Coldplay, Clocks- Lyrics

Clocks- Coldplay
The lights go out and I can't be savedTides that I tried to swim againstHave brought me down upon my kneesOh I beg, I beg and plead singing
Come out of things unsaidShoot an apple off my headAnd a trouble that can't be namedA tiger's waiting to be tamed singing
You areYou are
Confusion never stopsClosing walls and ticking clocksGonna come back and take you homeI could not stop that you now know singing
Come out upon my seasCursed missed opportunitiesAm I a part of the cure?Or am I part of the disease? Singing
You areYou areYou areYou are
You areYou are
And nothing else comparesAnd nothing else comparesAnd nothing else compares
You areYou are
Home, home where I wanted to goHome, home where I wanted to goHome, home where I wanted to goHome, home where I wanted to go

Genre – Codes and Conventions – Indie

Codes and Conventions – Music Genres

Indie – Arctic Monkeys – I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor

• Scruffy hair
• Casual clothes – Jeans, polo shirts
• Band playing
• Guitars and drum kit
• Dark setting
• Shadows
• Standing still/little movement on feet

In this music video the codes and conventions of the Indie genre are followed to the audience’s expectations. The band a dressed in neutral coloured casual clothing such as jeans and polo shirts, they also have scruffy hairstyles. This supports the relaxed and laid back image of stereotypical Indie bands seen today. The Arctic Monkeys are all playing instruments in this video as well, with a drummer that has the band’s logo on the bass drum. The lead singer is playing guitar as well as the other two band members. There is also use of coloured lighting, which could be seen as something unconventional for Indie bands, however in general the setting which the band is in is dark and ‘moody’ with lots of shadows cast onto the bands faces.

Click here for the ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK7egZaT3hs&ob=av2e

 

http://heathenmedia.co.uk/rock/2011/10/21/genre-codes-and-conventions-indie-and-rock/

Research into Media Institutions & Platforms

As Coldplay are a popular band of the current time, we decided they needed a popular institution that was recognised by a mass audience. We therefore decided MTV would be appropriate for our band as Coldplay are mainstream.

http://www.mtv.co.uk/

A platform is something that can help raise and/or promote media to the next level. There are three different types, these include:
-E-Media (Internet Sites)
-Print Media (Magazines, Newspapers, Posters)
-Moving Image (Music Videos, Films, Television)

We will use platforms such as YouTube to promote our video for the band.We would create them a Twitter/Facebook page to advertise and create publicity and a larger fan base. We would also create a website for the band themselves in order to give out information about the band.

We would also promote the band through the use of magazines and newspapers in order to gain maximum audience coverage. 

If something successful for the band was to take place, we would also advertise through posters on billboards. This way a much larger audience would be covered.

Coldplay Profile

We are now creating our music video for a Coldplay song rather that one by The Kooks. I researched Coldplay but at the very beginning of the process, therefore, I deemed it necessary to recap with my research on this artist.

http://www.coldplay.com/

http://maisieheskethmedia-advanced.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/artist-research.html

Below is a basic profile of the band: 

Connotations of the Colour White

http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

White

White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection.
White means safety, purity, and cleanliness. As opposed to black, white usually has a positive connotation. White can represent a successful beginning. In heraldry, white depicts faith and purity.
In advertising, white is associated with coolness and cleanliness because it's the color of snow. You can use white to suggest simplicity in high-tech products. White is an appropriate color for charitable organizations; angels are usually imagined wearing white clothes. White is associated with hospitals, doctors, and sterility, so you can use white to suggest safety when promoting medical products. White is often associated with low weight, low-fat food, and dairy products.



White usually has connotations of innocence which contrasts with the laid back and scruffy stereotypes of the indie genre. Occasionally, the indie genre is also associated with the 'bad-boy' image so contrasting this by the connotations of purity, virginity, safety and cleanliness using white; the color of perfection and the fact that angels are usually imagined wearing white clothes. In advertising, white is associated with coolness and cleanliness, also contrasting to the 'bad-boy' image. Nonetheless, we did want to keep with some stereotypes of the genre so decided to only use a splash of white in our costumes; keeping with the majority being black. White usually has a positive connotation and can represent a successful beginning so it implies to the audience that there will be a happy ending despite the negative suggestions in the song's lyrics and sound. 

Connotations of the Colour Black

http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

Black

Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery.
Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown (black holes). It usually has a negative connotation (blacklist, black humor, 'black death'). Black denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color (black tie, black Mercedes). In heraldry, black is the symbol of grief.
Black gives the feeling of perspective and depth, but a black background diminishes readability. A black suit or dress can make you look thinner. When designing for a gallery of art or photography, you can use a black or gray background to make the other colors stand out. Black contrasts well with bright colors. Combined with red or orange – other very powerful colors – black gives a very aggressive color scheme.


Although we are keeping with stereotypes and dressing our characters causally, however to contrast with some stereotypes we decided to use the colour black as it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious colour. Black is also associated with the unknown shadowing the sense of trapped and helplessness shown through the lyrics of "Coldplay- Clocks"- our chosen song. It also denotes strength and authority helping us to suggest that there will be a positive end to the negative storyline suggested in the song's lyrics. "Black gives a very aggressive color scheme" which we thought would contrast nicely with the soft sound of the song, and sensitive connotations presented through the lyrics.

What is an Institution?

According to 'Key Concepts in Communication' by O'Sullivan, Fiske, Hartley & Saunders 1983)

"Those enduring regulatory and organising structures of any society, which constrain and control individuals and individuality... the term more precisely refers to the underlying principles and values according to which many social and cultural practices are organised and co-ordinated."

'School' is a major institution, as is 'home', and if you are thinking purely theoretically, you can consider things such as 'knowledge' or 'language' to be institutions, containing as they do a whole set of rules and codes which 'constrain and control' our lives.

In Media Studies, we are most concerned with the institutions responsible for producing media texts. The following diagram can represent them:

(http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=institution)

Therefore we can refer to "The Press" or "TV" and have a general awareness of the values and codes of a) what is produced and b) the producers. For instance, we think of journalists, regardless of politics and rightly or wrongly, as sharing the same set of values as their newspapers. We know what a newspaper is and how it behaves. We see 'Newspapers' as something bigger than, and probably more authoritative/powerful than us as individuals.

However, as global patterns of ownership change so does the concept of Institution. Media ownership is now concentrated in the hands of a few companies worldwide, and these companies own examples of many different media. So, it is true to say that the 'Institutional Values' of, say, Disney, are reflected in a number of different media companies that they own (e.g. Marvel Studios, the Discovery Channel), which can therefore be grouped together and considered as part of the same institution (the Disney Corporation).

Basically, understanding institution is about understanding who produces media texts, what their set of codes and values is and their relationship to us as individuals.

Global Corporations

Here are the URLS which will help you track the activities of the global media corporations. Some of them are very open about the links between their operating sectors. Some are not. Check out the investors information they provide in order to get a clear picture of exactly how huge a slice of the global media these companies own.

      Disney

      Sony

      Time Warner

      News Corporation

      Viacom

US organisation, Free Press, keeps track of the 'Big Six' ownership patterns in this handy chart.

For an independent viewpoint of their activities, and a comprehensive roundup of news stories regarding global conglomerates, try Corpwatch, AdBusters or Source Watch. As a media student, you should understand the complexities of the cross-ownership debate: keep your eyes on those news stories and follow the latest developments. These stories affect you and the news you have access to.

Media Platforms

Q.What is a Media Platform?

A.You just need to break it into two parts - Media (you should know what that is) and Platform (a raised surface)... the answer will be things like local news websites, local newspapers, teletext, etc. Anything that gives the news a raised base to be seen.

(http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080908050852AAa0iuA)

The above is a simple explanation I found on a question-and-answer website for the public to use.

_____________________

http://tedescostwocents.com/social-media-models/

I found that this website really emphasised the ever-growing list of Media Platforms, even despite being a little outdated. In fact, the fact that it was created so recently, but is still viewed as outdated highlights this further!

2007

2008

2008


_____________________

In my research, I found a post from an existing blog which i felt had useful explanations and helped me to understand convergence and media platforms.

http://waltonbentleym2.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/media-convergence.html

Convergence is the process by which a range of media platforms are interrogated within a single piece of media technology.

A good example of this is Apple's IPhone. The Iphone's primary purpose is to be a phone, but also includes an MP3 player, FM radio, and a web browser!

In relation to our chosen industry production, the music industry has to converge with elements of the film industry to produce products such as music videos, as the visual elements are filmed and edited similarly to a film or television show and the audio side of the production which of course stems out from the music industry. A music video does not stop simply at the convergence of the film and music industry's, but later introduces other media platforms into it's mixture when the video is being distributed and promoted.

When the music industry promotes it's products it has many choices, popular choices include convergence with radio, television and online sharing, engaging in a poly-platforminfrastructure.

As technology has developed over the years, a greater selection of different platforms are available to converge. For example in the 50's the music industry were severely limited in which media platforms to merge with, as there was not many around suitable, relying largelyon only the radio for promotion. Where as today, the development of media platforms such as the Internet (social network, file sharing and fan sites), radio and television.

Our group have converged several media platforms to achieve a realistic product. By merging our chosen song with a visual element we created a proffesional and successful video. Progressing from this we combined the themes and elements developed between the music video and audio track to create a website and digi-pak design to a proffessional standard. I becomes clear that the visual element is key to our convergence of media platforms and technologies.

Guardian Music Blog- Indie

"Androgyny can even been seen in the common use of falsetto by male singers as a higher register is usually associated with femininity."

"the blending of gender-coded imagery where androgyny has been consistent in clothing and physicality."

"I've often thought that indie kids try to purport a more enlightened sense of gender relations between themselves (the boys and the girls dress really similarly, for example.)"

In these three quotes from the below blog, it is suggested that, within the 'indie' genre, the boundaries and differences between masculine and feminine stereotypes are blurred; and many stereotypes, henceforth, are broken. In our music video we also plan to break stereotypes- which ironically also is following a stereotype of the genre. Additionally, we are going to dress both the males and females we choose to have, in our video, in plain coloured and styled clothing. We are going to use the basic colours of black and white, and simple clothing styles as not to draw the attention away from other things that are happening, but also to fit with stereotypes of the genre.

________________________

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2010/sep/01/gender-stereotypes-indie-music

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Ask the indie professor: Are gender stereotypes still present in indie music?

Indie likes to pride itself on having an enlightened sense of gender relations. But that doesn't stop female audience members from being groped at shows

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Surf's up ... A girl in a 'no crowd-surfing' T-shirt. Photograph: Wendy Fonarow for the Guardian

I've often thought that indie kids try to purport a more enlightened sense of gender relations between themselves (the boys and the girls dress really similarly, for example). Is this the case, and is their subculture some kind of equality-based utopia? Or are gender stereotypes still present but instead played out in a different way?
GuidedByVeal

Without a doubt, indie has a more enlightened sense of gender relations than many musical genres. You can see this in a number of areas, such as pioneering co-ed bands (Pixies, Arcade Fire, Lush, the White Stripes, Elastica, My Bloody Valentine, Quasi, Slowdive, the xx , Autolux, Beach House, the Kills, feel free to carry on) and the blending of gender-coded imagery where androgyny has been consistent in clothing and physicality. Blur didn't write "Girls who are boys, who like boys to be girls, who do boys like they're girls, who do girls like they're boys" for nothing. Androgyny can even been seen in the common use of falsetto by male singers as a higher register is usually associated with femininity. The blending of gender imagery is common in rock and pop, but the central value of equality, even between performers and audience has made humanist gender relations the ideal in indie.

However, in practicality, indie does not exist in some parallel universe. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen female musicians ignored in interviews. Additionally, female spectatorship and fanship is sexualised. There is an assumption if you are female at a show that you are sexually available to performers. Just earlier this year, on Jeopardy (a popular game show in the US), university student Lindsay Eanet said she would like to be a music journalist like the fictional character William Miller (from Almost Famous, based on the experiences of Cameron Crowewriting for Rolling Stone). The host said, "Oh, so you want to be a groupie?" As she explained that she wanted to be a professional journalist, he once again mouthed to the camera "groupie". Of course, it implies all female professionals are there to get guys in bands (like this is such a hard thing – seriously, you don't need to work in the music industry to get laid). This assumption that audiences are filled with sexually overwhelmed girls is belied by the fact that for rock and metal as well as for indie the audiences are disproportionately male. 

At indie shows, you still see gender distinctions in distribution patterns and activities. Women tend to stand right at the front and by the speaker stacks, rarely in the central area where dancing might happen. Groping is absolutely taboo, yet women are still loathe to crowd surf because it only takes one jerk in an audience to violate a woman which limits her ability to participate in audience activities available to males. During my research I've been told by countless women that they refrained from crowd-surfing and most of them (including myself) had been groped at shows (interestingly, both men and women came to my defence – this is a typical tale from many female audience members). After that happens, they often chose a different location or move further back so it won't happen again.

The restriction of female participation was part of the rationale for stopping stage diving and discouraging crowd-surfing. British indie has been – and still is – consistently and significantly more egalitarian in terms of gender relations than America. In the noughties, when indie aesthetics overtook alternative music in the US, it ostensibly produced more female equality. The musical points of reference moved from "aggressive" to "fey" and "effeminate" – in line with UK bands of the 1980s and 90s. With indie, the feminine body and voice replaced the punk rockism of grunge and Riot Grrrl.

However, even in 2006, when Pitchfork reviewed my book on the culture of indie music, the writer actually talked about my cleavage! Always something you want to include in a review of a female author's book. I'd like to say it's a big topic that needs more discussion, but if I did that, someone might call me a tease.