A2 Coursework: The Auteur Theory

What is the Auteur Theory?

The auteur theory was introduces in the 1950's by French films Francois Truffaut who advocated a focus on the contribution directors made on a style of film. He quoted: "A true film auteur is someone who brings something genuinely personal to his subjects that is original" 

Auteur is the french word for author, in film and media industry the auteur is the idea the director has created a style within his or her film. The film reflects the directors creative and personal vision as it is brought to life on screen. The director has a distinctive style that features in most the director's films.   


Hitchcock and the Auteur

Alfred Hitchcock is one of the famous names that comes to mind when talking about the auteur theory. He is famously known for his unique and iconic thriller films such as Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window and many more popular films. Hitchcock storytelling techniques were some thing that were unique and distinctive as he created his own style within his films that made them stand out and have his own creative visions brought to life for an audience to see and enjoy, which is the concept that the auteur theory is trying to define to all film makers and directors. Hitchcock created his own style with his effective use of camera shots, cleaver dialogue, Mise en scene and many other effective filming styles. Instead of the genre making the film good his filming and directing made the genre all the more better.For example one of Hitchcock’s best-known screen moments is the terrifying shower scene in Psycho. This shot features 70 distinct shots in less than 1 minute. The way Alfred Hitchcock has presented his own creative and personal vision into his films that have given him his own style is what makes him a truly famous auteur.

A2 Coursework: Goodwin's Theory: Case Study

Case Study: Kanye West - Gold Digger

Kanye West's popular number 1 single Gold Digger is a good example of a video that follows Goodwin's 6 fundamental features that the theory believes should be incorporated into a music video.


1.The lyrics are linked to what appears in the music video:
In Gold Digger the lyrics in the song are also seen within the video by the use of visual metaphors for example when Kanye refeces to a girl having a childand paying "child support" the video always cuts to the little boy. Kanye also sing about Busta Rhymes this is show on the magazine covers with the female as Kanye  sings :"I heard she had a baby by Busta" 

2.The Genre of  video has to fit the style/genre of the song: 
The elements  used in the music video fit with the genre of the song. Kanye West is known as a hip-hop rapper and there are specific conventions often used in the hip- hop/ rap genre such as sexualised women , heavy\large jewellery on artist and dancing these conventions are used throughout the Gold Digger video and follows the hip -hop/ rap genre.

Women as sexual objects to be looked at.

3.Notion of looking/sexual appeal:
Gold Digger also follows Goodwin's third theory and uses the notion of looking to attract an audience. For example there is definitely a sexual theme through out the music video as one of the main features. The women that are in the video are seen as sexual objects as they are dressed in very little clothing are shown to be ob the cover of a magazine as something to be looked at and 






4.The visual motion:
There is a use of fast pace editing within the video as the song itself moves rather quickly for example there is a constant use of jump cuts used within the video that jump between each frame that is in the video. This fast pace editing also goes with the type of genre that the Gold Digger falls into for example within most Hip-Hop/Rap genre there is a fast moving style of music. This is how Gold Digger follows Goodwin's Theory of Visual Motion. This feature also always us to establish the genre as we are able to see the characteristics of the genre throughout the video.



5.Demand from the record label:

Kanye's clothing has a certain style to fit the genre and record label.

There isn't an obvious demand from the record label throughout the video but the idea that Kanye's position and movements stay the same throughout the video giving him own style throughout the video as he has his back turned towards the camera at most times and he also has the same dance movements throughout. Kanye West is known for being a popular rapper so that is also established in the video when we look at the clothing he wears in the video. For example he wears large jewelry and sunglasses. Which is the attire worn in most hip hop/rap music videos 




6.Intertextuality and other media related references:

John Legend makes an appearance. 

There are references to other media outlets in Kanye West's Gold Digger song that would be considered intertextuality by the Goodwin theory for example Kanye West mentions other rappers and celebrities such as Busta Ryhmes and Usher, they are included in the lyrics of the song we then later have a visual example within the music videos as we see singer John Legend make an appearance. This is a good example of intertextuality.  

A2 Coursework: Goodwin's Theory.

All music videos a filmed with a purpose in mind. It could be filmed in away that is to set a trend showcase a talent or tell a story. Most music videos follow a specific type of style that goes with the music itself. Andrew Goodwin believed that there are 6 fundamental features that should be presented in a music video.

1.The lyrics are linked to what appears in the music video: Goodwin suggests that the lyrics will make a constant references to the visuals that are presented in the music video. This way the music video can show what there lyrics of the song is trying to convey.

2.The Genre of  video has to fit the style/genre of the song: Which style a music video is directed it is important that the video incorporates genre characteristics that goes with the music that is in the music video. For example most pop music has set dance routines.

3.Notion of looking/sexual appeal  This is Goodwin's idea that there are certain things put into to a video that it of the purpose of catching the audiences attention and also an addition to the genre of music. For example women are often portrayed as objects to be looked at, and are mostly dressed in very little clothing and a lot of their bodies are exposed

4.The visual motion: of the video goes with the genre and themes This is normally done through editing as it allows us to chose which pace we want the music video to follow. Most pop music videos have face pace feel.

5.Demand from the record label: This is when the record label try to develop an artist so that they can have their own style, that will feature in other videos by that same artist as they dry to develop a motif for said artist. For example hip hop artist Jay-z has the Roc-a-fella symbol (from his record lable) that he uses in most of his videos and performances.

6.Intertextuality and other media related references: This is the idea that in the music video the artist will references of other media within their video for example  references of book, films, magazines, TV shows and others can be made.There can be references of other media personas, this is often used to add humors effect or  to show appreciation of certain media aspects.

A2 Coursework: Music Videos That Inspire Me.

Feel Again by OneRepublic (2012)

Feel Again in the recent single released by the band OneRpublic, OneRepublic are a popular  alternative rock band who have had several number 1 singles such as "Apologize" and "Stop and Stare. The music video doesn't really follow a narrative but there are certain aspects in the video that correlate to the lyrics that are in the song.  The video however goes for a more generic theme, which is a theme the band have used frequently in past music videos. To me the most memorable feature of the video is the use of bright coloured lights that are used throughout the video and how the number of lights and colours increase as the song continues to build towards the end. This video has inspired me because I feel as thought the lights are a connotation of the lyrics used in the song. The song  is titled Feel Again and the song itself is about the ability to feel certain feelings of happiness when someone important comes into your life. I feel that the people in the forest convey what the lyrics are trying to put across in a very effective way as they are shown as happy friends. I particularly like the parts where it looks like the lights are coming out of the lead singer's (Ryan Tedder) mouth as it makes it seem as though he as the singer is creating the bright lights that surround the area in the video. I think this aspect gives the idea that the singing and the music is what is causing the bright lights and happy atmosphere that is in the video. The music video even inspired me to put up some lights in my own room.

Black Balloon by Goo Goo Dolls (1999) 

Black Balloon is a song by rock band the Goo Goo Dolls the music video does not follow narrative and is a generic type of video as the video has a lot of abstract features that may or may not have a deeper connotation. I find this video inspiring as it is open to interpretation and could be about whatever the viewer wants it to be. I like the black and white theme that they have used as it goes with the darkness/sadness of the song. I think the abstract themes make the music video very intriguing and gives the audience a sense of curiosity as it is such an attention grabbing video with it's uses of generic themes. This has inspired me in my planning of my own music video as it has given me the ides that generic themes can also work in music videos.

Thriller by Micheal Jackson (1982)

The thriller music video is well know as one of the most iconic music video by the king of pop Micheal Jackson. The video follows a clear narrative and has a horror theme throughout the video with other aspects such as dance included. The music video is very intriguing and is something that I enjoy watching again and again. I enjoy this video so much because it has a lot of different aspects incorporated into it so it means it has many thing that an audience will enjoy and it's nice to have a video that does not only follow one type of story line but creates other types so that it adds differences to the. I also really like the fact that it is not just singing throughout the whole video but there are intervals that add to the storyline and showcases Micheal Jackson's acting talent and personality.The music video has also been mentioned several times in books that I have read, TV shows, films and even in a play performed by my school. It has a dance that most people know and take part in. To me the idea that this video is well know and has been popular through out time makes the thriller video an inspiring music video to me.

A2 Coursework: Music Video Timeline.

Music videos/illustrations have always been popular throughout time, they were a way to showcase popular music talent and can be traced back all the way to the late 19th century.

This is the first example is illustrated song (1894) : 

Still images projected onto a screen simultaneous to a live performance of "Little Lost Child." 
This is the first form of an music "illustration" it did not actually have a physical person performing but instead drawings that where shown to an audience as the music played.

 

Talkies (1926)

As time went on technology was being developed in the 1926 "Talkies" were created. This new form of media allowed there to be sound when watching films as they moved from the 'silent film era' to a world in which sound could bee heard when watching a film, talkies were shown in cinemas and included many musical short films and performances from music artists.
Talkies

Musical Films (1930-1959)
As films started to become increasingly popular so did the musical genre in films. The musical genre is when singing in a part of a film. A popular example of this is the film "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" that started Marilyn Monroe. Musical films was a good way to showcase music artist.

Musical Films

The Arrival Of Promotional Clips (1940-1949)

These were short films of many famous jazz artists and their bands on a movie-set bandstand. For example Louis Armstrong ,Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Etta James and many other popular jazz singers.



The Rise of Television (1956-1960)
The rise of television also had a big part to play in the popularity of people watching music videos. In the late 1950's most people had a television in their homes and could watch and enjoy music videos from the privacy of their own homes. The rise of television made music artist very popular and successful as they became household names. This open a door for new musicians to strive for that success  in their careers as music was reaching a large audience of people from all over the world.


The Launch of MTV(1981)
This television channel that  broadcasts 24hours of music videos - This created a whole new platform for the music industry as many people now found it easier to access music, this increased the popularity of music videos and music artist. MTV became a great marketing tool for music artists. 
 

The Launch of Youtube and iTunes
2005 saw us enter into a more digital age as website such a Youtube were created enabling people everywhere to gain access to their favourite music artist and be able to watch all of their music videos. iTunes allowed people to buy music from their favourite artist with a click of a button. Youtube and iTunes also allowed for it's audience to become interactive with the music they listened to by allowing the audience  to comment on and rate their favourite music videos.

              

A2 Coursework:State the A2 Task (How do you feel about the coursework?)

The task is to plan and create our own promotional music video, using music from original music artist who have given permission for their music to be used for the coursework production. There will be a poster to accompany the music video and CD packaging (net) also has to be created, the poster and CD packaging showcases all the different aspects used in the music industry when promoting an artist and their song. The music video itself allows us to explore the different  types of production used when creating a promotional music video e.g per- production and post production.

I am highly anticipating starting my A2 coursework. I am looking forward to researching and planning  for my promotional music video, I have been looking at past Media Studies A2 coursework and have been inspired by a lot of the past student's work, which has given me ideas for my own music video.


I enjoy the filming aspect of my coursework but find it difficult to not make any continuity errors, I find that I to go back and re-film a lot of my work. I enjoy editing what I have filmed as it brings the production together and always me to build a story that will be later shown to an audience.

I have acquired a musician who has given me permission to use his music in my video, and am looking forward to planning my music video so that  I can start filming as soon as possible.