CD Album Analysis - Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III & Tha Carter IV

CD Album Analysis - "Weird Al" Yankovic - Straight Outta Lynwood

Music Video Analysis: Matisyahu - Happy Hanukkah

Music Video Analysis: "Weird Al" Yankovic - White & Nerdy (Ridin' Parody)

Music Video Analysis: Chamillionaire - Ridin' ft. Krayzie Bone

Jewish Boyz: Lyrics

INTRO: 

OY, VEY
OY, VEY
OY, BOYZ
OY, VEY

HOOK:

Challah, challah, we're Jewish boyz
Challah, challah, we're Jewish boyz
Challah, challah, kosher boyz
Challah, challah, challah, we're Jewish boyz
(x2)

VERSE 1:

Challah, challah, challah, let's lay the table (lay the table)
On Shabbat doing work, we are not able (we're not able)
We can't watch TV, not even cable (not even cable)
Only gamblin' we do is spinnin' dreidel (spinnin' dreidel)
The Rebbe must be serious, challah
Come to Shul and face your fears, challah challah
Do it just like Moshe with the Ten Commandments (side by side)
We will keep on teachin' 'til you understand it (laws to abide)
Smell it from here, the brisket's ready (yeah it's ready)
Such a good smell we call it sexy (do we really?)
Making me drool I'm quite unsteady
But first I gotta eat this challah, baby challah challah

HOOK:
(x2)

Oy vey zmir, that is amazing!

VERSE 2: 

Challah, challah, you drive me crazy (loco loco)
You're just like normal bread, but way more tasty
A Shidduch tries to match us with a special lady (special lady)
We Jews are famous making loads of babies (here comes another one)
Some boyz think we so rich that we own Mercedes (Benz)
In fact I own a people carrier with no more spaces (there's no room for you!)
On occasion I take my kids to the nursery
Oh wait it's my turn somebody save me!

OY VEY

Song Name Change

I went to evaluate the name of the song and the lyrics of the song with a Rabbi in my area. He advised me that I needed to change the name of the song from We Ain't Goyz to We're Jewish Boyz because the original name is too offensive to the Jewish and non-Jewish communities. 

Surprisingly and fortunately, there was nothing offensive about my lyrics so they didn't require change. 

My request for permission to parody "We Dem Boyz"

In order to create a parody of a song, you must ask permission from the parent record label of the song's artist so that no legal issues arise with media creation. The music itself is classified as Intellectual Property (IP) and the creator/author becomes the first owner of copyright in it. 

I had to formally address Wiz Khalifa's record label's parent label so that I didn't breach Copyright Law. I wasn't able to contact Wiz directly (his contact details are very hard to find) so instead I made contact with Isolation Nerwork (INgrooves), the parent label of Fontana Distribution, who are both the parents of Rostrum Records and Wiz's label: Taylor Gang Records. INgrooves were easily contactable and I got a very quick response. 

I explained to INgrooves the purpose of my parody and they immediately approved of my reasons. Without this confirmation of usage from the parent label, I wouldn't have been able to use the song's instrumental for recording my lyrics over. 

The law is a very important factor in the creation or re-creation of media products. The law of Ownership of Copyright Works comes into play because the creator/first owner (Wiz Khalifa, Taylor Gang Records, Rostrum Records, Atlantic Records) is the first owner in the copyright of their product (We Dem Boyz). Therefore, I had to email INGrooves (a company who provide services for independent record labels, who's current parent is UMG) to gain permission to parody We Dem Boyz, as opposed to permission for borrowing the song. Due to the Fair Dealings exception for students and educational/academic work, I was allowed to parody the song, because I wasn't planning to make profit from it. 

Below are screenshots of the very small conversation between myself and the Senior Counsel of INgrooves' Legal & Business Affairs, Erin K. Daugherty:

Inspirations: "Weird Al" Yankovic - Pretty Fly for a Rabbi

In 1999, Al released an album called Running with Scissors and featured the song Pretty Fly for a Rabbi on it. This song is a parody of Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) by The Offspring:


The interesting thing about this song is that he almost accurately imitated the lead singer of The Offspring Dexter Holland's vocals for the original song. This is why people felt that it was such an honour for Al to parody their songs because he would do them so humorously and accurately. 

The lyrics of the song were inspirational in the formation of my lyrics because in a way they share similarities. I took direct inspiration from lines such as:

"(How ya doin' Bernie?) Oy vey, Oy vey"

"But our new guy's real kosher, I think he'll do the trick"

I also took vicarious inspiration from lines such as:

"Reads the Torah, does his own accounting too"

"Workin' like a dog, at the Synagogue"

"He'll bring you lots of cheer and maybe bagels with some shmeer"

"He shops at discount stores, not just any will suffice"

"Yeah, he keeps his cool and teaches Shul"

I do regret not including as much Yiddish as was included in this song, for example:

"But most of 'em were nudniks and none of 'em would last"

"Just say 'Vay iz mir!' and he'll kick into gear"

"He never acts meshugga and he's hardly a schlemiel"

"He's such a macher 'cause he worked his tuchis off"

Because of these songs and lyrics, I found it ten times easier to write my own lyrics and it really helped with the lyrical content as well. However, I based most of my lyrics on the structure of We Dem Boyz, so we can conclude that it was a joint effort between both pieces of media.

Inspirations: Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob (1973)

After deciding to make my idea: "A Jewish Parody of We Dem Boyz", I had to think whether there was another text or source that I could gain guidance or inspiration from in order to make this project stand out. 

Rabbi Jacob (Marcel Dalio) is one of the most loved rabbis of New York. One day, the French side of his family, the Schmolls, invite him to celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of the young David. Rabbi Jacob boards a plane to leave America for his birthland of France after more than 30 years of American life. His young friend Rabbi Samuel comes with him.

In Normandy, the rich businessman Victor Pivert (Louis de Funès) is also on his way; his daughter (Miou-Miou) will be married the next day. Pivert is a dreadful man: bad-tempered, rude and a bigot, with a well-honed racism against blacks, Jews, and pretty much all foreigners. He and his driver, Salomon (Henri Guybet), have a car accident in which Pivert's car (carrying a speed boat) flips upside-down into a lake. When Salomon, who is Jewish, refuses to help because Shabbat has just begun, Pivert fires him, much to Salomon's content.

Arab revolutionist leader Mohamed Larbi Slimane (Claude Giraud) is kidnapped by killers who are working for his country's government. The team, led by Colonel Farès, takes him by night to an empty bubble gum factory... the same place where Victor Pivert goes to find assistance. Pivert involuntarily helps Slimane to flee, leaving two killers' corpses behind them. The police, alerted by Salomon, find the bodies and accuse Pivert of the crime.

The next day, Slimane forces Pivert to go to Orly airport to catch a plane to Slimane's country (if the revolution succeeds, he will become Prime Minister). However, they are followed by a number of people: the jealous Germaine, Pivert's wife, who thinks her husband is going to leave her for another woman; Farès and the killers; and the police commissioner Andréani (Claude Piéplu), a zealous and overly suspicious cop who imagines that Pivert is the new Al Capone. Farès and his cohorts manage to kidnap Germaine, and they use her own dentist equipment to interrogate her.

Trying to conceal his and Pivert's identities, Slimane attacks two rabbis in the toilets, stealing their clothes and shaving their beards and their payot. The disguises are perfect, and they are mistaken for Rabbi Jacob and Rabbi Samuel by the Schmoll family. The only one who recognizes Pivert (and Slimane) behind the disguise is Salomon, his former driver, who just happens to be a Schmoll nephew. But Pivert and Slimane are able to keep their identity secret and even manage to hold a sermon in Hebrew, thanks to the polylingual Slimane (who is deeply gutted, of course).

After a few misunderstandings, Commissioner Andréani and his two inspectors are mistaken by the Jews for terrorists, attempting to kill Rabbi Jacob. The real Rabbi Jacob arrives at Orly, where no one is waiting for him any more. He is mistaken for Victor Pivert by the police, then by Farès and his killers (both times in a painful way for his long beard).

There is a chaotic, but sweeping happy ending:

• the revolution is a success, and Slimane becomes President of the Republic
• Pivert's daughter falls in love with Slimane and escapes her dull fiance near the altar to go with him
• Pivert learns tolerance towards other religions and cultures, and also Salomon and Slimane make peace with their respective Arab and Jewish colleagues
• the Schmolls finally find the real Rabbi Jacob
• the Piverts and the Schmolls go together feasting and celebrating

Watching this film has helped produce some ideas, particularly mise-en-scene, for my music video. I have even thought of a possibility of creating an "intertextual reference" with this film. The reference could be an intolerant person, just like Pivert, walking up to the "Jewish Boyz" showing physical signs of intolerance, and the Boyz would then dismiss him and carry on with the song, as if to show strength and dominance of the religion regardless of oppression. 

Inspirations: Holy Rollers (2010)

After deciding to make my idea: "A Jewish Parody of We Dem Boyz", I had to think whether there was another text or source that I could gain guidance or inspiration from in order to make this project stand out. 

Holy Rollers (2010) is a film about Sam Gold (Jesse Eisenberg), an Orthodox Jewish man studying to be a rabbi. Aside from studying, Sam works with his father in a fabric store that doesn't earn him enough money. Sam and his family wish to arrange the marriage between himself and a woman named Zeldy Lazar, who's family is richer than Sam's, making him worry that he will not be able to provide for them. Sam's best friend Leon is also studying to be a rabbi. Leon's brother Yosef offers Sam and Leon a mysterious job offer, which they accept. Yosef sends Sam and Leon to Amsterdam and tells them to wait for him. 

Once Yosef arrives, he hands them both briefcases full of "medicine" and tells them to bring it back to New York, where they live. Sam and Leon arrive in New York to discover the briefcases actually contain pure ecstasy. Sam is attracted to the idea of making money so he chooses to continue whilst Leon revokes his involvement with his brother. Sam meets Yosef's Israeli boss, Jackie, who takes interest in Sam. Sam continues to fly to Amsterdam and back until he is instructed to hire other Orthodox Jews to be drug mules. Sam meets Jackie's girlfriend, Rachel, who is a Liberal Jew and eases Sam out of the Orthodox lifestyle so quickly that Sam eventually begins to dress in normal clothes, cut his hair, drink more alcohol and take ecstasy. Sam's rise in the organisation leads to him leaving the Yeshiva, his current occupation being known throughout his neighbourhood and allows him to broker a business deal with a European drug manufacturer.

Sam's father discovers his drug dealing ways and kicks him out of the house. Sam discovers that Yosef is skimming Jackie's money from side deals and warns him not to. Jackie wants to ship street ecstasy, and wouldn't allow Sam to stop him. Because of this, the drug mules that Sam had hired were detected by sniffer dogs at the airport. Sam finds Yosef so that they can escape back to New York together. Yosef is too high and doesn't take notice; instead makes his own future decisions. Sam returns to Leon's house where he notices Zeldy, realising they married. Leon confronts Sam about this scandal, Sam begins to cry and police sirens are heard in the distance. 

Watching this film has helped produce some ideas, particularly mise-en-scene, for my music video. I have even thought of a possibility of creating an "intertextual reference" with this film. This reference could possibly be two Orthodox rabbis either handing briefcases to each other, or carrying them suspiciously. I believe that this film has also helped with the way that I am to record the actual parody song, as adapting a New York/Jew type of accent may be humourous to hear in the song.

Development of my idea

Since having feedback from my teacher, I haven't needed to make many adjustments to my idea. 

The only major issue with my idea was that I intended to copy Wiz Khalifa's music video structure in almost exactly the same way. For example, I wanted to shoot the 3/4 of the video in one shot (just like he did). My teacher explained to me that there are issues with this type of idea:

• Plagiarism: When parodying a music video, be original. Don't copy his exact idea because people are more interested in seeing additional elements instead of shifted versions of the same elements.
• Complication: Shooting a video in one shot is a complicated process. It takes a lot of time, repetition and NO CHECKPOINTS. There would be a lot of frustration from having to film from the beginning over and over again. Therefore it wouldn't be advised to film in one shot.

Other than this issue, nothing else has been inquired to change. 

Feedback from My Music Video Idea - Feedback from my teacher:

When I presented my idea to my teacher, Mr Wood, I was expecting him to produce some feedback for me as I knew that my first concept would be a draft and need to be adjusted. He produced a list of tasks that I must complete in order to succeed with my idea, because time constraint is a factor I'm fighting against. 

The list is as follows:

1. Who's house are you going to use? (This has been sorted out. Will mention in appropriate blog)

2. How are you going to get props? (This has been sorted out. Will mention in appropriate blog)

3. How are you going to get the costumes/are you getting them made? (This has been sorted out. Will mention in appropriate blog)

4. Obtain permission from Wiz Khalifa's record label (This has been sorted out. Will mention in appropriate blog)

5. Differentiate your music video from Wiz's original (In an appropriate blog, I will be explaining how I plan to do this)

6. Problematic term "Goy" (This has been sorted out. Will mention in appropriate blog)

7. Record song (This has been sorted out. Will mention in appropriate blog)

 

My Music Video Idea

Experimental Album Cover - KULA:SHAKER

The idea of re-creating album covers is practice for when we make our actual "digi-pak" album covers for our song/artist. 

The activity itself was helpful in teaching me the skills needed to create a semi-professional album cover, and it ultimately provided me with the experience needed to create an album cover with my own ideas and visuals. 

This album in particular is Peasants, Pigs and Astronauts by KULA:SHAKER.

Lip Syncing Task

In order to become familiar with lip syncing for the future of my music video, I was assigned to a group to film a practice task where we would lip sync to a song of our choice. 

This helped immensely because it taught me how to be precise with lip syncing when it comes to editing. The lyrics of the song need to be read clearly and in time with the song so that when it's later matched with the audio, it will perfectly sync and will almost seem realistic. 

Below is the video of my task, featuring another member of my class. We are lip syncing to Alex Clare's Too Close:

Representation in Music Videos

Richard Dyer - Star Image Theory

Organic and Synthetic Artists

Music Videos We Watched in Class (2)

We watched this set of videos in particular because they are all very unique in their construction. 

Ashes to Ashes (1980) was considered the most iconic videos of its release time, especially since it had broken the record of being the most expensive music video made. It's key features are that the video is hardly shot in balanced colour, and it mostly switches between solarised and black/white colours. The costumes are extremely unique, especially Bowie's Pierrot costume. Bowie has been very experimental with camera, mise-en-scene and lighting in particular. David Bowie has been recording long before the release of this video, so it's known that he is an organic artist. Controversially however, his alter ego Ziggy Stardust could have been seen as synthetic.

Everybody Hurts (1992) is one of the most known songs released throughout the history of music. As well as being a good song, it also has a good music video to accompany it. The video depicts the members of R.E.M. waiting in traffic, along with other civilians. R.E.M. are singing amongst this traffic whilst those in traffic are waiting, and we [the audience] can see their thoughts in subtitles. Eventually by the end of the song, all of the people stuck in traffic begin to get out of their cars and walk instead. This video (and many others by R.E.M.) either have a narrative or feature the band playing, without making any shots seem synthetic, giving off their desired image. 

Praise You (1998) is another instantly recognisable song and had huge success reaching to #1 in the UK charts. It also had an interesting music video to accompany it, created by "The Torrance Community Dance Group". The video depicts a man in a striped top and his dance group, preparing to dance to the song. Once the beat drops, the lead man begins to dance crazily whilst the group are performing synchronised choreography. This video was interestingly shot "guerrilla-style" (meaning they are using the location without permission) and the dancing aroused both positive and negative reactions from onlookers. Fatboy Slim is a self-made DJ and through his labels has been free to display his organic image. 

Afrika Shox (1999) has an interesting music video directed by Chris Cunningham, considered one of the most creative video artists of our time. This video depicts an African man not looking well and walking around the city streets, presumably trying to ask for help. Throughout the video, some of his limbs start to break off and smash on the ground (imagine a vase dropping on the floor and breaking). By the end of the video he hops into the middle of the road, is smashed by a taxi and is never seen again. 

Stan (1999) was nominated for best rap video of all time (at time of release) and has a long and short version (8:10 and 6:03 respectively). The video is so famous for it's perfect visual portrayal of the lyrical narrative. The video depicts Dido (UK artist who features in the song) as Stan's pregnant girlfriend who becomes increasingly worried that he is becoming too obsessed with Eminem. Stan is writing his third letter to him in hopes that he will reply and begins to talk about about the common ground that they share and that he relates to his music better than other fans because he has lived almost the same life. In the next verse he goes into detail about his life experience and then starts to talk about the opportunity Stan and his brother had to meet him, but were dismissed. The third verse is a tape recording of Stan in the car and he has locked his girlfriend in the boot. He graphically details the current events, whilst on "downers" (medication with drowsy effects) to Eminem in hope that he will answer in help. The car then goes off the bridge where Stan and his girlfriend die. The final verse is Eminem finding the letters that went missing and giving a response, until he remembers he heard the news that someone in a car drove off the bridge and realises it was Stan. 

Express Yourself (1989) had also broken the most expensive music video record (past Ashes to Ashes at its time of release). The video depicts Madonna in a factory penthouse office onlooking the half naked men working in the factory whilst rain pours on them. She is first shown in a very masculine light but later on in the next verse she is shown wearing lingerie, embracing her feminine side. One of the workers seems to be enchanted by her and finds his way up to her room, whilst also finding the cat that went missing after the first verse to bring it back to her. 

Frozen (1997) also has an interesting video directed by Chris Cunningham. This video is interesting because the name and idea of the song have no relation to the actual video. In class we listened to this song for the first time without visuals and then we were asked to describe what we thought the music video would look like. This was surprisingly fair because no one had actually seen the video or even heard the song before. After this we watched it with the visuals and were completely surprised to learn that it was filmed in the Mojave Desert. The way Madonna moves in this video, her costume and the drawings on her hand are very "mystical" symbolising that this was made during her time of strong belief in Kabbalah. Cunningham again makes the video interesting by making the desert colour blue, to enforce the "frozen" idea, even if it's hot where they filmed it. Another interesting part is the start of the chorus where Madonna drops to the floor and turns into a group of crows flying away, and next you see three Madonnas with one sinking into the ground. She later moves her costume in a way that turns her into a dog. In the final part of the song, the colour becomes much darker, more black. 

Papa Don't Preach (1986) was a commercial success, presumably due to the narrative. The video was filmed in New York and it depicts Madonna in the role of a teenager who is trying to explain to her dad, who loves her very much, that she is in love with her boyfriend, she wants to marry him and they are pregnant with a baby that she wants to keep. He is trying to protect her from the dangers of this but she's making it clear that she can manage on her own. 

Music Videos We Watched in Class (1)

We watched this set of videos in particular because they are all very unique in their construction. 

Can't Buy Me Love (1964) had a "promo vid" attached to it during its era of creation but wasn't released by the record company because nobody was able to do such a thing at the time. The video itself displays The Beatles to be a very organic band, although they've had other "promo vids" displaying them to look slightly synthetic, e.g. I Want to Hold Your Hand. It depicts all four members beginning to run from an apartment building into a field where they just mess around as friends (all in black and white). Interestingly organic because there are no close-ups of any members, or any image marketing. 

Strawberry Fields Forever (1967) also had a "promo vid" attached. It depicts all four members of The Beatles in Strawberry Fields, playing random instruments that they weren't famous for playing. The editing technique is experimental and surreal, probably to promote their new image at the time of creation (drug taking era). This could be seen as slightly synthetic.

Bohemian Rhapsody (1975) was the first song to have an official music video; therefore released by Queen's record label. Prior to this, they had "pop promos" attached to preceding songs. The video depicts all four members first standing in a bunch, in silhouette, singing the first section of the song. The second section easily transitions into Freddie Mercury singing and playing piano whilst John Deacon is playing bass, showing organic traits. The third section relapses back to the bunch in silhouette, followed by the last section of hard rock and cutting shots of each member playing their instrument. 

Video Killed the Radio Star (1979) was the first song to have its music video broadcast on MTV (debut video that opened the channel). The video depicts a girl standing by a radio in c. 1952 which blows up and transfers her to the future where both members of The Buggles are seen playing various instruments. This video may be perceived as strongly synthetic due to the purpose of enforcing the message behind it that "Video has killed radio" in terms of technological update.

The Scientist (2001) was a popular music video because the entire narrative was in reverse. It was also interesting because Chris Martin is seen singing in normal motion whilst everything around him is moving in reverse. The video could be seen as synthetic in a way that it may try to solely promote "Chris Martin - the front-man" to their audience and ignore the band as an entity.

Sledgehammer (1985) was a particularly interesting music video because it was experimental with the use of claymation and other animation techniques. This experimental use of effects could have been purposeful method of promoting Peter Gabriel's "weirdness", just as Lady Gaga does today.

Thriller (1982) was Michael Jackson's most popular and intriguing music video. The original version is a short film that lasts 14 minutes and the short cut music video version (long enough to be aired on TV, not too long) lasts 6 minutes. The video mainly consists of Michael and his date being attacked by zombies, leading Michael to turn into one and then all the zombies perform song and dance to it. 

What is a music video?

Important Terminology

This year I will be focusing on music videos and therefore I will have to be familiar with any terminology related to the analysis or creation of them. 

When producing my thriller last year, I learnt the basic terminology related to all types of film:

• Animatic - An animated storyboard that gives a better idea of a planned project
• Capture - The act of transferring footage from camera to computer
• Continuity Editing - Spatial and temporal continuity is maintained for the comprehension of the audience [in film and TV]
• Cutaway - A shot of an object, person or detail, which can be inserted at any time in a sequence (usually for extra narrative) without breaking continuity
• Montage Editing - A style of editing in which the juxtaposition of different elements creates impact and meaning 
• Offline Edit - Basic edit to be viewed prior to any effects being added
• Online Edit - Final edit where effects are added and the tape produced to broadcast standard
• Post-Production - The stage where effects are added 
• Pre-Production - The planning stage of a project, prior to shooting
• Production - The main shooting and editing stage of a project
• Storyboard - A planning sheet on which shots can be drawn prior to shooting
• Telecine - A stage between shooting and offline editing whereby all footage is transferred from film to video to allow editing on a computer
• Transition - Editing components, such as fades, dissolves, wipes, etc which overlap between shots to move the video from one shot to another
• Treatment - An initial outline of a project, which indicates the main features of the finished product 

I also learnt terminology related to media texts and audiences:

• Demographic - Particular socio-economic or geographical features of the audience
• Director - The main creative interpreter and organiser in charge of production process
• Distribution - The means by which a media product reaches its audience, including all promotional and marketing activity
• Exhibition - The point at which audiences view media products
• Form - The structuring conventions of a media text, such as generic, narrative or ideological framework
• Genre - Categories into which media texts may be divided according to similarities of form and content
• Hybrid - A combination of different genres or styles
• Ideology - Ideas, values and beliefs we hold as individuals or as groups, which inform the way we interpret and construct representations of the world
• Niche Marketing - Where a small specific audience is targeted, not a mass one
• Proliferation - A sudden increase in the amount or number of something
• Representation - Aspects of the real world are reconstructed into media texts, most commonly particular individuals or social groups
• Style - Visual and other production elements combined to give the text a distinct image and mode of address
• Synergy - Process by which one media product helps sell another, often from the same company

I will try to add a new term that I have learnt with each post I make in the future.

Introduction

Hello followers! My name is Daniel Aboudy and this is my blog. Here I will post the progress I have made with my main practical task for A2 level.

Last year I produced a blog for my AS 'Thriller' project, where I had to create a two minute introduction into a thriller film. Throughout the year I had learnt a lot about using the camera, the types of shots there are in film, editing shots, the rules and conventions of film/camera work and many other things. 

With this knowledge, I believe that I can improve the level of my work, both practical and theoretical, to ensure that my work is of excellent standard, to surpass last year's.

I chose to study Media because I enjoy watching and working with film and I am also interested in working with technology in the medium of film and other uses. 

Stay tuned for updates!