INFORMING IDEAS

Research Plan

Primary Research

- Survey

I plan to conduct an online survey that focuses on questions relating to what people find funny and what makes them smile. The survey will only be accessible to those aged between 16 and 24 so that it will allow me to gain an insight into what the majority of people between those ages find funny and what makes them smile so that I can alter my idea in accordance.

Once I have received the ideal number of responses, I will take this data and display it in suitable diagrams so that I can analyse it later and use it to influence how I create my music video.

- Interviews

Similar to the survey, I will also conduct short interviews with those around me and ask questions similar to those in the survey. However, during this, I will seek more in-depth and personal answers that will hopefully complement the data already collected in the survey.

- Humour Analysis

In the hopes that it will help me when developing an idea, I also plan to analyse content that I find funny and try to discover what it is about this content that makes me laugh. I will also analyse content that others have found funny so this shall hopefully help me to understand what specific decisions have been made in the video in order to elicit this emotional response.

Secondary Research

- Music Video Research

To gain a better understanding of their codes and conventions, I plan to analyse a number of music videos that are, in some way, related to the idea that I hope to produce. In this research, the main points I will analyse are things such as how the music and lyrics relate to the visuals as well as their styles and techniques they use.

I will then identify what I can take from this research to include in my own project and how it has helped me develop an idea.

- Music Track & Lyric Analysis

I will also analyse a number of music tracks by looking at their meaning, imagery, narrative, and other elements that allow their listeners to create their own subjective interpretation. This should help me when making the music video as I will find it easier to think of images and identify how they relate to the track itself and what they suggest.

- Existing Studies

To gain a less subjective idea of what makes people smile, I will also look at pre-existing studies related to the science of smiling and why it is that our brains gain so much from doing it. This will hopefully benefit me when it comes to creating and producing my idea as I may be able to focus on certain elements so that they appeal to the audience in a way that elicits the intended emotional response.

Analysis of Funny Video

During a lesson, we were asked to find a video that made us smile or laugh in some way. As I don't watch many clips online, I began thinking of film scenes that I had recently watched that made me laugh. This is why I chose the closing scene of Monty Python's 'Life of Brian' as it is a scene where both the visuals, and the audio that accompanies it, are equally funny to me.

The reason I found this video funny is because of how hilariously ironic it is. Having somebody sing such an optimistic song about looking for the good in life whilst experiencing one of the most dreadful ways to die is so ironic that despite how silly it may seem, it made me laugh.

Analysis of Peer's Funny Video

As we were asked to share the video we chose, I was able to have a look at which videos those in my class chose. There were very few that made me smile which I found interesting as it proved to me how subjective humour is.

There was a video that made me smile which was the reaction of a cinema audience to a scene in Avengers. Although I was unable to fully understand the context of the scene, seeing such a passionate and communal reaction in an industry that is supposedly dying made me smile and I understand why somebody chose it. However, this smile died a few seconds in when the reaction continued on far longer than it needed to and became rather frustrating despite the fact I wasn't there in person.

SMILE SURVEY

In the survey, I made sure that the questions I included were not multiple choice as I didn't want to restrict or pressure the participants into selecting an answer that they didn't agree with simply because the answer they wanted to put wasn't available. By doing this, I hoped to receive a much larger range of answers as well as less popular answers by allowing the participants to type exactly what they wanted.

SURVEY RESPONSES

MEDIA WORDCLOUD

SMILE RESEARCH

Whilst completing research behind the science of smiling, I found an in-depth, slightly dramatic, psychological explanation behind what causes people to smile. Although I obviously can’t grasp every detail of the explanation, enough of it made sense to me for it to be intriguing.

A smile begins in our sensory corridors. The ear collects a whispered word. The eyes spot an old friend on the station platform. The hand feels the pressure of another hand. This emotional data funnels to the brain, exciting the left anterior temporal region in particular, then smoulders to the surface of the face, where two muscles, standing at attention, are roused into action: The zygomatic major, which resides in the cheek, tugs the lips upward, and the orbicularis oculi, which encircles the eye socket, squeezes the outside corners into the shape of a crow’s foot. The entire event is short — typically lasting from two-thirds of a second to four seconds — and those who witness it often respond by mirroring the action, and smiling back.

- Eric Jaffe

https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/the-psychological-study-of-smiling

There are certain hormones that are responsible for promoting positive feelings such as:

• Dopamine.

Also known as the “feel-good” hormone, dopamine is a hormone and neurotransmitter that’s an important part of your brain’s reward system. Dopamine is associated with pleasurable sensations, along with learning, memory, motor system function, and more.

• Serotonin.

This hormone (and neurotransmitter) helps regulate your mood as well as your sleep, appetite, digestion, learning ability, and memory.

• Oxytocin.

Often called the “love hormone,” oxytocin is essential for childbirth, breastfeeding, and strong parent-child bonding. This hormone can also help promote trust, empathy, and bonding in relationships and oxytocin levels generally increase with physical affection like kissing, cuddling, and sex.

• Endorphins.

Endorphins are your body’s natural pain reliever, which your body produces in response to stress or discomfort. Endorphin levels also tend to increase when you engage in reward-producing activities, such as eating, working out, or having sex.

There are many things that make people smile and, although they may differ for different people, there are some that are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. For example:

- Seeing an old friend

- Hearing a song that reminds you of your past

- A bit of good news for a loved one

- Getting a thank you from someone

- Doing something that makes someone else laugh/smile

- Looking back at old photographs

- Seeing a funny video online

There are a great many benefits that promote smiling that may not be known to most people. For example:

- Smiling elevates your mood and creates a sense of well-being.

According to psychologist Sarah Stevenson, ‘Each time you smile you throw a little feel-good party in your brain.’

- Smiling induces more pleasure in the brain than chocolate

According to the author Ron Gutman, ‘one smile can generate the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate.’

- Even a forced smile can lead to a mood boost

Usually, a positive experience is what makes us smile however, sometimes merely deciding to smile can provide a positive experience.

- Smiling can make you seem courteous, likeable, and competent

When looking sad or anxious, this supposedly may lead people to wonder if you know what you are doing.

- Smiling is contagious

You can help others and lift the spirits of everyone just by smiling.

TYPES OF ANIMATION RESEARCH

https://affordableschools.net/lists/5-types-of-animation/

As I plan to make an animated music video, I decided to collect some research on the process of animating as I don't know very much about it and I would like to know more before I begin the process of making my own.

There are FIVE main forms of animation. These are:

Traditional Animation

Traditional animation, or cell animation, requires the animator to draw every single frame by hand to create an animated scene. This is what companies like Disney are known for using and is usually drawn over a light table that allows the artist to see what the previous frame looked like.

2D Animation

2D animation refers to vector-based animations that are becoming popular as the technology required becomes more accessible. Although the artists can edit each individual frame, vector-based animations allow the artists to create rigs for the characters and instead move single body parts at a time rather than drawing the character every time.

3D Animation

3D animation, also known as computer animation, is the most commonly used form of animation. The process is very different from the traditional style but they both require the artist to share the same principles of movement and composition in animation. 3D animation has much less to do with drawing and more to do with moving a character in a program.

Motion Graphics

Motion graphics are not driven by characters or storylines but instead focuses on the ability to move graphic elements, shapes, or and text. This process is commonly used for things like television promotions, explainer videos, and logos.

Stop Motion

Just like traditional animation, stop motion animation combines a series of still images that are slightly different to show movement. The biggest difference is that stop motion uses photography to capture real objects. The artists take a photo of the object and then slightly moves it before taking another photograph.

MUSIC VIDEO CONTRAINTS ESSAY

TYPES OF MUSIC VIDEOS RESEARCH

There are THREE main types of music videos. These are:

https://www.slideshare.net/Khaulafaisal/types-styles-of-music-videos

Narrative-Based Music Videos

Narrative-based music videos attempt to tell a story that features in the lyrics or that is suggested in the lyrics and then dramatized in the video.

They will often establish a clear relationship between the lyrics and the visuals of the song.

Narrative based music videos will often require the viewer to understand the lyrics of the song.

Stan by Eminem ft. Dido

Performance-Based Music Videos

Performance-based music videos mostly consist of the artist/band performing their song.

These include dancing, lip-syncing, live concerts or musicians playing instruments.

There is no connection between the lyrics of the song, as we only see the performers of the song building a connection with the audience through direct eye contact with the camera.

These music videos are the most common amongst the three types.

American Idiot by Green Day

Concept-Based Music Videos

Concept-based music videos are based on a specific concept or a theme. The concept can be magic, supernatural, historical, religious, scientific, or any idea which is based on a concept or a theme.

They will mostly intrigue a specific class or target audience depending on the idea of the music video.

These videos are not always easy to understand as the other two types and they are often more difficult to produce.

The unusual content of the video is what attracts most of the people.

Take Me to Church by Hozier

STYLES OF MUSIC VIDEOS RESEARCH

There are also many different styles of music videos such as:

Animation

Animated music videos can be entirely animated or sometimes consist of both animation and real footage.

Interpretative

Interpretative music videos are videos that can be interpreted in many different ways by audience members. Each person may see the video in a different way.

Impressionist

An impressionist music video will usually show a particular theme including random images and peculiar shots of abstract images.

Intertextuality

Intertextuality is when a music video uses references from other media products or any other existing thing such as mythology, history.

Surrealist

LYRIC ANNOTATION

(All Along the Watchtower)

https://genius.com/1236303

As with the majority of Bob Dylan's songs, All Along the Watchtower from the classic album 'John Wesling Harding' has a very cryptic meaning and can be interpreted in many different ways by different listeners.

The joker and thief are two very broad archetypes and as a result, they have led to endless theories of whom they could represent. Some believe the joker represents Jesus as he interacts with a thief, some believe it represents Dylan himself and the thief represents Elvis as he was accused of stealing rock and roll from African-Americans. Some even believe that they are symbols of Life and Death. All that is certain is that both characters are considered outsiders.

Although the setting isn't revealed, it is clearly a place of disorder and the Joker is starting to become unsettled.

Some believe this is referring to the involvement of the U.S. in Vietnam as, during this time, people began questioning why they were involved.

Now we understand that the Joker is frustrated at those who take whatever they can for personal and financial gain.

'Them along the line' most likely refers to those in the watchtowers mentioned in the title. The Joker criticizes them for not realizing the real worth of things.

The Thief tries to calm down the Joker which shows him to be the reasonable one. This reaffirms that the song is about perspectives.

Nobody appreciates the beauty of life. The thief and joker doubt that life is good and the others view it as a joke.

This line suggests that they both used to think the same as the others but now see things the way they do.

The word 'fate' suggests that he knows what will happen to those that don't change how they think. It also suggests that both of them have shared experiences.

Many believe that this line is biblical and refers to judgement day as it seems that something is going to happen and they need to do something important beforehand.

This line could be viewed biblically as referring to the towers set up outside of Babylon to protect from intruders.

Or it could be referring to the Vietnam war and the towers could be referring to the watchtowers set up by France when they took over parts of it.

As these lines mention all the different classes in the watchtower, it suggests that when the change that he mentioned occurs, it will be a change for everyone.

They sense that something is coming. Nature is also indicating that the world is about to change.

This could also be a biblical reference referring to the coming of the Lion of Judah.

Many believe this line refers to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who brought the news of the apocalypse in the bible.

The winds are believed to be a symbol of the winds of change.

"There must be some way out of here"

Said the joker to the thief

"There's too much confusion

I can't get no relief

Businessmen, they drink my wine

Plowmen dig my earth

None of them along the line

Know what any of it is worth"

"No reason to get excited"

The thief, he kindly spoke

"There are many here among us

Who feel that life is but a joke

But you and I, we've been through that

And this is not our fate

So let us not talk falsely now

The hour is getting late"

All along the watchtower

Princes kept the view

While all the women came and went

Barefoot servants too

Outside, in the distance

A wildcat did growl

Two riders were approaching

The wind began to howl

MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

For my research, I am going to be analysing two music videos that I have selected in order to gain inspiration and knowledge about how to complete my own project in the future.

The first music video that I will be analysing is "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by The Beatles. The song was written primarily by John Lennon and was credited to the songwriting partnership of Lennon-McCartney. The song was released in 1967 on their album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' and although the video wasn't released as an official music video, the video I will be analysing is taken from the 1968 animated musical adventure film 'Yellow Submarine' directed by George Dunning and animated by Dunning, Robert Balser, Jack Stokes, and Czech illustrator Heinz Edelmann. The film was inspired by the music of The Beatles and they made a brief appearance in the closing scene.

The second music video that I will be analysing is "Another Brick in the Wall" by Pink Floyd. The song was written by Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters and released in 1979 in three parts that reach almost eight minutes when compiled. I will be analysing the most infamous and popular part two which is hardly four minutes long.

LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS

I chose this particular song and video to analyse as it is a favourite of mine and also because I will most likely be doing an animated video for this project and the visual style was something that I have gained much inspiration from.

As the video is taken from the film Yellow Submarine, all four of The Beatles are featured in their animated form. As the song and the video were released in the late 60's, the influences of the counterculture movement along with hallucinogenic drugs can easily be recognised.

The video doesn't follow a strict narrative and is instead a compilation of surrealist, psychedelic, and fantastical imagery that the characters witness and take part in. The lyrics are also fantastical and have no direct correlation to the visual imagery in the video.

"Picture yourself in a boat on a river

With tangerine trees and marmalade skies

Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly

A girl with kaleidoscope eyes"

The surreal imagery complements John Lennon's distorted vocals, absurd lyrics, and the overall dreamlike nature of the song. The previous also give credence to the theory that the song is referring to Lysergic acid diethylamide a hallucinogenic, mind-altering drug that is often referred to as LSD - which can be spelt using the main words of the song's title. This may explain why the music video doesn't follow a narrative storyline and isn't grounded in reality as it is instead supposed to represent the euphoric hallucinations that users experience when using this drug.

Many of the images that can be seen in the background of the video are similar to those found in surrealist paintings by the likes of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali which helps further express the surrealist aspect of the video and song.

The upbeat, light-hearted tone of the video is maintained by the aesthetically pleasing animated drawings that twist and contort in vibrant strokes of red, yellow, pink, and orange. Images of stars, a woman riding a horse, and people dancing are some of the most frequent subjects in the video. Because of the absurdity of some of the images in the video, it is very difficult to infer any significant symbolism or intended meaning.

The cutting isn't intended to be synchronised with the beat of the song which creates the hypnotic pace and oneiric feeling that is synonymous with psychedelia. The camera shots aren't varied much as the majority of the video consists of static wide frames that rely mostly on the movement of the characters and subjects in the frame to create interest.

I chose this particular song because, contrary to the previous, it holds a layered meaning beneath which is shown in the music video which is bizarre but very interesting. The music video features both live-action and animated footage. The animated sections are interspersed around the live-action footage and are where most of the video's symbolism lies.

The video opens as the instrumental begins with a wide look at the glum-looking landscape of late 70's London which slowly pans across and then tilts to the ground. A group of schoolchildren are then followed handheld as they shout and chase each other. The focus and theme of the song and video are introduced almost immediately because of the opening lyrics.

"We don't need no education

We don't need no thought control

No dark sarcasm in the classroom"

The effect of these lyrics is emphasized as they are synchronised with the screeches of the schoolchildren as they chase each other. For the audience, it becomes obvious from this moment that the theme of the song and the music video is related to the faults in the education system.

The next line confirms this absolutely...

"Teacher, leave them kids alone

Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone!"

With this line, we are shown the teacher portrayed as a long grey creature hanging from puppet strings. The puppet can be seen as symbolising the harsh and power-abusing teachers that are referred to in the lyrics and the creature's quite terrifying appearance can be seen as an attempt to replicate how these teachers appear to young schoolchildren who are treated unfairly by them. The strings that the puppet hangs from and the obvious fact that it is a puppet could be seen as a way of targeting those above the teachers such as the government and the curriculum and symbolising that the teachers are controlled 'like puppets' by these people.

The teacher is then portrayed again but in animated form as he bounces up and down by his puppet strings, waving and swinging his arms in a horrific way. The teacher is then shown again in an awful way as he shoves children into what is essentially a meat mincer built into the structure of the school building, producing long white strings.

I interpreted this as symbolising the act of destroying a child's individuality by pushing them through the 'system.' I like this interpretation because the title of 'Another Brick in the Wall' suggests that the song is about how children are made to become just another piece in society and have all desire to strive for more taken away during their younger years.