
• Close ups of the singer on the slow parts to enhance their emotions which is slightly more effective than a fast paced song but can in either  
• Editing is mostly fast cuts
• Bands tend to be lively and enjoying themselves when its upbeat
• Lip syncing and sound bridges are used whilst telling a story in a narrative

Editing

"American Idiot" – Green Day

Continuity Editing - Constructs the performance narrative and keeps the product flowing in motion.

Match Cut- Match cuts have been used to match with the narrative technique executed in this video. This helps the audience understand the product due to the continuity displayed.

Montage Editing - Used to portray multiple events occurring within the video and this makes the product to be at a fast pace throughout keeping the audience intrigued.

Flash Cutting – These are short cuts which are presented in a short, sharp motion; this connects with the fast pace music.

"Wolves of Winter" – Biffy Clyro

CGI – Their production company must have a high budget which has resulted in them having the ability to incorporate CGI into their videos. Within this particular video, they have used it to add in the Wolves and it is as if it is some sort of video game that has come to life.


Super-imposing - Each individual and character that has been included into this visual product has been super-imposed over the CGI formed background. Characters are seen within the product fading in and out making their brand identity and so the audience are aware that it is their product that they are watching.

Research into Music Videos

Institutional Research and Music Industry Case Studies

Ancillary Task - Lip Sync

Ancillary Task - Directing a Lip Sync

Ancillary Task - How to Guide: Cinematography

For our Advanced Media Portfolio we have been asked to create and produce a music video to a song of our choice and Alex, Sam and I, thought it would be a good idea to work as a unit. We have previously shown our capabilities and teamwork in creating an opening sequence to a film which turned out successful, resulting in us having experience when working together. As one of our tasks we had to create a short sequence which showed a variation of shots, allowing us to develop our camera skills. By doing this, not only did it strengthen our technical qualities but it enhanced our teamwork. This tasks allowed us to experiment different shots that we could perhaps include into our final product.      

 

Ancillary Task - Moodboard

I created this mood-board which is based around the theme and genre of pop punk. Within my mood-board I have included images that represent and link to the genre of pop punk. There is a distinct colour scheme throughout, predominately using dark and dull colours – black, white and the odd vibrant colour mainly from the graffiti. The reasoning for incorporating these colours is because I have found out that these colours are constantly being linked and associated with this style of music. Levi Strauss’ theory of binary opposites is included within my mood-board through the colours black and white. Black connotes death, evil and misery whereas the colour white signifies innocence and purity which challenges the stereotypical conventions of the pop punk genre.    

     

It is clear that these images connote a street based and a rebellious view on the style of music which is highly liked by the youth culture. I have also included the quote “wake me up when September ends” which is a phrase used by the well-known band, Green Day, who are known for being idols for the genre of pop punk music. The ways in which I have represented the youth is through featuring graffiti, skateboards, alcoholic beverages and stereotypical clothing that we associate with teenagers. Alongside this, I have included various skulls to illustrate the connection between death and pop punk. Skulls symbolise both positive and negative attributes; generally a representation of death and mortality which is significant in this style of music as it revolves around violence. The technique of iconography has been very effective in representing this genre of music.