Witchcraft (#12)

  
   The music video for the song Witchcraft by the band Pendulum, was directed by Barney Steele and Mike Sharpe. It starts off like the song, rather slow and peaceful. It even mirrors the lyrics in some aspects, such as: 


It’s in your eyes, a colour fade out,
Looks like a new transition.
The starting up and shaking your ground,
Turning your head to see a new day calling.

   Most of the images shown in the beginning are various different cells and close ups on eyes and other body parts. This could be a mirror of the lyric: Looks like a new transition. After that line, everything shown seems to vibrate or move soon as this one starts: The starting up and shaking your ground. It's foreshadowing what's about to happen. The song only needs to go on for another verse until it reaches 0:45 in the music video. This is the turning point in which everything is kicked into high gear. For the rest of the music video, you see things grow and expand. Also incorporated are shots of the band, and a struggling woman submersed in water. In the end, the women comes out of the water into where the band is, and is free-floating in the air. 

   How this music video relates to society is how everything is ever changing. No matter how hard we struggle, we don't have the power to change anything in the end. The harder we struggle, the further we get left behind. 

   I find this video very inspiring because I love pretty much everything about it. It's well edited for the song and the mirroring effect used in some of the shots are something you don't see very often; which I like. The quick cuts enforce the chaotic nature of what's going on, and is a technique that's often abused, but works well in this context. To top it all off, I love the song and the music video just makes it that much better. 

   

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (#11)

   This is a remastered version of the song, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) originally performed by Eurythmics. It is sung by the actress (Emily Browning) who plays the main character of the movie, Babydoll. The song is considerably more eerie and unsettling from the original version. There is also an added orchestral part to make the scene in the movie it's being used, more impactful. The scene in the movie being the opening one where you find out how Babydoll got to be in the asylum. 

   It relates to society because of how willing people are to change the old to make it 'new' again. Songs are recreated so they can make money, not because it will be beneficial to younger people or aid them. I also think that it shows how unoriginal many people are nowadays. How unwilling they are to try to be unique and creative because they don't want to fail.
   Even though it may relate to society that way, I still  find the remake of the song inspiring. It's inspiring to me because there's a stigma that comes with recreating something, especially something that already has a big fanbase, but it's finding a way to make it your own that tells if you're going to be successful. I also see that changing up how it's created, it's feel, the artist, and extending it/adding to it can change the whole meaning of the art work. Sometimes it works, others, it doesn't.       

Party Rock Anthem (#10)

 

   In this music video, Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO, the two members of the group wake up from a coma after 28 days and discover that the world is not the same anymore. It's basically become a 'danceocalypse' that one can only escape by getting away from the music with things such as ear plugs. 
   This music video impacts society because it shows how easily society will follow trends. Things like silly bands and Charlie Sheen are things that people become obsessed with because they are deemed the new 'trend.' People will follow other people, especially if it will make them become 'one of the crowd.' 
   I find it inspirational because it helps me realize that just because something is a trend or popular, doesn't actually mean that it was well done or creative. All that proves is that it provides entertainment value to the masses. It helps me think more for myself and what I'd like to accomplish, not a 100% what I think other people would like me to do. 


    

Sucker Punch (#9)

   Sucker Punch is about a girl who hatches a plan to escape from a mental asylum before she gets a lobotomy. In the poster, you can see her in the foreground and her acquaintances from the asylum, behind her, as well as human-controlled robot, an airplane and a dragon in the sky. Even further in the background is an army that the girls must defeat. The colour scheme is mostly variants of green and some yellow. 
   This poster relates to society because of how much it's changing. The poster shows a feature film that's being shown on over 3000 screens, and it's main characters are women, and those women aren't just being pushed around, they're fighting back. 
   It has become inspirational to me because it shows me how being out side of the societal norm can be a good thing. And just because it is out of the norm, doesn't mean that it's a bad thing. In fact, that's what leads people into thinking differently and changing their view on things. 
   

Kegadoru (#8)

   This photograph is by Danger Ninja Production. It is a simple photo essay of a girl who's been injured and is wrapped in gauze, standing with a pole that has a bag of blood on it. In the first photo, you can see all of the pole and the girl, so you can get a sense of her injuries and what she looks likes all together. In the second photo, it's a profile of the girl. Even though she's injured, she doesn't seem very upset or in much pain. More naive or innocent looking.
   This photo can relate to society because of its obsession with blood, gore and women. In most action and horror movies, there's always a beautiful girl who's, at some point or another, naked/semi-naked/implied to be naked. There's also a gruesome death... or twenty. It also relates with its Anime feel and is actually a homage to the Japanese street style known as Kegadoru. Kegadoru is the 'injured idol fetish,' were girls will walk around wearing bandages to get attention from guys who prefer this specific style. Which shows, yet again, societies obsession with all things violent and sexual. 
   The reason I find this photo inspiring is because of how different it is. When I was looking through Danger Ninja Production's portfolio, this immediately caught my eye. If it was a still from a video, I'd want to know how she got like that. Why would she be wandering around, bloody and covered in bandages while holding an IV pole? Why doesn't she care? Is it from drugs? Or maybe it's just a Halloween costume? Plus many other questions popped into my head. That's why it's inspiring to me. I have so many questions and scenarios running through my head, which gives me so many ideas. 

21st Century Girl (#7)

   The video is about a 21st century girl who is created and given the chance and the power to change the world. It starts with an nomadic old woman creating Willow and then pulling her from the sand. Willow and her friends proceed by pulling things out from the sand. Things like guitars and even skyscrapers which ends in them creating a whole city. 
   This relates to society with its views on women and their role in it. The meaning of a 21st century girl is a girl who is able to control her own destiny and run the world, if she so chooses, because she has the right. It shows that women and even young girls, are starting to catch up to where they belong. They realize that have the same power as any man, and accomplish just as much, if not more. 
   Why I find this video so inspirational, is because of the message. It's strong and clear and something that many people, more specifically women, will be able to relate to. It shows to me that the message is one of the key points in a piece of artwork, and without one, your artwork won't be as impactful as it could be. 

Skylar Grey (#6)

   
   These are black and white photos of an up-and-comer singer named Skylar Grey. She sang the demo version of the song Love the Way You Lie (Part II) and has been featured on songs like, I Need a Doctor by Dr Dre and Coming Home by Diddy-Dirty Money. 
   The reason I think they relate to society is because of how the photos actually look, not because of what they're trying to portray about the singer. It shows how easily something can no longer be used because of its mass popularity/over-use. It also shows that, once something becomes successful, many people will try to grab onto that success so they can get a chunk of it for themselves. The photos resemble the character Lisbeth Salander from the Millennium trilogy.

The styling and mood makes you see the similarities between the photos. This will probably not work in Skylar Grey's favour, especially if someone saw the photo and not the caption of who it was. When I first saw it, I thought it was a promotional picture for the Millennium trilogy, not for a singer. 

   This is a picture of the singer Skylar Grey. They do have some similarities (Lisbeth and Skylar) but the stylists and photographer should've been more aware. 
   It's inspirational to me because I want to try to my hardest to be as original as possible. It's almost impossible knowadays, but I definitely don't want my work to be confused with someone else. 

Howlin' For You (#5)

   The music video for Howlin' For You by The Black Keys is about a girl who becomes an assassin to take revenge against her father's killer. She pretends to fall for him, and ends up blinding him one eye, but not killing him. The music video is set up like a trailer for a feature film. So, you basically get a quick overview of her motives, her friends and enemies, but an unknown ending.
   How this relates to society is with its need for revenge and getting your way in life. The protagonist will do whatever it takes to get back at her father's killer, even if it breaks the law. She centres her whole life on it, killing anyone her stands in her way. And, if she was ever caught, she would probably get sympathy from many people because she's just trying to 'right a wrong' that's been done onto her and her family. 
   It's inspiring to me, because of how clear the goal of the movie is. It even has a very unique, recognizable style which would be synonymous with Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. It also inspires me because it shows how specific styles can add to the feel of something. Picking the wrong way to portray something can ruin the whole thing, even if everything else is done well.