Miss Independent

"Everybody is doing the same old thing."
-Missy Elliot

As part of our research, I decided to look into how the model/singer should present herself, and how she should act. I looked into how female pop acts have developed over the last 30 years, and how I should present Ultra Violet to meet the needs of the mainstream at present. Perfect Circle is a song detailing the singer's reaction to a failed relationship, so the actress could either present herself as sad or angry, or uncaring-or even happy.

Firstly, I looked into women in pop in the 80s/90s. I found it particularly common for women to gain success with ballads, but most notably ballads detailing the artist's sadness towards the subject matter, or emphasising the position of the man in the relationship. An example is the 1993 hit, Mariah Carey's 'Hero':



This tradition carried on into the late 90s, with leading pop acts such as Britney Spears presenting a feminine 'weakness':



But now, we are in an era of confident women, where women take control and are powerful-the era of 'Miss Independent'. Women in mainstream pop, and mostly in electro-pop, now present themselves aggressively, and the important 'fierce' factor can be seen throughout recent releases. For example, in the video for 'Sometimes' above, Britney sings 'sometimes I run, sometimes I hide, sometimes I'm scared of you'. This shows a predictable female sensitivity. 10 years later, the artist Rihanna, whom is now in a similar scale of popularity to Spears, is now singing and acting the complete opposite:



Other leading artists such as Lady GaGa and Madonna as well as Britney Spears have also entered this aggressive stage, and the mainstream has taken this image under its wing. Thus, it inspired my ideas and intentions for the video, and with Lana's approval, we agreed that the artist, Ultra Violet, should be presented as a strong, aggressive woman.

Selecting Our Actors

"I say its a girl's world."
-Nelly Furtado

Ultra Violet
Actress: Daniella Gordenfelt
Why: We chose Daniella because of her classic good looks, and previous experience in acting. With a fantastic facial composition, gorgeous hair, a beautiful body and an air of class, selling her image to a mass audience will be easy. As explained in Laura Mulvey's 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema', the Male Gaze is 'determining', and women 'connote to-be-looked-at-ness'. Daniella fits into this idea, with her conventional beauty easily noticeable by men.

Unnamed Male Antagonist
Actor: Jonathan Cobbing
Why: Our immediate intentions whilst finding a male actor for the antagonist were two things-a male with a look that doesn't break from a traditional man's appearance, and the ability to appear sinister. Jonathan, with his short hair cut and well-built body, fit into the role of a traditional male perfectly. We chose to have him look traditional and 'regular' so that he would not alter the focus of the video away from Ultra Violet. To meet the needs of the sinister appearance, Jonathan has an angular jaw and accentuated eyes, which give him a mischievous appearance that we found to be very appropriate. These features were necessary to meet our requirements of the antagonist's ability to appear as a negative character in the plot.

Analysis Of Music Video

"Life is full of risks, why not take them?"
-Lindsay Lohan

To help with my research into how to present a theory and a concept in our music video, I decided to write an essay and analyse a music video that inspired me. I later submitted this essay to universities, and met very positive reviews. Below is the music video in question, and beneath that is the analytical essay.

Lady GaGa 'Telephone' Music Video Analysis

Lady GaGa is, to me and to the public, more than just a pop singer. Lady GaGa interests me far beyond the boundaries of her music. She acts as a beacon of artistic inspiration and pop culture, in all major aspects of the media: fashion, television and art. In her latest music video, 'Telephone', GaGa truly amplifies all of these aspects, as a way of both reaching to society as well as to her fans.

Throughout the video, GaGa's level of intellect becomes apparent, and a clear homage to American society begins to unfold. From the beginning of the video, a string of stereotypes appear. From the opening scene within an urban prison, the viewer can see that the female cell mates are all sexually-infused young women. As GaGa takes to the outdoors partition of the complex, the presumed stereotype of homosexual interactions between women is presented, as GaGa is seduced by another woman.

The references to American society do not stop there. Throughout the video, modern culture is presented everywhere - mostly through the medium of product placements. Virgin phones, Diet Coke hairpieces, Plenty of Fish dating websites, Polaroid cameras, Miracle Whip mayonnaise and more all represent the commercial context that is truly groundbreaking. The video may appear as sadomasochistic, or as a promotion of murder, but the depth of its hype and its avant-garde potential, I believe, stem from the drastic presentation of American media and its attitudes towards commercialism, overproduction and homosexuality. As Lady GaGa mentioned in a recent interview, '(the video) has one foot in the art community, and one foot in the commercial world.'

I took great interest in the exhibition of modern American media shown in the video due to research I made towards my portfolio, in regards to Andy Warhol. Similarly, whilst GaGa presented elements of social awareness and pop culture in the 'Telephone' video, Warhol invested his art deeply into explaining his feelings towards typical Western society. A most notable example would be his first major release, the piece 'Campbell's Soup Cans'. Much like 'Telephone', the painting celebrated modern culture, and its ability to overproduce and over-consume.

The 'Telephone' video presented a thematic study of the artistic side of everyday life, which remains rarely seen in the repertoire of music video history.

Failures and Discoveries

"I had tried singing once back in Berlin. They threw tomatoes. After the show, I had a nice salad."
-Hedwig Schmidt (Hedwig and The Angry Inch)

Lana and I were required to make a questionnaire, so we considered more efficient methods than handing out sheets. We created the questionnaire together. So, we came up with the idea of conducting the questionnaire over Facebook-a popular online media outlet that would allow us to get in contact with several of our classmates within a short space of time. We had also used Facebook to advertise another idea we had-to film an audience within a concert sequence, to be filmed within the school's theatre.

The idea seemed to be running smoothly-the staff at school were giving us permission to use the room and so on, but our efforts stalled within our Facebook invitation. We only achieved 16 confirmed guests, which was no where near enough to make a viable audience. This shows we had been too ambitious, leading us into having to find another idea that would still allow us to maintain the understanding that an audience was present. We realised that if we shot some shots from behind a group of people facing the stage at a certain angle, the viewer would be lead to believe that there was an audience-allowing us to achieve a similar effect. Here is an image of the Facebook page we made to promote the questionnaire and the concert scene:


Regardless, the questionnaire was answered by a hefty total of 100 people-more than enough for us to make a fair judgment and have enough data to analyse. An example of one of the answers we received:


Here is the questionnaire:
1) Do you listen to Electro-Pop music often?:

Yes/No


If no: Do you think you would be willing to introduce Electro-Pop into your musical selection or repertoire?: Yes/No

2) What do you prefer to see people wearing in Electro-Pop music videos?: Casual Clothing/Formal Clothing/Abstract Clothing

3) Out of these artists, whose music videos do you watch the most?: Lady GaGa/Little Boots/La Roux/Florence + The Machine/Girls Aloud

What do you like/dislike about your selection?:

4) What type of special effects do you find yourself most attracted to in music videos?:

5)Would you rather a music video had a plot/story?:

Yes/No

6)Do you prefer the style of a music video to match the genre of music you're listening to?:

Yes/No

Why?:

7) Do you find outdoor locations in music videos more appealing?

Yes/No

Why?:

8) What style of performance art would you most want to see in a music video?:

Dancing/Stage performances (projections, props, etc.)/Acting

Why?:

Here is the data we collected, along with pie-graphs detailing the audience's answers:

1) Do you listen to Electro-Pop music often?:

53/100 said Yes. 47/100 said No.

2) What do you prefer to see people wearing in Electro-Pop music videos?:
Only one person said they would prefer to see artists wearing casual clothing in Electro-Pop music videos.
78 participants said they would prefer abstract clothing and 21 preferred formal.

3) Out of these artists, whose music videos do you watch the most?:
43 participants said they mostly watch Lady GaGa's music videos.
21 said Girls Aloud
15 said Florence and the Machine
13 said La Roux
8 said Little Boots

4) What type of special effects do you find yourself most attracted to in Electro-Pop music videos?:
Many people who answered said they liked the visual effects such as colour changes from black and white to colour. Some said they liked animation.

5) Would you rather a music video had a plot/story?:
67 of participants said they prefer music videos to have a plot/narrative.
33 like music videos to be only performance or irrelevant shots to the song.


6) Do you prefer the style of a music video to match the genre of music you're listening to?:
94 participants said they prefer the style music videos to match the genre of music. Most of those people said that they would find it pointless to watch a music video that clashed with the genre of music. 6 people said they think it's interesting when the video doesn't match the genre of music.

7) Do you find outdoor locations in music electro-pop videos more appealing?
57 people said they'd prefer to see an outdoor location in an electro-pop video, whilst 43 people claimed they'd rather see the video take place indoors.

8) What style of performance art would you most want to see in a music video?:
79 people said they would rather see dancing in the video, proving dancing is a major convention in general pop videos. 11 people said they would rather see stage performance, whilst 10 people said they would rather see acting.

Artistic Inspiration: Róisín Murphy

"I won't be happy 'till I'm as famous as God."
-Madonna

Róisín Murphy is known worldwide as a leading fashionista, and an overall artistic genius. She incorporates fashion into her music and performances, much like Lady GaGa does-with the exception that Róisín doesn’t create her own clothing. Murphy instead integrates herself specifically into the fashion world, befriending and creating relationships between her and leading fashion brands, which has lead to mass advertisement within the fashion marketing industry. Some examples of this extensive promotion are that her music is now used in Gucci aftershave adverts, she is frequently invited to perform at major fashion events such as openings, runway shows and so on, and is given custom-made artistic outfits by leading fashion designers specifically made for her, which separates her image from others completely.

Lana and I took inspiration from Róisín in her latest era, surrounding her latest album, Overpowered. The theme throughout the Overpowered era is the prospect of wearing outrageous and abstract clothes in predictable and normal settings. This theme is present throughout all covers and photo-shoots from the era, as well as within the music videos:





This direction presents an image that both me and Lana are heavily interested in. The image essentially challenges what is considered to be the norm, with Murphy wearing heavily alternative clothing, but without attracting attention from those in ‘normal’ clothes. Lana and I saw this as a look into the future, when abstract clothes are accepted as a typical part of society, thus opening the doors of expressive fashion to the general public. We saw this is as a notable concept we wanted to convey in our music video, therefore we have begun to create an intricate and abstract outfit for our artist. To maintain this concept, when the artist wears the outfit throughout the video, no one in the public nor the main characters will notice any reason to point out our artist’s appearance.

Artistic Inspiration: Lady GaGa

"Art is life, life is art...the question is, what came first?"
-Lady GaGa

Lady GaGa uses a notable array of performance art concepts to fuel her music videos, performances, covers, photo-shoots and so on. These concepts are taken from artists that have influenced and inspired her, and taught her how to project and perform an idea or theme using different aspects of media, as well as the use of costume, make-up and anatomy. Lana and I were inspired by GaGa’s research, as one of our top priorities is to present an interesting array of performance art and expression. GaGa also uses the themes and costumes for her performances and videos to add the element of each presentation being a fashion installation amongst the other aspects. These inspirations will provide a vital foundation to one of the main scenes in our video, a performance within a concert.

An influence that we shared with GaGa is Andy Warhol. Andy Warhol was an artist as well as a director, and had many ventures into the music industry-most notably his band project, The Velvet Underground. Warhol took them on board for his art concept, the Exploding Plastic Inevitable-an array of media events that would act as an art installation both through the band and through dancers. Their performances contained an artistic foundation that fit perfectly into our expressive ideas. For example, his use of lighting in this music video, which enhances the feeling of intensity and drama onstage, empowering the image of the performer as well as embodying the song:



Lady GaGa herself found other aspects in Warhol’s work that she found influential, and extracted them and placed them in her own work. A primary example of this would be the projections she creates, directs and uses in her live performances. On her recent Fame Ball Tour, these projections were used to tell a story throughout the concert:



These projections show a clear artistic interpretation of Warhol’s art pieces, as well as the dramatic stories that they embody-the journey of searching for ‘pop’ after it eats and steals her heart, as well as desiring the fame. Warhol used projections to portray ideas consistently throughout his live multimedia events. As an example, in the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, he wanted a trippy, drug-related theme to be present in the projections-to fit in with the experimental music:



We were heavily influenced by the use of projections to fuel a concert performance, as it thematically controlled the concert, as well as opening doors to interesting ideas in regards to making an entrance onto the stage, as well as reflecting artistic ideas within the projections themselves as well as relating these ideas to the performance. These ideas will become apparent in our performance shots.

Another of Lady GaGa’s influences that we have taken into account is David Bowie. A trait that we share with both GaGa and Bowie is the desire to create an artist image that differentiates from the norm, but with a musical presentation that fits into the mainstream. GaGa notes Bowie as a consistent influence throughout her career, and it is clear within her own artistic direction:







GaGa and Bowie also use physical anatomy on stage to enhance the theme of the performance or video they are trying to put across. For example, Bowie used new technology in his videos to amplify the futuristic and otherworldly theme of the video:



GaGa uses similar methods, such as using glasses made of small iPod screens to represent a futuristic theme within her video, 'Poker Face':

Perfect Circle

"I get the lyrics of a tune and interpret them my way."
-Kylie Minogue

Upon finding the 'Rocket' instrumental by Kevin MacLeod, I took it upon myself to write the lyrics and melody for our song over the instrumental.

The instrumental, 'Rocket':


As Kevin himself wouldn't be the singer, Lana and I had to invent an artist name that would fit into our desired genre. Since electro-pop is frequently played in clubs equipped with dramatic lighting equipment such as lasers and strobe lights, we decided on Ultra Violet as the 'artist's' name.

In recent electro-pop history, shapes have played a major role in presenting an edgy and interesting form of imagery, so I felt it was a good idea to name the song after a shape-'Perfect Circle'. An example of an electro-pop artist, Little Boots, using shapes as part of her image:


Here is the finished copy of our song, 'Perfect Circle':


The lyrics for the song:

'Perfect Circle'
Music: Kevin MacLeod 'Rocket'
Lyrics/Melody: Ezra Veng
Vocals: Lana Moses

Last time we were here, you were forgiving
Last time we were here, you could see ahead
Last time we were here, it weren't so hard for you
To feel the same, but you don't, so

Where did it all go wrong
When did you say goodbye
Where did it all go wrong
Why did you make me cry
Where did your feelings go
No one else could touch us
Why don't your feelings show
I loved you so much

Now you're never gonna hold my hand
Now you're never gonna be my man
Now you're never gonna love me back
The thought of you makes my heart attack

As the beats of my heart fade out to grey
You said you'd never stop feeling that way
Like a perfect circle, you'll come around
Now dig up my heart, right from the ground

Where did it all go wrong
When did you say goodbye
Where did it all go wrong
Why did you make me cry
Where did your feelings go
No one else could touch us
Why don't your feelings show
I loved you so much

Now you're never gonna hold my hand
Now you're never gonna be my man
Now you're never gonna love me back
The thought of you makes my heart attack

Like a perfect circle
(oh oh oh)
Like a perfect circle
(oh oh)
Like a perfect circle
(oh oh, owow)
Like a perfect circle
You'll come around

AS Preliminary Activity

"Writing songs is super intimate. It's a bit like getting naked."
-Gwen Stefani

Music: 'Mama Who Bore Me' Spring Awakening Original Cast Recording
Actress: Lana Moses
Created By: Ezra Veng, Adam Line and Lana Moses

Through filming this video, I learned many techniques and methods into how I should film and edit my music video-as well as skills I had not experimented in before, such as connecting lip-syncing with audio. This was a rewarding experience, and I was able to learn how to handle the camera whilst filming a singer, as well as how to edit the clips together to make an effective video.

Introduction

"Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes."
-Andy Warhol

Upon our groups being decided, me and Lana instantly made the decision to present the electro-pop genre within our work. Electro-pop in itself was originally an alternative genre, but due to the increased awareness towards the electronica genre worldwide, the style of music has become mainstream. Lana and I had many ideas, specifically in regards to using electro-pop artists such as Róisín Murphy and Lady GaGa. Artists such as these present a level of performance art within their music, an aspect of music we wanted to show in our music video. Unfortunately, we were informed that we could not use copyrighted music, which caused complications with our original idea of using either of those artists.

Regardless of the circumstances, we wanted to continue working towards our initial idea, of a pop performance art video with electro-pop as the foundation. I had personally taken interest in writing a pop/electro-pop song in the past, so I found a copyright free instrumental by Kevin MacLeod. Kevin's website was easily accessible and very helpful, and both Lana and I will credit him accordingly, as noted in his terms and conditions.

After choosing the song 'Rocket' provided on Kevin's website, I used it as the foundation for our song: 'Perfect Circle'.