We were given the task of planning and
producing a music video of an unsigned band that follows or challenges the
genre conventions of the genre of the song. For our music video, we chose the
genre indie folk so I researched the codes and conventions of indie folk music
videos so I would know what to include in my music video. The conventions of
this genre include, being set in an outdoor location, the inclusion of an
instrument that is featured in the song, casual clothing, star image created by
the singer being in the music video and a mainly performance based music video.
After deciding the genre of our music video
and researching the codes and conventions, we had to think about the location
for where my music video, digipak and magazine advert would be set. A
convention of indie music videos is being set in a natural area, such as a
field or in a forest. A good example of this is Tom Odell’s I Know. He is the only person in the music video and
he is just walking through a forest which may symbolise loneliness. This
influenced our music video as we wanted to suggest loneliness.
We then decided to conform to these
conventions by setting our music video in an isolated field. The isolated field
symbolises loneliness as there is no one around. This links with the song as
the person she is singing about keeps coming and going but in the video he
isn’t seen so he must have gone. We predominantly focus on the
performance side which made our music video more laid back and less formal.
This is also a convention of indie music videos. For example, Gary Barlow's recent music video for 'Let Me Go' mainly shows him playing the piano in the middle of the street whilst everyone else joins in with their own instruments or just dancing. Using the same locations for
our digipak and magazine advert allows the audience to create a link between
our media products, which will help with advertising.
Another convention is the singer appearing
in media products to create a star image. We decided that we definitely wanted
the singer to appear in all of our media products, as it would advertise her as
well as the song. The singer appears in the majority of the music video, as it
is mainly performance based. She is also
in our digipak and magazine advert. The song we chose is dominated by an
acoustic guitar and a single vocalist. An example of this convention would be
Ellie Goulding, as she is in her music video for ‘The Writer’, but she is also
on the digipak and magazine advert. On the front cover of the digipak and
magazine advert, I used Photoshop to blur the background which created a focal
point on Bella. I decided to do this as Bella being the main focal point would
then create a star image. Tom Odell’s digipak Long Way Down influenced me to do
this as I saw the effect the blurred background had on the audience and how it
drew attention to Tom Odell.
A
convention of indie folk is the use of instruments. As the main instrument in
the song is an acoustic guitar, we decided to use an acoustic guitar in our
music video. But we challenged this convention as the guitar did not feature heavily
in our music video and it was not used in the digipak or music magazine. The
guitar allowed us to create a link to the folk side of the song. Fans of this
genre of music are likely to prefer the traditional conventions of the music so
it was only right to include the guitar, even if it wasn't for long.
Long shots are used to establish the
setting. For example, at the beginning of ‘Like a Hobo’ by Charlie Winston,
there is a long shot of the setting to show the location to the audience. In my
music video, I chose to use a long shot of Bella in the trees to show the
location to the audience. It is important to show the location as the setting
would have to be appropriate for the genre of the music.
Mid shots and close ups are often used to
emphasise the artists emotions but they also reflect the words of the song.
This is why I chose to use mainly mid shots and close ups. As it is a rather
emotional song, I decided that close ups and mid shots would allow the audience
to feel the emotion of the singer which could possibly create an
audience/artist bond. Close ups and mid shots also reflect the words of the
song so using these shot types would link with Goodwin’s theory of
amplification. As this is her debut single, the close ups allow the artist to
introduce themselves to the audience as well as showing the emotion they are
trying to express.
Costume is a very important convention as
it can dramatically reflect the mood of the song. The indie style of clothing
is alternative to modern trends, for example indie teenagers are likely to wear
converses instead of Nike air max trainers. Throughout our music video, the
singer wore leggings and a jumper with stripes across the middle. This is a
very casual outfit which is what a lot of indie teenagers tend to wear. Also,
if she is wearing casual clothing, then normal teenagers are likely to relate
to her as they will see that she is also just a normal person. Ellie Goulding
is a similar artist who just wears normal clothing in her music videos. For
example, in Guns and Horses, she is just wearing a checked shirt with black
leggings and black boots. We decided that the singer should wear the same
costume in all of our media products as the audience would be able to make a
direct link with the music video, digipak and magazine advert. Makeup is also
important as it can give the audience an indication of which era the video is
set in. We decided that the singer should wear minimal makeup as she is going
for the casual look and it wouldn't look right if she was wearing a load of
bright makeup. An example of makeup being important, is Paloma Faith’s ‘Picking
up the Pieces’, she has very subtle makeup in her videos with a pale face and
red lipstick, this suggests that her music and music videos are supposed to be
similar to the 50s. Ellie Goulding also wears subtle makeup to fit in with the
natural, casual look.
Props are used in indie music videos as
they can change the whole look of the video. We decided to only use a guitar,
stool and a bench as props in our music video to keep the casual look. A good example
of this is Lana Del Rey’s ‘National Anthem’. The audience can see her glamorous
and expensive looking house. This suggests to the audience that she is wealthy
and well respected.
A convention of indie music videos is the
link between the visuals and lyrics. The only time we really conformed to this
convention was when we used close ups to show the singer singing, but apart
from that, we challenged this convention. The song is about someone that keeps
coming into and going away from her life. We purposely decided that his person
wouldn’t be in the video as it would link with this person going. The song is
also about her letting go of him.
The main magazine advert that inspired me
was the advert for Tom Odell’s Long Way Down. Tom Odell’s music is similar to
Molly Grace’s and I liked how his advert was simple yet effective. I decided to
blur the background of the front cover of my digipak and on my magazine advert
as it created a focal point on the singer. However, I decided not to have the
artists name and name of the song, the same size as I wanted to advertise Molly
Grace more than the song. I did like the different font colour’s used to
separate the artists name and the name of album as it drew attention to them
both separately. The front cover picture for the Long Way Down digipak is the
same as the magazine advert which would link the two together. Jessie J’s Who
We Are album cover and magazine advert are also the same. I liked this idea but
I decided not to use the same picture, but I used very similar pictures
instead. On the magazine advert, the singer is standing side on but it facing
forwards, so her body is facing the text which will draw attention to it. But
on the digipak, she is completely facing forwards which will draw the audience
in.
Looking back on my product, I believe that
I have created a video that expressed all of the emotions within the song. I
have challenged and conformed to the genre conventions necessary as I wanted to
cater to the needs and wants of the target audience. But to create someone new,
I had to be innovative and challenge some conventions and ideologies
surrounding the indie folk genre.
