Social animal poster

Social animal digipak

Biffy clyro music video

Flashing lights in the video make it hard to see properly and makes it look like a lot is going on. There is smoke around the band which connote fire and danger, and danger is often associated with rock music because it’s rebellious.

There are a number of fade ins and outs between shots of the building the band are in, these are happening while the music is building up, this creates tension and excitement. Jump cuts are used on the tattoos, this emphasises their importance and the rebelliousness of the band. Close ups of their guitars and drums which are typical instruments used in a rock band and are iconography of the genre.

The 3 men in the video would mean the target audience are most likely to be teenage boys and men, as they can relate to them. The aggression and high enerfy would also suggest the target audience is most likely to be teenage boys and young men, rather than young women and girls.
The lead singer sings into the camera, there are some extreme close ups of his mouth as he sings. This creates a relationship between the audience and the singer and the extreme close up makes it more intimate.

They are playing their instruments with loads of energy and quite aggressively, this reinforces the idea that rock stars are aggressive. When the lead singer is singing, he looks as if he’s shouting and he grabs his head which makes him look almost angry.

The band is topless in the video and this makes their tattoos visible to the audience, tattoos connote rebellion and rock bands are often seen as rebellious. Extreme close ups are used to show the tattoos, this emphasises the importance of them.

Music video synopsis

What is the overall idea for your music video? (Genre Theory)

The band leader (protagonist) is madly in love with a female whom is stereotypically scantily clad. Throughout the music video the band does rebellious things in order to attract the female’s attention, however it does not work. The Social Animal music video is characterized by the performance and narrative typologies according to Firth. Furthermore, we choose to use a light hearted story-line because from our research we found this is common in a punk rock music video.

What generic devices are you using? (Genre Theory)

In The Social Animal music video we are going to feature a live performance which is going to include live instrumentation such as guitar which is typical to the punk rock genre. By including instrumentation it meets the needs of our audience and fulfils their entertainment needs. In addition, we are going to include dark lightning in our music video because it connotes darkness a common association of this genre and we believe the audience will be able to relate to the use of this colour because it meets their expectations.

In our punk rock music video

How will you conform/challenge convention? (Genre Theory)

In The Social Animal music video we are going to conform to the gender stereotypes of the punk rock genre. The female is going to portrayed as scantily clad and the men are going to be messy and unkempt. This is to portray the men as rebellious and not caring what people think of them through their appearance, As opposed to a scantily clad female with appearance being everything.

What narrative devices (narrative theory) are you going to deploy in your music video?

We are going to deploy Propp’s narrative theory to the music video whilst also using Firth characterized typologies of performance and narrative.

Are you going to challenge/conform to narrative convention? (narrative theory)

We are going to conform to the narrative convention because we believe it fulfils the audience’s needs and expectations of a punk rock music video and differing too much from that might have a negative effect.

How are you going to appeal to audience? (Uses and Gratifications)

We are going to appeal to the audience by providing live instrumentation in our music video; from our research we found it is a common expectation of a punk rock audience. In addition we are following a boy like’s girl narrative framework and the audience will have possibly experienced this in the life, therefore by using a real problem we hope to show the audience The Social Animal can relate to them. In researching this genre collectively we found audiences like to relate to a punk rock band or artist.

How will you engage with the audience? (Uses and Gratifications)

We believe our song engages the audience because it discusses a experience that our audiences might be going through or will go through in the life. In addition we are going to edit our music video to include straight cuts in order to create a high energy which is commonly founded in a punk rock music video. By providing high energy we hope it will fulfil the needs and expectations of our punk rock audience.

Could your music video be criticised in any way? (Uses and Gratifications)

Our music video could be criticised because we are going to encourage teenage rebellion. This will be shown in the band’s actions in order to win over the female character (villain). However, rebellion is typical to this genre therefore it is expected to our audiences.

All she said: First Class Killer lyrics

remember the words I was told as soon as I spoke of her

You better not she’s a first class killer She’ll take you down as I’m sure

My heart in chains (chains)

Just let the rain (just let the rain)

I couldn’t stop myself to say

Chorus

Well, Say oh, say ohoh

I love ya, I love ya

Say oh, say ohohoh

Lalalalala

Black hair and blue eyes beaming and you know ya kno-oh

I couldn’t stop myself to let go

Unlock these chains (chains)

Throw the key away (throw the key away)

You’ve got my heart yeah (yeah, yeah)

Chorus

Say oh, say ohoh

I love ya, I love ya

Say oh, say ohohoh

Lalalalala

X2

And all my chances (chances), I can’t seem to get with you

Crumble to pieces, I’ll never be with you

Black hair and blue eyes beaming and ya know (ya know)

I couldn’t stop myself let go

Say oh, say ohoh

I love ya, I love ya

Say oh, say ohohoh

Lalalalala

Say oh, say ohoh

I love ya, I love ya

Say oh, say ohohoh

I'll never get with you

http://www.unsigned.com/allshesaid

Band Members

Olli George - Drummer

Bill Jones - Bassist

Chris Stevens – Guitarist/Vocals

Rick Power- Vocals/Guitarist

About Band

The Social Animal is a punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, USA. The Social Animal started their career in Olli’s basement in 2009 as a threesome, and Rick was shortly introduced to the band and completed the line-up in 2010. Influenced by the likes of My Chemical Romance and The Ramones, The Social Animal has quickly built a repertoire as being talented songwriters and musicians. Unsigned.co.uk have commented ‘The Social Animal are a breath of fresh air and truly represents what is it to be a punk band, they have a bright future ahead of them and should keep on rocking!’

The Social Animal has gained a small fan base from performing in local music venues and self-promotion on sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The band finds it significant to thank their fans with writing good music and social interaction because they remember how it feels to idolise a band/artist growing up. They also believe their fans keep them rocking because without them they would be nothing and will probably be in Olli’s basement annoying his mother with their late night jamming sessions.

For additional band information such please visit www.twitter.com/thesocialanimal or www.facebook.com/thesocialanimal

Major Institutions:

· A major music institution is one of the main 4 Warner music group, EMI, Sony and Universal Studios.

· These companies dictate which music we hear and practically control the music in our ears, by hiring bands and artists of a particular genre or style and promoting it on all the media outlets at their disposal they can make or break a new band

· Each of the major companies consist of many smaller companies including, Creative Artists Agency and Apple Inc (runs the largest music store, the itunes.)

Minor Institution:

· Independent companies

· Minor companies that produce music and support upcoming bands and artists on their own

· They have no funding from higher sources

Warner Music Group

What companies does it own? Is this significant?

Warner Music Group

Would they be a suitable organisation to work for this project?

WMG are suitable for our project as they have aided the career of many artists which they have signed, who simultaneously are in the same genre of music as our research project. Green Day and Kiss are 2 of many artist/groups that fall under these categories.

Does it have a production and distribution element?

Warner Music or Chappell Music is a music publishing company with an international market. Warner music group is a large contributor in the creation of advanced strategies for the marketing and promotion of songwriters and their music.

Alternative Distribution Alliance was created in 1993 and focuses on the independent music business. It gives them access to a flexible distribution system, and the effectiveness of a major label.

What do you notice about the genre of music?

They have a variety of genres including rap, r&b, rock and popular culture. Their variety shows they are able to distribute anywhere from a mass demographic to a niche audience. It also shows that they are interested in all kinds of music and don’t focus all their attention and money on one genre, which means they are more well-known and successful.

What companies does it own? Is this significant?

Warner music group works with companies such as Rhino records and Resprise Records, in the past they have worked with Roadrunner Records. Each of these have artists signed to them whose music is of the same or similar genre to the genre we have chosen for our coursework. E.g.: Punk Rock

What artists are signed to them?

Plan B, Green Day, The White Stripes, Michael Bublé’ and Bruno Mars

Questionnaire findings

Questionnare

Green day 21 guns album cover

The black and white colour fonts used in the artwork contrasts each other, the white 'Green day' font connotes innocence however, '21 guns' is black and connotes power. It could be interpreted the font colours have been chosen to contrast each other to show Greenday is innocent in terms of their involements with guns and they view guns to be the opposite of what they stand for. From this we can view a political message from the band.

It could be interpreted 21 Guns by Greenday represent the working class, the font used for the text is similar to spray paint and this type of caligraphy is generally found in urban population/working class enviroments. By representing the working class it enables the working class to feel empowered and not as the underdog in society.

The name of the single '21 Guns -Greenday' makes the audience feel the title is enabling the audience to be aware voilence regarding guns is invovled in the song. This therefore, evokes the audience with a sense of worry because in todays society guns are use negatively.

The Jam: A town called malice album cover

The colours used on the artwork are dull, the town depicted in the picture is seen through a brown tint and the frame is black. The colours create a gritty tone for the audience because it is not welcoming and suppresses emotions such as happiness. By using these colour it is suggestive the creator wants the audience to feel put down and forgotten about.

Also, the target audience appears to be male because the dark colours used such as black conveys dominance. Dominance is associated with males and the dominant ideology in Britain is we live in a patriarchal society. It is also suggestive, ‘Town called Malice’ represents the working class because the imagery shows houses which are attached and these houses are a common feature for this class.

The audience are given a high angle view of a town through black frame similar to wires, this enables the audience to feel like they are restricted and their human right of freedom is taken away. The imagery used is effective is in evoking emotions and it is suggestive it has been used to allow the audience connect with the theme of malice which runs throughout the song.

The Rasmus: Hide from the sun album cover

Image:
The image is of a decayed butterfly
The butterfly looks derelict and mistreaten, possibly showing their emotions towards how they or their listeners have been treated
The butterfly is a countertype to how butterflys are usually percieved or related to, butterflys have connotations of colour and vividness, yet this seems to have all the life drained out of it, this creates a powerful image which plays on the audiences stereotypes, and thus causes them to apply the opposite feelings towards this album, and break from their stereotypical views.

Text:
"The Rasmus"
"Hide from the sun"
The writing on the rasmus matches the style of the album, there are decomposing leaves around the title, keeping with the theme of the album

Genre:
the creme background contrasts the tones of decaying
half of the background has been tainted with brown smudges

Target Audience:
The lack of colour suggests its for males
The way the image presents itself connotes a lack of understanding with teenagers, possibly a decay in the communication process?

This album cover for Green Day's album “American Idiot” has very punk imagery, and relies on this and it's simplicity to help get its genre across. It has a very standard colour scheme, boasting the red white and black that many punk artists use. The key to this is that by using a colour scheme that older punk artists used, they are instantly recognized as being from the genre of punk. As well as this, their anti-establishment imagery is very obvious too, further helping to define them in the genre of punk.

The image of the man holding a grenade is very politically inclined, but having the grenade heart shaped as well helps to add depth to this very intense picture. The simplicity of drawing helps add to the overall impact of the image, and this in turn helps to draw an audience for sheer principle. A very punk image as well, it attempts to show war and violence as being bloody things, and the heart helps to just show how much governments put into the idea of war.

The fonts used on this album cover are quite normal, except for little cracks visible on most of the lettering. This in itself is again a simple but effective thing for showing the punk genre, as it shows conformity but also an underlying meaning of instability, which reflects the views of most punks.

This album cover by the offspring is another example of punk which uses the standard red white and black colour scheme, although this particular album cover focuses more on the red and black, leaving white out for the most part. By focusing mainly on these two colours, they have created a picture which is different from the original punk colour scheme, showing its own deviance, but also paying homage to the original idea. This helps to show their own punk ideals, by taking something they have done and changing it slightly enough that it is their own, they have let their views shine through their album cover.

The text is in a red colouring, and the font is of a vaguely military style. The fact that it has been chosen like that suggests to me that it is a rigid ideal, and that it is playing to a counter-type of punk, By doing this, they are further diverging from the original punk ideals, but are still playing on the same beliefs and ideas original punks had,

The clash (Flyer)

This poster for the clash is a very simple design for a punk flyer. The colour scheme is very unilateral, with it being mono colour with red. This choice of colours is very good for them, as it helps to show them as being clear thinkers, seeing stuff in black and white, and the red helps to show passion in their beliefs, as well as anger towards the establishment. This is very important in punk ideologies, because it means that they are dedicated to not just punk music, but to the punk movement as well.

The poster shows the band predominantly, helping the audience to feel closer to the band and great relate to them. The clothing they are wearing in the picture is generic and indiscernible, which is strange considering the strength which which punks went out of their way to look different. Because of this, I think it is a very interesting point for their views on establishment, because it shows that they can be punk without looking punk, thus allowing for more “credibility” with a greater audience, and therefore more potential for more people to listen to their music and have it's innate message heard.

The font used on here is different for the band name as it is for the rest of the information. The significance of this is that because the band aren't making themselves apparently different, by picking a stylised font for their band name and a more mundane font for their information, they have effectively made themselves stand out by proxy of their name.

God save the queen (Flyer)

This flyer for the sex pistols album “God save the queen” is a good example of punk. The image of the queen, with her eyes and mouth covered is very disestablishment. It is deface a national image, which is very common in punk rock, as it shows them to be edgy and outside of normal social acceptance. As well as this, the whole image of the queen and text is in black and white, showing that they have a very clear view of establishment, and that it is exactly how it looks.

As well as this, they used numerous fonts for their words, and these are all reminiscent of fonts used in headlines from popular newspapers. This is also significant as it shows their opinion on things like newspapers and media, by taking these words used in newspaper articles and making their own sentence out of them, it represents the newspapers own ability to take a phrase and twist it.

Furthermore, they take this image one step further by putting it on a union flag background. The flag has colour, which contrasts the image of the queen. This contrast is most likely used by the artist to create further tension and draw more attention to their views of state and queenship.