In the ‘band narrative’, more specifically A Hard Days Night, there seems to be an obsession with realism. The black and white, the verité style and the behind the scenes footage all lead us to believe this is how life for the band actually is. There is a pleasure in absorbing what appears to be the ‘real face’ of the Beatles, as a unit and as each individual persona. A Hard Days Night’s realism is bound within the mise-en-scene and the dialogue of the characters themselves, like the impromptu jam in the “grotty” animal carriage on the train .There is also sort of normal working man notion that is explored in A Hard Days Night, where the boys are portrayed as young exuberant working class fellows living out everyone’s dream, although with Paul and John a working class title is far from true. The characters are each constructed in their own right however there is actually little revealed, more just a surface adjective given for each, nice guy, cynical guy, loner and larrikin. Of course this is all a blatant fabrication and in fact the entire film, and others alike, are staged. But while absorbing this ‘realism’ within the film my attention was drawn to another British band movie, Spice World; The Movie. Both movies seek to promote new and old songs spattered throughout the weak narrative plot line and both use realism to bind the spectator to the main characters, the band. The Spice Girls too have numerous off-the-cuff rehearsals and often look back at their past to their roots and when they first began as musicians, if you will. Something A Hard Days Night is missing but is often referenced in the form of their home towns, typically working class, and their mums.
There are scenes which disrupt this realism however; it is the lack of synchronisation. It is when Lennon starts singing before his mouth starts moving in almost every impromptu singing scene. At which, when noticed, we are pulled back (accidentally I believe) to a critical distance and reminded that this is all staged. It was through this disruption that I realised both these movies seem to need realism in order move away from the feature length music video it could so easily fall into. If we did not see backstage or feel like we knew them personally we would be less emotionally involved. As an audience we rely on realism to connect with ‘our’ band but there is no realism so in fact could you say that all ties with a band, if not personally encountered experiences, are inauthentic and surface. So who are the Spice Girls, and who are the Beatles if they aren’t what these narratives portray?
2 comments:
I agree with you that bands are or rather become the narratives they portray. They are , after all a commodity and their movies and music videos are all structured as a contribution to their 'brand' image. As with 'Spice World', the extremely loose narrative contributed to their image, and targeted their main power base. They sold themselves and their music on the idea of Girl Power. The Beatles sold their brand image as well.
The inclusion of backstage footage as a kind of fake realism (I agree with this), does emotionally invest the viewer as we see, and are to an extent involved in the process, not just the end product.
But this I think goes back to the idea of commodification. We enjoy it and are involved as spectators and fans. We partake in the voyeuristic pleasure of looking into someone else's life. 'A Hard Day's Night' plays with this idea, demonstrating a self reflectivity that I think makes it an interesting watch. The inclusion of all the Andy Warhol type art, the frozen images of the band members held up for spectacle, the very idea of the movie itself.
Music is and industry and their product is marketed via the instruments, ie the singers/bands, who have become brands in and of themselves. That, I think, is what we watch and buy.
I agree that behind the scenes or backstage realism makes the viewer feel included throughout the whole process and not just the end product. Looking into others lives gives us a connection we otherwise could not have. The popularity of reality tv shows and films today, proves that since the 1960's, our obsession with realism still remains, and may even be on the increase. American Idol, NZ Idol, The Osbournes, The Contender, In Bed with Madonna are just a few examples. To make a film based on a 'behind the scenes' look at a famous band only emphasises and satisfies the fan's need for realism. I think that directors play on this, by giving us fake rather than real depictions of our favourite bands, to prevent disappointments with what could be seen as boring or unpleasant, but truthful images; hence, the commodifying a band's brand image. 'A Hard Day's Night,' allows for this. In the Behind the Scenes special features DVD, director Lester admits to characterising the fab four based on an image of each that would hopefully sell. For some of them, he took a real personality trait and built a narrative on it. He describes Ringo Starr, for example, as a hard working and un credited member of the band. This formed the basis of Ringo 's film character as the band drummer who lacks respect and attention from fans and his fellow band members, causing him to walk out on the band in one scene, shortly before a performance. The 'real' Ringo, on the other hand, was revealed as being quite happy. As a result, Lester admits the film created stereotypes about the Fab Four, which audiences and the media would not let go of for many years, and a sympathetic fan base towards Ringo. This shows, that 'fake realism' is profitable. The consumer may not necessarily be buying the truth, but they are buying what they would like to see.
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