Textual Analysis: Daft Punk - Get Lucky

Daft punk are a French duo consisting of many members. Their main genre of music is House, their main area of house is electronic. They gained the popularity in the 1990s in the house movement of france. This particular track was released on the 19th of april as get lucky. The song also features vocals from solo artist Pharrel Williams. The track is also part of daft punks album Random Assess memories, this was released on the 19th April. The video is from the youtube channel djeevs, it has gained over 25 million views on youtube.

Mise en scene

Props - The artists are all wearing similar clothing in this video. It consists mainly of suits that have sicren like material on them. This is a very arititic way to make the video attractive, because the sicran like material sparkles in the light. This makes it look attractive and stands out to the audience. It also adds a theme to the video interms of costume. it also makes the artists satnd out, because they are wearing black suits and there is a black background. The shinny effect helps to audience see them. The guitarists are both using the same style of guitar, a see through silver colour. This is again used to highlight the instruments from the black background in the video. This effect can be seen in the image below:

Locations - It only consists of one location in this video, which is in a studio where the artists are performing. I think it is only filmed in a studio because the music is highlighting the bands performance and is not necessary telling a story or meaning.

Lighting - Their is a very smart technique used in this video that involves lighting. As i explained in props, their is a light that is centered on the artists and their instruments. The light reflects of the shiny material used for their props and instruments. This creates a sparkling effect which stands out from the black background so audience members can see them performing.

Camera techniques

In this video there are many camera technique used. They are mainly in the mid range, which includes normal angles, close ups, medium shots and wide shots. I think this are predominantly used to show the performance of the artists in the video, they are also highlighting various instruments being played. I think if the used a variety of close ups or long shots, this would not suit the video at all because the audience would not be able to clearly see then performing.

Animation

Animation is not a key technique used in this video, However at the start of the clip and the end, writing can be seen that has a piece of light shine through it. I think this is completed using animation because it is clear it was completed using a computer, whether than in person. The text says random access memories, this is the name of the album that the track was released on. The point of this was to highlight the use of lighting in the video, which is very prominent. Lighting can be seen as a theme throughout this clip. Another proof that it is animation is that the text moves, this shows that it has clearly been animated. Below a image of this animation can be seen.

Performance

There is no particular perfomance of acting in this clip. I think the video is trying the highlight the performance of the artists, rather that a particular story. Throughout the clip vocals, instruments and particular artists are focused on, which gives a clear indication that the performance of the artists is important.

Representation of Artists

Artists are represented more as mainstream figures in this video. There are allot of video that are have been in the charts recently that mainly focus on the particular artists in the video, this can be seen with artists such as Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and many more. These video are usually shot in studies, in some cases green screens are used. I think Daft punk use this theme because it is clearly shot in a studio with the focus just on the artists. This is a very different approach i plan to take with my video. I have an idea of creating a story in my video, with various locations used throughout.

Target audience

I think the target audience is mainly aimed at people who are interested in chart music, because it was in the charts and was very popular. I don't think there is a particular age group that are mostly interested in the track, i say this because i have spoken to various people who said they were all liked the track. If there was to be an age group that the track is aimed at, i would say between the ages of 16-30. I think this is the case because there are many lyrics that relate to going out drinking and the clubs etc, 16-30 is when we are most active in this area.

Textual Analysis - Jake Bugg

This is a music video by Jake Bugg. He is a english singer/songwriter, his type of music consists of indie rock and indie folk. He has been active since 2011 and has produced one album titled Jake Bugg.

The music video is for the song titled two fingers, which was part of Jake Bugg first album and later released as a single. The video was produced by Mike Crossey under Mercury records, a division in Universal Music. It was first published on the 23rd of September 2012 on youtube under the channel titled JakeBuggVevo.

Mise en scene

Firstly the video seems to be representing the everyday life of a young man and the problems that he faces. This brings many forms of mise en scene such as setting and props.

The video includes many settings, the main setting seems to be the city of nottingham located in england. This could be a reference to jake bugg home town is. Throughout he is walking through various streets. It is clear that the streets are located in nottingham as the video starts with a still shot that clearly identifies a sign that says nottingham. This can be seen below:

The next main location is located at his/parents home. Both nottingham and his home suggest that this video/song haved many personal indications suggesting that this may have happend to him in the past. Many of jake bugg song/video indicate a personal value. This can be seen below:

Camera techniques

There are many camera techniques used in Jake Buggs videos. One of the first major tehcniques is a medium shot. These are used mainly on jake bugg himself highlighing his face. This is trying the capture his emotion that fits in with the lyrincs at the time. It also highlights his importance throughout the video. The medium shot is also capturing an important action the mainly chracters are performing in this sequnce, this is smoking a cigarette. This is important because this video is trying to represent the lyrics as much as possible. Referacnes to smoking a cigarette are highlited throughout the clip. Various screen shot of this can be seen below:

Edit techniques

Mainy editing techniques are also used throughout this video. A clear one is the use of slow motion through out this clip, it is at a slower frame rate than normal. This is used to slow down the pace of the video to fit in with the lyrics. If this was not done the visulas would end before the lyrics had finished. It would also make it look unprofessional. Slowing the frame rate down is a common usage in music videos.


Performance

The main performer in this clip is jake bugg himself. His perfromance and acting is very good throughout this clip. I think it is good because the video and the lyrics are maybe representing a part of his life or past. Putting him in the main role is good because if it is about his past, he will be very passionate about the role.

link between visuals and lyric?

The first reference between visuals and lyrics is when jake bugg meets with his group of firends. during this the visuals are combined with the lyrics "I go back to Clifton to see my old friends The best people I could ever have met" this is clearly a reference between visual and lyrics because it is showing the audience what the lyrics meen to him useing visuals in the video. The next main reference between visual and lyrics is when Jake bugg is seen at his home with his mum and her boyfreind, during this the lyrics "He's down in the kitchen drinking White Lightning He's with my momma, they're yelling and fighting" This is creating emotion and feelings to his music combining visauls and lyrics.

Target audience

I think the main target audience in this video is aimed at the younger genereation. I would say from the range of 16 to 25. This is because jake bugg is the main character or referance throughout this video, he is still young himself at the age of nineteen. the gruop og freinds he meets in the video also suggest the target audience is the younger generation because they are a similar age gruop to him.

Camera Skills

In this next experiment I studied the camera and experimented with the different types of exposure it has the offer. In this experiment I used the SONY Z5 and the Cannon 550D. Studying and using the various types of cameras has helped me gain vital knowledge that will help me in future lessons.

Iris/Aperture

One of the first skills I learned involved the iris/Aperture. This is a mechanical opening that allows the user to control the amount of light that passes through and out of the camera. When the opening is large, a lot of light can pass through making the image bright. When the opening is small, less light passes though making the image dark. When I experimented with this, I noticed the depth of field can be effected. However this may be useful for my music video as it has a stylistic effect. The aperture ranges from 1.8 a large whole that yet more light in and 32 that yet less light in.

Shutter Speed

Next I was shown how shutter speed works. This basically describes how much time the light sensitive chip is exposed to light for. If the chip is exposed to light for a short period of time the image will be darker. If the chip is exposed for a long amount of time it will be lighter. During this experiment of shutter speed I wanted a clearer image, to perform this I used a short exposure. if I had used a long exposure the image would be less clear than the short which looks unprofessional. The shutter speed ranges from 25-50. 25 refers to the long time and 50 refers to the short.

Gain/Film speed

Next I learned how to use gain in a video, and film speed in a camera. The gain males the camera increase the sensitivity, this results in a brighter image in the video camera. The film speed in a camera is very similar however it is measured differently using ISO. I also find that the lowest setting works best. If it is higher the image becomes noisy.

Lighting

In this experiment i learned how to use lighting to enhance and change what could be seen on the camera and what it captured. we did this using various lights and techniques to change what colors the lights gave off. To catch these various lighting techniques i learned various camera skills that helped me to understand how to use a camera. it also gave me much more confidence for when it is necessary to use one again.

I will first explain the various lighting techniques i learned and give evidence of these lighting techniques. First we learned how to set up the cameras. These included to necessary height and positions. This did change however depending on the lighting technique we wanted to capture. Once to cameras were unpacked and set up, we positioned them in the right position for the lighting technique. below examples of me and the class setting the lighting up can be seen.

As you can see, these images show us setting the lights up, the image to the right shows students adjusting the height of the camera.

The first lighting technique we experimented with was simply all lights, these clearly involved all 4 lights in use at the same time. The lights were posited as follows, 2 on each side, 2 were in front of the object in focus and 2 were behind A picture from the camera shows all lights in use. This can be seen below.

The next technique we experimented with was no back light. This involved the lights at the back being turned off, the lights at the front were then left on. This brings more focus to the front of the object in focus and makes it less shiny. An example of this can be seen below.

We then experimented with the opposite of the above, only back light, this involved only the back lights on and the front lights turned off. this would be a good technique to use in my music video, this would be good for the end of the video with a fade out. A example can be seen below.

The final technique we used was house light. This is basically the natural lighting without the lights we were using. At the time this were lights that were fitted in the classroom. The example of this can be seen below.

Overcranking and Undercranking

During this next lesson i experimented with overcranking and undercranking. Overcranking is when the camera films and a faster rate. Undercranking is when the camera films and a slower rate than normal, I have experimented with both of these. I learnt how to edit this with final cut.

The image here shows me editing in final cut

First we started with the speed of the music and 100%, we then changed this to duoble the speed and 200%. However when we did this the music sounded unprovesional, so we then had to change the audio to it to make it sound like the original track, but faster. we then changed the camera settings from 25fps to 50fps.We then filmed several shots, we started with 1 person singing, we finaly added more people to the background, so we would be able to see the full effect of the overcranking.

Here is an image of me and conner editing

We then put the footage on a memory stick and uploaded it into final cut. The reason we wanted to make the footage play at a faster rate is because the music was not exactly synced to the movement of the lips. overcranking syneced the lips to match the music perfectly. It has given a more proffesional look to the final footage. Once in final cut, the music was edited to double the speed, we then slowed it down into the footage to sync exactly at the speed we wanted it to be. When in final cut we changed the track to a wav file so rendering was not needed. Once this was done the track and video were synced.

Using Glass

In the next experiment, me and the rest of the class used glass objects, which included a glass plate and drinking glass. These objects will add a effect to the camera image once they are placed in front of the lens. We used the Canon 550D for this experiment.

We decided that the best way to use the glass objects would to have them stationary, the camera would then move past the objects going left and right. The glass also had to be positioned in the right place, because we find out that the closer it was to the camera, the more professional it looked. When it was further away you could see the object in greater detail, it would be clear to the audience that it was a glass that was just being held up against the lens. Once the glass was in the perfect position against the lens we started to film. TO get the perfect movement from the DSLR camera, we placed it on a track which would allow it to move smoothly from left to right.

Below the video shows me and the class performing this experiment using glass objects. this was the first time we tried the experiment.
 In the videos the Canon 550D camera is positioned on the track, it is posited on here so it can move left and right smoothly, as you can see it does this in the video. There are then 3 of us posited in front of the camera holding the objects in the perfect position. We filmed this persistently until the song had ended. Below more images of us performing thee experiment can be seen. 

 This image shows me finding the perfect position for the glass this required me to move it around and film several times before i find the perfect position.

This image above shows a side view of the camera and the position the glass is in, as you can see everything is straight, this include the glass props and the camera and how it moves straight on the track. it is much easier to film when the movement is straight, the finishing product also looks more professional.

 The final image above shows what effect is created when the glass is placed in front of the image. It is slightly distorted and the image is messed up. If i was to use this in my music video the glass would be much more closer to the lens, because i would not want the audience to see the outline of the object. This effect could be used in my music video for when i want to change the setting or character.

Camera Movement

In this lesson we were shown various camera movement techniques by are teacher, this was beneficial because I have learned new ways to move the camera. I have also completed extra research into camera movement on techniques that we did not learn in the lessons. The first movement technique that i learned in the lessons involved tracking. First we were shown how to set up the track, this is the device that the camera is placed on. A picture can be seen below of the camera being placed on the track.

Once the camera was placed on the track, we could move the camera from left to right. One of the main benefits of the track is it makes the camera steady, which gives the shot move of a professional look. The track also makes various shots easier to perform, these include trombone shots and a dolly zoom. Below a video can be seen of me and my class using the track, in this we had people standing in front of the camera holding glass up against the lence, the camera would then move past each piece of glass from left to right. This was a beneficial we learned about tracking and effects at the same time.