Redundancy & Entropy

Definition:

Redundancy- is the result of something which is expected or predictable (in this case a music video). An example of this would be within the pop genre you expect to choreographed dance routines and performance based elements. 

Entropy-  is the result of unpredictability to what is normally seen in day to day life. A music video related examples would be anything within a music video which is viewed as abstract or unusual to what a viewer would except to see.

Task: I will be looking at 3 music videos and identifying both Redundant and Entropic features in folk/country songs as the artist my group has chosen fall into this sub-genre

Example:

This image of a puppy is redundant as it is what we would expect a puppy to look like. The image is predictable because it is cute and fluffy.

This image however is entropic as it goes against the stereotypical image of a puppy. The dog is wearing human clothes and has human hair which isn't what we expect a dog to look like.

Redundant and Entropic features of  4 music videos.

Florence and the Machine- Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)

Redundant Features:

• Cuts which are edited to go along with the rhythm of the song.
• Lip syncing.
• Musical instruments featured in the video (harp).
• Mixture of camera shots- close ups and long shots (stereotypical for this genre.)
• Elements of performance, narrative and concept. 
• Synaesthesia ('sunlight' with a shot of sunshine on singer's face).
• Choreographed dancing.
• Set in a natural, outdoors setting.

Entropic Features:

• Eccentric, hazy theme to the video. Unusual characters in costume throughout the video. 
• Happy and lighthearted video with high key lighting and eccentric actors which contrasts with the passionate and deep-worded song.

Birdy-Shelter 

Redundant Features:

• The location is outdoors in a woods which is a generic convention of Indie videos. 
• There are medium close ups, close ups, long shots and extreme long shots.
•  The Mise-en-scene such as clothing and make up is very simplistic. 
• Tracking shots are used throughout the video which is stereotypical of Indie videos.
• Birdy is the only one who stars in the video therefore focusing all the attention on her and from my research into other music videos of the same genre, this is redundant. 
• The video is a performance one which again for indie music videos this is stereotypical as they are usually contain aspects of both narrative and performance. 
• Slow paced video
• The tone and atmosphere of the video reflects that of the music as the song connotes sadness and this is amplified through Birdy's facial expressions and the seriousness in her voice as she sings which relates back to Andrew Goodwins theory.
• Repetitive footage

Entropic Features:

• The lighting is low key the whole way through the video which is unusual however for Birdy this tends to create her brand identity for her dark videos. 
•  The colours within the video are dark which is unusual as the audience for Indie music would expect some aspects of brightness through Mise-en-scene.
• There is no narrative within the video.
• Throughout the video the locations are mainly blurred out which is entropic so therefore the video uses shallow focus a lot which furthers the attention on the artist.

Ed Sheeran- Drunk

Redundant Features:

• The artist features in the video. This would be to connect with the audience and promote the artist.
• There are flashbacks of happy and sad memories with a girl.
• There is a strong narrative which is stereotypical for this genre.
• There are lots of close up shots of the artist. This also connects with the audience and promotes the audience.
• Andrew Goodwin's theory of notion of looking is featured here. There is voyeuristic treatment of women. 
• Andrew Goodwin's theory that lyrics match visuals is applied here. For example, when he sings 'I want to be drunk when I wake up', he is holding a can of beer.Costume is very redundant. For example, girls wearing short shorts at a night club.

Entropic Features:

• There is a cat, who can talk, play video games, drink beer, etc. This is something I have never came across before.
• There is no performance. Usually, there is at least a little.

Creativity

Creativity to me is the use of imagination or original ideas to create something. Creating something that you feel inside when seeing and having a stimulus, all about having inventiveness. This can de expressed in may ways like through dancing, speech writing or images etc. To be creative all you need in your imagination with the willingness to let wild and be free. Creativity come from the mind and has many ways of showing. 

When it comes to creating a media product, creativity is a big element of it. You need to be creative in how you create and portray the page, or image, or in my case video, in order to make it interesting and attract your target audience. Creativity gives the ideas of what to put into our video and what needs to be expressed, also as in Goodwin's theorys how to amplify and illustrate the lyrics.

Maslow's Theory of creativity- 'Humanistic Theory'

Maslow divided creativity into three types: Primary creativity, Secondary creativity and Integrated Creativity.

Primary creativity is creativity that allows us to escape from the stress of day to day life. He theorises that we channel this stress into creative art such as painting, drawing, sculpture and writing. It is a more spontaneous form of creativity.

Secondary creativity requires a higher level of thought to achieve. It tends to be more thought out and involved than Primary creativity. These forms of creativity are more thought out prior to commencement.

Integrated creativity on the other hand comes from combining both of the above forms. Although it may be spontaneous when we commence our creative work a lot more thought has gone into what we hope to achieve before we begin. This form is believed to be the basis of most of the great art, philosophy and scientific discoveries or achievements. 

How I become creative for our music video-

To create ideas for our music video I look at images that give of the mood I want to achieve for my music video, I looked at 'stimulus's' and let my imagination of what this image run wild.

Time Management

This week me and Alice decided on which unsigned artist we are going to use which is Ivy & Gold. We will be using their song "Not Had Enough", which we have already got permission to use. Because of this I have the lyrics on my blog to refer back to and have created a mood board. 
Other posts I have done this week was: 

• Stars and stardom, 
• Generic convention of Indie genre
• Goodwin's theory (applied to Taylor Swift.)

By next lesson I hope to have finished my blog post on: "Creativity" and "Redundancy and Entropy". 

Conventions of the Indie Music Genre

Andrew Goodwin's Theoretical Framework And it Applied To Taylor Swifts Blank Space

Goodwin theory from misskatereynolds

Function/purpose of a music video

Stars and Stardom

Asking the Artist For Permission Due to Copyright Laws

Lyrics to "Not Had Enough" By "Ivy & Gold"

Run, there's a fire burning me down
Gone, you left me like a ghost
In an empty town
Would you taste the same?
We fall out, we fall again
Run in desire, we all will doubt

I can't call for help
It's holding me down in this silence
And as my lungs spur out
There's no escape, no route to take
To bring me around

I walk alone down this road
I walk alone in your shadow
I walk alone and still you know
That I've not had enough

I've not had enough
NOT HAD ENOUGH
NOT HAD ENOUGH
I've not had enough
NOT HAD ENOUGH
NOT HAD ENOUGH

Oh, it carries on
Like a rolling stone
And I can't stop
I'm addicted
Locked into my own

It's a dangerous game
We fall and we fall again
Run in desire
We only have now

I can't call for help
It's holding me down in this silence
And as my lungs spur out
There's no escape, no route to take
To bring me around

I walk alone down this road
I walk alone in your shadow
I walk alone and still you know
That I've not had enough

I've not had enough
NOT HAD ENOUGH
NOT HAD ENOUGH
I've not had enough
NOT HAD ENOUGH
NOT HAD ENOUGH

Oh, it carries on
It carries on
It carries on
Oh, it carries on
It carries on
It carries on

Like a rolling, like a rolling stone

We fall, we fall again
We fall, we fall again

I walk alone down this road
I walk alone in your shadow
I walk alone and still you know
That I've not had enough

I've not had enough
NOT HAD ENOUGH
NOT HAD ENOUGH
I've not had enough
NOT HAD ENOUGH
NOT HAD ENOUGH

Oh, it carries on
Like a rolling stone

Our Production Company Name & Artists

Our production team is called "KA productions" and inludes...
Me

Alice

We have chose a unsigned artist called Ivy & Gold.

The song we've chosen is "Not Had Enough".

Time Management

So far I have completed an analysis of "Roar", a music video by 'Katy Perry', Looked into how Miley Cyrus uses coherence within her Digipaks, made a mood board of key terms. I am behind on finding a song and artist for our music video. By next lesson I hope to have found an artist and song, finished my blog post on 'Stars and stardom' and 'Generic convention of Indie', plus some other small posts.  

Analysis of the Music Video Roar by Katy Perry

Katy perry music video analysis from misskatereynolds

MoadBoard

My Moadboard consists of image which represent the chosen sub-genre and the lyrics of the song. I have included dark colours to connote the sad meaning of the song, but also include light pink and reds to represent the romance side to the song. Some pictures represent the lyrics, for example the ones of the girl alone represent when she says "I walk alone". Some of these images I may replicate within my music video, for example the tear falling down someones face, I will create this using a close up shot with direct address.

Coherence- Miley Cyrus

Action Plan

7 September

• Set blog up
•  Introduce coursework brief.
• Purpose of music videos
• Research unsigned artists
• Research how an artist crates a coherent promotional package: video, digipak & advert.
• Explore function& purpose of music videos
• Textual analysis of music video
• Stars and stardom theory

14 September

• Action plan
• Permission of copyright holder
• Identify conventions of music genre
• Andrew Goodwin's theory
• Redundant and entropic features of music video
• Choose artist/band

22nd September

• Generating ideas using lyrics
• Mood board for music video
• Sources of inspiration and creativity
• Research institution that might produce/exhibit our music video
• Outline the target audience
• Create pitch

28th September

• Present pitch and gather audience feedback
• Create story arch and synopsis of video
• Plans 5 sections of video
• Story board/animation
• Grade booster on theoretical approaches to genre

5th October

• Shot list and shooting schedule
• Test shots
• Location and casting
• Costume and props
• Risk assessment
• Grade boost intertextuality/postmodernism & music video

12th October

• Filming process
• Grade booster on audience narrative and theory
• 
  

26th October

• Filming process

2nd -23th November

• Editing
• Finish final cut of music video

30th November

• Analysis of print adverts and digipaks
• Complete upstanding work!
• experiment with fonts, colour & layout
• Complete photo-shoot

7th December

• Produce print products
• Gain audience feedback and print drafts

14th December

• complete final edit of digipak 

21st - 28 December

• Draft evaluation

4th - 18 January

• Evaluation

29th January

• Deadline!

Overall veiw of A2 coursework

On this project I will creating a Promotional package for the release of a new album.
 I will be making a:

•  Music video
•  Magazine advert
•  Digipak

 Whilst doing this project I will blog my research, planning and my evaluation at the end.