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Showing posts from May, 2018

Michael Jackson: Billie Jean

1) What was the budget for  Billie Jean ? How did this compare with later Michael Jackson videos? The budget for the video was $50,000, not small, but as it turned out not big enough to accommodate Jackson’s idea that mannequins in a shop window would come to life and dance behind him. The record company wouldn’t pay an extra cent for backing dancers so Jackson dances alone. When the promo video for ‘Beat It’ went into production five weeks after the release of ‘Billie Jean’, the budget was $300,000; and for ‘Thriller’ it was $2million. 2) Why was the video rejected by MTV? The video was rejected at first because Jackson is a black person and MTV never had featured a black singer on their channel. MTV said that it would not be suitable for their 'middle America audience'. 3) Applying Goodwin's theory of music video, how does  Billie Jean  reflect the genre characteristics of pop music video? This video contains an inter textual reference to the "golden

Common Letter to the Free

1) What other projects has Common been involved in? Common and John Legend wrote   'Glory ' as the sound track of  'Selma', a 2014 film   portraying the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, a key moment in the civil rights movement.   On   October 27, 2015 , Common inked a   2-year deal with HBO  that allowed to start his   own film production company, Freedom Road Productions . He stated in an interview in February 2012 that one of his big career goals was to start his own film production company. Common was   invited by First Lady  Michelle Obama   to appear at a   poetry reading   on May 11, 2011 at the  White House .   His poetry was found to be greatly   influenced by  Maya Angelou 's works. 2) What is the 13th Amendment of the American Constitution? The 13th amendment, which formally   abolished slavery   in the United States, passed the Senate on April 8, 1864, and the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865. The 13th amendment to the United

Music theory

1)How does the  This Is America  video meet the key conventions of a music video? The music video 'This is America'  has a story line which includes character; school children, church choir and people in the background that we see either getting shot or involved in criminal activities. The genre of this specific music video is action and crime. We see a lot of action when we see people getting shot and see numerous police cars which hints to crime. The editing of the video was slow paced considering the type of music it is, we see they camera following the main character in the video. There is a hint of fast paced editing when we see some characters get shot or there is a change of setting. The setting and costume are very basic in this video. The setting in the video stays the same throughout its a run down building with dull colours this I believe is done purposely to portray a narrative of its own, to show how crime isn't glamours and usually happens in rundown places, t

Music Introduction

1) What is the purpose of a music video? The purpose it to sell a product, this can be the full album, a film that the song is featured in, merchandise (shirts etc), and tours. 2) How has the digital age changed the production and distribution of music videos? They are now widely available, ready to view at any time, they can be seen on phones and can be heard whenever the consumer chooses. But a physical copy like CD's or Vinyls are becoming less mainstream and are a problem for artists and producers when consumers can choose to listen to their music for free instead of buying it. 3) Which three major record labels are behind VEVO? What is VEVO and why was it created? Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Abu Dhabi Media. The platform is specifically for music videos and ensures that the companies receive the advertising revenue than third parties who upload them on YouTube. 4) What are the key conventions of a music video? Movement: Complements the rhythm of the son

The Rise of Foreign Language

Independent: British viewers can't get enough of foreign-language dramas Read this  Independent feature on foreign-language dramas . It features an in-depth interview with Walter Iuzzolino who curates Channel 4's Walter Presents programming. Answer the questions below: 1) What does the article suggest regarding the traditional audience for foreign-language subtitled media? Traditional audiences were seen as pretentious and dull, it was very niche compared to today. There were only a few broadcasters like BBC and Channel 4. 2) What does Walter Iuzzolino suggest is the key appeal of his 'Walter Presents' shows? He says that "it's simply down to material', they select popular shows in their countries so they are not targeted at a niche audience, its something everyone can enjoy. 3) The article makes an interesting claim for the popularity of subtitles in the multi-screen age. What does it suggest? Subtitles makes the audience glued to the screen, if they l

Deutschland 83: close textual analysis

Scene 1: Traditional music seen playing throughout the party, East. Run down old house, East. Jar of coffee seen as luxurious, East. "The army is treating you well", stereotypes of men going to war and serving their country. Larger variety of food choices is seen in the west bbq party. Houses are modernized and clean, West. Sophisticated atmosphere and people, men seen wearing smart clothing i.e suits representing the western wealth. Camera circles around the three characters, hints of surveillance and references to spy narrative. Scene 2: People seen wearing more fashionable clothing (vibrant, colourful). Police seen eating an ice cream whilst on duty, laid back lifestyle compared to East Germany. Luxurious: Wood paneling, stained glass window. Colourful and perfectly stacked shelves of food, shows the difference in lifestyles between east and west. Scene 3: Montage style editing - used to show time passing and how quick he has to learn all this ne