Script
Monday, 22 February 2010
Representation Issues
Love
Romeo and Juliet is sometimes considered to have no unifying theme, save that of young love. Romeo and Juliet have become emblematic of young lovers and doomed love. Since it is such an obvious subject of the play, several scholars have explored the language and historical context behind the romance of the play.
On their first meeting, Romeo and Juliet use a form of communication recommended by many etiquette authors in Shakespeare's day: metaphor. By using metaphors of saints and sins, Romeo was able to test Juliet's feelings for him in a non-threatening way. This method was recommended by Baldassare Castiglione (whose works had been translated into English by this time). He pointed out that if a man used a metaphor as an invitation, the woman could pretend she did not understand him, and he could retreat without losing honour. Juliet, however, participates in the metaphor and expands on it. The religious metaphors of "shrine", "pilgrim" and "saint" were fashionable in the poetry of the time and more likely to be understood as romantic rather than blasphemous, as the concept of sainthood was associated with the Catholicism of an earlier age. Later in the play, Shakespeare removes the more daring allusions to Christ's resurrection in the tomb he found in his source work: Brooke's Romeus and Juliet.
In the later balcony scene, Shakespeare has Romeo overhear Juliet's soliloquy, but in Brooke's version of the story her declaration is done alone. By bringing Romeo into the scene to eavesdrop, Shakespeare breaks from the normal sequence of courtship. Usually a woman was required to be modest and shy to make sure that her suitor was sincere, but breaking this rule serves to speed along the plot. The lovers are able to skip a lengthy part of wooing, and move on to plain talk about their relationship—developing into an agreement to be married after knowing each other for only one night. In the final suicide scene, there is a contradiction in the message—in the Catholic religion, suicides were often thought to be condemned to hell, whereas people who die to be with their loves under the "Religion of Love" are joined with their loves in paradise. Romeo and Juliet's love seems to be expressing the "Religion of Love" view rather than the Catholic view. Another point is that although their love is passionate, it is only consummated in marriage, which prevents them from losing the audience's sympathy.
The play arguably equates love and sex with death. Throughout the story, both Romeo and Juliet, along with the other characters, fantasise about it as a dark being, often equating it with a lover. Capulet, for example, when he first discovers Juliet's (faked) death, describes it as having deflowered his daughter. Juliet later erotically compares Romeo and death. Right before her suicide she grabs Romeo's dagger, saying "O happy dagger! This is thy sheath. There rust, and let me die."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_and_Juliet#Love
Love is any of a number of emotions related to a sense of strong affection and attachment. The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure ("I loved that meal") to intense interpersonal attraction ("I love my husband"). This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states.
As an abstract concept, love usually refers to a deep, ineffable feeling of tenderly caring for another person. Even this limited conception of love, however, encompasses a wealth of different feelings, from the passionate desire and intimacy of romantic love to the nonsexual emotional closeness of familial and platonic love[2] to the profound oneness or devotion of religious love.[3] Love in its various forms acts as a major facilitator of interpersonal relationships and, owing to its central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in the creative arts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love
Judaism
In Hebrew, Ahava is the most commonly used term for both interpersonal love and love of God. Judaism employs a wide definition of love, both among people and between man and the Deity. Regarding th
e former, the Torah states, "Love your neighbour like yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). As for the latter, one is commanded to love God "with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5), taken by the Mishnah (a central text of the Jewish oral law) to refer to good deeds, willingness to sacrifice one's life rather than commit certain serious transgressions, willingness to sacrifice all of one's possessions, and being grateful to the Lord despite adversity (tractate Berachoth 9:5).
Rabbinic literature differs as to how this love can be developed, e.g., by contemplating divine deeds or witnessing the marvels of nature. As for love between marital partners, this is deemed an essential ingredient to life: "See life with the wife you love" (Ecclesiastes 9:9). The biblical book Song of Solomon is considered a romantically phrased metaphor of love between God and his people, but in its plain reading, reads like a love song. The 20th-century Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler is frequently quoted as defining love from the Jewish point of view as "giving without expecting to take" (from his Michtav me-Eliyahu, Vol. 1).
Islam and Arab
In a sense, love does encompass the Islamic view of life as universal brotherhood that applies to all who hold the faith. There are no direct references stating that God is love, but amongst the 99 names of God (Allah)
, there is the name Al-Wadud, or "the Loving One," which is found in Surah 11:90 as well as Surah 85:14. It refers to God as being "full of loving kindness." All who hold the faith have God's love, but to what degree or effort he has pleased God depends on the individual itself.
Ishq, or divine love, is the emphasis of Sufism. Sufis believe that love is a projection of the essence of God to the universe. God desires to recognize beauty, and as if one looks at a mirror to see oneself, God "looks" at itself within the dynamics of nature. Since everything is a reflection of God, the school of Sufism practices to see the beauty inside the apparently ugly. Sufism is often referred to as the religion of love. God in Sufism is referred to in three main terms, which are the Lover, Loved, and Beloved, with the last of these terms being often seen in Sufi poetry. A common viewpoint of Sufism is that through love, humankind can get back to its inherent purity and grace. The saints of Sufism are infamous for being "drunk" due to their love of God; hence, the constant reference to wine in Sufi poetry and music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#Impersonal_love
Black people
The term black peo
ple usually refer to a racial group of humans with skin colours that range from light brown to nearly black. It is also used to categorize a number of diverse populations together based on historical and prehistorically ancestral relationships. Some definitions of the term include only people of relatively recent Sub Saharan African descent (see African Diaspora). Among the members of this group, brown skin is most often accompanied by the expression of natural afro-hair texture. Other definitions of the term "black people" extend to any of the populations characterized by dark skin, a definition that also includes certain populations in Oceania and Southeast Asia.
Romeo and Juliet is sometimes considered to have no unifying theme, save that of young love. Romeo and Juliet have become emblematic of young lovers and doomed love. Since it is such an obvious subject of the play, several scholars have explored the language and historical context behind the romance of the play.
On their first meeting, Romeo and Juliet use a form of communication recommended by many etiquette authors in Shakespeare's day: metaphor. By using metaphors of saints and sins, Romeo was able to test Juliet's feelings for him in a non-threatening way. This method was recommended by Baldassare Castiglione (whose works had been translated into English by this time). He pointed out that if a man used a metaphor as an invitation, the woman could pretend she did not understand him, and he could retreat without losing honour. Juliet, however, participates in the metaphor and expands on it. The religious metaphors of "shrine", "pilgrim" and "saint" were fashionable in the poetry of the time and more likely to be understood as romantic rather than blasphemous, as the concept of sainthood was associated with the Catholicism of an earlier age. Later in the play, Shakespeare removes the more daring allusions to Christ's resurrection in the tomb he found in his source work: Brooke's Romeus and Juliet.
In the later balcony scene, Shakespeare has Romeo overhear Juliet's soliloquy, but in Brooke's version of the story her declaration is done alone. By bringing Romeo into the scene to eavesdrop, Shakespeare breaks from the normal sequence of courtship. Usually a woman was required to be modest and shy to make sure that her suitor was sincere, but breaking this rule serves to speed along the plot. The lovers are able to skip a lengthy part of wooing, and move on to plain talk about their relationship—developing into an agreement to be married after knowing each other for only one night. In the final suicide scene, there is a contradiction in the message—in the Catholic religion, suicides were often thought to be condemned to hell, whereas people who die to be with their loves under the "Religion of Love" are joined with their loves in paradise. Romeo and Juliet's love seems to be expressing the "Religion of Love" view rather than the Catholic view. Another point is that although their love is passionate, it is only consummated in marriage, which prevents them from losing the audience's sympathy.
The play arguably equates love and sex with death. Throughout the story, both Romeo and Juliet, along with the other characters, fantasise about it as a dark being, often equating it with a lover. Capulet, for example, when he first discovers Juliet's (faked) death, describes it as having deflowered his daughter. Juliet later erotically compares Romeo and death. Right before her suicide she grabs Romeo's dagger, saying "O happy dagger! This is thy sheath. There rust, and let me die."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_and_Juliet#Love
Love is any of a number of emotions related to a sense of strong affection and attachment. The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure ("I loved that meal") to intense interpersonal attraction ("I love my husband"). This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states.
As an abstract concept, love usually refers to a deep, ineffable feeling of tenderly caring for another person. Even this limited conception of love, however, encompasses a wealth of different feelings, from the passionate desire and intimacy of romantic love to the nonsexual emotional closeness of familial and platonic love[2] to the profound oneness or devotion of religious love.[3] Love in its various forms acts as a major facilitator of interpersonal relationships and, owing to its central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in the creative arts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love
Judaism
In Hebrew, Ahava is the most commonly used term for both interpersonal love and love of God. Judaism employs a wide definition of love, both among people and between man and the Deity. Regarding th
e former, the Torah states, "Love your neighbour like yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). As for the latter, one is commanded to love God "with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5), taken by the Mishnah (a central text of the Jewish oral law) to refer to good deeds, willingness to sacrifice one's life rather than commit certain serious transgressions, willingness to sacrifice all of one's possessions, and being grateful to the Lord despite adversity (tractate Berachoth 9:5).Rabbinic literature differs as to how this love can be developed, e.g., by contemplating divine deeds or witnessing the marvels of nature. As for love between marital partners, this is deemed an essential ingredient to life: "See life with the wife you love" (Ecclesiastes 9:9). The biblical book Song of Solomon is considered a romantically phrased metaphor of love between God and his people, but in its plain reading, reads like a love song. The 20th-century Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler is frequently quoted as defining love from the Jewish point of view as "giving without expecting to take" (from his Michtav me-Eliyahu, Vol. 1).
Islam and Arab
In a sense, love does encompass the Islamic view of life as universal brotherhood that applies to all who hold the faith. There are no direct references stating that God is love, but amongst the 99 names of God (Allah)
, there is the name Al-Wadud, or "the Loving One," which is found in Surah 11:90 as well as Surah 85:14. It refers to God as being "full of loving kindness." All who hold the faith have God's love, but to what degree or effort he has pleased God depends on the individual itself.Ishq, or divine love, is the emphasis of Sufism. Sufis believe that love is a projection of the essence of God to the universe. God desires to recognize beauty, and as if one looks at a mirror to see oneself, God "looks" at itself within the dynamics of nature. Since everything is a reflection of God, the school of Sufism practices to see the beauty inside the apparently ugly. Sufism is often referred to as the religion of love. God in Sufism is referred to in three main terms, which are the Lover, Loved, and Beloved, with the last of these terms being often seen in Sufi poetry. A common viewpoint of Sufism is that through love, humankind can get back to its inherent purity and grace. The saints of Sufism are infamous for being "drunk" due to their love of God; hence, the constant reference to wine in Sufi poetry and music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#Impersonal_love
Black people
The term black peo
ple usually refer to a racial group of humans with skin colours that range from light brown to nearly black. It is also used to categorize a number of diverse populations together based on historical and prehistorically ancestral relationships. Some definitions of the term include only people of relatively recent Sub Saharan African descent (see African Diaspora). Among the members of this group, brown skin is most often accompanied by the expression of natural afro-hair texture. Other definitions of the term "black people" extend to any of the populations characterized by dark skin, a definition that also includes certain populations in Oceania and Southeast Asia.Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people are a demonism for people from Asia. However, the use of the term varies by country a
nd person, often referring to people from a particular region or sub region of Asia. Though it may be based on residence, it is also often considered a race or an ethnicity. In North America, the term refers most commonly to people of predominantly East Asian and Southeast Asian ancestry; however, in the United Kingdom, the term refers most commonly to South Asians. In other countries (like countries of Continental Europe), the term is applied in a wider sense to all people from Asia or from a number of its regions. In the United States, however, West Asian and Central Asian people are usually not considered "Asian."
Asian people or Asiatic people are a demonism for people from Asia. However, the use of the term varies by country a
nd person, often referring to people from a particular region or sub region of Asia. Though it may be based on residence, it is also often considered a race or an ethnicity. In North America, the term refers most commonly to people of predominantly East Asian and Southeast Asian ancestry; however, in the United Kingdom, the term refers most commonly to South Asians. In other countries (like countries of Continental Europe), the term is applied in a wider sense to all people from Asia or from a number of its regions. In the United States, however, West Asian and Central Asian people are usually not considered "Asian."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_people
Subject Matter
Romeo & Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young "star-crossed lovers" whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet and Macbeth, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers.
Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity. Its plot is based on an Italian tale, translated into verse as The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet by Arthur Brooke in 1562, and retold in prose in Palace of Pleasure by William Painter in 1582. Shakespeare borrowed heavily from both, but developed supporting characters, particularly Mercutio and Paris, in order to expand the plot. Believed to be written between 1591 and 1595, the play was first published in a quarto version in 1597. This text was of poor quality, and later editions corrected it, bringing it more in line with Shakespeare's original text.
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young "star-crossed lovers" whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet and Macbeth, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers.
Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity. Its plot is based on an Italian tale, translated into verse as The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet by Arthur Brooke in 1562, and retold in prose in Palace of Pleasure by William Painter in 1582. Shakespeare borrowed heavily from both, but developed supporting characters, particularly Mercutio and Paris, in order to expand the plot. Believed to be written between 1591 and 1595, the play was first published in a quarto version in 1597. This text was of poor quality, and later editions corrected it, bringing it more in line with Shakespeare's original text.
Shakespeare's use of dramatic structure, especially effects such as switching between comedy and tragedy to heighten tension, his expansion of minor characters, and his use of sub-plots to embellish the story, has been praised as an early sign of his dramatic skill. The play ascribes different poetic forms to different characters, sometimes changing the form as the character develops. Romeo, for example, grows more adept at the sonnet over the course of the play.
Romeo and Juliet has been adapted numerous times for stage, film, musical and opera. During the Restoration, it was revived and heavily revised by William Davenant. David Garrick's 18th-century version also modified several scenes, removing material then considered indecent, and Georg Benda's operatic adaptation omitted much of the action and added a happy ending. Performances in the 19th century, including Charlotte Cushman's, restored the original text, and focused on greater realism. John Gielgud's 1935 version kept very close to Shakespeare's text, and used Elizabethan costumes and staging to enhance the drama. In the 20th century the play has been adapted in versions as diverse as MGM's comparatively faithful 1936 film, the 1950s stage musical West Side Story, and 1996's MTV-inspired Romeo + Juliet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_and_Juliet#Themes_and_motifs
This was the origal balcony scene we was going to use for our video but unfortunetly the band did not like the idea of Romeo and Juliet so we had to come up with a different idea.
Subject Matter Research
From our research we came up with many ideas for our music video. We started off the idea of having a Romeo and Juliet as the main theme. It will involve a young couple aged between 18 – 22 who have fallen in love with each other but due to their difference in their religion, their family would not allow each other to get married. The boy would be Jewish and the girl Muslim, they both have strict religious families who try their very best to keep them away from each other and despite the fact that they have fallen in love.
It will be set in old fashioned settings where the band can perform, the Grimsdyke hotel is a perfect setting for the performance because it has this old fashioned posh theme to it, with a grand fire place including statues on either side. This will give a feeling that they are back in Shakespeare time when he wrote Romeo and Juliet.
We were planning to represent different religions and cultures and their differences between them. The girl for example would wear a hijab on her head and an abaya to cover her body, and pray in a Mosque, whereas the boy would wear a Jewish skull cap and pray in a Synagogue. We came up with the idea of the families and community from both sides looking down upon them, disappointed about what they are doing.
From our research we came up with many ideas for our music video. We started off the idea of having a Romeo and Juliet as the main theme. It will involve a young couple aged between 18 – 22 who have fallen in love with each other but due to their difference in their religion, their family would not allow each other to get married. The boy would be Jewish and the girl Muslim, they both have strict religious families who try their very best to keep them away from each other and despite the fact that they have fallen in love.
It will be set in old fashioned settings where the band can perform, the Grimsdyke hotel is a perfect setting for the performance because it has this old fashioned posh theme to it, with a grand fire place including statues on either side. This will give a feeling that they are back in Shakespeare time when he wrote Romeo and Juliet.
We were planning to represent different religions and cultures and their differences between them. The girl for example would wear a hijab on her head and an abaya to cover her body, and pray in a Mosque, whereas the boy would wear a Jewish skull cap and pray in a Synagogue. We came up with the idea of the families and community from both sides looking down upon them, disappointed about what they are doing.
We would have them walking on Harrow view point to make it seem romantic and because it mentions the setting in the lyrics of the song. We would see them together in different settings, together enjoying themselves but we would also see them being shouted at by their families for betraying them and their beliefs.
The band, Domino Theory, disagreed with this idea of bringing in religion to it and Romeo and Juliet. They wanted it to be a simple modern love story between a young girl and boy; therefore we changed a few ideas. We kept the performance setting and made it into a practice performance. We chose to keep this setting because we were running out of time and there was no other setting available for the band. We originally wanted to use a studio but unfortunately it was being used that day. However for the couple scenes we decided to make it a girl walking around in central where all the Christmas lights are out and she is walking around getting to a destination, the audience at this pint don’t know where she is going, then towards the end there will be scenes of the male walking around the station and in the end they both meet.
We will have a special effect in the couple walking around, we will make them look like cartoons when editing and they will come to life when they both meet. But it will mainly involve fades from the bad to the couple, and continuity cuts.
This is the exterior of the GRymsdyke hotel.
Domino Theory – “Try A Little Harder” Lyrics
I’m taken over, the stars are shining overhead,
And I remember the first time I held your hand,
Under starlight on Harrow View that midnight,
And nobody feels what I feel with you.
You hold me from falling into pieces,
But I don’t remember the last time I said the words.
You told me we won’t give up that easily now,
I’m trying to give you what you deserve.
Every time you stay the night,
I know I’m gonna wake up in paradise,
And every time you cry,
I know I’ve got to try a little harder now.
You know I blunder, come crashing down like thunder,
Now you know I’m a clumsy guy
Or maybe I’ll fall at the final yard.
You warm to me just like the morning sunshine,
And you’re giving me light from the inside.
And maybe one day I’ll see you walk the isle with me
And stare into the eyes of eternity.
Every time you stay the night,
I know I’m gonna wake up in paradise,
And every time you cry,
I know I’ve got to try a little harder now.
But don’t let me fall into the fire
Don’t make me have to find another.
Because she’ll be just like you, just like you,
She will be just like you, just like you.
Every time you stay the night,
I know I’m gonna wake up in paradise,
And every time you cry,
I know I’ve got to try a little harder now.
I love you, I love you, I love you
I’d love to hear you say
I love you, I love you, I love you.
I love you, I love you, I love you.
I’m taken over, the stars are shining overhead,
And I remember the first time I held your hand,
Under starlight on Harrow View that midnight,
And nobody feels what I feel with you.
You hold me from falling into pieces,
But I don’t remember the last time I said the words.
You told me we won’t give up that easily now,
I’m trying to give you what you deserve.
Every time you stay the night,
I know I’m gonna wake up in paradise,
And every time you cry,
I know I’ve got to try a little harder now.
You know I blunder, come crashing down like thunder,
Now you know I’m a clumsy guy
Or maybe I’ll fall at the final yard.
You warm to me just like the morning sunshine,
And you’re giving me light from the inside.
And maybe one day I’ll see you walk the isle with me
And stare into the eyes of eternity.
Every time you stay the night,
I know I’m gonna wake up in paradise,
And every time you cry,
I know I’ve got to try a little harder now.
But don’t let me fall into the fire
Don’t make me have to find another.
Because she’ll be just like you, just like you,
She will be just like you, just like you.
Every time you stay the night,
I know I’m gonna wake up in paradise,
And every time you cry,
I know I’ve got to try a little harder now.
I love you, I love you, I love you
I’d love to hear you say
I love you, I love you, I love you.
I love you, I love you, I love you.
Conclusion Drawn
From our research on similar text analysis and the research we did on genre forms and conventions of music videos, we have found that the forms and conventions in majority of music videos are; it is usually performance based. It usually involved the band or the artist performing the song themselves whilst playing their instruments. Nowadays music usually represents love or a relationship between couples, so the lyrics are mainly based on someone’s feelings towards someone else, i.e. Love.
The narrative built music videos involve an act of what the song is about, for example in the video “man who can’t be moved” by The Script, it is narrative /performance built because it contains a performance by the band and also a story of the man walking in New York city and scenes of the sky scrapers and the setting he is in and him waiting in the corner of the street which is what it says in the lyrics. The narrative makes the video more realistic and brings the audience closer to the music/ song. It lets them understand what music and lyrics better.
Another example is the music video called “so sick” by Neyo which is narrative built all throughout the video contains scenes of what it was like in his relationship, although the song is about a breakup. The video tells the background of the story and why the song was written. Other videos are concept built which involves cartoons of added special effects that just makes the video seem more interesting and stand out from the rest. It sometimes have hidden message which can’t be easily figured out just by the lyrics.
The mise en scene of the videos according to our research is; the setting is usually a studio or a stage if it is performance built, however if it is a narrative built, it usually takes place in the streets or any external area, it all depends on the song, for example, of it is a love song then it is likely it will take place in a restaurant or in the streets at night or maybe somewhere where you can see the sun-set, anywhere romantic.
The costumes and hair/make also depends on the genre of the song. Usually it would be a love song. The video usually involves the band/artist as the main characters in the video. The women are seen as the “sexy” slim beautiful ones, usually dressed in revealing clothes, whereas the men are dressed in baggy jeans, t-shirts and hoodies with big expensive looking gold chains on. This is mainly shown in an RBB/Hip-pop video. However in most videos, the female is seen a beautiful, and different. She is dressed beautifully but in revealing clothes, usually a nice dress, her makes up is perfect, not too overdone. The male is dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, also once again not over doing it.
Overall the forms and conventions of music videos are the genre; most videos nowadays are based on a love story. This is one of the main points we need to consider because or target audience is in a young age category, between 16 -30 years which are the years where people find love, so the audience will be interested in a love song. Another convention which we need to consider when making the video is whether it will be performance built, narrative or concept built. We believe that performance and narrative will be the best idea because it gives the audience a good understand of who the band/artist, revealed by the performance, and also the background of the story, revealed by the narrative.
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