Thursday, 27 September 2012
Audience Research
Gender
From my audience research, I have found that a majority of both the males and females enjoy indie music, both genders with overall more people who listen to it over people who don't. This shows that the genre of music appeals to both males and females alike although more females were asked the question. It means that the music video doesn't necessarily have to appeal to one specific gender and can be aimed for everyone to enjoy.
Age
The age range I found most of and who are more likely to listen to indie music are the 16 - 24 year olds. When we come to filming our music video, this should be the age range we target most because there seems to be a bigger interest in indie music for this age range rather than 0 - 15 and 46 - 59.
Do You Listen to Indie Music?
Most people within the younger age ranges all did listen to indie rock, again showing the popularity with younger people and giving us a target audience.
What Do They Wear?
Most of the people asked think indie rock is a very casual style of music when it comes to music videos, showing that when we present our videos, casual clothing may either be a good or band choice because it is sticking with what people know.
How Do You Listen to Music Most?
A majority of people asked listen to music most through itunes, showing us that this may be the best place to present our music video because of the popularity level.
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
Advertisment Analysis
This advertisment is very literal to the name of the new album. The dark background contrasts with the bright colours of the neon bars which creates the shape of a bible. The light coloured text stands out against the backgroun and makes the advert more appealing to look at as a majority of the newspaper will have a white background with black text. The advert uses very little text to describe the album, allowing the viewer of the poster to think for themselves about what it could mean. The bright colours could also represent a bright and happy feeling to the music of the band against a dark world.
The Biffy Clyro advert seems to be set in reasonably normal surroundings, the kind you would see in everyday life. However, the bats represent darkness and give an eerie effect, but it could also respresent freedom because the bats are flying through the title of the band. It is a very eye catching advert because of the strange qualities to it. The central man on fire could show hatred and heat within the band, representing the band to be firey and exciting. The man with the water exploding on his head could respresent how 'cool' the band are and the way each of them are sat could show an uncaring feeling towards the album.
The Bloc Party advert is very simplistic, creating a dark feeling to the advert because of the black background. The simplisitc, white text makes it stand out against the darkness and adds an element of light and happiness. The moving photo creates a feeling of life moving past you quickly, the viewer barely getting a chance to acknowledge what's going on as it moves past without you realising. The fast movement could also represent the fast beats within the music and how the album sounds.
Monday, 24 September 2012
Record Label Research
Marshall Teller Records
I wanted to look at Marshall Teller Records because they released the first single of one of our chosen bands, 'The Vaccines', with the song 'Wreckin Bar'. The record label was started in 2010 by Leon Diaper and a few of his friends with the idea of creating todays music that we would want on a vinyl record, giving it all an old school music effect. Within two years, the record company has released over 13 records now, making them one of the most watched record labels as the bands signed to them keep producing hit after hit. Along with The Vaccines first single, they also have signed onto the label up and coming bands such as Gross Magic and The History of Apple Pie.
Columbia Records
Columbia records is a huge, if not the biggest, record company. The amount of singers and bands signed is huge, as well as the range of different styles of music; from our genre of indie, through to pop and then onto rap. Formed in 1888, the company began in Washington D.C. in a small apartment building.The bands and people signed to them include Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Aerosmith, The Vaccines, Judy Garland, Journey, The Glee Cast, Barry Manilow, MGMT, Katy Perry, Train and One Direction.
Kitsuné Music
Kitsune was created in 2002 in Paris by Gildas Loaec, Masata Kuroki and the London based design compny Abake. The music label has a particular focus on not only the music, but also the style of the band wanting to combine them seemlessly with whomever they sign. Bands signed to the label include one of the most famous indie bands Two Door Cinema Club, Bloc Party, Logo and Is Tropical.
I wanted to look at Marshall Teller Records because they released the first single of one of our chosen bands, 'The Vaccines', with the song 'Wreckin Bar'. The record label was started in 2010 by Leon Diaper and a few of his friends with the idea of creating todays music that we would want on a vinyl record, giving it all an old school music effect. Within two years, the record company has released over 13 records now, making them one of the most watched record labels as the bands signed to them keep producing hit after hit. Along with The Vaccines first single, they also have signed onto the label up and coming bands such as Gross Magic and The History of Apple Pie.
Columbia Records
Columbia records is a huge, if not the biggest, record company. The amount of singers and bands signed is huge, as well as the range of different styles of music; from our genre of indie, through to pop and then onto rap. Formed in 1888, the company began in Washington D.C. in a small apartment building.The bands and people signed to them include Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Aerosmith, The Vaccines, Judy Garland, Journey, The Glee Cast, Barry Manilow, MGMT, Katy Perry, Train and One Direction.
Kitsuné Music
Kitsune was created in 2002 in Paris by Gildas Loaec, Masata Kuroki and the London based design compny Abake. The music label has a particular focus on not only the music, but also the style of the band wanting to combine them seemlessly with whomever they sign. Bands signed to the label include one of the most famous indie bands Two Door Cinema Club, Bloc Party, Logo and Is Tropical.
Analysis of CD covers
The Vaccines first album CD cover, unlike most albums, has no title on the cover and simply has the name of the band above the main colours. The cover contrasts itself hugely with the colours used, while the thick outside border is black, it is constrasted with the pale red and pink colours and the white shirt of the people in the main part of it. A majority of the songs in the album are about relationships between couples, whether they are making up or breaking up, so the couple on the front of the album are very significant to the nature of the bands first album. However, the poisition of the two people makes the relationship seem quite strained due to the way they have put their hands.
Two Door Cinema Club's CD cover is very literal to the name of the song being released. The colours on the cover are all very neutral colours, giving the album quite a calm kind of feel to it, however, the pink accent to the album give it a bit more of a girly, vibrant feel to it, linking into the woman on the cover. The title 'Sleep Alone' links with the woman lying by herself, linking in with the title of the album.
The Wombats album cover is very odd and different to the mainstream CD covers. The group of people on the beach with very casual clothing on a day out. The sheets of paper over their faces show an unwillingness to show themselves for who they are, possibly showing how society hides away from situations they are faced with, which could link with the title 'The Modern Glitch', like a glitch in the modern community. The colours are all bright and vibrant, giving an excitable and happy feel to the album as a whole. The birds in the background give a sense of freedom to the album.
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Conventions of an Alternative music video
Mise-En-Scene
Casual clothing
smart casual
Odd clothing, the wombats, wetsuits, flippers and masks with oxygen tanks
Cinematography
Most used:
Close ups
Extreme close ups of insturments
long shots
mid shots
tracks
Establishing shots (vampire weekend,)
Handheld shots
Editing
Fast cuts to look like jolty movements
most videos are amplification
Locations:
Rooms, projections
Narrative
Either narrative involving band or actors
most have some form of live performance in them, even if it is only for a short clip.
Party like narrative - during party or post party
Casual clothing
smart casual
Odd clothing, the wombats, wetsuits, flippers and masks with oxygen tanks
Cinematography
Most used:
Close ups
Extreme close ups of insturments
long shots
mid shots
tracks
Establishing shots (vampire weekend,)
Handheld shots
Editing
Fast cuts to look like jolty movements
most videos are amplification
Locations:
Rooms, projections
Narrative
Either narrative involving band or actors
most have some form of live performance in them, even if it is only for a short clip.
Party like narrative - during party or post party
Analysis of Five Videos
The Wombats - 1996
The music video for 1996 by The Wombats is not a typical one, stepping away from the norm of music videos. The costumes are all wetsuits for the actors in the background as the entire video is set underwater. However, the main singer of the band and the other musicians within it, all wear casual clothes, making them stand out against the rest of the people in the background. The two musicians also wear masks and goggles to add to the underwater effect of the video. It is odd because of the fact it is set underwater, however it still links in with the music video because it is in a party like surrounding with the lyrics of the song. The shots are all very slow moving because of the fact it is set underwater.
White Lies - Bigger Than Us
The White Lies, Bigger Than Us music video is extremely different to normal music videos because of the odd narrative running throughout. There is a house being disinfected as a child lays in bed, helpless beside a big chocolate bar. The lip syncing uses the child as the voice of the lead singer for the beginning of the music video, creating a strange and mysterious feel to the music video. The chocolate bar transforms into a young girl who is around the same age of the little boy, clearly showing why the little boy was so distraught over something. The costumes in the music video varies depending on the person. The little boy is wearing a pair of white leggings, possibly showing him to have good intentions and be angelic. The band members themselves are also dressed in bright white colours showing them to be possibly angelic and strong, looking out for the little boy and his friend. The little girl however is dressed up in purple colours, giving her a youthful look to her. The end of the video shows her on a poster in the exact same outfit, possibly showing she is a child celebrity? The whole video could link too the whole aspect of child stars going off the rails and the celebrity culture going on at the moment as the girl could be the cause of the mess of the house. The editing uses quite slow paced cuts and a lot of slow motion to fit in with the tyle of the song, creating a
The Vaccines - All In White
The Vaccines 'All In White' music video is a kind of interpretation of living while your young and having fun, The extreme long shot of the band at the beginning with friends singing and dancing around a campfire shows this. Throughout, mid shots are used often along with long shots, possibly creating a distance from the band and the people involved in the video. The editing is fast paced and cuts on and off beat, making it an amplification style of video, however, a lot of the video changes from colour to black and white, reflecting the title of the song 'All In White', making the band seem modern while the person the song is aimed at seem old fashioned creating a disjointed effect and a contrast between shots. The band all wear casual clothing throughout with a vintage twist, possibly reflecting upon what people used to wear and bringing back older indie music ideas for not only the song but also the video. The locations used change often from clubs to a field to an old house, again adding to the disjointed effect and making it all seem odd to watch, confusing the viewer as it suddenly switches from different locations in one shot. The narrative has a party theme, but also has a supernatural theme running throughout as the band levitates not only people but also objects, making it seem as if something strange happened at the party.
Two Door Cinema Club - I Can Talk
The music video for 'I Can Talk' by Two Door Cinema club is an odd video, the shots, costumes and setting constantly giving a disillusioned kind of effect, almost like something drug induced, some of the lyrics possibly hinting at this. The editing is all very fast, cutting both on and off the beat giving an amplification effect to the music video. A lot of the movements throughout make the camera seem as if it is handheld, making the viewer feel as if they are involved with what is going on when watching the video, like its your vision and not a video. The lighting changes constantly during and between shots, sometimes being bright, sometimes spotlighting certain people and it uses a strobe effect a lot, adding to the disillusioned effect and making the video feel crazy and almost like it is messing with your vision so it is hard to fully engage with. The camera shots involve a lot of big close ups and tracks but seem to constantly be changing around, making it very surreal and disjointed. The costumes are also constantly being changed as throughout the video, people are always taking off and putting on new items of clothing making it difficult to see what the band is wearing. However, in the shots where they are playing their instruments, we see them in scruffy suits, making them seem like they are in smart casual. The setting of the video seems to be like some sort of house, possibly showing a narrative that they are at a house party. Although the surroundings are very average and everyday, the way it has been shot makes it seem very dreamlike and crazy.
Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun'
The Vampire Weekend video for 'Giving up the Gun' is a different style of indie music video because it is based around sport. The video also uses famous celebritites adding to the viewers of the song because of the star power used within, adding their fanbase to Vampire Weekend's one. The video uses a lot of slow motion effects because of the sporting ideas used throughout, slowing the video down to allow the viewer of the video to watch the facial expressions and movement of the athletes. The cinematography uses a lot of tracking and long shots to show the actors within the video moving around in time with the music even though it may be out of time, creating an amplification style of editing to the video. The costumes are mainly reds, blacks and whites for the band and the main character of the video, keeping the continuity of colours going and highlighting the change of characters because of the constant change of colours within the outfits. The location the video is shot in is a white studio which is not the typical location for a tennis match considering the match is usually on green grass. This could show the match to be in some sort of dream and the fact that it is unrealistic. The band is only in the video for a short while but they remain to be lip syncing and referring the match, making it untypical of the genre because the band and song is not the main focus of the song.
The music video for 1996 by The Wombats is not a typical one, stepping away from the norm of music videos. The costumes are all wetsuits for the actors in the background as the entire video is set underwater. However, the main singer of the band and the other musicians within it, all wear casual clothes, making them stand out against the rest of the people in the background. The two musicians also wear masks and goggles to add to the underwater effect of the video. It is odd because of the fact it is set underwater, however it still links in with the music video because it is in a party like surrounding with the lyrics of the song. The shots are all very slow moving because of the fact it is set underwater.
White Lies - Bigger Than Us
The White Lies, Bigger Than Us music video is extremely different to normal music videos because of the odd narrative running throughout. There is a house being disinfected as a child lays in bed, helpless beside a big chocolate bar. The lip syncing uses the child as the voice of the lead singer for the beginning of the music video, creating a strange and mysterious feel to the music video. The chocolate bar transforms into a young girl who is around the same age of the little boy, clearly showing why the little boy was so distraught over something. The costumes in the music video varies depending on the person. The little boy is wearing a pair of white leggings, possibly showing him to have good intentions and be angelic. The band members themselves are also dressed in bright white colours showing them to be possibly angelic and strong, looking out for the little boy and his friend. The little girl however is dressed up in purple colours, giving her a youthful look to her. The end of the video shows her on a poster in the exact same outfit, possibly showing she is a child celebrity? The whole video could link too the whole aspect of child stars going off the rails and the celebrity culture going on at the moment as the girl could be the cause of the mess of the house. The editing uses quite slow paced cuts and a lot of slow motion to fit in with the tyle of the song, creating a
The Vaccines - All In White
The Vaccines 'All In White' music video is a kind of interpretation of living while your young and having fun, The extreme long shot of the band at the beginning with friends singing and dancing around a campfire shows this. Throughout, mid shots are used often along with long shots, possibly creating a distance from the band and the people involved in the video. The editing is fast paced and cuts on and off beat, making it an amplification style of video, however, a lot of the video changes from colour to black and white, reflecting the title of the song 'All In White', making the band seem modern while the person the song is aimed at seem old fashioned creating a disjointed effect and a contrast between shots. The band all wear casual clothing throughout with a vintage twist, possibly reflecting upon what people used to wear and bringing back older indie music ideas for not only the song but also the video. The locations used change often from clubs to a field to an old house, again adding to the disjointed effect and making it all seem odd to watch, confusing the viewer as it suddenly switches from different locations in one shot. The narrative has a party theme, but also has a supernatural theme running throughout as the band levitates not only people but also objects, making it seem as if something strange happened at the party.
Two Door Cinema Club - I Can Talk
The music video for 'I Can Talk' by Two Door Cinema club is an odd video, the shots, costumes and setting constantly giving a disillusioned kind of effect, almost like something drug induced, some of the lyrics possibly hinting at this. The editing is all very fast, cutting both on and off the beat giving an amplification effect to the music video. A lot of the movements throughout make the camera seem as if it is handheld, making the viewer feel as if they are involved with what is going on when watching the video, like its your vision and not a video. The lighting changes constantly during and between shots, sometimes being bright, sometimes spotlighting certain people and it uses a strobe effect a lot, adding to the disillusioned effect and making the video feel crazy and almost like it is messing with your vision so it is hard to fully engage with. The camera shots involve a lot of big close ups and tracks but seem to constantly be changing around, making it very surreal and disjointed. The costumes are also constantly being changed as throughout the video, people are always taking off and putting on new items of clothing making it difficult to see what the band is wearing. However, in the shots where they are playing their instruments, we see them in scruffy suits, making them seem like they are in smart casual. The setting of the video seems to be like some sort of house, possibly showing a narrative that they are at a house party. Although the surroundings are very average and everyday, the way it has been shot makes it seem very dreamlike and crazy.
Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun'
The Vampire Weekend video for 'Giving up the Gun' is a different style of indie music video because it is based around sport. The video also uses famous celebritites adding to the viewers of the song because of the star power used within, adding their fanbase to Vampire Weekend's one. The video uses a lot of slow motion effects because of the sporting ideas used throughout, slowing the video down to allow the viewer of the video to watch the facial expressions and movement of the athletes. The cinematography uses a lot of tracking and long shots to show the actors within the video moving around in time with the music even though it may be out of time, creating an amplification style of editing to the video. The costumes are mainly reds, blacks and whites for the band and the main character of the video, keeping the continuity of colours going and highlighting the change of characters because of the constant change of colours within the outfits. The location the video is shot in is a white studio which is not the typical location for a tennis match considering the match is usually on green grass. This could show the match to be in some sort of dream and the fact that it is unrealistic. The band is only in the video for a short while but they remain to be lip syncing and referring the match, making it untypical of the genre because the band and song is not the main focus of the song.
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Mood Board
The mood board displays the look of all three of the bands we have chosen. The bands all seem to have reasonably similar looks, possibly giving them all a very same-ish feel to some people who prefer bands or artists that stand out. The bands all seem to have very cool and almost bored facial expressions, giving them a odd and different look to artists like Katy Perry or One Direction whos looks are all bright and colourful with excitement clear on their faces, possibly showing the people who buy the record would be younger people and most probably females. The clothing The Wombats and Two Door Cinema Club wear are a smart casual, not being too much to be over dressed, but making them look a bit smarter than The Vaccines who are purely casual, wearng things like denim jackets and ripped jeans, giving them an almost lazy look, even when they are performing. In our music video, we will most probably have a smart casual look like Two Door Cinema Club and The Wombats because it looks like there has been more of an effort made and it links with the slightly happier and more dance like tones to their styles of music compared to the darker, moodier feel of The Vaccines music with the lead singers husky tone and the harder guitar solos.
Monday, 17 September 2012
Song Choices
The Vaccines:
- Wolf Pack
- Under Your Thumb
Two Door Cinema Club:
- Do You Want it All?
- Cigarettes in the Theatre
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Theory Post 3
Carol Vernallis - The Kindest Cut
Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce - Telephone
The music video for 'Telephone' by Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce has a very strong narrative running through the entire video, although at points the song is stopped for the narrative or there is a sudden dance break or cut to a new location, this shows discontinuity within the video.
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Theory Post 2
Illustration:
Illustrative music videos are the very typical, simple, normal type of videos. These videos are the type you see most often in videos. It edits to the beat of the music and will be a lot of shots of the artist or band performing the song or being a main part of the narrative within.
Amplification:
The purpose of an amplification music video is for the director to amplify the lyrics of the song. The director of the music video will use the lyrics to create a further meaning of the song. Typically, these videos cut on and off the beat. When it does cut off the beat, its used to amplify the meaning of the lyrics with the video which usually has some sort of running narrative within it.
Disjuncture:
Disjuncture music videos are usually a big risk for artists to take with their music. The video does not match the lyrics and is usually something completely different. Artists will often use music videos like this when they are well established and able to take a risk.
Illustrative music videos are the very typical, simple, normal type of videos. These videos are the type you see most often in videos. It edits to the beat of the music and will be a lot of shots of the artist or band performing the song or being a main part of the narrative within.
Amplification:
The purpose of an amplification music video is for the director to amplify the lyrics of the song. The director of the music video will use the lyrics to create a further meaning of the song. Typically, these videos cut on and off the beat. When it does cut off the beat, its used to amplify the meaning of the lyrics with the video which usually has some sort of running narrative within it.
Disjuncture:
Disjuncture music videos are usually a big risk for artists to take with their music. The video does not match the lyrics and is usually something completely different. Artists will often use music videos like this when they are well established and able to take a risk.
Thursday, 6 September 2012
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