Use
During the production of my music video, I wanted it to be edited quickly and on the beat as this was a common feature that I noticed in my research and planning with bands like the 1975 and Blossoms occupying this technique in many of their music videos. Additionally, I wanted to cut on the beat as this would improve the videos continuity linked to Vernallis's theory which states that continuity makes for a good music video. This is adhered to in our video with the aid of cutting on the beat which allows the audience to focus a lot more on the song rather than what is going on on the screen. Indie music puts huge importance on the music so cutting on the beat is a helpful aid for the audience to address this.
In terms of the locations we used, particularly outside, we followed genre conventions as outside and urban locations are commonly used. This helps connote the gritty and alternative theme that is usually portrayed in indie music videos and also links to camera movement and it demonstrates disruption of some kind. We also used a studio which is a popular feature for indie music videos particularly ones from bands where the performance of the song is filmed. One particular example of this is in Arctic Monkeys' Teddy Picker music video.
When filming, camera movement was at the forefront of our minds and we decided to mainly use off tripod shots using a Steadicam for some of these to follow the conventions of indie music videos. We decided to do this to demonstrate the alternative and gritty feel which is often portrayed within the indie genre. In the narrative area of the video, camera movement was also used to show disruption to the equilibrium under Todorov's narrative theory. This was done by trailing more exaggerated and sudden movements of the camera when the character was in danger or the situation was intense and this again helped us portray a gritty feel. Additionally, we demonstrated the disruption and insecurity of the outdoors and how this is juxtaposed with the studio as camera movement was limited during performance elements but more engaged during any elements filmed outside. Indie music videos are usually calm in the studio as focus is put towards the artist and their music and consequently this is an element that we tried to adhere to.
The indie genre is extremely male dominated with them as artists and as actors for narratives. Consequently this is something that we specifically wanted to follow in our music video. Bands like the Arctic Monkeys, the Lumineers and Fall Out Boy are all male and they also feature highly in their videos. In our video, we have two male actors for the narrative and the artist is also male to fit genre conventions. Due to the significant amount of males in our videos our video goes against bell Hook's theory about feminism being a struggle to end oppression and domination due to women not even being placed in this video allow with multiple other examples including
To demonstrate the importance of the song itself, we included a lot of shots from the studio in our music video. Shots of our artist performing the song and the attention to detail of Mise En Scene help enhance the importance of the song over anything else as this is what is expressed in many music videos. Props like mic, drum kit and speaker feature in the background to keep the audience reminded what the main focus of the video is and along with continuity and cutting to the beat, all of these elements work in synergy to get across this message.
Another convention that is usually seen in indie music videos is an alternative or slightly abnormal narrative like the Arctic Monkeys why'd you only call me when your high video below. I believe that are video adheres to this because our narrative is quite unique and the elements of enigma codes like the text messages, package being hidden and facial expressions of the character being chased all enhance the alternative nature of the narrative, linking to current examples.
In my poster and digipak, codes and conventions are adhered to, particularly institutional codes as I have included bar codes, social media information, information about the production company and company logos which all make the products seem real. Additionally, crucial information like artist name and album title are correctly sized and positioned through research of previous digipaks that was carried out before the production of the ancillary tasks. Finally collar panels have also been included on my layout as they are conventional elements of digipaks that appear on all examples.
On my poster I have included a date for the when the album is release which is a key piece of information and one that is most valuable to the audience.
In what ways does your music product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Develop
Even though the duration of the video is continuous, we have included some editing techniques that might not be seen as conventional in indie music videos. Jump cuts, slow-motion shots and reverse shots all feature in the music video which are fairly unconventional techniques and the only example where the video comes close to ours in terms of editing is the original version of Wall of Glass. Jump cuts contrast continuity but they have been used during stages where the beat is extremely fast and are what we believe to be a good way to build tension. Our advanced editing techniques are examples of how we have developed the genre as when producing the video, we thought that standard cuts could get quite boring and the opportunity was there with multiple sections where the beat was quick and constant.
Our use of costume has developed the indie genre conventions. In the video, the artist is wearing a vibrant Adidas jacket which is slightly developed from the usual dark and conventional clothing of bands like Oasis and artists like Jake Bugg. These stereotypes are quite old fashioned and have been around since the introduction of indie music. Our video has helped develop the fashion of artists and has made it more fashionable and statement. We wanted to do this because we thought that it was important that we had a strong band which we could incorporate into our ancillary products.
As I wanted to link with the sub-genre of Brit Pop and the colour of the artist's jacket, I have included a lot of colour on my ancillary products which slightly develops genre conventions as they are usually simplistic with a lack of colour. I thought that by including red and blue within the theme, the audience would be able to easily identify the sub-genre of the indie product as these colours are heavily linked to Brit Pop. Additionally, the editing of images and use of layer mask in photoshop develops the genre codes and conventions further due to the fact that very little manipulation is evident on current examples. However, I thought that this was needed to link to the theme of disruption that is portrayed through many elements in the video. Tp the right, the image is positioned in an edgy frame which I believe links well to the theme.
As we tried to link the narrative with the lyrics of the song, representations of youth appear in our music video hence creating a hypodermic needed effect and introducing hidden messages. In our video, both protagonists are teenagers of which many stereotypes can be applied to. One of the characters has stolen an item and a passive audience may link this to the stereotype that teenagers are troublesome. On the other hand an active audience member may realise the underlying message of karma in our music video which puts them in a different perspective to digest the video. Overall, the multiple meanings and messages in our music video develop the way audiences observe music videos as they become more aware of underlying messages within them.
Challenge
Our narrative challenges genre stereotypes and particularly Vernallis's theory which states that all stories should have a beginning, middle and end. The music video ends with one of the character swinging a bottle towards the other and then proceeds to a black screen leaving the ending undefined and leaving the audience to figure out for themselves what has happened. Although we planned for this to happen to put a twist on the video, conventional indies videos have clear narratives with simple narratives.
Another challenge is that our artist features in two completely different locations but not in the narrative which added another element to our video and also goes against indie conventions. The Verve's Bittersweet symphony is an example that is juxtaposed with our video as it features the lead singer performing the song in one continuous shot. Even though this was a late development, I happy with this challenge because it cleverly cuts to the same shots just in different locations and they link with the messages and themes of the narrative.
Another area that we slightly challenged was that we didn't appeal to Propps character types mainly due the fact that our narrative was unconventional. For the purposes of explanation, we have suggested that the one who stole the object was a villain and the other character was a false hero although these identities could be interpreted in other ways. This could be a good thing as it means that the audience is required to be active to make their own decisions about who's side they are on.
There are minimal challenges in all three products because I generally tried to keep to genre conventions. This was important because I wanted the audience to identify genre through what they are viewing and I thought that any major changes could mislead or lead them to think it was another genre. If this was the case they may actively observe the products and not let the messages that are trying to be portrayed get to them. Therefore, challenges have been kept to a minimum to ensure the audiences understanding of the genre and possibly even the sub-genre.
