Lyrics

The lyrics I have chosen to analyse are the lyrics of the song, "Gimmie Shelter" by The Rolling Stones, the song was written by singer and guitarist, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The song is a churning mid tempo rocker, which begins with a rhythm guitar intro by Richards, which is then followed by Mick Jagger's lead vocals.and the song was also placed on the magazine of Rolling Stones, list of The 500 Best songs of all time.

Lyrics to, The Rolling Stones song: 
http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/r/rolling_stones/gimme_shelter.html
The song is a testament to people of the social unrest at the time of the late 60's, which is concerned with matters such as the Vietnam war, race riots and Charles Manson. The lyrics of the song communicate seeking shelter, from an on coming storm. Which paints a picture of destruction and social catastrophe while also talking about love:

"Oh, a storm is threat'ning, My very life today; If I don't get some shelter, Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away

War, children, it's just a shot away, It's just a shot away...Love, sister, it's just a kiss away, It's just a kiss away."

Here is a link to a music video attached to the song, "Gimmie Shelter":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg5-HYPNpkk

Analysis of the mood and representation of the artist they construct:

The mood and representation of the artsist's that the band, The Rolling Stones construct is that they have a dress code of casual clothing such as they usually wore clothes that consisted of leather jackets, plain shirts and athletic pants and light shoes etc. A band such as The Rolling Stones that were only 2nd best band to the Beatles in the 60's. The representation that the Rolling Stones represents, is that they represent themes such as sex, love, rebellion against the system,  social concerns and lifestyles. In the rock and roll genre  I have found out the themes projected by the band are themes such as issues of dating, cars, school and  clothing and the songs usually dealt with social concerns that became apart of peoples lives such as the song Gimmie Shelter represents the ongoing conflict in the Vietnam war. The most visible moods of the band, is the mood of their band members such as Keith Richards is seen as having a mood of expertise, arrogance and passive aggression. Mick Jagger is seen as someone who is the control freak, dependable and ambitious. Ronnie Wood mood is represented as someone who is very loyal, charismatic and egotistical. Charlie Watts is also presented as a drummer that's  energetic, inventive and creative.

The representation and mood that the band The Rolling Stones project is one of passion, creativity and non conformity. I would say that the band represents this because when singing a song like "Gimmie Shelter" or the song "Love Is Strong" are songs that display themes which the target audience of the band can relate to such as themes that are displayed in their videos portraying themes of love, social concerns and the depiction of certain lifestyles. I would also say that they aren't a band that conforms to one type of music genre such as rock but display other genres such as the blues, rock n roll and many more. The image attached to the band in my opinion would be one of, interest as their songs have a profound cultural influence such as having an effect on the civil rights movement through their music and the Vietnam War. The image and representation  i would say is one of determination, creativity, intensity and many more. The mood portrayed through their songs is one of idealism, optimism, determination, empathy etc. So the band is basically trying to stress the social conflicts and lifestyles that we come into conflict everyday.  

Audience Research

In the audience research made by me and Patsy Jones, we made a questionnaire of questions that were relevant to question of the music genres we have looked at. We also asked questions about visual style, references to pieces of media, literature etc. We also asked questions, that were also relevant to our audience music research and in this vox box, me and Patsy interviewed 6 people which consisted of 3girls and 3 boys. In the video, for the vox box/questionnaire we asked people that were into different genres of music and here is the vox box that we have created:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04hrw1wa_q8

Analysis of Magazine Page Adverts

1. What are the typical features that an advert has? Make a list if the elements they have in common?

The typical features which a magazine advert, usually contain are features such as a cover ad, a main article or which may include pictures, interviews, sale promotions and many more. The elements that both these magazine covers have in common is that the layout of the 2 magazine adverts are very similar, this is seen through the layout of the text and the images. Both adverts contain one large image which relates to the tracks Wonderwall and “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” The writing is similar in font and the same Oasis logo has been placed on the adverts but in different places, but the album of “What’s the Story, Morning Glory”. And also includes the theme of voyeurism.

2. How would you categorise the adverts in front of you?

The images used in the magazine advert includes that of the Oasis’ single Wonderwall and their albums of “Definitely Maybe” which is positioned in the bottom right hand corner of the magazine advert and the other album which is portrayed next to that album is called “What’s the Story”. The layout of the pictures is unusual as there is one big image of Oasis’ track Wonderwall which covers the majority of the page whereas there is, also the images of the two albums in the bottom right hand corner. I think that the designer of the magazine advert has done this because the person wants to signify the importance of the song and that it is also a reference to the film wonderwall and the score of the film. By laying out the image this way the designer is attracting people’s attention to go and buy the song. The reason why I would say that the albums are that the song appears on the album of “What’s the story” and the 2^nd album of “Definitely Maybe” is to communicate to audiences that their debut album of “What’s the story” is followed by a their mew album and includes tracks of “Live Forever”, “Supersonic” and”Shakerrmaker”. The colour of the magazine adverts is mainly of black and white, which has been used to make a reference of the music genre of rock. The style of the magazine advert is. I would, also categorise these magazine adverts as magazines adverts that are of the media and advertising category.

• Images used (layout, colour, style etc.

The don’t look back in anger poster advert contains the albums what’s the story, morning glory and the other track of “Don’t Look Back in Anger”. The layout of the images on the advert includes one big picture which appears to contain the Gallagher brothers in a long shot of them standing in the centre with key lighting or backlighting being used. I would say that key lighting is being used to create a silhouette effect whereas the backlighting has been used to create a halo effect around the edges of the band members to connote how unique the band is. The colour used in the magazine advert includes black and white which has been used in the advert to connote an image of the ban that masculine, authority and leadership. A lot of colours such as red, blue, white, orange and black have been used to connote connotations of the band from the cover of the song. These colours have been used to connote connotations such as red has been used to connote power and passion, blue has been used to connote capitalist ideology etc, White and black has also been used to connote perfection, authority and leadership whereas brown has been used to connote determination, success and creativity. The red, white and blue have also been used in the design of the track cover to represent nationalism as well.

The image used on the wonderwall cover of the magazine advert contains an image of a women depicted in a portrait/canvas, with hands holding thee canvas, in a countryside landscape in which seems to be a high backlighting used to convey a halo effect around the edges of the women seen in the canvas. The women has been used to connote the relationship between Noel and his girlfriend and how he is so attracted to her but isn’t able to explain his love for her. In my opinion I would say that the canvas and the hand have been used to represent creativity, beauty but achievement and desirability. The colour of black and white has been used to connote the time period of Oasis peak success in the night ties. The women I would also say represent affection, passion and inspiration or influence, the clothes worn by the women are casual clothes which communicates to the target audience that the band are appealing to a young, white, working class target audience and background.. The landscape of the countryside, in my opinion relates to the British countryside and relates to the music genre of Britpop which distinguishes the song of the English culture and idealism. 

• Text (fonts, size, positioning, colour etc).

The text used on the magazine advert of Wonderwall contains the words in bold letters and seem to be in times new roman capitals. The positioning of the writing is underneath the image representing the song. Then there is small printed writing on the poster. There colour of the writing is black, which is used to connote perfection, rebellious, intensity and advancement. The positioning of the Wonderwall writing is placed under the picture of wonderwall whereas small print rival has been used in the bottom left hand corner of the advert, which talks about the release of the wonderwall single and the 2 other albums. The logo of the band is placed at the top left corner of the image.

The font used on the “Don’t Look Back In Anger” magazine advert is uses the same words of the song but these words are bold but not as big as the words of the wondewall adverts’ title. The positioning of the text is placed under the image which relates to the song in the centre as the wonderwall magazine advert. The colour of “Don’t Look Back in Anger” is white which has been used to represent the band and communicate connotations of perfection, happiness, purity and trustworthy.    

• The relationship between text and images-how do they work together?

The relationship between the text and images on the wonderwall poster is that the woman used on the cover is used to illustrate the relationship between Noel Gallagher and his then before girlfriend. The women on the front of the poster illustrate a common feature within music videos is the theme of voyeurism which is displayed in the video of the track, which isn’t conforming to the cereal box family of the 1960’s as ladies are seen as desirable products.

The relationship between text and image on the “Don’t Look Back in Anger” magazine advert is that the text on the magazine advert tells the audience that when buying the CD and albums covers tell the audience that when they purchase these albums or CD that they will contain the song of don’t look back in anger.

• How the iconography represents the band, the genre of music and their overall image?

The iconography portrayed in the magazine advert include colours such as blue, red and white which symbolises English ideology and culture but also English nationalism. The colours are used to relate to the music genre of Britpop. These colours represent the band as a band that is concerned with the current British topics and situations which present them as a band that is trying to relate to its audience through English culture and ideologies’.

The tree is used in the magazine page advert, to connote to the tree of life which puts the band as a knowledgeable but creative band whereas the tree has also been used to signify ancestral heritage which I would say relates to the music genres of Rock and to a degree alternative rock. I would also say rock because rock has been used by Oasis from previous influences or inspiration from other bands such as the Beatles. Rock has also been used by the band, as the inheritance of the protest song as this has been associated with political activism as well as battling concerning situations concerning race, sex and drug use and has been used by Oasis as an expression of youth revolt against adult consumerism and conformity. The image of the women on the “Wonderwall” magazine advert and the image of the Gallagher brothers with lights pointed at them that are turned off on the “Don’t Look Back in Anger” magazine advert, signify the challenging of the status quo and is iconoclastic, anti-commercialist, anti-mainstream these are seen as direct links to the alternative rock music genre. 

• Are there any signifiers exclusive to the band/genre?

The signifiers that are used exclusively in the magazine adverts, which are exclusive to the band genre, are signs which include:

Trees: tree of life, environment and nature.

Women: Voyeurism- alternative rock

Street culture: Britpop

White and red roses: purity, innocence, secrecy, respect and passion.

Red wine: revolution, anarchy, passion.

Red-masculinity, leadership

Blue-Trueness, capitalism

Black-power, mystery, strength and authority.

The dominant elements portrayed on the magazine advert include elements such as the image, the title of the songs and the text.

How is the colour being used?

The colours are being used in the magazine adverts to illustrate connotations of the band such as white and black is used to connote mystery, rebellious and accomplishment. I would also say that the wonderwall and don’t look back in anger magazine adverts is used to connote the experience of the bands peak success. The colours being used on the adverts are also used to signify the music genres that Oasis portrays throughout their videos.

What is the overall effect of the text?

The overall effect of the text is to tell the audience what type of music genre, the songs are. The text also communicates to the audience what record company the songs are attached, the writing also communicates when the singles will come out etc. In my opinion the overall text on the adverts are used to communicate certain ideals and ideology about the band. The text also gives the overall idea that the band is off the Britpop, Alternative rock and rock genre. The overall effect of the text is also to let people know what type of target audience is being targeted by the band. It also gives us an idea of the themes that are relevant such as social concerns which would relate to the working class audience.

How does the text create meanings through the linking of elements in the layout etc?

The text creates meanings through the linking of elements in the layout by stating what kind of music genre the song such as “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” is of the Britpop genre. Text also creates the meanings through the linking of elements in the layout such as the text tells the audience who the group as we see through the logo of the band but the logo is small so the designer of the adverts are expecting us to notice who the band is straight away. I would also say that the text creating meaning through combination of linking elements through layout is that it creates a curious and insightful image of the band as a band that is fanatical, competitive, successful and non mainstream as they are trying to battle the conventional norms of mainstream rock and Britpop and not be a product of control such as Blur by the media.

Globe and TV:

• What does the advert say about the institutional context of the music i.e. the label, mainstream, underground, first album etc?
• What the advert says about the institutional context of the music that the label of the music genre is about affection and love from the 2 magazine adverts. The context of the two songs I would say isn’t mainstream even those genres have similar characteristics from other genres. The songs “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” I wouldn’t say these genres are parts of the  underground music genre as don’t contain the generic conventions of underground movements such as alternative rock, New Wave etc but the music genre of Britpop has influenced many other music genres such as alternative rock, New Wave music etc. The first album released by Oasis includes “Definitely Maybe” in 1994 and the songs “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Wonderwall” are included on the albums of “What’s the story, Morning Glory”.

• What can we learn about the potential target audience i.e. specialist, niche, mainstream, compilation.

What we can learn about the potential target audience through the wonderwall and don’t look back in anger posters is that the target audience is of a working class background, of people of the age of mid teens to late 30’s.

• Comment on everything else relevant.

The word “Wonderwall” is defined as someone who thinks about someone all the time, the person with who that person is infatuated with and can also mean an object of fascination. Another meaning of the word includes the definition of a barrier which separates the mundane from the transcendent reality. The meaning behind the word of “Wonderwall” used in the song is about Noel Gallagher’s then girlfriend Meg Matthews who was compared with a schoolboy’s wall to which posters of football and pop stars are attached.

The song was written, 40 years ago from the play “Look Back in Anger” by John Osborne. The main character was Jimmy Porter, who was portrayed the rebellious and angry nature of the next generation. From this there may be irony to be considered as, Oasis see themselves as the new generation of rebels in rock. In my opinion the song’s phrase of “Don’t Look Back in Anger” is a reference that you shouldn’t look on past mistakes that you’ve made but you should only think about the present and the future.

                     

           
I also think that the magazine adverts have inspired me in a way such as by                                                  

            using silhouettes’ such as the Killers did on one of their CD covers and colour

            schemes for the design of my magazine adverts and for the designing of my,

            album cover.

Here are some magazine page adverts of bands like The Rolling Stones, the Killers, Gorillaz and Coldplay:

                             

I have chosen these Magazine page adverts of bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Killers, Gorillaz and Coldplay because I wanted to see how a magazine page advert was from the past such as The Rolling Stones can be compared to modern bands of the Killers, Gorillaz and Coldplay by seeing how they were designed, to communicate connotations about the band and the music genres they play. I also wanted to look at these posters to find what the most significant elements of the adverts were and how the text was used on the advert. So when looking at these magazines I would instantly think of how to create a magazine advert of a rock band and be able to design the adverts using significant elements that are portrayed on those adverts.

Here are some ideas of magazine adverts which I have thought of:

The colors that are going to be used in my magazine page adverts are colors such as red, blue, black, white, orange and yellow. From looking at and analysing some magazine adverts I have found that, in the adverts themselves, color schemes are used to communicate to the audience the type of music they are trying to convey. The two magazine adverts that I have found to be the most influential are the magazine adverts of "Gimmie Shelter" song by the Rolling Stones and the Coldplay magazine advert. I have found these magazine adverts to be an influence because eventhose they use color schemes but I like how the pictures have been used, such as in The Rolling Stones advert uses a photograph from their tour whereas in the Coldplay advert a painting has been used to contrast the band with the painting as a band that is rebellious and determined etc.

CD Album covers

Here is 2 of the cd album covers, I have designed:
1.

2.

Here is links to the site of the bands I have been looking out:


The Killers Website link:http://www.thekillersmusic.com/html5


Linkin Park website link:http://www.linkinpark.com/main/

Keane website link:http://www.keanemusic.com/

Oasis website link:http://www.oasisinet.com/

Here are some other links of bands i considered analysing:


Kaiser Chiefs website link: http://www.kaiserchiefs.com/

Coldplay website link:http://www.coldplay.com/

The Rolling Stones website link:http://www.rollingstones.com/

The elements that I have been inspired to look at include elements of digipak's such as silhouttes and colour schemes which I have put on my album covers which I have designed. I also intend to put the tracklist on the top middle parts of the digipacks and plan to use the top right hand section of the digipack as the front.

Star Analysis

Star Analysis: Take Oasis:

Oasis evolved originally from an earlier band called The Rain, in Manchester and formed in 1991. The band included Paul McGuigan (bass guitar), Paul Bonehead Arthurs (guitar), Tony McCarroll (drums) and Chris Hutton (Vocals). Unsatisfied by Hutton, Arthurs auditioned Liam Gallagher as a replacement. Liam then suggested that that the band should change their name to Oasis. The change was inspired by an Inspiral Carpets tour poster that was in Noel’s room. One of the locations/venues that were listed was the Oasis Leisure centre in Swindon. Oasis played there first gig at the Boardwalk club in Manchester on the 18^th August 1991. When Noel Gallagher approached the band, about joining, he would also become the bands sole songwriter and leader. The bands big break came when they were spotted by Creation Co-Owner Alan McGee. Oases were also invited to play in a club in Scotland and 4 days later McGee signed the band to Creation. The first album, Oasis released was Definitely Maybe in 1994, and their first single was Supersonic.

Fashion/Visual Look:

How can you describe it? I would say that the bands visual/fashion look is business casual as seen in this picture. This picture also references or compares the band, The Beatles as they are seen wearing glasses or the type of clothing that band members of the band, The Beatles loose to play like John Lennon or Ringo Star etc.

Genre:

How do they conform to it?

The music which is employed in Oasis’s music is that of the alternative rock, Britpop and rock genre. In a way Oasis don’t conform to the rock genre as they don’t have much emphasis on the electric guitar. They also conform to the rock genre as they have 4 or 5 members within the band and the band members are usually able to exchange roles within the group which is seen in the music video of “Don’t Look Back In Anger” which shows Liam Gallagher not performing as the lead vocalist of the band as he would in other videos, this is shown in the video of the song when we see Noel Gallagher performing as the main guitarist and lead vocals while Liam uses the tambourine in the background. Oasis also conform to the rock genre is that they have white predominated band 

For instance in Stop Crying Your Heart Out music video the video depicts the rejection of ideals of commercialism within the mainstream culture, this was depicted in the video when we see blank bill boards at the start of the video. In another sense, Oasis have conformed to the genre of alternative rock by not signing for major record companies but signing with independent record labels such as when Oasis signed for Creation Records. For themes within the alternative rock genre I would say that they do conform as their videos connote themes about social concern, drug use, depression etc but in the themes chosen to be depicted within their videos usually depict other themes which don’t have much relevance to the genre. Within their lyrics they speak about the social and economic strains within the UK and US.

In my opinion I would say that they conform to the Britpop genre of music as they usually have Liam singing in a regional British accent, which included references to British places and culture in lyrics, image and fashion consciousness. They also conform in the way of Britpop that they communicate not about their own lives but about social concerns concerning the younger British, white class generation. The imagery associated with that of Britpop is equally British and working class. Another way that the band has conformed to the music genre of Britpop is that in their video’s they communicate messages of nationalism and pride which is done through the Union Flag which may also be a reference to the music band, The Beatles. The band also conforms to the British pop genre as they are seen wearing casual clothing to connect to working class people and the video also concentrates around the image of the band but mainly the narrative of the song an example of this is their music video “Stop Crying Your Heart Out”, showing the band performing in an old fashioned environment but also making the video relate to the narrative of the modern day capitalist society.    

What are the themes and conventions of music videos in the genre you have chosen?

The conventions of the music genre of alternative rock, for camerawork include, close ups of the band, long shots of the whole band and there is also focus on instruments. The conventions of alternative rock within editing include cuts between performance and narrative and the edits also relate to the beats, there is also a large amount of shots within the video. For mise-en scene I would say there is also use of low key lighting and the band are also seen wearing casual clothing, which are usually dark. Even those there is a connection between the lyrics, you can still link them to metaphorical links. In the video there are usually, cuts on the beats of the song. The conventions also include close ups of the band or the singer and the videos also seem to be depicted as a movie e.g. “Stop Crying Your Heart Out”. There is also the notion of looking in the video which is shown when we see Noel in the song “Stand by Me” looking at what other people are doing but is depicted in different ways through camerawork.

Conventions of the rock genre is that they intend to be narrative and performance based. The narrative also tends to show romanticism between the lead singer and girl or action based on some form of affair. The video usually contains the band singing to an audience of which they are performing to or singing in a setting by themselves and the camera. The video usually contains a logo of the band which the audience are able to identify. Mise en scene is also a key factor within the videos as there are locations, props etc which need to be considered.

The genre of Britpop contains conventions such as the genre includes an old fashioned English way of life, such as the pubs excessive drinking and street culture. It is also considered to have drinking, pubs and a care free way of life. There are also camera shots associated with the music genre of Britpop include close ups, mid shots, over the shoulder shots and begin with establishing/long shots. The videos also contain doesn’t focus upon band shots but shot which evolve around the narrative and band or are told through mise-en-scene and the band is usually seen in their videos wearing normal clothes.

The themes used in the alternative, rock genre include social concerns, concerning drug use, depression, and environmentalism. The themes of the rock music genre include themes such as romantic love; which includes sex, rebellion against the establishment, social concerns and life styles. The themes included in the music videos of the Britpop genre generally include nationalism etc.  

Media Representation:

         

Here is the artwork of the band Oasis, includes artwork about Oasis’ world tour, called “Lord Don’t Slow Me Down” is about British rock band, Oasis, Don’t Believe the Truth” which took place from May 2005 to March 2006. The film was directed by Baillie Walsh and went platinum in the UK. The TV premiere of the film took place in the UK on channel 4on 19^th November at 11:50pm although it contained 4o minutes cut from the original film of 90 minutes. The film was also used to accompany the bands album, “Stop the Clocks”, which was released on 20^th November 2006. It was also included in the “Let there be love” DVD single unveiled in November 2005. It also contains Oasis’ song Let there be love which was written by Noel Gallagher and was recorded during the “Don’t Believe the Truth” sessions. The film also features the Italian, Juventus football player Alessandro Del Piero.

Motifs:

Are there any recurring themes?

 In the music videos of the band Oasis the video contains recurring themes such as romantic love, sex, rebellion against the establishment, social concerns and lifestyles. The dog label is the logo of Oasis, contains a beagle which connotes English history and nationalism, whereas the hat on the dog signifies leadership, rebellious and masculinity.

  

On the front cover of the magazine, Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher are shown on the front cover of the magazine. On the magazine cover of Q magazine, we see bold letters saying “exclusive 18 months inside the biggest band in the world” stating that it is giving viewers the chance to be able to connect or relate with the band. On the cover of the magazine Oasis is portrayed as a dominating and successful band through text on the magazine stating the name Oasis in bold letters and stating they have sold 150 albums. The target audience of Q magazine is aimed at male as it only contains Gallagher brother on the cover. As for the layout of the magazine I would say it’s targeted at middle aged teenagers to mid 30s working class people. On the magazine they are seen as a band that is trying to relate to working class people, which is signified through their casual clothing and represented as a band that is passionate, thrilling etc which is shown through Liam’s body language.

On the magazine cover of the famous magazine of NME, is seen on the front cover of the magazine with the title of “British Heavyweight Championship” and also includes a picture of Blur front man, Damon Albarm and in the other picture, Oasis lead vocalist Noel Gallagher with words stating “Blur vs. Oasis” which, connotes the rivalry between the bands, which was dubbed “The Battle of Britpop” which bought Britpop to the attention of the British media of 1995 and on the cover include Oasis, single “Roll With It” and Blurs “Country House” on the same day of 12^th August. The battle pitted the bands against each other with the conflict about class, and regional division as it was about music. Even those the rivalry was immense between the two bands, Oasis lost out to Blur with Blur selling 274, 000 copies to Oasis’ 216,000 copies. Even those Blur won the battle between the bands; Oasis would go on to become more commercially success then Blur. They were able to achieve success in the US, because of their, tracks “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova.” Oasis’s 2^nd album of (What’s the story) Morning Glory? (1995), selling over 4 million copies in the UK, becoming the 3^rd best selling album in British history. I would say that the target audience of NME magazine is 16 year olds to mid or late 20s. I would say the target audience of NME magazine is 17 year olds-late 20s working class people. White and red has also been used to connote innocence, passion, desirable and determination.     

Mojo has a wide range of audiences. The main audience is aimed from the magazine which is mainstream of the ages of 15-24. The viewers can also tell who the audience is from the images displayed on the front cover of the magazine. Such as the image of the band can appeal to mainstream music, as both these audiences are both interested in the band. I would also say that the band is also aimed at working class people. The overall representation of MOJO magazine is passionate and joy which is connoted through the red. The colour of the band name Oasis is in white and so is the font of MOJO which connotes perfection and coolness. Whereas the black background is used to connote how powerful the band has become over the years and mystery and authority. The man at the bottom left hand corner shows a man lifting a weight with white, blue and red colours which connotes the nationalism of British pop. In the magazine covers Oasis is seen wearing casual clothing but we also see Liam wearing glasses which obviously is a link to The Beatles which

Symbolism:

Do they make use of cultural symbols?

In Oasis’s video of their song “Don’t look back in anger” there is a Union Flag is used in the video to connote nationalism etc. The burning hot iron of causing great destruction symbolizes the frustration and potential danger in educated but unemployed under class. The mansion in the song “don’t look back in anger” symbolizes accomplishment, wealth and achievement.  The grave dugged in the music video “Live Forever” symbolises rebirth, separation etc.  The women in the video are also used to suggest voyeuristic treatment of women as desirable products.

Performance:

What do they usually do in their videos?

In oasis’ music videos they are usually seen playing their instrument with one another or by themselves. In a music video such as don’t look back in anger the band are seen arriving at a mansion where there are lots of girls who walk out to theme. Whereas in a video such as Stop Crying Your Heart Out the band are not seen as part of the narrative of the music video but seem more connected to the video through the lyrics of the song but when they are performing they are rejecting the norms of the rock music genre and conforming to the needs of alternative rock or other genres such as Britpop and New Wave music etc, this is why they are shown performing on platforms in the video. Compared to the Live Forever music video the band are at the centre of the narrative where they are seen digging a grave for their drummer and then a person arising from the grave which symbolizes the rebirth and re guvenation of the band.

These pictures are from Oasis' music videos of "Wonderwall", "Do You Know What I Mean", "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" and "Live Forever". What I found from these images from the music videos and other Oasis music videos is that Oasis tend to have performanced based videos on its own or performanced based narrative videos where they are seen playing towards the characters within the narrative. The main concept of music videos, I find most effective is music videos of music videos consisting of a narrative and music base videos as they give the audience a sense of the type of music genre being portrayed through the music and narrative. I also found that Oasis' narrative and music based videos tend to interrogate or even question the social concerns and lifestyles of human civilization. (In a way the concepts portrayed are connected to modernism, postmodernism and Marxism.)  

Target Audience:

Who is their target audience?

In my opinion I would say that the target audience of the band Oasis is teenagers of the age of 15 to late 30s or 40s working class people that are young white, males.

How does the image of the star appeal to them?

The image of the star appeals to the band of Oasis as they are seen wearing sunglasses, which are used as a reference to the band, The Beatles. The band is also as a band that wants to appeal to the working class people such as when we seethe band in a video or some other media form of some kind they are always seen wearing casual clothing. The music industry has also tried to construct the band as artists that are seen as real through their star image of body language, dress code etc. In their videos they also want to be perceived as a band that is original and unique. The ideology and culture presented by the band, Oasis is. The character and personality of the band seems to be childish, negative, rebellious and professional as there is always a feud between the Gallagher brothers.

In a way they aren’t conforming to the image of a star, through looks, such as the band have typical English look. The ideology and culture of a band like Oasis is that they don’t conform to the conventional norms of the rock genre but they see themselves as original and rejecting the commercialist lifestyle.  

Who has inspired the band, Oasis?

The band Oasis has been influenced by bands such as the Beatles, which was cited as an English obsession. They have also been inspired by other bands such as the Stone Roses, Slade, The Smiths and T-Rex as inspirations or influence. 

Who has Oasis inspired?

The band has also inspired other music bands such as the Killers, Arctic Monkey, Coldplay, Maroon 5, Kasabian, The Coral and many other bands such as Little by Little a Japanese band inspired by the song of the same name by Oasis.






How does the band, Oasis construct their representation?
The band Oasis have constructed their representation as a reference to the band,The Beatles which is shown through their fashionable casual clothing of denim jeans, blue jeans and a t-shirt. The band are also represented as similar to the Beatles through the glasses that the Gallagher brothers wear, such as the thin tea-shade glasses worn by the Gallagher brothers which is shown through Oasis' music video of "Don't Look Back in Anger", these glasses are references to the Beatles band member John Lennon. The image of the band is also shown as similar to that of the Beatles through their mop top haircuts which were made popular in the 60's by the Beatles, this hairstyle has been used to represent the image of Oasis as challenging the mainstream or conventional norms of certain music genre such as Britpop, Alternative rock etc, they are also seen as rebellious through their hairstyle as the hairstyle became to connote rebellion and defiance. Considering the representation of Oasis I would say that the band is passionate, anti-commercialist, anti-mainstream, iconoclastic and trying to relate to people of middle class, working class through social concerns and lifestyles.  

Here is a video of the song, Live Forever by the band, Oasis:

 

I chose to put this video on my blog because I thought it was an inciteful video which centered around the themes of immortality/mortality, fate, death and has key references to the Beatles and symbolisim is used, in the video such as the flowers, the grave or the shovels etc.

 

Auteur Theory

David Fincher:
1. What Landmark music videos have they made:

David Fincher was born on the 28th August, 1962 (42) is an American director and music director, known for his stylish dark thrillers. He has directed films such as Fight Club(1999), The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008), The Social Network and many more.
He has also gone on to direct music videos such as:

Madonna-“Express Yourself”, “Vogue”, “Oh Father” and “Bad Girl”.

Aerosmith-“Janie’s got a Gun”

The Rolling Stones-“Love Is Strong”

Michael Jackson-“Who Is It”

Billy Idol- “Cradle of Love”

Paula Abdul-“It’s Just the Way You Love Me”, “Straight Up”, “Forever Your Girl” and “Cold Hearted” etc.

2. How were these received? What did the critics say? Did they get any awards?

The video of Madonna’s song Express yourself was inspired by Fritz Lang’s movie Metropolis (1927), which was directed by David Fincher. The music video had a budget of £5million, which made the video the 3^rd most expensive film of all time. The video depicted a city fall of tall skyscrapers and railway line. Madonna in the video played a lady and chained masochist with muscular men appearing as her workers. At the end of the video she picks a man played by model Cameron Alborzian as her date for the evening. Critics noted the video for its exploitation of female sexuality and Madonna’s masculine image in the video as gender bending. Carol Vernallis noted in her book, experiencing music video with diffused light around Madonna was used to mimic the diffusion of sound and make the borders around Madonna appear soft and her body spread outwards. Elizabeth Edwards one of the authors of Visual sense: A cultural Reader said the shot of Madonna crawling on the floor and another image of her watches from a nearby sofa, illustrated the mutation that Madonna’s image was undergoing. She also said that Madonna was acting out self consciousness by watching herself. She also said Express Yourself also gives viewers image references to traditional American gendered and sex icons (male and female) and a new level of irony.

The video of vogue was filmed at Burbank Studios in Burbank, California on 9-10^th February, 1990. It was directed by David Fincher; it was filmed in black and white and recalls the look of films and photography of the Golden Age of Hollywood with the use of artwork by the Art Deco artist Tamara De Lempicka and an Art Deco set design. Many of the scenes were recreations of photographs taken by noted photographer Horst P. Horst including his famous Mainbocher Corset, Lisa with Turban (1940) Carmen Face Massage (1946). Although I wasn’t able to find any critic’s response to the video I found that it won 3 awards from the MTV video music awards for best direction, best cinematography and best editing. It was also received negatively by Horst who said he never gave permission for his photographs to be used and received no acknowledgement from Madonna.

The Oh Father video, was shot in black and white, the video is said to have taken stylistic inspiration from the Orson Welles film Citizen Kane. In 1991, MTV special hosted by Kurt Loder-titled “Breakfast with Madonna” he described the video as the most amazing video and didn’t get any awards.

3. Do they have a visual style? If so how is it achieved throughout their work?

David Fincher’s Visual Style

Madonna’s Music Video: “Express Yourself”

In David Fincher’s music video of Madonna’s song express yourself, Fincher was inspired by Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis (1927) which included an epigraph at the end of the video from the film: “Without the Heart” there can be no understanding between the heart and mind. In the music video, Fincher wished to portray Madonna as a stylish and graceful lady and also a chained masochist, with strong men acting her workers. From this video, Madonna wished to portray a masculine persona. Throughout the video major themes are portrayed such as the deconstructive gender bending approach associated with free play and self reflexivity of pictures in postmodernism. The video also relates to other themes such as feminism and domination of genders and non- distinguishing between classes but also the exchangement of sexual roles within society.

Madonna’s Music Video: “Oh Father”

In Madonna’s music video of her song “Oh Father” which was directed by David Fincher. The music video is shot in black and white entirely and it’s rumoured to be inspired by Orson Welles film Citizen Kane. The music video also contains a scene where a young girl walks towards her mother’s coffin and then the video cuts to a shot of her mother’s mouth sewn shut. This scene is used in the music video to represent what Madonna has confirmed, that it happened when she looked at her mother’s mouth in the coffin. From the music video I have found that it represents themes such as tragedy, death, loneliness etc.

Michael Jackson’s Music Video: “Who is it?”

The music video shows Michael in a hotel room distresses after finding out that his girlfriend has a silver card with the name on of Alex, thinking that his girlfriend is cheating on him. As the story unfolds from the music video we learn that his girlfriend take on different identities for her job. In this video, Michael is portrayed as someone who jealous, concerned and someone that assumes things. The themes portrayed in this music video of the song “Who Is It” is the distinguishment of the female and male roles within a relationship, disloyalty and distingushment of one’s identities.

3. What is David Fincher’s visual style within the music videos he has directed?

David Fincher’s visual style within the music video’s he has directed which include “Oh Father”, “Express yourself” (Madonna) and “Who Is It” (Michael Jackson) seem to include references to film noir, which is a cinematic term used to describe stylish Hollywood crime genre which emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. This era of film noir is associated with low key black and white visual style which has roots from German Expressionist cinematography. Some of the prototypical stories and the attitude of classic noir derive from the Hardboiled School of crime fiction which emerged from the depression within the USA.

The visual style included within the music videos directed by Fincher, include other characteristics of film noir such as there is the use of low angle, wide angle or a Dutch angle. Night for night has also been used as opposed to the usual conventional Hollywood form of day for night. In the videos directed by Fincher, other characteristics such as flashbacks have been used as a cinematic device and the videos also contain first person narration. The videos also contain certain plots, characters and settings etc.

4. What inspiration can you draw from them?

The inspiration that I have drawn from these videos is that David Fincher in the music videos he has directed has drawn from the classical film noir which he has taken from past films such as Metropolis and Citizen Kane. His music videos also draw on themes such as crime, adultery etc basically social issues which evolve around the protagonist within the video. Fincher in his music videos also employs a lot of key devices or features such as first person narration and low key lighting to explore a lot of themes within the music genre he is depicting. What I think would inspire me the most from the music videos that David Fincher has directed, is the way he uses film noir as a basis to support the narrative of the song and the narrative and foundation of the video. He also tries to explore different cultural identities that would be connected or contrasted to the protagonist of the narrative of the video. He also uses unconventional camerawork and not the conventional as he wants people to perceive and interpret that environment or social demands in Marxist or feminist ideologies etc. In Fincher’s music videos he also uses theoretical theories to explain the society or civilisation he inhabits and tries to justify the co-existence of capitalism but also scrutinises it, he does this through references to films such as Metropolis (1927) and through using the landscape and part of the narrative from the film he tries to justify the opinions/theories expressed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and the actors tries to state or explore the social crisis between workers and owners inherent in capitalism, by this he is effectively criticising the future predicament of capitalism’s civilisation.


Here is a link to the critical reception of the video, Vogue directed by Fincher.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogue_(Madonna_song)

Here is a link to some of the videos, David Fincher,has directed:
Madonna-Express Yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsVcUzP_O_8&ob=av2e

Madonna:Oh Father:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvVvN0QvzTk&ob=av2e

Madoona:Bad Girl:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUII7DTACf4&ob=av2e

Michael Jackson:Who is it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3CUn1BpGq8

Another music director I thought of analysing, was the former music director, Martin Scorsese who directed the music video attached to Michael Jackson's song "Bad".

Media Coursework:Music Genre Research

Alternative Rock-Themes:
The conventional themes that appear in the music genre of alternative include conventional themes that relate to social concern such as:

• Environmentalism
• Depression
• Drug use etc.

Characteristics:
The music genre of alternative rock has been used as a term to describe the music genre of underground music that emerged from the music genre of punk rock from the mid 1980's. The genre of alternative rock has been defined as the rejection of commercialism of mainstream culture. The sound of the music genre range from, dirty guitars of grunge to ominous sounds capes of Gothic rock to guitar revivalism of Brit-pop to the chaotic piece style of twee pop.  Also the lyrics used in the music genre of alternative rock has improved as a indication of the social and economic strains in the united States and the United Kingdom of the 1980's and early 1990's.

Musical and Lyrical Conventions:
Some of the conventions of alternative rock video's include some kind of inner thinking even if the meaning of the video isn't clear at all. The musicians of alternative rock differed from traditional rock predecessors such as diversity and experimentation in music and in part of critique of mainstream society and of major music labels in favor of small independent music labels. Alternative rockers produced appealing music for mass consumption. There music also has emphasis on distorted guitars and ambiguous lyrics, which wasn't suited to conventional tastes. Alternative rock music often have skeptical or conventional values. Although alternative rock was mainly influenced by Punk which helped influence alternative rock with its critical interpretation of society and the destruction of mainstream musical sensibilities. Alternative rock did however have punk attitudes and antagonism with rock melodies and song structure. Bands such as Police and U2 etc became popular during the 80's with appealing and attractive songs, which had a influence on the genre. Ideally the alternative rock bands aimed to reach a new generation of youth with higher energy, melodic music which communicated to audiences certain social issues. Alternative rock also dealt with non conformity and questioning conventional values.  There is also a repeat of certain parts of lyrics (The Killers: Mr Brightside) and the genre is grateful to a white vocalist shouting about his betrayed entitlements over an deftly coated squall of guitars, bass and drums.

Iconography:
The musicians and fans of alternative rock tended to dress in a certain way that was influenced by punk and conventional attire. The clothing use to be less extreme than punk and not to shock people but was messy and promoted the image of indifference towards conventional dress styles. Alternative dress was less radical, which allowed the wearer larger approval in mainstream customs such as family, school etc.

Oasis-Stop Crying Your Heart Out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QyVil0dwhk
In this music video of Stop Crying Your Heart Out by the band Oasis are wearing casual clothes such as jackets and sunglasses etc. Also the actors from the video is usually aiming to reject the conventional or conformist lifestyle, which is of white ethnicity.


Themes:
Themes included within the music genre of alternative rock include themes such as the rejection of the commercialism lifestyle, environmentalism and social and economic strains with the US and UK such as depression, drug use, environmentalism, political issues from history or political systems that effect other countries which is shown in the music video of Linkin Park-What I've Done. The video also explores the ironies of humanity and its ill effects on the earth and environment.The video shows pieces of footage such as a man eating fast food, a woman measuring her waist and man who is malnourished. It also portrays other footage of nuclear explosions, the world trade centers collapsing, children waving American flags etc. The video also includes themes such as nuclear warfare, pollution, obesity etc and other social and environmental issues such as Nazism, abortion, racism and many more. The video also includes historical figures such as Benito Mussolini, Mother Teresa, Joseph Stalin, Robert Kennedy, Fidel Castro and many more.

Here is the link to the music video of Linkin Park-What I've Done:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sgycukafqQ&ob=av2e
Here are 3 other examples of Alternative Rock by 3 other bands:
The Killers-When You Where Young:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff0oWESdmH0&ob=av3e
Keane-Nothing In My Way-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5l-GSDo72c
Oasis-Go Let It Out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls7ov-iPsUw