Propp's theory

Vladimir Propp...


Vladimir Propp was born on April 17, he was a Russian formalist scholar who focused on examining components of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest narrative elements.
His morphology of the folk tale consists of 8 typical characters involved within a film, and 31 functions. Both of these are used in media education and can be applied to almost any story, whether it is literature, theatre, film or simply a television programme. The folks tale was first published in Russia in 1895.

Some have criticised Propps approach, expressing that he has removed all verbal considerations from the analysis, although the folks tale form is almost always oral, and involves consideration of tone, mood, character and anything else that defines one fairytale from another.

However, defenders of Propps theory suggest that his approach was not intended to unearth meaning in those particular fairy tales, but in fact to unearth the elemental building blocks which formed the basis of the narrative structure.


Characters

Propp's theory is a form of structuralism, which i a view that all media is inevitably in the form of a certain fixed view; the structures however are usually cultural. Propp concluded that every type of character could be resolved within only 8 character types, this present in over 100 films in which he has analysed.
Here are the 8 character types Propp created, below...

The villain — struggles against the hero.
The donor — prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
The (magical) helper — helps the hero in the quest.
The princess and her father — gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father can not be clearly distinguished.
The dispatcher — character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off.
The hero or victim/seeker hero — reacts to the donor, weds the princess.
[False hero] — takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.

Peter Pan...



I have decided to focus on the popular Disney Film, 'Peter Pan' and analyse the film in the influence that Vladimir Propp did, i chose this particular film as it is extremely popular within a wide target audeince, not only children. The film has been updated and used further, becoming a theatre show held in the West End and also has been modernised into a film acting as the sequel, named 'Hook', this time involving actors, it is not cartoon based.

The villain — Captain Hook
The donor — Tinkerbell
The (magical) helper — Tinkerbell
The princess and her father — Wendy Darling is -Princess, Mr.Darling- Her Father.
The dispatcher — Peter Pan
The hero or victim/seeker hero — Peter Pan.
[False hero] — Smee.

Above are the 7 typical character types included in 'Peter Pan', thought examining the film i have found that each of these live up to the character types Propp has provided, and represent a typical fairytale storyline.
Propp also hase 31 functions he believes in, these are listed below and are events which occur in a sequence...

1.ABSENTATION: A member of a family leaves the security of the home environment for some reason. This may be the hero or perhaps it’s some other member of the family that the hero will later need to rescue. This division of the cohesive family injects initial tension into the storyline. The hero may also be introduced here, often being shown as an ordinary person. This allows the reader of the story to associate with the hero as being 'like me'.
2.INTERDICTION: An interdiction is addressed to the hero ('don't go there', 'don't do this')The hero is warned against some action (given an 'interdiction'). A warning to the hero is also a warning to the reader about the dangers of life. Will the hero heed the warning? Would the reader? Perhaps the reader hopes the hero will ignore the warning, giving a vicarious adventure without the danger.
3.VIOLATION of INTERDICTION. The interdiction is violated (villain enters the tale). The hero ignores the interdiction (warning not to do something) and goes ahead. This generally proves to be a bad move and the villain enters the story, although not necessarily confronting the hero. Perhaps they are just a lurking presence or perhaps they attack the family whilst the hero is away. This acts to further increase tension. We may want to shout at the hero 'don't do it!' But the hero cannot hear us and does it anyway.
4.RECONNAISSANCE: The villain makes an attempt at reconnaissance (either villain tries to find the children/jewels etc; or intended victim questions the villain). The villain (often in disguise) makes an active attempt at seeking information, for example searching for something valuable or trying to actively capture someone. They may speak with a member of the family who innocently divulges information. They may also seek to meet the hero, perhaps knowing already the hero is special in some way. The introduction of the villain adds early tension to the story, particularly when they are found close to the previously-supposedly safe family or community environment. The eloquence or power of the villain may also add tension and we may want to shout at their targets to take care.
5.DELIVERY: The villain gains information about the victim. The villain's seeking now pays off and he or she now acquires some form of information, often about the hero or victim. Other information can be gained, for example about a map or treasure location or the intent of the 'good guys'. This is a down point in the story as the pendulum of luck swings towards the villain, creating fear and anticipation that the villain will overcome the hero and the story will end in tragedy.
6.TRICKERY: The villain attempts to deceive the victim to take possession of victim or victim's belongings (trickery; villain disguised, tries to win confidence of victim). The villain now presses further, often using the information gained in seeking to deceive the hero or victim in some way, perhaps appearing in disguise. This may include capture of the victim, getting the hero to give the villain something or persuading them that the villain is actually a friend and thereby gaining collaboration. Deception and the betrayal of trust is one of the worst social crimes, short of physical abuse. This action cements the position of the villain as clearly bad. It also raises the tension further as we fear for the hero or victim who is being deceived.
7.COMPLICITY: Victim taken in by deception, unwittingly helping the enemy. The trickery of the villain now works and the hero or victim naively acts in a way that helps the villain in some way. This may range from providing the villain with something (perhaps a map or magical weapon) to actively working against good people (perhaps the villain has persuaded the hero that these other people are actually bad). We now despair as the hero or victim acts in a way that may be seen as villainous. Perhaps we worry that the hero will fall permanently into the thrall of the villain. Perhaps they will become corrupted and evil also. We also fear for the reputation of the hero who may be perceived as evil and thus never find the true treasure or win the hand of the princess.
8.VILLAINY and LACK: Villain causes harm/injury to family member (by abduction, theft of magical agent, spoiling crops, plunders in other forms, causes a disappearance, expels someone, casts spell on someone, substitutes child etc, comits murder, imprisons/detains someone, threatens forced marriage, provides nightly torments); Alternatively, a member of family lacks something or desires something (magical potion etc). There are two parts to this stage, either or both of which may appear in the story. In the first stage, the villain causes some kind of harm, for example carrying away a victim or the desired magical object (which must be then be retrieved). In the second stage, a sense of lack is identified, for example in the hero's family or within a community, whereby something is identified as lost or something becomes desirable for some reason, for example a magical object that will save people in some way. 'Lack' is a deep psychoanalytic principle which we first experience when we realize our individual separation from the world. Lack leads to desire and deep longing and we look to heroes to satisfy this aching emptiness.
9.MEDIATION: Misfortune or lack is made known, (hero is dispatched, hears call for help etc/ alternative is that victimized hero is sent away, freed from imprisonment). The hero now discovers the act of villainy or lack, perhaps finding their family or community devastated or caught up in a state of anguish and woe. This creates a defining moment in the story as we wonder what will happen now. Perhaps we do not realize that the hero is the hero, as they may not yet have demonstrated heroic qualities. We feel the lack in sympathy for the act of villainy, but the hero may just have arrived on the scene or may be undistinguished from other grieving family members.
10.BEGINNING COUNTER-ACTION: Seeker agrees to, or decides upon counter-action. The hero now decides to act in a way that will resolve the lack, for example finding a needed magical item, rescuing those who are captured or otherwise defeating the villain. This is a defining moment for the hero as this is the decision that sets the course of future actions and by which a previously ordinary person takes on the mantle of heroism. Having made this decision, acting with integrity means that there is no turning back, for to do so would be to remove the mantle of heroism and be left only with shame.
11.DEPARTURE: Hero leaves home;
12.FIRST FUNCTION OF THE DONOR: Hero is tested, interrogated, attacked etc, preparing the way for his/her receiving magical agent or helper (donor);
13.HERO'S REACTION: Hero reacts to actions of future donor (withstands/fails the test, frees captive, reconciles disputants, performs service, uses adversary's powers against him);
14.RECEIPT OF A MAGICAL AGENT: Hero acquires use of a magical agent (directly transferred, located, purchased, prepared, spontaneously appears, eaten/drunk, help offered by other characters);
15.GUIDANCE: Hero is transferred, delivered or led to whereabouts of an object of the search;
16.STRUGGLE: Hero and villain join in direct combat;
17.BRANDING: Hero is branded (wounded/marked, receives ring or scarf);
18.VICTORY: Villain is defeated (killed in combat, defeated in contest, killed while asleep, banished);
19.LIQUIDATION: Initial misfortune or lack is resolved (object of search distributed, spell broken, slain person revivied, captive freed);
20.RETURN: Hero returns;
21.PURSUIT: Hero is pursued (pursuer tries to kill, eat, undermine the hero);
22.RESCUE: Hero is rescued from pursuit (obstacles delay pursuer, hero hides or is hidden, hero transforms unrecognisably, hero saved from attempt on his/her life);
23.UNRECOGNIZED ARRIVAL: Hero unrecognized, arrives home or in another country;
24.UNFOUNDED CLAIMS: False hero presents unfounded claims;
25.DIFFICULT TASK: Difficult task proposed to the hero (trial by ordeal, riddles, test of strength/endurance, other tasks);
26.SOLUTION: Task is resolved;
27.RECOGNITION: Hero is recognized (by mark, brand, or thing given to him/her);
28.EXPOSURE: False hero or villain is exposed;
29.TRANSFIGURATION: Hero is given a new appearance (is made whole, handsome, new garments etc);
30.PUNISHMENT: Villain is punished;
31.WEDDING: Hero marries and ascends the throne (is rewarded/promoted).

Along with Propp's characters, these 31 functions are found present in most fairytale stories, acting as a sequel throughout the film. More often, a function is negated twice, so that it must be repeated three times.
Vladimir Propp i believe has made a great achievement when stepping out and approaching his ideas and theories, they are very popular and i believe are a very helpful way of directing and creating a film or any kind of television series.

Beyonce, 'Ego'

I have decided to study Beyonce's music video 'Ego', as I feel it is an extremely effective yet video, of which requires many different editing techniques throughout, and no use of special effects,any sense of special lighting or any use of props, other than a wooden chair! The video simply focuses Beyonce and her two dancers,a big risk to take, yet a brilliant one! I will explain the many differing camera angles and techniques which kept me intrigued throughout the whole video, and how the video inspired me through it's simplicity yet amazing structure; I am extremely impressed with this video and I found it very inspirational in planning my own music video...

(0.03) The opening shot to the video reveals an extreme close up of Beyonce's face. This automatically attracts the audience as the image fills the whole screen. The fact that the video is in black and white also highlights the detail of Beyonce and the dancers, allowing the video to look classic and effective, although it's actually quite simple.
The shot then changes to a medium shot, only seconds in adding variety- something which this music video is full of.
The medium shot suddenly changes into a close up shot of Beyonce's legs, we watch her hands go from her ankles to her thighs and the camera follows, again emphasising the fact that the video is only seconds in and has many variety shots; allowing the audience to appreciate the fact that they are not going to become bored of this video. This a clever way of keeping interest, without lots of effort, less is more.
The shot continues to her stomach, a close up of her face, and then her breasts. Initially showing the audience a full shot of her body.

(0.19)An extreme close up again of Beyonce's face, she is singing into the camera, creating the effect as if she is singing to you personally, a technique used to keep the audience interested and engaged within the video. However, at (0.25) the video then involves a bit more action, the shots begins with a long shot of all 3 dancers situated in the middle of the camera view, the shot then switches to Beyonce alone, then her and one other dancer on the left, this switching the screen around and allowing the audience to try and follow the sequence. The same thing repeats itself once more, a medium shot of Beyonce, then this time we see her and the other dancer in the shot; creating an equal view and appreciation of both dancers.

(0.35)Again we see the camera focusing on Beyonce, although not for a long amount of time, the shot adds a contrast to the shot of all three dancers. The particular shots used for this video are mostly close ups and long shots continually one after another, repeating the sequence however keeping it interesting. We see the same process here, as the camera now switches to a medium shot of the three of them.
The shot then focuses once again on Beyonce, this time from the left hand side, placing the image slightly off set.

(0.56)I particularly liked this specific piece of filming, the camera produces a slight tracking shot, following Beyonce down the wall, until once again we see the remaining two dancers beside her. This effect adds a different shot to the section and acts as a tracking shot by following her; Beyonce looks into the camera as she is sliding down the wall, a simple yet effective action, maintaining the audiences full attention. After a quick glance of the three of them together, we resort back to a close up of Beyonce, from the left angle again, allowing most of the view to be on Beyonce without filming a front on shot.
I was extremely impressed with the multiple shots from approximately (1.12) seconds onwards; the video suddenly becomes more involved than before, each time throwing a different type of shot into view, creating an impressive combo. Beyonce is sitting in the chair, close up shot of her opens the variety, along with the repetitive shots close up to medium to long shot, these camera shots turn into a cycle, the same idea simply repeated to create an effect that there is much more going on than there actually is. Whilst the two dancers have their back to Beyonce and are either side of her, we do not consider all three of them together as much, except see them separately, as it is Beyonce who is holding centre stage; the fact that she is situated on a chair also highlights the fact that she is the one to be watching.

(1.36)At this point the camera angle switches to a behind view, swapping everything we have been watching as if we as an audience are behind them and then switches back within a second. The point of this i believe throws the viewer off set adding quick techniques like this adds a contrast to what we have been viewing the whole time, challenging the audiences initial view of the video by improving it further. The three girls then get up and begin dancing around the chair, clockwise, this not only adding a sense of fun and excitement to the video, but also creates the affect of a panning camera action creating a larger sense of movement to the video.
This is followed by a close up shot, then repeating the behind view of earlier another two times, this time as Beyonce and the two dancers are gradually getting lower to the floor; resulting in Beyonce sitting in the chair and the dancers crouching beside her.
There is a great combination of shots throughout the amount of time they are performed, as if portraying a sudden burst of energy. The dancing throughout the video, particularly in this section stays in sync and to the beat of the song, every move precise; something that is compulsory if performing such a simplified video with no sign of special props, lighting or location and simply done to emphasise her body and dancing skills.

(2.00) 'I walk like this cos' i can back it up...', in sync with the lyrics the three performers begin walking sideways, to the left of the camera which then switches just as before to a behind view, by doing this switching the direction in which they are walking. This is done five times. I have considered the approach In which they have considered in making the video, and the techniques they have used here are very clever and keep the audience intrigued through the trick photography.
The shot then continues to a long shot of the three dancing in unison holding sticks, again their movements in perfect timing with each other and the song, gradually getting faster. Another variety of close up, medium and long shots included.
The shot focuses next on Beyonce again sitting on a chair (2.15), taking into consideration the different shots again, the first of her sitting down is shown from the right hand side as a diagonal shot, simply to not bore the audience with the same front shot view. The cut changes along with the music, to all three dancers, shown in a long shot and front on. These two contrasting shots of the dancers and Beyonce alone swap roughly three times, jumping between the two of them; the close up of Beyonce gives the audience a more detailed and precise aspect to look at, as the shots switch between her face and the dancers.
This technique continues until (2.38) when the video begins to focus more so on the dancers alone. The main camera shot used here is a medium shot, making it apparent to the audience that there is nothing else they should be focused on apart from the dancers within center focus. At one point the three of them stop still in the rough shape of a triangle, Beyonce slightly forward; the simplicity of the video and also the fact that Beyonce is so popular within the music industry allows the three of them to be able to stand still for a couple of seconds and still be interesting to watch!

(2.54) The two dancers and Beyonce are seen in front view and in a long shot, there is a bright light directly above Beyonce, in the middle of the shot. The video is performed in black and white, therefore the bright white light emphasises the intensity and effect of the video, allowing the three of them to glow, simply showing a brick wall behind them, and the reflection of the light and the three of them in the floor. When watching this you find the effect extremely worth while, as it singles out everything around them enhancing and highlighting the fact that there is nothing in the room apart from the three of them. A very simple but amazing effect that implicitly attracts attention to them without realising it.
The camera angle shows a high angle, the audience looking up at them, all three of the girls dresses suddenly glow with bright sparkles, adding a pretty effect to their dresses in order to attract attention to them. This adds a romantic feel to the song also, as the girls portray this by moving slowly and the song at this moment is slow and accapello.
To add to this, a close up of Beyonce, and then a long shot of all three of them, slowly dancing in unison. A number of shots follow this, a couple from the right angle to keep the shot variety also. the multiple shots of the Beyonces and the girls' body assets such as around their stomachs, their legs, their breasts and heels add a seductive sense to the video, expressing it's sexy side to the audience also, (and showing of Beyonce's body!) another form of catching the viewers eye.

(3.40)The video comes to an end with a close up shot of Beyonce from the waist up, dancing on the chair, simple yet fun, and something most people do!
the camera shot slowly moves backwards, leaving us to view Beyonce in a medium shot them a long shot, until finally the image slowly fades into a blackout.
I believe this is a fun and exciting way to end the video, it is not too much and it is not over the top, it creates a lightened mood and in my opinion leaves the audience impressed and looking forward to seeing the video again!

Planning my Storyboard

My Storyboard...

During lesson we were set a task to plan our storyboards for our coursework. It enables us to develop and structure our video more precicely, step by step and to help plan out each stage effectively, dividing it up into 6 sections per sheet.
I found the storyboard very easy to plan, it is simple to understand and has been helpful for me to develop a rough structure of what my overall video will look like; i have planned out my storyboard into the different sections of the song i am focused on, a couple of pictures per verse. This allows me to refer to my storyboard and understand the continuing verse, without going into any major detail.
Underneath each picture i have described what is happening and what the picture represents, and how i will go about it when editing my video; i have included a couple of the lyrics also to remind me of how the picture and the verse link.
Throughout my remaining lessons, i will use my storyboard to look back on, whilst i develop my ideas further, through practise of filming following my storyboard as a target for my final piece.
Below is my storyboard...

1.
2.

Focused Analysis

Character

For my focused analysis i will be analysing four specific aspects to consider for my video. This section is about characterisation.
I have analysed a number of Katy Perry's music videos as i am focusing on her music. I find that characterisation is very important, there are many aspects in a character that you need to consider when making a video, for example what type of character you re looking for to attract your target audience, the age of the character or character's depending on the genre of the song you are focusing on, also the personality of the perfect character you wish to portray.
Jess and I have asked a number of our friends to appear in our video, they are free every Friday and a couple of week nights also. We have already began planning our video, the fact that our friends are acting in it helps us a lot as we can now begin as soon as possible to plan our video and begin shooting.
The type of character i would like to portray in my video is similar to Taylor Swifts video, 'You belong with me'. I particularly like her character in this video for a number of reasons. She plays numerous characters in her video, along with the number of different costumes she wore whilst singing into the mirror portraying different characters, she also plays two contrasting characters throughout the video, 'the innocent girl' and ' the mean girl'. She has blonde hair whilst conveying the innocent girl, and wears light colours to symbolise innocence. In comparison to this whilst playing the mean girl she wears darker clothes and also pulls up in a red convertable, this symbolises being the 'popular' girl from school, and the colour red suggests she is mean emhasising the stereotypical aspects of the video. As well as this, the typical captain of the cheerleaders also suggest she is better than the innocent girl.
I think that both of these characters add excitement to the video and are interesting and fun characters keeping the audience hooked on the video!



Sound/Music

The genre of the sound and music i have focused on is Pop. I wanted to use an up-beat, fun and lively song as i enjoy this type of music in particular, and had many ideas and influences from recent pop videos on television. We researched songs such as Taylor Swift 'You belong with me', Lady GaGa ' Boys boys boys', Beyonce 'Single Ladies' as well as the Katy Perry songs below. Both Jess and I preferred 'Waking Up in Vegas' the song is catchy and we also preferred this video to the others as it has much more activity going on. We particularly liked the songs storyline, as we have discovered that we are able to use and perform the storyline effectively within our video adapting to the quality of our video.
Another reason why I decided overall to choose this song, was because of the target audience of the song, I wanted to create a video where I was aware of the target audience, that they were going to understand and enjoy it. Pop is one of the most popular and most listened to genre of music, interesting a wide variety of audiences which I thought would be helpful to attract attention and the video become a 'hit'.

Mise-en scene

The Mise-en scene is one of the most important aspects involving media as a whole. I believe it is important for my music video as it determines and emphasises the genre, mood and also the target audience of the song. It is very useful as it creates life and excitement to the video and allows the video to attract attention, particularly from the target audience.
The Mise-en scene includes the camera and it's arrangement, the set, props, actors and the costumes. The costumes I would like to include in my video are colourful, fun and fashionable, attracting attention specifically from younger viewers and catching their eye, acting as a benchmark for the video. Concerning the props and set, we have decided to include a variety of props throughout our video; in one particular scene we are set in the actors bedroom, giving an impression of 'the morning after the night before'; we will include typical everyday props such as clothing, shoes, bottles, and even people! Suggesting the events of the former night, and also adding an aspect of humour to the video.
Camera angles are essential in making a video succesful, we have thought and planned about the many differing camera shots we wich to include, giving variety and a professional look to our video; again I have researched some videos with many impressive angles and shots, which i will list below.
As the Mise-en scene developes the storyline, we have thought carefully about what aspects we would need to include in order to create a succesful and more advanced video.
Christina Aguilera's video 'Candy man' impressed me a lot, it includes every aspect of Mise-en scene that could be considered in a video, such as, costumes, props, location, characters. Each of these things are included in her video, making it a perfect video to analyse and get inspiration from. This video influenced my perspective of my music video, giving me a number of ideas i could use for the Mise-en scene, making it look professional and include everything needed to make it an effective and inspiring piece of work.



Location

To decide the location of our music video, I wanted it to look exciting, busy and colourful. The location for the original video 'Waking up in Vegas' is set in Las Vegas; However, Jess and I wanted to keep the same outline involving busy streets, bright lights and a lively feel. Therefore, one of our locations we have decided is going to be set in Trafalger Square, (the closest we could get to Las Vegas!) keeping the atmosphere of the video roughly the same.
Another location also in London we are using is Carnaby Street; this is because we liked the idea of the busy street and the cobbled flooring, when set at night would give a very artistic look to the video, initially conveying the actors isolation and confusion matching the lyrics, 'I lost my fake ID, but you lost the motel key, spare me your freaking dirty looks now dont blame me' we thought this was a good idea as it matches our storyline.
The rest of our video we will do in one of our bedrooms, and also when out and about, ie walking down the street.
The impression I am aiming for is a professional one, involving many locations adding variety and not to bore the audience. The location is a key part of the video and will help determine the outcome.
I have focused on a particular video for location, i have chosen Pinks video, 'Who Knew'; i have decided to focus on this as i like the fact that her video is different, and stands out from others i have seen. The location is of a fun fair, making it busy, and colourful allowing the audience to become interested in the video immediately. Taking into consideration the theme of my music video, pop, and the type of character and genre i am including, this video really impressed me, and i shall continue researching for extra knowledge and ideas about how to produce my music video.

Film Analysis for my video...

Here is a clip of scene 7, shoed from the film 'Kidulthood'. Approximately between the times 5.50 and is an excellent clip i came across whilst watching the film. The clip emphasises the many different camera angles and editing techniques that have been used to portray the effect they want shown. I love the way the camera is directly in front of the actors face, and also close up; making it seem as if we are within her movement. This technique i would like to use at the beginning of my music video, during the lines ' It's all a blur last night', portraying the fact that she is hung-over.
I am also very interested in the way that they have sped up the public, whilst they are not quite in focus and the camera is wobbling, as if we are looking from the protagonist's point of view. I would like to include this somewhere in my video, ,as i believe it gives off a sense of confusion, and isolation from the actors point of view.




'The Hangover' is a perfect example of the theme i am trying to portray throughout my music video of 'Waking up In Vegas'. The title of the popular comedy compliments many of the lyrics in the song in my music video. With lines such as ' It's all a blur last night'. From about 0.41 seconds to 0.43 is a very short yet effective close up shot, similar to the one i am aiming to include in my video; the front shot emphasises the actors drunken state as, similar to the analysis of the film 'Kidulthood' also, shows the camera as if it is attached to the actor, moving with his head and looking directly at him. Through the camera angle we as an audience recieve the impression that the actor is off balance, and unsteady, the camera jogging to add to this effect. Just after this we discover a establishing shot of the apartment and how it has been wrecked the night before; this is exactly what i am aiming to convey in my music video, moving from a close up shot like this one, to an over the shoulder shot viewing the room as a whole.



During the final scene of the famous film 'The Graduate', there are a number of different techniques expressing the passing of time. I found this scene particularly interesting and useful to gain ideas from in my own music video as the camera angles and shots are performed excellently. From the beginning of the clip up to about 1.20 into the scene, we have simply one camera shot filming half the scene in one. This not only useful but extremely effective as we discover his journey to the church, and follow his every step there. I am aiming for a shot like this one in my video, as i wish to have a shot of the actor walking away from the camera, acting as a long shot. This clip is perfect in representing the actors journey as said above, it also shows the techniques and camera angles you would have to consider in order to stay with the actor throughout that time.
I think it s very effective and professional how at the beginning of the scene the car adapts to the musics pace, gradually slowing down in time with the music. This is a brilliant way to portray the actors situation he now faces, not through words, but through music.
This piece has influenced my ideas for what i am aiming for in my video, allowing me to consider further editing techniques, improving my video.

Katy Perry music video analysis

Katy Perry's 'Waking up In Vegas' is the song I will be using for my media project. Jess and I have decided to create a music video for our coursework this year, and have been inspired by the many interesting and experimental music videos that Katy Perry has produced and released recently, some of these listed below.
We decided to use Waking up In Vegas as our final song for a number of reasons; It is a fun, upbeat and catchy song which also has an interesting storyline behind it which we will benefit from. We intend to make our video reflect the storyline, with a few twists along the way!
I was particularly impressed with the video because it has many things going on making it packed with lots of colour and different locations, most importantly, many different camera angles, which we can use to reflect in our own video.
There are certain shots in the video i find very effective to use and could benefit from when shooting my own video, shots such as close ups, establishing shots, long shots and effects such as focused and unfocused shots, adding character and excitement to the video. I am intending to use this video as a basis, gathering ideas from it and twisting it to direct a different version just as effective and successful.
One of the things i like most about the video is the fact that it has a lot of character, Katy Perry has planned her video carefully, as it holds every aspect that would attract the viewing public; she is fashionable and what she is wearing will appeal to others, the location of course is buzzing with excitement and is lively, and most of all the character she is portraying; through analysing this video i have found that she is not just singing to the camera, but she is also acting, she portrays many different facial expressions, these being humourous towards the audience and making her video fun to watch. These aspects are what i am aiming for in my version of her video, hopefully being able to do each of these effectively and succesfully.

'Hot and Cold' was one of the songs we considered working on. I really liked this video because the costumes in it were fun and colourful, giving me plenty of ideas for my video. I was inspired by the clothing as it refelcts a suprising and unexpected look to the video, for example, when she rips off her wedding dress and is wearing a funky and tight shorter dress. The video is very busy, and there are lots of things going on at the same time. I like this because there is a lot to take in, keeping the audience's eyes occupied at all times. In this particular video there is more choreographed dancing then her other videos, this i think is nice to have and adds to the style of song, this time being very upbeat and fast. I like the way they have considered the main aspects of making a music video, locationm character and mise en scene, adding an extra something to the video and enhancing the quality. The theme is pop, and i think that Katy Perry's make up definately reflects this, this i believe is an important detail added, giving the video that much more colour and attracting younger girls also to the pretty make up! I think it's important to reflect the particular song as much as you can, and it is these ideas that I will benefit from when organising my music video and will think about including.

This video i found extremely useful for ideas when shooting my video. At the very beggining of the video you will find roughly 4 or 5 different camera shots within the first 5 seconds! This adding variety already to the video, keeping the audience interested. These camera shots continue throughout the remaining video. This inspired me to think about using a variety of angles and shots regularly throughout my video.

'Thinking of You' is quite the opposite to the previous three videos I have posted of Katy Perry's. It is a slow and emotional song, aswell as 'Waking up In Vegas' reflecting a storyline. The video is a lot more subtle than the others and also dislike the others it reflects back to one place a number of times, her bedroom. I gained some ideas from this video too about camera shots, i noticed there are many close up shots and extreme close up shots in the video which i shall use atleast a couple of times throughout my video.