My brief was to create a 3 minute music video which could either be conventional or unconventional to the genre of my choice, I had a group which consisted of four members including myself, Amber, Domenico and Robyn. In my group my role was to take the pictures for my ancillary texts, these pictures had to be taken in certain locations, displaying certain connotations. For example, I chose to take a picture against a black and white poster background, displaying the artist, as it is conventional, from this I learnt that images have hidden meanings behind them and when you take a picture to promote a product you have to try and create a relationship or a theme between something, in order to capture the audience's attention. In my situation this black and white picture created an edgy feel to the artists image. I feel that my group and I worked well together as we communicated effectively via social media platforms to ensure that we met deadlines, arranged our filming schedule and informed one another of the changes and ideas we had. However, this was not easy, it took us a while to be comfortable enough with one another to start communicating on social media (Whats app)and it took us a while to get into the gist of filming on time and making sure we managed our time properly. But as a group I felt that we bonded well with one another and got the brief done in the end. As a group we chose to focus on the indie genre and display generic conventions, we did this by choosing an indie song from an indie artist 'Runaway - Ed Sheeran' through this we created an artist called Nico Johnson to be relatable to his target audience by following indie conventions. I also had to create two accompanying ancillary texts these were a magazine advert and digipak.
I chose the indie genre because it is unique, independent
and I felt with the resources I had for example, camera, tripod, very low
budget and not many extras, the indie genre was more suitable for me to follow.
As indie artists tend to make their music videos on a low budget without the
need for high-tech gadgets and expensive equipment, the low budget also helps
to create a sense of realism and rawness to the music video. One example of an
indie artist who has done this is Lana Del Rey, for her music video ‘video games’
Lana actually made the music video on windows movie maker on her own, she done
the editing and filming by herself without specialist equipment. This allowed
her to appeal to the audience as she was then depicted as a normal person, not
a star allowing her to be identified as relatable to her audience. Furthermore,
the quality that you gain out of using a low budget and simple equipment are
grainy, non-artificial shots which give a cool and edgy effect to the music
video as it is an unconventional genre it could allow me to make the artist
appear rebellious and different appealing to the target audience, the audience
are similar in this way as they want to stand out from the crowd by being
different, they do this by listening to indie artists which are a niche market.
I felt that the indie genre would be easier to be conventional to for example,
settings for indie music videos are generally in a normal public places as
oppose to pop videos which are set in studios and rented locations.
A music video is a short film with visual imagery used as a promotional tool to promote the artists music to their fans and audience or for artistic purposes. It often shows the musician performing the song or showing images which illustrate the lyrics or mood of the song. Different genres of music follow certain conventions to be able to appeal to their target audience. The typical indie music video has the codes and conventions such as isolated and hidden locations to create mystery, I adapted on this in my own music video as you can identify that Nico Johnson is shown in a forest location, alone, to allow the audience to focus on the depth of the song and to see that the artist is isolated from society, which can allow the audience to feel sorry for him as he does not have anyone there to love or support him (in the music video narrative). This was also evident in the the indie artists Hozier's music video for From Eden. In my music video we can identify that the isolated location creates an old feel to the music video and adds a sombre tone to the song. I chose to follow this as I felt that an isolated location would mean that the audience would pay attention to the artist's music and the message he was trying to put out, as if there was a lot going on in the background the audience may not focus on the narrative,sincerity and realness of Nico Johnson's sad lyrics.
Nico Johnson in my music video (isolated location)
Hozier - From Eden music video (isolated location)
Extreme close ups are also conventional to the indie genre. These were used in my music video as they can display a characters emotions and allow the audience to have great sympathy for the artist if the storyline is displayed to be a sad one. I used an extreme close up in my own music video to depict the cold look on the father's face to connect to the sorrowful song, as the story of the song is about a father going through problems which are affecting his child (the artist). This can allow the audience to be sympathetic for the artist as it is his situation in the narrative. Ed Sheeran's the A-team music video also showed a close up of an extra character (a prostitute and drug addict), which showed a distant and cold look in her eyes for a matter of seconds. This made it very intense for the viewer to watch and also allowed the audience to connect to her emotionally through her eyes, conveying lifelessness and pain. This is what I also aimed to do by using an extreme close up to display the father character.
Black and white effects are often used to display an old fashioned, rustic and raw look. I used the black and white effect to display the past and to show the audience that the black and white signifies the artists memories of being at home in the care of his father. It also allowed there to be a juxtaposition between the present and the past, showing how the artists life has changed. Allowing the audience to gain a deeper understanding of what the narrative is about, so they feel like they know the artist on a deeper level even though it is fiction. As mentioned for a previous example, Ed Sheeran's - A-team also used a black and white effect. My music video used the effect to also was show sadness and how simple but dark the Nico Johnson's life is, I do feel like this effect also helped create depth and despair. I decided to follow this as I felt it would add clarity to the music video, allowing the audience to understand why the artist looks depressed and what was going on in his home life (father) in the past, while connecting with the audience emotionally.
Black and white extreme close up in my music video
Black and white extreme close up in Ed Sheeran's A-team
It is typically common to see an indie artist dressed plainly,I followed this but also adapted this as Nico was seen dressed in plain colours such as navy blues, dark greens, greys and blacks but was also shown to be stylish by wearing skinny jeans and well known brands. The clothing can have a huge impact on the audience as it can allow them to look up to the artist as an icon but can also allow the artist to look common and normal, making them more relatable to the audience. This is what I aimed to do in my own music video. We aim plainly dressed clothing to convey that the artist is self-efficient and humble. This convention was also evident in John Mayer's - waiting on the world to change music video, as it shows him in a plain dark coat navy/black, wearing a plain tshirt with unkempt hair. In my music video it conveys to the audience that Nico does not care about material and superficial things but focuses more on the quality and rarity of his music. I adapted on this to ensure that Nico Johnson looked like a normal person (conventional to indie genre)but made him appear like a star by being a fashion icon to his audience. This idolisation view towards Nico Johnson could also help promote him in media products like fashion magazines etc. Making him an indie artist on a wider scale, through increased awareness of his identity and dress sense.
Nico Johnson wearing plain clothing
John Mayer wearing plain clothing
Therefore, I feel like my music video and ancillary texts were successful in terms of promoting the artist and appealing to the target audience. As research was carried out to find out what my audience like and I feel that I satisfied their needs in this way. Through my music video I was able to convey the message in which my artist was trying to portray which was 'loneliness and edginess' also, I feel that I was able to express the artists creativity through my digipak as it showed a range of unique and exciting designs for the audience to be entertained by. My magazine advert also done well in drawing the audience and directing them to the relevant social media platforms to find more about my artist (cross media). My music video allowed my artist to express the lyrical meaning of the song in an exciting and sad way, that leads me to believe that my final media product and two ancillary texts were successful. Lastly, I was able to challenge, develop or conform to the indie genre, this gave me more freedom to create something new and exciting for the audience and explore my own creativity. Whereas, in my foundation portfolio I had to stick to conventions restricting my own ideas and suggestions. My finished music video and ancillary texts developed on the indie genre as it went further than just staying in the box and sticking to generic conventions. For example, fast editing is not common in indie music videos, slow editing is often used to give off a more calming and peaceful tone to the song. But fast editing allowed me to create pace and anticipation in my music video when my artist was running away. This developed on existing indie conventions as the artist was still conventional in his image but was displayed at a fast pace. Furthermore, indie artists do not always like to be the main character in the music video. In this way I made Nico Johnson the main focus but also added extra characters into the music video, to balance the attention and divide the audiences focus to ensure that he didn't appear proud and the centre of attention like pop stars.
