This is our first attempt at using the green screen. We tried to create a 'floating head' effect however the green paper reflected onto the models face and so we weren't successful in eliminating the green background. We then created a skiing scene.
Friday, 21 September 2012
Entropy and Redundancy
Entropy
Entropy is the idea of unpredictability. It is used to describe unexpected elements.
Redundancy
Redundancy is the predictable and expected elements of a text. It is essential for practical communication as sometimes entropic texts can have an unclear meaning.
The video begins with a high degree of entropy because images of war and destruction are highly unexpected in a music video. The video then continues with a narrative that itself is also highly entropic. The city in the background is destroyed which may be unexpected and shocking to the viewer.
It is a frequent technique throughout the video that a redundant image (for example, the road markings and scenery) is juxtaposed with a more entropic image (the cans and teddy bear tied to the back of the van).
This keeps the audience engaged because we are constantly seeing changing and sometimes shocking images.
The other images featured in the video such as the female swearing at the camera and the kids beating up the main persona should be highly entropic. However, the target audience for this video would be used to these kinds of images and come to expect them from certain artists like Foster The People, this reduces the level of entropy.
Other images within the video have a high level of entropy because they are unpredictable however they portray a concept that is becoming more widely known and predicted within certain cultures. For example, the image of the young boy with a gun is becoming more recognised as problems with war are broadcast more widely within the media however it retains a high degree of entropy as it is shocking to the audience and is unexpected in a music video.
Entropy is the idea of unpredictability. It is used to describe unexpected elements.
Redundancy
Redundancy is the predictable and expected elements of a text. It is essential for practical communication as sometimes entropic texts can have an unclear meaning.
- A text arguably contains both entropic and redundant elements in varying degrees. This is also culturally determined as what is highly entropic in one culture may be highly redundant in another.
- The video I am discussing (Helena Beat - Foster The People) has varying levels of these ideas throughout.
The video begins with a high degree of entropy because images of war and destruction are highly unexpected in a music video. The video then continues with a narrative that itself is also highly entropic. The city in the background is destroyed which may be unexpected and shocking to the viewer.
It is a frequent technique throughout the video that a redundant image (for example, the road markings and scenery) is juxtaposed with a more entropic image (the cans and teddy bear tied to the back of the van).
This keeps the audience engaged because we are constantly seeing changing and sometimes shocking images.
The other images featured in the video such as the female swearing at the camera and the kids beating up the main persona should be highly entropic. However, the target audience for this video would be used to these kinds of images and come to expect them from certain artists like Foster The People, this reduces the level of entropy.
Other images within the video have a high level of entropy because they are unpredictable however they portray a concept that is becoming more widely known and predicted within certain cultures. For example, the image of the young boy with a gun is becoming more recognised as problems with war are broadcast more widely within the media however it retains a high degree of entropy as it is shocking to the audience and is unexpected in a music video.
Andrew Goodwin's Analytical Framework
Foster The People - Helena Beat
Synaethesia
How do the visuals respond to the audio?
At the beginning of the video, there is a series of clips that change rapidly in time with the drum beat.
There is also a synchronous link between the high pitched beep and coloured lines traditionally seen on vcr, these are played together at the very beginning of the video and then again at 0.17 and 0.19. The repetition of the image along with the sound links the two together in the audiences mind.
The image of the cans dragging behind the van are synchronised with the drum beat, this is a direct link between the audio and the visuals.
How is the structure of the song reflected in the visuals?
The structure of the song is reflected in the video mainly through the pace of editing. In the opening of the song, there is a fast beat and so a fast pace of editing is used and many clips appear on screen in a short space of time. Then when the pace of the song changes, so does the pace of editing and a longer shot is held on screen. This same technique is mimicked later in the song when the beat slows down. At 3.30, the drum beat disappears and the shots are shown in slow motion and appear for longer. The drum beat then returns when the action in the video spikes.
Narrative and Performance
The video shows a narrative in which someone gets kidnapped, beaten and then transformed into a young boy. It almost gives a full narrative in the fact that the video has a beginning and an end however there are many gaps and it is quite ambiguous.
The lyrics to the song are also very ambiguous and so do not give a clear meaning or message.
Sometimes life it takes you by the hair, pulls you downBefore you know it, it's gone and you're dead againI've been in places and I wont pretendYeah I'd make it out just to fall on my head
Wake up strange and take the walk downstairsHit the pawn up on the corner and pay for my rentYou know that I could not believe my own truthJust show them what I choose, got nothing to lose
Yeah yeah and it's O.K.I tie my hands up to a chair so I don't fall that wayYeah yeah and I'm alrightI took a sip of something poison but I'll hold on tight
You know those days when you want to just chooseTo not get out of bed, you're lost in your head againYou play the game but you kind of cut'cause you're coming down hard and your joints are all stuck
I've tried to say that it's not the only wayI never knew if I could face myself to changeYou were pacing, I was insecureSlip and fall, I'm dodging calls, hug the prison I've been living in
Wake up strange and take the walk downstairsHit the pawn up on the corner and pay for my rentYou know that I could not believe my own truthJust show them what I choose, got nothing to lose
Yeah yeah and it's O.K.I tie my hands up to a chair so I don't fall that wayYeah yeah and I'm alrightI took a sip of something poison but I'll hold on tight
You know those days when you want to just chooseTo not get out of bed, you're lost in your head againYou play the game but you kind of cut'cause you're coming down hard and your joints are all stuck
I've tried to say that it's not the only wayI never knew if I could face myself to changeYou were pacing, I was insecureSlip and fall, I'm dodging calls, hug the prison I've been living in
Star Image
How does the music video form part of a broader narrative of the stars development?
Although the video does not have a clear meaning, there are subtle hints throughout the video that suggest growing fame. For instance, the post card saying 'Come Back Soon' could be suggesting that the star is travelling a lot with his music and visiting more places through tours and gigs. It could also be suggesting that he is away from home a lot of the time as a result of the quantity of work. This could say something about his private life and therefore imply success in his career.
Relationship of visuals to music and lyrics
Do the visuals illustrate or amplify the meanings present in the music?
Although at first the video may seem disjunctive, with deeper analysis of the lyrics and in turn the narrative within the video, it could be inferred that the video amplifies the meaning of the song.
The lyrics could be about drug addiction and using, this is displayed particularly clearly in the last two verses. They could describe someone wanting to change and give up but being stuck in the cycle of using because the 'coming down' is difficult.
With this explanation in mind, when watching the video we can see that it may illustrate a drug addict going through the process of rehabilitation. There is an image of a destroyed city and a postcard saying 'Come Back Soon', the postcard may symbolise the drugs and the city could symbolise his life or perhaps his body that has been abused by the drugs. The main persona then gets 'kidnapped' by children and beaten, this could be showing the difficult times faced when fighting an addiction with the children representing loved ones trying to help him. A further example of this is when his van is set on fire and destroyed displaying that you could lose everything when addicted to drugs. At the end of the video, he is transformed into a boy again, perhaps suggesting that he has beaten drug addiction and regained his youth and a new start at life. This meaning is amplified further when the boy eats the postcard, suggesting he has closed the door on drugs. A further meaning to the video could be that of an ecological viewpoint- the world and resources are being used up and destroyed, this is displayed by the setting of the video. The fact that children are the main focus within the video and return the main persona to his youth could mean that the next generation are the most important to the world and can make a change.
Relationship of visuals to music and lyrics
Do the visuals illustrate or amplify the meanings present in the music?
Although at first the video may seem disjunctive, with deeper analysis of the lyrics and in turn the narrative within the video, it could be inferred that the video amplifies the meaning of the song.
The lyrics could be about drug addiction and using, this is displayed particularly clearly in the last two verses. They could describe someone wanting to change and give up but being stuck in the cycle of using because the 'coming down' is difficult.
With this explanation in mind, when watching the video we can see that it may illustrate a drug addict going through the process of rehabilitation. There is an image of a destroyed city and a postcard saying 'Come Back Soon', the postcard may symbolise the drugs and the city could symbolise his life or perhaps his body that has been abused by the drugs. The main persona then gets 'kidnapped' by children and beaten, this could be showing the difficult times faced when fighting an addiction with the children representing loved ones trying to help him. A further example of this is when his van is set on fire and destroyed displaying that you could lose everything when addicted to drugs. At the end of the video, he is transformed into a boy again, perhaps suggesting that he has beaten drug addiction and regained his youth and a new start at life. This meaning is amplified further when the boy eats the postcard, suggesting he has closed the door on drugs. A further meaning to the video could be that of an ecological viewpoint- the world and resources are being used up and destroyed, this is displayed by the setting of the video. The fact that children are the main focus within the video and return the main persona to his youth could mean that the next generation are the most important to the world and can make a change.
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