Narrative Workshop

"Music Videos are simply an extension of the lyrics"- Andrew Goodwin

How could you prove/disprove this?

Gather screenshots of music videos and compare them to the lyrics spoken at that point, evaluate if they match up
Look at specific genres of music and decided if they greater reflect the music/lyrics or the band/artists views
Evaluate conventions of genres and how they affect the video, for example rap videos typically portray a lifestyle whilst rock band groups portray the atmosphere at live shows and performances

What does it mean?

Suggesting the video is an extension of the ideas or moods that the lyrics portray
Suggests it could create its own individual film/form of media
Could be the preferred reading from the band or artist
The video is the lyrics told in a visual way

What is the main idea behind this?

That the music video can be more than literal possibly a metaphorical interpretation
Is content built and defined by a product that already exists
It can only add to but not improve or alter the original product

How significant is this?

Not  very much, as the music video often also reflects the attitudes or ideas of a context/time
It can be more than a product of words, it can be the product of the thoughts and feelings of not only and individual artist but also a generation or time frame
Furthermore the video can also make its own independent statement in conjunction and separate from the message/ideas of the song (existing as its own idea)

What evidence can you already present for this?

Music videos such as Lego House by Ed Sheeran which tells its own narrative independently from the song, however  the lyrics are quite ambiguous and so an interpretation of the lyrics
Music videos from boy bands such as One Direction and Justin Bieber portray the ideas and concepts of the artists as they are typically designed to appeal or feature female leads, as to attract the audience and portray the bands image

Do you agree with this? Explain your answer 

To a degree, yes
They may not necessarily be a enjoyable or good extension but they do expand upon pre-created content
Saying its "simply" the lyrics is maybe not looking at it in enough detail, other things have influences
Almost always reflects the mood or tone of the song e.g. Happy and Sad



Narrative Workshop:

For the next task we were challenged to create a narrative based on a short synopsis. We planned and filmed this the whole way through creating a narrative independent from the performance. Once the filming was complete we edited the narrative into a coherent storyline and exported it, after this we took our original performance and mixed it in with our new narrative attempting to portray the storyline whilst having our performance shots equally relevant and frequent.



Evaluation:
So far I have learnt that the mood of the song and lyrics can have a great effect upon the narrative, for example our narrative synopsis involved friends spreading rumours but due to the content of Taylor Swifts "Never Ever Getting Back Together" The story, unintentionally, came across in the style of a relationship.
 Furthermore I have learnt that choosing an appropriate song to construct with the narrative will improve both the clarity of the narrative and the relevance of the performers. In addition the use of multiple performers in our own music video made it unclear to the audience as to who they should identify with meaning that a solo performer who is at the centre or the narrative during filming would allow the audience to clearly see the main subject of both the narrative and lyrics. Finally the effectiveness of markers and lip-synching is greatly improved when the performer speaks the lyrics aloud as it makes the singing more believable and maths the vocals much more effectively.
I have also noticed that our music videos have been edited much differently from the film openings we made previously. For example the editing within our music videos are much more fast paced and quick using jump cuts and specific important shots to effectively communicate the narrative.

Peer Assessment:

What did you understand from the narrative ?

David- "There was a clear conflict between the man and the woman, with another person  continuing to spread rumours"

Luke- "Two people are together (man and women) the man goes on to gossip to another man behind her back, the girlfriend eventually finds out and they fight"


How well did it work alongside the song?

David- "Very well, the song was about break-ups a theme clearly shown within the narrative through the conflict between the characters"

Luke-"It  worked well with the music, because it follows a very similar narrative to that suggested by the song"


What did you think overall about the final outcome?

David- " It was effective although occasionally confusing due to multiple performers lacking a clear protagonist to identify with"

Luke- "It was a nice clear narrative that worked well with the music video creating an effective overall product that reflected the typical conventions of the a music video"