Indie/Pop Music Video Analysis 2

Lana Del Rey - Video Games

Digipak Ideas - CD Design

I wanted the CDs within my digipak to have a vinyl design on them to continue the vintage/retro theme.  I researched into vinyl designs to see the different variations, and found some more traditional versions that were plain black and white colour vinyls with images relating to the album cover in the middle, such as:

I found some vinyls that were brighter and mixed colours:

I also found shaped vinyls, which couldn't be applied to my CDs.  However, I could make them seem shaped by using colours on the edge of the CD that match the digipak case, with the shape I want contrasting against them.

Audience Profiling

Indie/Pop Music Video Analysis

Florence + The Machine - Shake It Out

Artist's Style

Before my first test shoot, I looked into my artist's overall style, considering what costume and make-up to use.  I thought about possible shops they would buy clothes from, and considering the conventions of the indie/pop genre, I thought places like Urban Outfitters and Topshop would be accurate.  (Click to enlarge.)

Influences

I looked at digipaks and CDs that I thought were interesting and stood out to me for possible influences on my work.  I focused on genres aroud the indie/pop one I have chosen, however also broadened it to the rock genre.

This is the back cover of the CD 'Brand New Eyes' by Paramore.  I like the empty photo frames and mirror used against the pale blue.  I think it looks very indie and vintage despite it being for a rock band and would like to include something similar in my digipak.

This is the front cover of a CD/vinyl 'Volume 3' by She & Him.  This definitely conveys their indie/pop genre through their costumes and black and white photography with pastel coloured circles surrounding the band.  The photo is focused on the girl, Zooey Deschanel, because she is also a well known actress as well as the singer in the band, therefore a selling point for the band and album.  As I want to create an artist with a backing band like this and Florence + The Machine, I will consider this type of photography to be used for my digipak.

Final Brief

My Brief:

Create a music video and digipak for a fictional artist/band you have created, showing the conventions of a genre of your choice.

My Artist:

Name:  

Brief History:  Met at university and formed a band, played open mic nights and local pubs and bars, signed to an independent record label - Chess Club.  Popularity gradually grew, started supporting artists, such as Florence + The Machine, and eventually headlined concerts in small venues around London.  Soon after signed to XL.

Signed to:  XL Recordings

Sound:  Indie/pop

Influences:  Florence + The Machine, Chvrches, Kyla La Grange, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Daughter, Kate Nash, The Lumineers, She & Him.

Ideology:  Work hard to get what you want.

Likes:  Music, vibrant colours, vintage things, nostalgia.

Dislikes:  X-Factor, cheesy boy bands, negativity.

New Brief

After discussing our ideas and realising we were not sure on our joint idea, Lauren and I decided to work separately.  She continued with the electronic rock band idea and I started looking into what artist I wanted to create for which genre, which I initially struggled with.  I liked the style of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Chvrches and Florence + The Machine, where there is a band but the focus of the group is the female lead singer.  I considered creating a ska band, such as No Doubt, as Gwen Stefani is the focus of that group.  However, the ska genre is broad and therefore the conventions are quite complicated.

To make it simpler, I decided to do an indie/pop group with a female lead singer, as this is a genre I personally enjoy and am familiar with.  I then created their brief and brainstormed things and conventions related to the indie/pop genre.

Poster Analysis

Digipak Analysis

Slide 2:
The genre of Rihanna’s music is pop.  This is shown by her being the focus of the images, a convention of the pop genre to promote and sell her image to fans.  The use of bold colours makes the digipak vibrant and eye catching, also another pop genre convention.  These vivid colours can also relate to the album’s title ‘Loud’.  Rihanna has bright red hair and lipstick to match, with red connoting love, passion and danger.  This image is an extreme close up of her face for the front cover, which with the hair and make-up appears more mature and seductive, therefore suggestive of her personality.  However, the image inside and the images on the discs includes roses, connoting love, which softens her seductive look and implies she is more girly and innocent.  Her name appears on the album in a small, plain font that doesn’t stand out particularly well, however she is a well established artist and will be recognised by the images of her.  The unique selling point of this digipak is that it includes two disks, giving extra features such as bonus songs to the audience.

Slide 4:

The XX are an indie/pop band.  The conventions of indie CD covers and digipaks often don’t include an image of the artist or band, and something more obscure.  The XX digipak does this, only using ‘X’s for the bands name in substitution for images.  This makes the band name and logo memorable.  The use of just ‘X’s and the simple contrast of black on white and vice versa makes the digipak very simple, which also makes it look clean cut and neat.  This could suggest the bands music further, as their sound tends to be slower than most indie/pop music and is quite calming.  The unique selling point within this digipak is that it includes more than one disk.

Slide 5:

The genre of Evanescence is rock, and the digipak clearly represents this by the colours used.  The colourisation is a deep blue/black with white.  The lighting and contrast is harsh, reflecting the heavy music and darker themes of the band’s music.  The digipak includes images of the whole band, but the focus is on the lead singer Amy Lee, with her being on the front cover and in the middle of the group picture.  As she is the lead singer, she is the main selling point of this band, and the fact that female fronted rock bands are not as common as male fronted bands.

Mood Board

For my mood board, I collected images from online of things associated with the indie/pop genre and placed them in the style of a Polaroid photo, using brown sugar paper to look vintage.  The photos mainly focused on vintage and retro objects, such as record players and Polaroids.  I included images of artists and bands that are of that genre and are similar to the artist I have created.  For example, Florence + The Machine, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kyla La Grange, She & Him and Wolf Alice. I also featured some places associated with my indie/pop genre, typically quirky places up London such as Camden.

Digipak Analysis - Green Screen

The genre of Florence and the Machine is indie/pop.  Conventions of the pop genre include a significant focus on the artist, to promote and sell their image to fans.  The Florence and the Machine digipak follows this convention as the lead singer, Florence Welch, is the sole focus of the images.  However, the photographs of her are not a typical pop style.  They have a vintage look, showing the indie influence.  If I were to create an indie artist or solo artist that is not just of the pop genre, I would definitely consider using the vintage effect to convey this.

The lighting in the images is quite dramatic.  The images vary from Florence in flowy clothing standing in a doorway with light behind her, making her appear almost angelic.  Other images have harsher lighting with more shadows, suggesting darker themes within her music and making the image seem more obscure.

The colourisation of the back cover and the CDs within the digipak are very neutral, which again makes Florence the focus of the digipak.  However, the digipak includes two CDs instead of only one, giving additional features and making it a unique selling point.

Cross-Media Case Study

Music Video Director

Postmodernism

There are three genre cycles which effect music videos significantly.  These are:

• Experimental, which establishes trends
• Postmodern, which takes elements of past texts but also adds something new in, often mocking
• Cannon, which is fixed to cultural understanding

I researched further into postmodernism, looking at examples and some theorists.

Culture Industry

In today's lesson we were introduced to Adorno and Horkeimer's theory of the Culture Industry.  To help us understand this, we were put into groups and assigned to be an X Factor judge.  My group were given Cheryl Cole, therefore had to decide what types of artists is she associated with.  We had to watch various X Factor auditions and give hypothetical feedback of what we would say to the singer's face, while also considering to ourselves what we would do to change this artist so that they would sell.

As we were Cheryl, we initially wanted to focus on the younger singers, particularly boys, as they would appeal to the target audience of young girls.  We also thought a sob story would make people empathise with them, therefore also increasing their chances of selling.  Most of the time we decided we would change their appearance and target them to a specific audience.



There are three stages of Adorno and Horkeimer's theory:

Standardization

All products produced by the culture industry exhibit standardised features, therefore there is nothing spontaneous about the process.  The class decided that people just go through a 'Celebrity Making Machine', as it is repetitive and routine.



Pseudo Individuality

This suggests that products created by the culture industry make a claim to be original, but they only contain minor superficial differences.  Baudrillard suggested that 'nothing is original, everything is the same'.


Capitalism

An artist is seen as a commodity, with the aim to sell them, in the way how industries manufacture things on a mass scale, usually with an assembly line.  This results in a standardised and passive consumption by audiences.

Post-Modernism

History of Music Videos

In the 1990s it became common to use long takes with steadicams and a lack of edits, such as with The Verve's video for Bittersweet Symphony.  Split screens and fast cut montages were also quite popular.

Cinematography

Meanings of songs are often created by the various camera shots and movements within a music video.  Camera movement often follower the artist's performance as they sing or dance, and depending on the speed or shot type it can convey various moods.  Close-ups are also frequently used to show the artist, hoping to promote and sell their image (Goodwin).

Editing

Music videos often are split into two parts, the performance of the artist and the narrative.  These are usually intercut with each other, linking the lyrics and visuals (Goodwin).  This can allow for a varied pace and mood, depending on the length of these shots and when the footage is changed.  This is further emphasised by transitions added between shots.  Filters are often also used to relate to specific genres.

Development of Technical Codes

Due to the advancement of technology, music videos have significantly developed over time.  This has been particularly due to using portable cameras which can film in colour, allowing for pop artists to create music videos quicker and cheaper rather than the more expensive and longer process of using film.  The development of special effects and green screens have also impacted music videos, meaning artists can be more creative with their videos.

Record Labels

Research into major and independent record labels, looking at the pros and cons of each, with examples of existing record labels.

Music Video Analysis

Analysis of the Vaccines' music video for I Always Knew, applying Goodwin's Theory.