Music Video Director - Mark Romanek

Mark Romanek:

• Born- 18/09/1959 (54)
• Film and Music video director
• Born and grew up in Chicago, Illinois
• Signed to Satellite Films to make music videos
• Directed "Closer- Nine inch nails"- Video was heavily criticised for being demonic and demented
• Won his first Grammy for "Scream- Michael and Janet Jackson" in 1996
• Directed "Hurt- Johnny Cash"- seen as the most personal and moving video ever
• Directed other music videos including "Are you gonna go my way- Lenny Kravitz" and "99 problems- Jay Z"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5PZQMwL7iE Lenny Kravitz - Are you gonna go my way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwoM5fLITfk Jay Z - 99 Problems

Lenny Kravitz
Camera:
Long shots of the band and the crowd to set scene
Close ups of the band and instruments (convention)
Extreme close up on Kravitz shoes and also mic to show product placement and about to sing
low angle on Kravitz showing power as lead singer over band and crowd
MES:
Location- Big performance set designed for video only
Costume- Normal clothing/ Kravitz - Flairs and high platform boots, dredlocked hair
Props- Glitter ball, instruments

Jay Z
Camera:
POV of Jay Z walking up subway stairs shows his background of the ghetto
Low angle of Jay Z rapping shows his power over everyone including the law (Rap convention)
Close ups of Jay Z and also the faces of the ghetto including kids growing up, showing how they can make it like he has
Tracking of Jay Z around Brooklyn and also amateur camerawork throughout showing camera shake highlighting amateur take of video respecting the ghetto where he grew up has little money and he is still one of them at heart
MES:
Location- Brooklyn ghetto and Brooklyn bridge
Costume- Plain T-shirt and fur puffa coat
Props- Cheap car (ghetto background), Police car (criminal background)

Personal opinion- I think Romanek has progressed since his first few videos including Kravitz and Jay Z as technology has also increased. His early videos are influential to other directors and have propelled him to directing greater technologically advanced videos and also establishing himself as a film director also.

Music Video Director- Spike Jonze

Spike Jonze:
Bio:
DOB: 22/10/1969
Occupation: Director (film, Music video), Business man

• Jonze directed music video's for Fatboy Slim, Beastie Boys and Weezer.
• Co-creator and executive producer of MTV's Jackass.  
• He is part owner of skateboard company Girl Skateboards with riders Rick Howard and Mike Carroll. Jonze has great distinction in the skateboarding world; his Video Days is widely regarded as the most influential skate video ever made.

http://vimeo.com/18106664      Beastie Boys- Sabotage

http://vimeo.com/51165402      Weezer- Buddy Holly

Beastie Boys- Sabotage:
Camera:
Close ups of the band/ actors as cops and criminals
Long shots to show location (tracking)
Low angles to show running down stairs and jumping over buildings
Extreme close ups of criminals face when he sees cops
Crash Zooms into faces and also into cars and action on the beat
Edit:
Action matches between cops and criminals
Jump Cuts between cops chasing and others arriving
MES:
Costume- stereotypical US cop uniform, Big moustache and mirror shades
Props- Cop cars, bags of drugs, money, coffee cups (80's cop TV drama)
Location- Suburb streets of a big city (LA), apartments (similar to 80's cop drama locations)

Weezer- Buddy Holly
Camera:
Close ups of band (convention of  rock genre)
Long shots of the band and set to set scene
Mid shots of the "Happy Days" cast in the diner
Edit:
Cut halfway through to an "ad" break as the show would on TV
MES:
Location- Arnolds Diner (Happy Days set)
Costume- Shirt, tie and cream pullover (house band)/ cast in character costume
Props- diner props (menu's, glasses, jukebox etc)

Personal opinion- I think Spike Jonze is a great director who used his experience with Jackass and on skate videos to obtain the maximum for the Sabotage video. I also think that his professional experience with TV shows helped him to make Buddy Holly video look so natural in the Happy Days environment and also influence the Happy Days cast to being in the music video.

Different types of music video

Music video representation

Major and Minor record labels

Goodwin's 7 analysis

Goodwin's theory applied to Pitbull and Grl- Wild Wild Love

Analysis of a music video from before my birth

Dire Straits- Money for nothing (1985)




The video is iconic as it is technologically advanced for the 80's era. It also showed the beginning of MTV. A TV channel solely for playing music videos.

I think the video is great as it is unlike any other video and is individually recognised for its use of graphics throughout but also incorporating film of the band performing on the graphic TVs in the house and shop.

Textual analysis:
Camerawork
Low angle shots on the TV to show the power technology has and also the status of MTV
Close ups on the band and also the instruments (convention of rock videos)
Long shots showing the pieces of technology being moved (in time with the lyrics) and also showing the TV with the band performing on in the back of shot.

Editing
Animation throughout the whole video showing people in a technology store with all the ground breaking technology introduced in the 80's (microwave oven, colour TV)
Special effects used to put neon highlights and colouring on the instruments and clothing of the band.
Quick cutting between each band member.
Prevalence of the lead singer and also the animated worker with the cigar syncing the lead vocals in the shop.

MES
Costume- 80's vests, t-shirts and jackets, headbands and sweatbands.
Lighting- dark on stage except for stage lighting and neon effects.

First Post

Hey Guys

First post on the new blog!
This blog will be similar to my last blog MDB Productions, which was the year 12 AS media course.
I will most probably be keeping the production name MDB, but who knows?
This blog will show my progress through the A2 course and document the music video coursework1

On that note, lets start A2!