Evaluation Question 1

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.