Save It For The Mix Tape

Track Listing:

Mighty boosh and postmodernism copy from petefrasers

Media Magazine article about postmodernist texts by Richard Smith.

Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007),

In Simulacra and Simulation, introduced the concept that reality or the principle of the "Real" is short-circuited by the interchangeability of signs in an era whose communicative and semantic acts are dominated by electronic media and digital technologies. Baudrillard proposes the notion that, in such a state, where subjects are detached from the outcomes of events (political, literary, artistic, personal, or otherwise), events no longer hold any particular sway on the subject nor have any identifiable context; they therefore have the effect of producing widespread indifference, detachment, and passivity in industrialized populations. He claimed that a constant stream of appearances and references without any direct consequences to viewers or readers could eventually render the division between appearance and object indiscernible, resulting, ironically, in the "disappearance" of mankind in what is, in effect, a virtual or holographic state, composed only of appearances.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodernism

2. is, on some level and in some way, ironic

Jonathan Kramer Music Theory

A very interesting aspect of postmodern music theory.
Media Theorist Jonathan Kramer says "the idea that postmodernism is less a surface style or historical period than an attitude. Kramer goes on to say 16 "characteristics of postmodern music, by which I mean music that is understood in a postmodern manner, or that calls forth postmodern listening strategies, or that provides postmodern listening experiences, or that exhibits postmodern compositional practices."
According to Kramer (Kramer 2002, 16–17), postmodern music":

1. is not simply a repudiation of modernism or its continuation, but has aspects of both a break and an extension
2. is, on some level and in some way, ironic
3. does not respect boundaries between sonorities and procedures of the past and of the present
4. challenges barriers between 'high' and 'low' styles
5. shows disdain for the often unquestioned value of structural unity
6. questions the mutual exclusivity of elitist and populist values
7. avoids totalizing forms (e.g., does not want entire pieces to be tonal or serial or cast in a prescribed formal mold)
8. considers music not as autonomous but as relevant to cultural, social, and political contexts
9. includes quotations of or references to music of many traditions and cultures
10. considers technology not only as a way to preserve and transmit music but also as deeply implicated in the production and essence of music
11. embraces contradictions
12. distrusts binary oppositions
13. includes fragmentations and discontinuities
14. encompasses pluralism and eclecticism
15. presents multiple meanings and multiple temporalities
16. locates meaning and even structure in listeners, more than in scores, performances, or composers

Jonathan Donald Kramer (December 7, 1942, Hartford, Connecticut – June 3, 2004, New York City), was a U.S. composer and music theorist.

Active as a music theorist, Kramer published primarily on theories of musical time and postmodernism. At the time of his death he had just completed a book on postmodern music and a cello composition for the American Holocaust Museum.

Example of Bricolage

Media language

Notes:

"Postmodern media manipulates time and space".

Post-modern media ' rejects the idea that any media product or text is of any greater value than another'. We no longer have any sense of the difference between real objects and images of them or real experiences and simulations of them. An idea gets stole, changed, remixed and played around with through pastiche, parody and intertextual references. Media reality is the new reality. The creator of the texts deliberately expose their remix as a constructed text and makes no attempt to pretend they are original.

Quentin Tarintino's Inglorious Bastards was well as many other films he has created is an example of a postmodern film. The film includes a lot of intertextuality including references from The Dirt Dozen, an American war film also set in the Second world war features similar scenes and concepts to Inglorious Bastards such as the line of men chosen to go to war. During the opening intro to the film Tarintino choses a western background track. This demonstrates the laws of time, this sound track was created after the time the film was set in, purposefully exhibited to the audience as an impossible combination portraying the film as being un realistic and untrue to reality.

Another example of a media text that manipulates time and space is the film Inception. The director Christopher Nolan directed inception to change the viewers perception on reality. The film plays around with the idea of dreaming and the layers which layers of dreams which are possible to reach in order to plant an idea. Nolan's tends to use real life scenes without the use of CGI, therefor this is an example of hyper reality because it uses a real life situation to create a fake reality. The characters within the film use an object which only they know the weight and properties of to differ the dreaming world from reality. At the end of the film the character play Leonardo DiCaprio spins his object, with the film ending before the audience are allowed to see if the spinning top stays spinning which would indicate he is still dreaming, or topple over showing he was back in reality. Inception shows a manipulation of time throughout the layers of dreaming. The dreaming time is much longer compared to reality so the characters get 1 hours of dreaming in the first layer when in reality they are only under for 1 minute. This time extends the further down the layers the characters get as they manipulate the time they have to plant the idea, making the viewer question realties physical boundaries.

Another film that manipulates time and space is 'Scott Pilgrim verses the world'. This film has a large range of intertextual references throughout. It uses visual and sound references such as sounds from saga video games to references from Jaws. The film makes obvious references to comic books through text 'kpow' and 'reversal' correlation to the actions Scott is making in his battle against Matthew Patel, also with Teken music playing in the background. During these battles where Scott has to defeat the seven evil ex's, he develops special powers such as in video games, showing a manipulation of space. 

To conclude,  

Found Footage Task.

'uncool playlist'

PostModernism | Daft Punk

Apply Audience Theory to your Product

For my advanced portfolio I created a music video, aimed at an indie rock genre who’s hobbies were based on going to gigs and listening to/playing music. I wanted to interest this specific audience by creating a music video that they could relate to rather than I high end, large budget music video. I feel I created a production that the audience wanted. To create this image I wanted to use a standard room they most ammeter band would most likely practice in, so limited room available with the all the equipment 'crammed' in and standing out. I also wanted to keep the video constantly changing through a large percentage of the song so I used different camera techniques and angles to create this. With the main focus on the instruments and a common practise room I thought the target market would enjoy viewing the video a lot more, which was also a positive as it made the whole production much cheaper to make.

Using IMovie, I edited the clips together along with the pre recorded music. The moving shots kept the video interesting still with a focus on the instruments by using close up on the guitars. Also with a clear focus on the band as I wanted to ensure the audience could make them identifiable by face. This is important with this genre of music as the band are together the star image seen on most of the products they will sell. To emphasis the music I ensured I used clips of the relevant instrument at the stand out parts of the song for example for the drumming intro I used a mid shot of the drums. The range of shots I wanted to keep varied throughout the video with one front facing mid shot that would be used to create continuity within the chorus. I therefore used some interesting shots such as the close up focus change on the high hat and also the close up on the drummers foot peddle which I have found brought a lot of interest in the feedback. The key lyrics correspond with close ups of the lead singer.

After the first draft the feedback I received from both peers and teachers was encouraging, as well at the comments and feedback I had received from my YouTube upload. There were comments about a few small mistakes I had made within the music to video syncing mainly with the drumming. However this was easy and quick to adjust and re upload as my second draft. I then thought about the detailing on my video and how I could improve the final draft. I decided to add my production company logo to the video as a water mark and also the band website at the end. This firstly gives the production company recognition as well as a professional look and also increases the chance of the audience showing further interest in the band creating links they could use.

Overall I feel that my final product really appealed to my target audience. It featured a directed focus on the instrument and band members with a performance video that would appeal on a direct level to the audience, as well as keeping the professional image with the equipment and camera quality. All of those conventions of an indie rock genre that the audience wants to see. Therefor hopefully increasing the bands fan base and widening their opportunities as performers. As well as creating an identity for the band that they can go on and portray through the sales of Albums, mechanise and future gigs. 

Inglorious Basterds Research

Essay one.

“Digital Technology turns media consumers into media producers”. In your own experience, how has your creativity developed using developed using digital technology to complete your coursework productions?

I believe with modern technologies its now easier for people to be creative with the vast amount of information available through the world wide web and also the software that is accessible to create professional looking products without much skill or thought. I also think it depends on the task, relating to how much skill is actually needed and how much digital technology can be relied on to product a quality end result. 

During my music video production task I used a number of different media technologies to aid my work into the final end product. The most important software I used during my project was iMovie. This is a simple easy to use software that I already had a lot of experience with so therefor found it easy to edit my shots with. The software has many different features allowing anyone with the programme to create a professional looking video/movie with little effort. IMovie allows you to add; music, sound effects and photos as well as title, transitions, maps, backgrounds and animatics. This gives the user a lot of easily accessible effects giving professional finishes without any skill at all and just a small bit of knowledge into the woking of iMovie.

Another software I used during the production process of my music video is YouTube. This is an online software that is widely used around the world being among the most used websites on the internet. YouTube firstly help me discover other music videos and therefor give me more of an insight into the conventions in my specific genre. The millions of video  available gave me a strong research basis especially into what the target market liked and didn't like. With the large amount of people using YouTube this was a great place to upload my music video through the stages of production to get feedback from a wider range of people. Although not alway 100 percent reliable the feedback did push me into making the right decissions for my video. YouTube is widely available to everyone with internet access and as I have found it doesn't take a massively creative or professional looking video to get a high amount of views. Uploading my final video at the end of my production video will have given it a large potential audience and the best chance of getting spotted for no physical extra cost. 

For my digipak I chose to use Photoshop as the software I wanted to use to edit. This for me was a programme I had easily accessible on both school computers and also a personal Mac laptop, however this software is expensive and not so easily accessible to most people. Also it is quite a complex programme to use and takes time to get used to the effect that are available. However when even the basic controls are learnt Photoshop is capable of create many different types of products suitable for professional use. In my project I used tone, colour and contrast adjustment to edit the look of the images I took, enhancing the quality. I also used tool such as the magic wand to cleanly cut out my photos and remove the background. With the use of dafont.com I was able to download a variety of font, differing from the standard fonts available, straight into Photoshop to make my design stand out with originality.

Photoshop was fast and easy to use with my background knowledge of how to use it which saved a lot of time, as well as developing my skills throughout the production of my digipak, finding new and interesting tools as I went along. Photoshop allows you to save in a high resolution jpeg format allowing the quality of the digipak to be kept which I felt was important when creating a professional finish. I found this quality even more apparent when using a mac to edit and save.

To conclude I believe that have the access to a wide range of media technologies during the production of both my music video and digipak has improved the overall quality and creativity within the task. It has allowed me to research and gain greater knowledge into the genre I was aiming for which I was able portray into the design of my products to therefor appeal to my target market. One this that stands out for the use of media technology and especially the software that I used is that nothing it permanent and mistakes and improvements can be easily changed and made. Amatuer media consumers I feel I have shown can reach the same quality finished product through the use of digital technologies as most professionals and therefor reduces the gap between consumers and producers, therefor lowering the value of the professionals. 

I will be presenting my research using iMovie. Using this I can include all the photos, clips, text that I will need combined with a voice over commentry to give an intresting and informative presentation.

Mini Creative Task - Coffee Machine

We were told to quickly 'design and sketch a new innovative coffee machine', after the inspiration of watching OKGO's music video 'This Too Shall Pass' (Rude Goldberg Version). The video was an interesting idea using a continues marble run. It was intended to be a new and innovative idea and one which interested the audience through the visuals. I found the video interesting paying more attention to the video than the actual music.

I think the idea of creating an innovative coffee machine was interesting. I think it contrasts with the quote by Jones 1993 who claimed ‘A process needed for problem solving…not a special gift enjoyed by a few but a common ability possessed by most people’.

The quote says 'a process needed for problem solving'. The coffee machine can be turned into a creative idea, but it still solves the same problem that was apparent in the first place.

The coffee machine I created:

10 Inspiring "Creativity" Quotes

I usually try and take inspiration from physical objects rather that a quote with just words. I feel this help me more during a task that involves creativity however after search for these 10 quotes I have found they can have a lot of meaning behind them especially when related to the people that said them. These are the ones that stood out to me and I can relate to:

Steve Jobs - "Creativity is just connecting things, when you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they really didn't do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after while"

Ken Robinson - "If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original"

Leo Burnett - "Curiosity about life in all its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people"

Albert Einstein - "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources"

Erich Fromm - "Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties"

Charles Mingus - "Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that's easy. What's hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity"

   

Marcel Dunchamp - "I force myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste"

Andy Warhol - "You have to do stuff that average people don't understand because those are the only good things"

Hernest Hemingway - "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen"

Maya Angelou - "You can't use up creativity, the more you use, the more you have"

Creativity Task.

1. Generate a name for your band by using WikiPedia's random page selector tool, and using the first article title on whichever page pops up. No matter how weird or lame that band name sounds.
2. Generate an album title by cutting and pasting the last four words of the final quote on whichever page appears when you click on the quotationspage's random quote selector tool. No matter what those four words turn out to be.
3. Finally, visit Flickr's Most Interesting page -- a random selection of some of the interesting things discovered on Flickr within the last 7 days -- and download the third picture on that page. (Even better: Click on this link to get a Flickr photo that's licensed under Creative Commons.) Again -- no cheating! You must use the photo, no matter how you feel about it.
4. Using Photoshop (or whatever method you prefer), put all of these elements together and create your very own CD cover, then upload it to the CD memepool

This task questions wheither creativity is something that can be created through almost no effort at all and therefor 'everyone' can be creative.

My result:

 

Artist name: Marie Emmannelle Bayon Louis

Album Title: Forget to be afraid

It took a couple of minutes to create this album cover which in my opinion looks "creative". This has made me think abosut what creativity is and has made me think about different elements that influence creativity in both my work and other peoples. I think it shows that anyone can create something that looks creative without even needing to be creative in the process.