Media Theory
Music videos are full of theatrical elements and symbolism. They can be used to teach students about criticizing, looking for deeper meaning, delving into a text, finding symbolism, finding links between works, understanding mood, and reflecting upon an artist's overall message.
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VIDEO ANALYSIS PROJECT GOALS:
This lesson introduces students to the process of media theory, how to examine a music videos. Music videos are used to help a musician or band promote a song or album. Think of a music video as an advertisement for the musician. Inexpensive digital video equipment and YouTube, enables many artists to market their music video for the world to see. Students will analyze the theme, symbols, content and lyrics present in self-chosen music video. The video part of a music video is what truly sets it apart from a song by itself. The video contains messages that the musician wants to convey to the audience. The music video director has chosen to show a story or lifestyle about the musician that will appeal to the audience. The artist is selling more than just a song... they're selling you a lifestyle, presumably the lifestyle the artist lives him or herself. Students will analyze a music video of their choice and identify the messages, themes, lyrics and symbols. Students will become critical listeners and viewers and present their analysis in a PowerPoint presentation with detailed examples and photos from chosen video. Slide 1: Title Page
Slide 2: Director, Album, Awards, Internet link to music video Slide 3: Lyrics Slide 4: Theme/Content Slide 5: Semiotics/Symbolism Slide 6: Emotions Slide 7: Camera Shots & Angles Slide 8: Target Audience Slide 9: Your personal feedback/thoughts Slide 10: Self-Scored Rubric. DUE DATES: The assignment is divided in sessions. You should have ample classroom time to complete the assignment in the time allotted. If you are absent, please check in Google Classroom for any missed assignments. |
Getting Started
Create Slide 1, 2, & 3
IMPORTANT NOTES
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Basic Shots & Camera UsageCamera Shots & Angles |
Techniques & ThemesComposition
What information is commuunicated by wide shot or push in? Emotional tone Shadow commic or horrific Inanimate object focus Presenting a story in cinematic terms visually, tonally, emotionally what you see, what you hear, and when movement Draw deep emotions image, sound Mise en-Scene Elements
In order to analyze film with greater depth, we must know the basics of Mise-en-Scene. Mise-en-Scene is a French word that applies to the various artistic design elements that influence and work within the final product of a film. There are many aspects to look at. :
Assignment |
Light:
Light design can be used in a variety of ways in order to create character, mood, setting, foreshadowing, etc.. Look for the following concepts while analyzing the light design in a film
Shadow: Shadows are created when something (or someone) blocks the flow of light from the source. Sometimes, lighting designers will place gobos (metal plates with cutout designs) in order to create a drastic shadowed effect. Look for the use of shadows in the light that is thrown on the characters/scene. Shadow can evoke a sense of mystery, deceit, or anticipation. A shadow on a character might be an indication of foreshadowing, or it might be used to show the character's evilness.
Location of lighting instrument:Where the lighting instrument is placed can create dramatic effects, both through shadows and other effects on the actors. Specific lighting locations include:
Backlight: If the lighting comes from behind a character, this creates a sort of "halo" effect around the character in which there is a glow surrounding that person due to the light. This effect is often used on female characters in order to create a soft, pure effect.
Front-light: When the light is cast from the front of the characters/scene, it lights the front side of the characters. It creates few shadows. In turn, this type of lighting might be used to show power, comedy, happiness, etc...
Side-lights:When the light is cast from the side of the scene, it creates light on one side of the characters/objects, and stark shadow on the other side. This can create mystery and suspense, or it can evoke sadness. Side-lighting is fairly dramatic, and it can be noticed when one-half of the a character's face is lit, while the other remains in darkness.
Top-light: Top-light occurs when light is cast from the top of characters. This might happen when characters are in a house or office setting in order to create the lighting effects of the actual space. Or, if used more drastically, top-lighting can create shadowed effects on the lower portions of characters, or it can cast shadows on the ground of the characters and objects in the space.
Bottom Lighting/ Up lighting: This for of lighting is comparable to when a flashlight is held below a person's face as he/she tells a ghost story. It is cast from the bottom and thrown up on the characters. It is usually quite eerie and frightening. It is often used to symbolize villainous characters or to enhance scary and intense scenes.
Hard or Soft Light: The "hardness" or "softness" of a light depends on the type of bulb used. Both lighting effects create characterizations and moods that can contribute to our interpretations of the film as a "text."
Hard Light:Hard light occurs when the characters/objects being lit have very definitive outlines and angles.
Soft Light: Soft light is comparable to airbrushing. It creates soft edges and contours around the characters being lit. Look for this especially in terms of gender roles - very often, females are lit by soft light, and males lit by hard light.
Color of Light:The color a light cast varies based on different "gels" placed in front of the bulb in in the lighting instrument. Different colored lighting can bathe an entire scene in certain colors, thus creating specific, vivid moods, emotions, feelings, and connotations depending on the colors used. Film designers often (but not always) play with our previous connotations of color symbolism. For instance, red often symbolizes evil or blood, green can symbolize evil or life, white can symbolize death, yellow is warm and cheerful, etc...
Colors:
Color choices abound in film and media. There are colors on the walls, costumes, rugs, lighting, furniture, walls, cars, pictures - basically everything in the film/media has some sort of color to it (unless it's in black and white). It is important to look at what these colors might tell us about a situation or character. Costume design is excellent for using color connotations to depict characters and draw upon our previous color knowledge for the creation of characters. For example, often the "nice" female character appears in blue or white, and evil characters often appear in dark colors (this is, of course, a generalization, however, and it is equally interesting to look at how films deviate from typical color connotations).
Music:
The music underscoring any film/media creates mood and depictions of characters that can compliment or complicate the interpretation of the character. Music is largely based on our natural emotions, and soundtrack designers use those emotions within the music in order to create effects that might pull at our "heartstrings" or create fear (or build up any other number of emotions within us as viewers). Think of the difference between the "Psycho" theme and the "Titanic" theme - both are very different, and they serve to further enhance the fear or love each film tries to evoke in viewers.
Scenic Design:
We can look at the way the setting surrounding the characters influences the plot. There are many different aspects of the design to consider, and every film/media possesses a different design. Questions to consider while looking for the implications of the design are:
Is it to scale? Is it symmetrical? What colors are used? Does it looked cramped or spacious? Do the characters appear comfortable in their surroundings? Where is the light source? Are there many windows? What do the subtle details (like cracked walls or scattered books) say about the setting?
Costumes:
Costumes are a HUGE aspect in film and media. What the character puts on can have tremendous implications for the character and how he/she fits in with the surrounding world. Colorization of costumes is a prominent aspect in many films, and often, film designers and directors play off of our previous color associations when designing costumes for characters. Questions to consider while looking at a character's costume include:
What is the color of the costume? How does color affect our interpretation of the character? Is the costume symmetrical or asymmetrical (and what are the implications for the character because of this?)? Is the character's costume similar or different to the other characters? Does the character stand out because of his/her costume? Is the costume clean or dirty, and what does this imply? Especially for female characters, how does the costume create gender implications or objectification of the female? What is the difference between the male and female characters' costumes in the film?
Camera Shots/Angles:
Every moment that someone or something is captured in film consists as a camera shot. Each shot occurs at specific angles (that is, positioning of the camera to the characters/scene), with particular camera motions that can indicate something about the dynamics of the scene or the character. Every camera angle and camera shot is done deliberately, with certain things kept in the frame (a single moment in a film - like a picture), and certain things are excluded. The directors allow the audience to see only what they want to be seen, just like when a photographer takes a picture.
Sometimes, the way the camera moves throughout a scene can create a dramatic effect. For example, sometimes film directors choose to move the camera in a circular motion around characters in order to create a dizzying effect. This is used in romantic moments, confusing moments, scary moments, etc..
Also, consider where the camera is at and how it positions characters in the frame. Consider who is in the foreground and background, and what that might symbolize about his/her importance (or lack thereof). Also, camera shots might be used to objectify a character in terms of bodily figure. This is especially prevalent when filming attractive females, and many times we see a camera sweep up the woman's body.
Questions to consider in terms of camera shots and angles include:
Who/what is included in the shot/frame? Who/what is in the foreground, and what does this symbolize? How is the camera moving, and what does this show us about the scene/characters/dynamics in the shot? How does the camera film male and female characters, and is there a focus on how the body looks?
Light design can be used in a variety of ways in order to create character, mood, setting, foreshadowing, etc.. Look for the following concepts while analyzing the light design in a film
Shadow: Shadows are created when something (or someone) blocks the flow of light from the source. Sometimes, lighting designers will place gobos (metal plates with cutout designs) in order to create a drastic shadowed effect. Look for the use of shadows in the light that is thrown on the characters/scene. Shadow can evoke a sense of mystery, deceit, or anticipation. A shadow on a character might be an indication of foreshadowing, or it might be used to show the character's evilness.
Location of lighting instrument:Where the lighting instrument is placed can create dramatic effects, both through shadows and other effects on the actors. Specific lighting locations include:
Backlight: If the lighting comes from behind a character, this creates a sort of "halo" effect around the character in which there is a glow surrounding that person due to the light. This effect is often used on female characters in order to create a soft, pure effect.
Front-light: When the light is cast from the front of the characters/scene, it lights the front side of the characters. It creates few shadows. In turn, this type of lighting might be used to show power, comedy, happiness, etc...
Side-lights:When the light is cast from the side of the scene, it creates light on one side of the characters/objects, and stark shadow on the other side. This can create mystery and suspense, or it can evoke sadness. Side-lighting is fairly dramatic, and it can be noticed when one-half of the a character's face is lit, while the other remains in darkness.
Top-light: Top-light occurs when light is cast from the top of characters. This might happen when characters are in a house or office setting in order to create the lighting effects of the actual space. Or, if used more drastically, top-lighting can create shadowed effects on the lower portions of characters, or it can cast shadows on the ground of the characters and objects in the space.
Bottom Lighting/ Up lighting: This for of lighting is comparable to when a flashlight is held below a person's face as he/she tells a ghost story. It is cast from the bottom and thrown up on the characters. It is usually quite eerie and frightening. It is often used to symbolize villainous characters or to enhance scary and intense scenes.
Hard or Soft Light: The "hardness" or "softness" of a light depends on the type of bulb used. Both lighting effects create characterizations and moods that can contribute to our interpretations of the film as a "text."
Hard Light:Hard light occurs when the characters/objects being lit have very definitive outlines and angles.
Soft Light: Soft light is comparable to airbrushing. It creates soft edges and contours around the characters being lit. Look for this especially in terms of gender roles - very often, females are lit by soft light, and males lit by hard light.
Color of Light:The color a light cast varies based on different "gels" placed in front of the bulb in in the lighting instrument. Different colored lighting can bathe an entire scene in certain colors, thus creating specific, vivid moods, emotions, feelings, and connotations depending on the colors used. Film designers often (but not always) play with our previous connotations of color symbolism. For instance, red often symbolizes evil or blood, green can symbolize evil or life, white can symbolize death, yellow is warm and cheerful, etc...
Colors:
Color choices abound in film and media. There are colors on the walls, costumes, rugs, lighting, furniture, walls, cars, pictures - basically everything in the film/media has some sort of color to it (unless it's in black and white). It is important to look at what these colors might tell us about a situation or character. Costume design is excellent for using color connotations to depict characters and draw upon our previous color knowledge for the creation of characters. For example, often the "nice" female character appears in blue or white, and evil characters often appear in dark colors (this is, of course, a generalization, however, and it is equally interesting to look at how films deviate from typical color connotations).
Music:
The music underscoring any film/media creates mood and depictions of characters that can compliment or complicate the interpretation of the character. Music is largely based on our natural emotions, and soundtrack designers use those emotions within the music in order to create effects that might pull at our "heartstrings" or create fear (or build up any other number of emotions within us as viewers). Think of the difference between the "Psycho" theme and the "Titanic" theme - both are very different, and they serve to further enhance the fear or love each film tries to evoke in viewers.
Scenic Design:
We can look at the way the setting surrounding the characters influences the plot. There are many different aspects of the design to consider, and every film/media possesses a different design. Questions to consider while looking for the implications of the design are:
Is it to scale? Is it symmetrical? What colors are used? Does it looked cramped or spacious? Do the characters appear comfortable in their surroundings? Where is the light source? Are there many windows? What do the subtle details (like cracked walls or scattered books) say about the setting?
Costumes:
Costumes are a HUGE aspect in film and media. What the character puts on can have tremendous implications for the character and how he/she fits in with the surrounding world. Colorization of costumes is a prominent aspect in many films, and often, film designers and directors play off of our previous color associations when designing costumes for characters. Questions to consider while looking at a character's costume include:
What is the color of the costume? How does color affect our interpretation of the character? Is the costume symmetrical or asymmetrical (and what are the implications for the character because of this?)? Is the character's costume similar or different to the other characters? Does the character stand out because of his/her costume? Is the costume clean or dirty, and what does this imply? Especially for female characters, how does the costume create gender implications or objectification of the female? What is the difference between the male and female characters' costumes in the film?
Camera Shots/Angles:
Every moment that someone or something is captured in film consists as a camera shot. Each shot occurs at specific angles (that is, positioning of the camera to the characters/scene), with particular camera motions that can indicate something about the dynamics of the scene or the character. Every camera angle and camera shot is done deliberately, with certain things kept in the frame (a single moment in a film - like a picture), and certain things are excluded. The directors allow the audience to see only what they want to be seen, just like when a photographer takes a picture.
Sometimes, the way the camera moves throughout a scene can create a dramatic effect. For example, sometimes film directors choose to move the camera in a circular motion around characters in order to create a dizzying effect. This is used in romantic moments, confusing moments, scary moments, etc..
Also, consider where the camera is at and how it positions characters in the frame. Consider who is in the foreground and background, and what that might symbolize about his/her importance (or lack thereof). Also, camera shots might be used to objectify a character in terms of bodily figure. This is especially prevalent when filming attractive females, and many times we see a camera sweep up the woman's body.
Questions to consider in terms of camera shots and angles include:
Who/what is included in the shot/frame? Who/what is in the foreground, and what does this symbolize? How is the camera moving, and what does this show us about the scene/characters/dynamics in the shot? How does the camera film male and female characters, and is there a focus on how the body looks?
