Link between Inception & Lil’ Wayne’s ‘6’7”

Inception is a psychological thriller film, it was very successful and due to its success you would think other films would borrow ideas or aspects of the film. This is known as intertexuality, but it wasn’t a film that borrowed from Inception but instead a music video. Hype Williams is a music video director I like a lot and some of his best work has been with musician Kanye West for songs like ‘Heartless’ and ‘All of the Lights’. And although music and film are too different forms of media, intertexuality is used in Lil’ Wayne’s video ‘6’7. I don’t usually watch music channels on TV but a friend showed me this video. At first I didn’t really notice the link with inception because I wasn’t really interested in watching the video. However I later viewed it again and realised the link with inception.

Firstly the video starts with a Lil’ Wayne being slapped on the face as their trying to wake him up, the link with inception is clearly evident as Lil’ Wayne is dreaming in the same way Leonardo Di Caprio is in Inception. Then Lil’ Wayne falls backwards into a bathtub into the water. This is also the case in Inception as the same thing happens, the aim of this was to snap him out of the dream, but in the video it leads to the song starting. The other link to inception is a car seen where Lil’ Wayne and co are dreaming, it resembles the scene in Inception where the characters are doing exactly the same thing. The theme of the video is taken from Inception.

The last part that worked within the video is the way the lyrics were portrayed. Every line was shown by an action in the video. For example he says ‘I do it like a King do’ and then you see him dressed at a dinner table with a crown on.

The illustration of the lyrics in this video is well portrayed and something we could implement into our music video. This video surprised me because you don't really see music videos borrowing direct scenes from a film. Therefore, it’s a possibility that we could try to do something similar to this video.

Skills Audit

In terms of researching and planning my skills have developed since As. Firstly, before I would research solely using the internet. However now I know more books and magazines. Researching music videos suits me, as I have more access to watching videos that could influence my work, for example using YouTube and TV music channels like MTV.

Furthermore, we have searched for locations very quickly, therefore giving us a flexibility to change or arrange filming dates. We have had to research council rules for some locations, and apply for permission to film. 

Overall my research skills have improved as i am more aware of how to research different things. I am more organised and have better access to research sources.   

Pervious Student Videos

I think this is a great video because the mise en scene is really carefully planned and created; adding to the mood and atmosphere the video gives out. The lighting and the range of camera shots are also good example of what you expect to see in a music video with several shots of the main artist.

The mise en scene is a really strong point of the video. The 'alice in wonderland' theme works really well creating a fantasy mood/atmosphere.  

http://vimeo.com/17557972

Best Example of a Music Video Form

Chris Brown ft. Busta Rhymes & Lil Wayne – Look at me now

I think the video for this song is a great example of what a video should look like.

·     The function of a music video is to promote the artist and the song. This video does this really well as there are many close ups of the main artists.

·     The visuals within the video are the strongest point of the video to me. There's so much going on that makes the video look so fun and exciting. It grabs the audience’s attention which is important for promotion. For example, there’s dancing, bike riding, skating and spray painting all going on within the video. This all adds to the fun of the video and relates directly with the target audience of the video.

·     The mise en scene in the video is extremely creative. Firstly, the genre of the song is Hip Hop and the mise en scene reflects the genre. An example of this is the use of clothing; Chris Brown wears a hat saying Brooklyn, Brooklyn has historical background in Hip Hop as it is the home of many Hip Hop artists. Furthermore all the clothing is colourful reflecting the new Hip Hop era movement.                                     The beginning of the video shows Brown wearing a mirrored mask inside a cage and then a dance routine in a graffiti covered parking garage. The location is great for the events that take place within the video. Additionally there’s a scene of them on top of a car rapping and dancing which makes the video appear really fun.

·     The editing in the video consists of several jump cuts, and each jump cut is action filled. Slow motion is used in the video, for example during the dance routine. The match cuts are really fast during Busta Rhymes verse reflecting his fast flow when saying the lyrics. Moreover a fish eye lens is used for Busta Rhymes verse adding humour to video as his eyes swell outward from his face.

·     The lighting helps add to the fun atmosphere in the video as there’s flashing lights all over the video. Additionally a music video should have several camera angles and shots; this had low angle, high angle, track and panning shots, close, medium shots. The effect of having various shots in this video is that the viewer can see aspects of a video differently. For example, the high angle shot of the artists on a van also shows us the other things taking place in the shot like the dancing and the skating/bike riding, these things wouldn’t have been seen if the whole video was filmed in medium shot.

Kanye West – Touch the sky is also a great example of a music video

Carol Vernallis

Vernallis looked at editing and camerawork in music videos. She realised edits in music videos are more frequent than in films and have a rhythmic basis connected to the song.

Her main points are:

·     The usual rules of ‘continuity’ editing are broken in order to draw attention to what is on screen.

·     Editing may be obvious to draw attention to themselves.

·     Jump cuts are frequently used.

·     A base track/master shot is used to give the video structure

·     The camera may move in time with the music

·     Never a static position within the sequence.

This video illustrates some of Vernallis ideas. There's an obvious edit where Missy Elliot’s neck is extended out and her head comes closer to the screen, this is an obvious edit to the audience and draws the viewer’s attention.  Slow motion is used several times, an example would be when the frame freezes and spit travels through the air to the man’s mouth. Plenty eye contact is made with the camera by the main artist. The camera always returns to the main artist during the chorus creating a base track.

Missy Elliot –Get you Freak On

Laura Mulvey

‘In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive female. The determining male gaze projects its fantasy onto the female figure which is styled according’ (Laura Mulvey, 1992)

Mulvey is stating that in this society the inequality of men and women’s representation are reflected in music video. Women are put across in a way that is suited to the male fantasy of the ideal woman, through the use of clothing and actions.

Dizzee Rascal’s video ‘Holiday’ is an example of a video that presents women as sexual objects. The women in the video are all dressed in bikinis. There's a double standard as all the men are dressed up looking wealthy surrounded by women. An example of the male gaze in video occurs as a woman walks past and the man watches her with excitement. There are several close ups and medium shots focusing on the women’s bodies. There are many stereotypical views of women in this video. As women wear animalistic clothing and are presented as objects of men.

Missy Elliot’s video ‘The Rain’ breaks this representation, as she isn’t represented as a sexual object and subject to the male gaze. A fish eye lens is used to make her appear larger them she is taking away all sexual representations. Additionally she’s fully clothed and wears an inflated black bag that further makes her less sexually appealing and appears mad. Therefore, this video broke the stereotypical views and images created within Hip Hop videos as some artist do the polar opposite.