Analysis

Stan- Eminem ft Dido

The music video I shall analyse into depth will be "Stan" by Eminem ft Dido. I shall study the video focusing on how it is conventional and also how it is not. The music video starts off narrative base and movie like. There is strong sense of pathetic fallacy created whilst we are introduced to Stan.




The narrative is about an obsessed fan named Stan who is constantly writing to Eminem talking about how they are very much alike and his pregnant wife. However the frustration seems to increase as he does not get a reply from his favourite person and ends up with him committing suicide and taking his wife with him. In my opinion I believe that the narrative behind this is very unconventional because when thinking of a hip hop song the themes of harsh upbringing, city, girls, money and crime. However this video gives an insight into highlighting issues within society, though it is enforced in a more extreme way.

The genre of this music would fall under hip hop/rap

I would say that the rapping and overall beat is very conventional however the setting in a dark, bleak overshadowed house portrays a totally different image to what we believe. The rapping is very conversational which is expected from Eminem. Though it is more personal and deeper than previous songs. The video is unique as it has a film like approach with dialogue from the very beginning. It has caused high controversy due to its heavy themes of murder and violence.





USE OF CAMERA AND EDITING

The first shot is a zoom in that directs from outside the house to inside forming an aerial shot of a pregnant women sleeping. After various straight cuts we are then introduced to Stan shown through a medium shot- He seems to be dying his hair with bleach but quite vigorously. Many medium shots are used to show Stan's emotions. A negative and harsh relationship is portrayed via high angle shot of the girlfriend and Stanley. This is reflected the argument and aggressiveness within the sequence. To separate the scenes the pace of the editing quickens with fade outs to cut to different scenes.


LIGHTING USED

The lighting is still low key however it more dim- We are able to view the surroundings however with the artifical lighting above Stan's table. A tracking shot of a montage of images shows to us that Stan has an obbsession with his favourite singer due to the vast amounts of images collected and placed on the wall infront of his table. In the chorusm Stans aggression is portrayed via zoom in and tracking shots. We are able to piece the sequence together with cuts from the letter to the floor in order to tell it has been neglected an unread by Eminem. Within the scene, there are cuts to and from Stan to Eminem and key moments such as him meeting the star. As the pace quickens, Stan almost becomes more deluded and we are shown this through high angle shot where Stan looks out of control.

Lyrics and Visuals

The picture of Stan and Eminem shows great signifcance to the narrative as this is what drives Stan to suicide due to his girlfriend finding the picture and therefore the serio
usness of his Stans behaviour. It also creates great relationship between the lyrics and visuals. The lyrics claim "P.S. We should be together too" and it then cuts to a photograph where Stan has stuck slim over his girlfriend showing slim and stan together.

"i got a room full of poster and your pictures man"

"If you didn't wanna talk to me
outside your concert you didn't have to, but you coulda
signed an autograph for Matthew That's my little brother
man, he's only six years old"

"waited in the blistering cold for you"

LYRICS:

Dear Slim, I wrote but you still ain't callin
I left my cell, my pager, and my home phone at the bottom
I sent two letters back in autumn, you must not-a got 'em
There probably was a problem at the post office or somethin
Sometimes I scribble addresses too sloppy when I jot 'em
but anyways; fuck it, what's been up? Man how's your daughter?
My girlfriend's pregnant too, I'm bout to be a father
If I have a daughter, guess what I'ma call her?
I'ma name her Bonnie
I read about your Uncle Ronnie too I'm sorry
I had a friend kill himself over some bitch who didn't want him
I know you probably hear this everyday, but I'm your biggest fan
I even got the underground shit that you did with Skam
I got a room full of your posters and your pictures man
I like the shit you did with Rawkus too, that shit was fat
Anyways, I hope you get this man, hit me back,
just to chat, truly yours, your biggest fan
This is Stan

[Chorus: Dido]

[Eminem as 'Stan']
Dear Slim, you still ain't called or wrote, I hope you have a chance
I ain't mad - I just think it's FUCKED UP you don't answer fans
If you didn't wanna talk to me outside your concert
you didn't have to, but you coulda signed an autograph for Matthew
That's my little brother man, he's only six years old
We waited in the blistering cold for you,
four hours and you just said, "No."
That's pretty shitty man - you're like his fuckin idol
He wants to be just like you man, he likes you more than I do
I ain't that mad though, I just don't like bein lied to
Remember when we met in Denver - you said if I'd write you
you would write back - see I'm just like you in a way
I never knew my father neither;
he used to always cheat on my mom and beat her
I can relate to what you're saying in your songs
so when I have a shitty day, I drift away and put 'em on
cause I don't really got shit else so that shit helps when I'm depressed
I even got a tattoo of your name across the chest
Sometimes I even cut myself to see how much it bleeds
It's like adrenaline, the pain is such a sudden rush for me
See everything you say is real, and I respect you cause you tell it
My girlfriend's jealous cause I talk about you 24/7
But she don't know you like I know you Slim, no one does
She don't know what it was like for people like us growin up
You gotta call me man, I'll be the biggest fan you'll ever lose
Sincerely yours, Stan -- P.S.
We should be together too

[Chorus: Dido]

[Eminem as 'Stan']
Dear Mister-I'm-Too-Good-To-Call-Or-Write-My-Fans,
this'll be the last package I ever send your ass
It's been six months and still no word - I don't deserve it?
I know you got my last two letters;
I wrote the addresses on 'em perfect
So this is my cassette I'm sending you, I hope you hear it
I'm in the car right now, I'm doing 90 on the freeway
Hey Slim, I drank a fifth of vodka, you dare me to drive?
You know the song by Phil Collins, "In the Air of the Night"
about that guy who coulda saved that other guy from drowning
but didn't, then Phil saw it all, then at a a show he found him?
That's kinda how this is, you coulda rescued me from drowning
Now it's too late - I'm on a 1000 downers now, I'm drowsy
and all I wanted was a lousy letter or a call
I hope you know I ripped +ALL+ of your pictures off the wall
I love you Slim, we coulda been together, think about it
You ruined it now, I hope you can't sleep and you dream about it
And when you dream I hope you can't sleep and you SCREAM about it
I hope your conscience EATS AT YOU and you can't BREATHE without me
See Slim; [*screaming*] Shut up bitch! I'm tryin to talk!
Hey Slim, that's my girlfriend screamin in the trunk
but I didn't slit her throat, I just tied her up, see I ain't like you
cause if she suffocates she'll suffer more, and then she'll die too
Well, gotta go, I'm almost at the bridge now
Oh shit, I forgot, how'm I supposed to send this shit out?
[car tires squeal] [CRASH]
.. [brief silence] .. [LOUD splash]

[Chorus: Dido]

[Eminem]
Dear Stan, I meant to write you sooner but I just been busy
You said your girlfriend's pregnant now, how far along is she?
Look, I'm really flattered you would call your daughter that
and here's an autograph for your brother,
I wrote it on the Starter cap
I'm sorry I didn't see you at the show, I musta missed you
Don't think I did that shit intentionally just to diss you
But what's this shit you said about you like to cut your wrists too?
I say that shit just clownin dogg,
c'mon - how fucked up is you?
You got some issues Stan, I think you need some counseling
to help your ass from bouncing off the walls when you get down some
And what's this shit about us meant to be together?
That type of shit'll make me not want us to meet each other
I really think you and your girlfriend need each other
or maybe you just need to treat her better
I hope you get to read this letter, I just hope it reaches you in time
before you hurt yourself, I think that you'll be doin just fine
if you relax a little, I'm glad I inspire you but Stan
why are you so mad? Try to understand, that I do want you as a fan
I just don't want you to do some crazy shit
I seen this one shit on the news a couple weeks ago that made me sick
Some dude was drunk and drove his car over a bridge
and had his girlfriend in the trunk, and she was pregnant with his kid
and in the car they found a tape, but they didn't say who it was to
Come to think about, his name was.. it was you
Damn!

How does this link in with the future of our music video?

From this analysis, I was able to identify the different uses of conventions in a music video. I am not only educating myself on these aspects but I am also exploring into possible ideas. For example, I really like the connection between the lyrics and visuals I would like to demonstrate this in my video as I believe it brings a connection to the viewer and performance.


Lighting used is low key and I would like to achieve this look in our project. We intend on using very low key lighting to enhance the atmosphere and bring that overall atmosphere to the video.



Use of Camera- In this video in particular there is a lot of PAN shots, I absolutely love the scene with the montage of pictures on the wall showing the state of the character and would really like to use something like this in our video. This is a very effective shot with dim lighting which creates the fearful atmosphere.

Inspiration?

We have definitely gained inspiration from this video, we really liked the stalker theme and thought it was very well portrayed, it was as if the audience could really understand and connect with the main male protagonists mental state which we hope to achieve in our project.

Top 10 Videos

VH1 Top 10 Music videos in 2010:

Without any further ado, here is our complete list of VH1′s Top 40 Music Videos of 2010:

1. Train- Hey soul sister, 2. The script- Breakeven, 3. katy perry ft snoop dogg- California girls, 4. Adam Lambert- Whataya wamt from me, 5. Gaga- Bad romance, 6. Lady amtenellum- Need you now, 7. Usher fy william- OMG, 8. Eminem ft Rihanna- Love the way you lie, 9. Pink- Raise your glass, 10. Bruno mars- Just the way you are.

Looking at this lists of artists they all come from different genres which shows the differentiation of music.

My personal top 5 favourite videos of all time

1. Yellow- Coldplay, 2. Like a prayer- Madonna, 3. Lights- Rihannam, Kayne west and Kid cudi, 4. Man who can't be moved- The script. 5. Beautiful day-U2.

I have chosen these videos for my top 10 due to many reasons, both to my interests and also due to their success in graphics and editing.

Taking U2 for example, if you asked someone what their favourite video was they would probably reply with "Beautiful day". Despite their fantastic song, the performance and narrative based video shows spectacular skills of editing. The cross disolves of the plane coming over the performance of U2 is both unique and quite remarkable to the audience. The pace of editing reflects in the video with the use of the plane, consequently when the pace slows down it is reflected in the slow running- down the runway. This video is simple yet effective and impressive on any viewer that looks into it. Furthermore at the start of the video, passing of time is showed with the quickened pace of the sky and the changing clouds- this is a convention of a music video that has been copied throughout.

How are these videos going to have an effect on our overall project?

When watching music videos I pay a lot of attention to the pace of the editing and we need to assure in our video that it is in sync, overlays are used to create that ominous effect and the timing is correct. The conventions used in my favourite videos will give us great inspirastion when coming up with our plan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co6WMzDOh1o&ob=av2e

Back to the 70's

Modern Era of Music Video 1970’s.

Top of the Pops- This emerged in the 1970s and has brought great importance to the process of the music industtry. A good video would increase a song's sales as viewers hoped to see the video again the following week.

In 1981, MTV launched airing video killed the radio star and beginning an era of 24-hour-a-day music on television. We didnt know that with this new material, but the mid 1980s the music video would grow to play a central role in popular music marketing.
Many important acts of this period were Duran Duran and Madonna owned a great deal of their success due to their videos.
In 1983 the most successful and influential music video of all time was released. The 14 minute long video for Michael Jackson's "Thriller". It set new standards for production, having costs up to $500,000 to film. This marked the peak of his career and the music video came greatly recognizable throughout world.

In 1985 Dire Straits's "Money for Nothing" made use of computer animation and helped make the song an international hit. This became a music video phenomenon with the use of special effects amd animation techiques developed by British studio, Aardman Animation.

Changing history

The making of Music videos

1984: Michael Jackson 's short film Thriller is released, changing the concept of music videos forever. The Making of Thriller home video was also released in 1984. It was the first ever video about the making of a music video.

Modern Era of Music Video 1970’s.In the UK the importance of Top of the Pops to promote a single created an environment of innovation and competition amongst bands and record labels as the show's producers placed strict limits on the number of videos it would use - therefore a good video would increase a song's sales as viewers hoped to see the video again the following week.

OUR A2 MEDIA VIDEO?

Therefore after researching in the history of music it is evident to say that if you get your target audience right then this could lead to a massive success of a music video. We will remember this when planning our video and look into U.S.P (Unique selling points) to differentiate our video's from the crowd- We will do this when looking in to editing, lighting and mise-en-scene.

http://www.slideshare.net/crosswaysfederation/music-video-a-brief-history

Looking into MTV...

Definition: A music video or song video is a short film intergrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes.

MTV

The first ever music video to be played on MTV was called "Video killed the radio star" by the Buggles When MTV went on the air in 1981, this titled video was the first ever broadcast on the fledgling cable network. This was the birth of the music video market which has boomed ever since. With the proliferation of channels and genre of music there has been an increase in music videos.
Music Video's importance
It has been proven that nowadays the music video of an artist is equally important as the song iteself, this in some cases now determines the success of a song or an artist/band. Music videos have become a crucual part of the music industry that happens to be booming, even in during this economic climiate of a recession. Artists owe their careers to music videos as they are given the chance to express themselves as a person as well as an artist. A music video can give an audience a great insight into the person aswell as the production behind it- Not just their vocal talent but also their looks and overall moves. A music video can determine the success of a song, whether it causes controversy or is a worldwide hit.

We can now analyse the success with the use of Youtube which mtv had their channel put up in 2009. With the video on youtube it can be viewed anywhere at anytime of the day- Not just relying on a radio or television. With the number of "hits" on youtube it can determine whether a artist becomes famous within a period of time. Many start of artists can become hit sellers overnight with their music videos that they may have set up and directed themselves.

How many music channels are there?
On Sky there are reportedly 32 music channels, and I predict there will be a increase due to the proliferation of music genres. Taking MTV for example, it is no longer just MTV on television this mass market has fragmented into a niche market where different channels are introduced- still using MTV which enhances it's brand and loyalty to audiences.
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video"
http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/buggles/artist.jhtml#biographyEnd
So, how does this link in with our music video?

After finding our research, I decided to link it into our music video and where we are going to host our music video. After the research I did i thought it would be appropriate if I come out with a decision.

I decided to sit down and watch MTV hits channel and record the artists who were on the channel and whether they link in with our genre and target audience.

I did this on a wednesday night and 6 o'clock for half an hour and here it what I found:

Coldplay- Paradise

Lego House- Ed Sheeran

Rihanna- We found love

Bruno Mars- It will rain

Florence and the machine- Shake it out

Example- Midnight run

Therefore these are the kinds of artists that appear on MTV hits, firstly we have a variety of artists, remembering that our genre is INDIE POP. As you can see, the same genre types are Example, Florence and the machine, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay. Therefore I think this is a good idea BLOC PARTY feature on MTV hits as it will appear to the same audience and is a rather generic channel appealing to the broader audience.

In the future?

Finally, as discussed previously, MTV is a multi platform brand. It has many channels to it therefore there is a possibility that the channels could cross promote eachother showing our video on different MTV channels to appeal to that wider audience. However, for now the decision we have made would be that we could imagine our video featuring on MTV hits.

Brief

STARTING...

COURSEWORK BRIEF

Briefs

1. A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:

• a website homepage for the band;
• a cover for its release as part of the digipak (CD/DVD package);
• a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package).

2. A promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with two of the following three options:

• a website homepage for the film;
• a film magazine front cover, featuring the film;
• a poster for the film.

3. The first level of a new computer game, together with two of the following three options:

• the cover for the game's package;
• a magazine advertisement for the game;
• a radio advertisement for the game.

NOTE: All material for all tasks are to be produced by you yourself with the exception of acknowledged non-original sound or image material used in a limited way in video / radio work.

Formats - Video work must be in DVD format; audio work must be in CD format. No print item should be larger than A3 size. Games should be either in Flash format or playable on an exiting console.

REMEMBER:

• Maintain a consistent house style throughout all 3 platforms i.e. same colour schemes, page layouts, mode of address etc.
• Maintain a tangible link between all 3 media products e.g. use still frames from a video sequence within a poster or DVD cover and or embed clips of video within a webpage.
• Create a logo that will brand the product across all 3 platforms.
• Incorporate the expectations of your audience into your product.