It is essential to use a variety of lighting styles and colours in a music video because it helps to break up the video and engage the audience. Furthermore different lighting and colours used in a video help to set to mood witting the audience and aid in helping to make them feel a certain way when watching.
Our first lighting style we are going to use is natural lighting, this is a lighting source that is natural and represents natural sunlight. This will be seen in our video when the couple are inside the house and bedroom together. We decide to use it here as this where you will see the couples natural relationship together unlike outside the house when they have to hide it from the people around them. Showing that they don't have to hide how they truly feel when they get together and can be in their natural state. Implying to the audience that the couple have a strong love for eaxhother, which is shown as the natural lighting makes them really visible to the camera and the audience will be able to see all/any blemishes. It is conventional of indie music videos to use natural lighting in their videos to show the artist in their natural state because steortyoically indie artists use their lyrics and music videos to show who they really are and this is aided by natural lighting.
The next lighting style we are going to use in our music video is low key lighting, this is using darker tones of light. Commonly used to create intensity around certain objects within a frame, helping to dramatise the shot. Low key lighting is going to be used in the bonfire scene when the artist and her partner are mucking around with their friends and hanging out together. This is used here to add to the realistic effect of the frame, it will be night time therefore it assists in showing this to the audience, giving the video a sense of realism. However, it also shows that their is a hidden and mysterious side to our artist. She is hiding the secret from her friends that she is actually with her partner, which could imply to the audience that there is a dark side within the friendship group and normally fiends are comfortable talking about most topics together. It is highly conventional for indie artists to use low key lighting within their videos as they are very commonly described as mysterious people due to their different look and life styles then your mainstream artist.
The next lighting technique we are going to use is high key lighting, this lighting is vey bright and harsh looking allowing our audience to see very clearly what is happening within the frame. This lighting is going to be used within the Camden market scene of our music video. The artist and her partner are going to be walking through the market together, as it is a very busy place we thought it would be a great time to use this type of lighting as it will allow the audience to get a better idea of everything that is in the shot. And they will be able to see how the couple interact together in a public place but without any of their friends around them, as without them their the couple may feel more relaxed about being together without being judged. This lighting style shows our artist to be quite
comfortable in her own skin as this lighting will highlight any blemishes that she may have, also it implies her to be quite innocent as although it is revealing a lot of her, she is not actually revealing and skin or showing voyeristic shots. High key lighting is a common convention in indie music video as artists uses their songs as a was to show their trueselves and reveal themselves/their personalities/ life experiences to the audience.
Also a colour that we are going to to use in the music video is a blue smoke grenade, this is going to be used on the bonfire scene and the audience will see the artists and her friends dancing around in the smoke. By using the colour blue it shows the the audience the the artist is in a tranquil place and is very content being with her friends. It also shows the artist herself to be a very calm and relaxed person. Also the colour blue has connotations of the the sky, which could represent peacefulness and happiness, as a blue sky is seen on a day where there is limited dark clouds. Therefore this could imply that they are all true friends and that the artists is very innocent with no evil not her. We are also going to use an orange smoke grenade mixed in with the blue one, obviously this will be seen in the same scene as the blue. We are using an organs on as well as it implies different things then the blue. The orange conveys to the audience that there is a lot of warmth and energy in the bonfire scene, this could be because the group of friends are all together and enjoying eachothers company. Alternatively by there being a lot of energy, this could represent the sexual energy portrayed by the artist and her partner who aren't together infront of their friends. And orange can sometimes be used to describe the colour of a fire, again this implies there is some tension between the artist and her partner, as one wants to be together infront of everyone and the artist wants to keep it more a secret.
The audience will be able to use he lighting and colour we have chosen to build up a relationship with the artist and it will also help them to follow the story better, as the m various lighting and colours helps to set the scene better. The lighting and colours also helps to represent the artists emotions and what she is feeling through out the video as things develop with her partner.
A digipak consists of a book-styled cardboard outer binding with one or more plastic trays for the CD, compared to a jewel CD case which is the original compact disc case that has been used since the compact disc was released in 1982. Digipak's are used for the special edition and contain higher quality images and meaning in them. To give it more of a personal feel they also usually contain a letter/note from the artist directly to the fans. Occasionally, a digipak will also contain bonus tracks unlike a CD which may not. Also the digipak has 6 slides, meaning there was a better opportunity for artwork, information or promotions. Making the digipak more appeal and attract more potential buyers. However, jewel CD cases also will often contain lyrics of the songs included, therefore people who buy it will be able to learn the songs, enabling them to relate to the artist and gain a deeper understanding for the lyrics. Although the jewel CD case has an actual plastic case, the inside part is paper, and although the case will help protect it to some extent, the paper is easily ripped when removed or put back into the plastic grips. On a digipak, all information is very easily accessible making it more appealing as it can be opened up and viewed at the same time. Whereas, with a jewel CD case most of the detail is solely on the front and back of the case, which can make it awkward having to flip between the two. However, it is more likely to grab the audiences attentions when buying it as they will be able to see most of what the CD will include. The digipak I have chosen to analyse is one by Gabrielle Aplin as she is very similar to my artist Birdy, she's from the same genre and the same gender which means they will have similar music. This will mean i will be able to see what my digipak should look like and take inspirations from this of what to include in my own. I could not use a digipak from Birdy because she is not a majorly well known artist she dose not have a digipak available to her audience.
In the digipak Gabrielle is represented as quite simplistic and innocent, she is represented like this through many elements of the digipak. Especially, the iconography used the top right photo shows Gabrielle holding a bunch of balloons in one hand. This shows her as innocent and quite child like as balloons are something that you would have as a child therefore have connotations of childhood and a child like innocence. This resembles her as being young and the bright colours of the balloons in contrast to the darker back ground imply she is a fresh new artist and still quite innocent compare to other artists who have gone through the negative side to fame with drugs etc. Which also represents her a a positive person, implying she is a bright person in something that can be a dark industry. The photo also shows her to be simplistic as the main focus is just her and the balloons, there is not much going on in the background, it is quite plain. This helps to focus the audiences attention to Gabrielle, as she is quite a new artist this is good as it will get the audience to look at her properly and see what she looks like.
The digipak has connotations of her music being quite old fashioned and slow, this is because there is not a lot happening on the digipak, it is very simple. This could be appealing other fans because obviously if they are buying her digipak they enjoy her music and the image of the digipak resembles her style of music. The black and white background helps to resemble this as old photos use to be in black and white, implying that her music will be of an old style and also that it will be quite personal. Also it connotes that she is in isolation and reflecting on life by showing a long shot of her standing in a field with the sky behind her, which is conventional of indie music as it is based mainly on past experiences. This could be intriguing for the audience as it could make them want to listen to her music to find out more about her experiences and life.
The colours used in the digipak are all very plain and pastel type colours, such as light pink and pastel blue. I think that Gabrielle used these types of colour in the digipak because they have connotations of peacefulness and calmness, this matches the image that she wants to give off as an artist which therefore helps the audience to build up a relationship with her.
The typography where it says "Gabrielle X" is in a hand writing style font, giving the impression to the audience that she has wrote it herself. This would be common in a digipak as the often include something like this to give it a more personal feel to the audience, therefore making them feel like it is directly from Gabrielle herself. This would appeal to the audience as it lets them know a bit more about the artist even if its just something minor like this, her handwriting style and how she would autograph something. As it is normally fans who buy digipak's, as they are normally more expensive then regular CD's, they would appreciate something like that even though it is a minor detail about Gabrielle.
In the layout of this digipak Gabrielle is not actually seen very clearly or often. There are only two long shots of her included in the pack. In one she is covered by an umbrella and the other the shot is quite far away therefore it is not very clear and you cannot see her very well. This implies to the audience that she is not very confident and just because she is famous she doesn't feel like she always needs to be the centre of attention. This would appeal to the target audience as they can most likely relate to feeling a bit unconfident at times, by relating to her like this it encourages them to link some of their own personal experiences to her and her music. Which could lead to them getting a better understanding of Gabrielle and how she wants to portray herself as an artist/the image she wants to give off to her fans. By making herself appear more like a 'real' person then a star it makes her more of a positive role model for her fans, this could therefore encourage fans to go and see her live in order to connect with her as more of a person then a star, as she makes it more personal for her fans by showing this side of her.
The digipak promote the music genre because it displays many conventions from the indie music genre. These include, the use of the umbrella to cover herself which portrays her as quite self-contious and nervous as she is trying to hide herself. And the fact that there are not any photos where you can clearly see Gabrielle because commonly in indie music video artists like to show that they are not very self indulged and want to focus more on the music, then being the centre of attention all the time. By having a lot of conventions of indie included in the digipak it makes it easy to recognise to the audience as from the indie genre. Therefore it means the consumers will be more likely to buy the digipak as it will stand out to them amongst other digipak's due to them recognising the conventions.
Also the digipak helps to promote the artist, as it allows the audience to see part of her personality, the layout, fonts and other features other the digipak help to make it feel more personal to the artist and therefore helps to promote her. A common feature in digipak's is to have a note or signature from the artist to give it a more personal touch, we see Gabrielle's name written in a hand writing styled font on one of the digipak slide. This makes the audience feel as if she has signed each copy personally, which helps to promote her as it shows she care about her fans and giving them a good experience with her.
From this research I have learnt that I need to make sure that my digipak has a personal feel to it and helps to represent the personality characteristics of my artist. I also need to make sure everything I use font, colours etc. have similar connotations to what I want my artist to be portray like because this will help the audience to build up an image of her, which will allow them to relate and build a relationship with her as an artist and an actual person.
It is essential to have a representation of your artist throughout your music video, this is because it helps your artist to
The first look we have given our artist is going to be seen in the bonfire scene when she is hanging out with her friends. For this scene our artist is going to be wearing a fitted grey dress styled with a leather jacket; tights; bangles and leather boots. This will help to show our artist as quite edgy and unique, which is convention of indie artists as they generally have a different sort style that doesn't follow the mainstream style. By her having a unique outfit it allows her to express their personality through clothing, therefore the target audience will have an insight into her style and personality letting them build up their relationship with her. Along side this outfit we have chosen for her to have natural looking wavy hair and for her make up to be quite simplistic and pale, she will also have winged eye liner and red lipstick. The simple base coat of make up helps to reflect her easy going and simple personality. Also it highlights how she is not obsessed with looks and likes her natural self more then being covered in make up. Again this is another convention of indie artists as they care more about the music then the 'glitz and glam'. However, the winged eye liner and red lipstick could imply she is edgy and doesn't follow them 'norm', she's happy to do her own thing. Indie artists commonly aren't worried about following the typical trends and are happy doing their own thing.
The second look that we have chosen to give our artist is going to be seen when the artist is walking through market with her partner. She is going to be wearing a turtle neck, ripped jeans, a parker jacket, high top black convers and this will be styled with chokers to accessories. The turtle neck covers the artists upper body quite a lot, which shows her as a very unrevealing person, this is conventional of indie artists as the don't frequently expose a lot of their body, especially the more private areas. Indie artists use their talent and easily relatable narratives to advertise themselves to their audience, rather than exposing themselves. Although the black ripped jeans will reveal some skin on her legs they will still mostly conceal her body, furthermore the black colouring of the jeans presents her as quite mysterious and could possibly suggest she is quite a dark person at times. This would engage the audience as they would be interested to find out more about this, creating an enigma around her as an artist. The green parker coat is something that many of her target audience would own or be highly familiar with, therefore when they see her wearing it in the video they will be able to relate to her. It also shows that she s up to date with the current fashions as these coats are seen to be quite in at the moment, proving very popular with the target audience age group. Additionally to this the colour green has connotations of wildlife and nature, which could suggest tot he audience that although the artist is quite natural she does also have a wild side. This is conventional of the indie genre because indie music videos generally tend to offer their audience a sense of realism, the green parker coat symbolises the green field and nature around the artist in the video. The black high top convers finish off the look as they maintain the same connortations as the rest of the dark/black outfit. They highlight the sense of mystery portray by the artists, also as the shoes cover lots of her feet it could imply that she is quite self conscious and trying to hide away her body. This is relatable to her audience because many of them may have confidence issues as this is common within people around the same age as her target audience.
The third outfit that our artist is going to wear will be seen when she is sitting inside her house with her partner and they lounging around. For this we decide to give her a very causal outfit of an oversized jumper, leggings and bare feet. The use of the baggy jumper paired with leggings highlights tot the audience the comfortable relationship the pair have with each other and how at ease they feel in each others presence. The tightness of the leggings reflects the looseness of the oversized jumper, highlighting the lack of voyeurism in the video. This is conventional of the indie genre as the artists want to attract and appeal to their audience through their song and story told through their narrative rather than the audience seeing them as objects to lust over. As she is bare foot it amplifies the fact that she is at home and feels very comfortable in front of her partner. It shows she is comfortable and cozy with her partner, she doesn't need to dress up and completely 'doll her self up' just to impress her partner. For the outfit she is going to be wearing very minimal make up as she is at home and we want to display her more in her natural state, so she will be wearing little mascara. Following on from this she is going to her hair tied up in a pony tail or bun, as this is very common with teenage girls when they are at home as this is much more comfortable for them then having their hair down all over their faces. This costume is very casual and shows the comfortable relationship the artist and her partner have. This is also a very relatable outfit for the audience as it is something that they would most likely wear themselves.
The final outfit that we have planned for our artist to wear is going to be seen in the performance part of our video when she is singing and dancing around in the street. For this she is going to be wearing a cream dress, denim jacket with black tights. The cream dress will highlight the innocence of the artist as it has connotations of purity. However as cream is still a little darker then pure white it highlights the fact that she may not be 100% innocent. Denim could be associated as being quite 'hard' and punk rocky, suggesting that she is quite different and doesn't follow the norm. Also the fact that the jacket is blue could have connotations of the sky and the sea which closely link to tranquillity, suggesting she is a very mellow and easy going person. The audience will enjoy seeing her like this as it implies she is a more approachable person and therefore would be easier to approach to ask for a photo or something if they saw her in public. Also styled with this she is going to be wearing black tights, this is a common theme that we saw through out most of the outfits with have chose for her as it implies a sense of mystery around her and engages the audience to find out more about her and what her story is. Our artists hair and make up would be quite high impact and stand out from the rest of her other looks as it will be seen at day and night time. She will have quite dark eye make up as it suggests she is confident and could be deemed as fierce, this will be supported with crisp contouring and bold lips to follow up the fact that she is confident. This is conventional of indie artists, they can normally seen to be quite shy but use singing and music as a way to express themselves, therefore are confident when they are singing.
To conclude, the artist image is important within a music video because it allows the audience to build up a relationship with the artists and feel like they are getting to know her more as an individual through her style. The outfits that I have chosen are conventional to the indie genre therefore the audience will be able to link the video back to the genre.
Cinematography is important in a music video because it helps to break up the video and keep the audiences attention maintained. Furthermore, different shots can help to tell the narrative and connote different emotions or states of the artist/characters.
The first cinematography shot we have chosen to include is a close up of when the artist is singing. Therefore this shot will show the artists face and facial expressions as she is singing the lyrics. By having a close up here it allows the audience to really see the expressions of the artists and they get a better feel of her emotions that she is feeling while singing that particular lyric. This is a common convention in indie music because their songs are generally about their emotions and a close up helps them to shows this even more, allowing the audience to build up their relationship with the artist. The close up of our artist while she is singing will help to show her actual talent and extraordinariness as she has such a beautiful voice, as well as conveying her emotions through being able to see her facial expression properly. By allowing the audience to know what emotion she felt as she was singing this song it enables them to follow the narrative better and link in similar emotions that the song may bring out in them. One particular line that we are going to have a close up of our artists face is when she says "I just wanna be by your side" This is because is this specific line it displays strong emotions of sorrow as she is not with the person she loves but also hopefulness as she is trying to be with them. We think these emotions will help the flow of the narrative if we display and highlight them through a close up of the artist.
The second cinematography shot that we are going to include is a high angled shot. This is when the camera is positioned up high and is looking down at the objects/people in frame. We are going to use this when the couple are at the bonfire scene and mucking around with the sparklers, it will look down on them laughing and joking around while making heart shapes with the sparklers. We decided to put our high angled shot here because we think it shows although they are both having fun together at that moment In time they are still vulnerable as their relationship is not steady. They are unsure of whether they are going to be together, which means they are emotionally in danger of getting hurt by each other if the relationship does not work out. Also this will give the video a sense of realism by showing the couple as vulnerable, as many real life relationships have there ups and downs so the audience will be able to relate to this and compare to situations they may have been in. This shot represents our artist as brave, she is aware that she may be vulnerable due to an unsteady relationship but is still having fun with her friends and trying to get past her relationship troubles. This is
conventional of the indie genre because the artist is usually confronting a troubled emotion in their song and lyrics therefore can be perceived as brave by tackling these emotions and not ignoring them.
The third camera technique that we are going to use is panning, this is when the camera pivots across and follows an object/person. We wanted to use this camera technique when the couple are walking through Camden market together, as it is quite a vibrant and busy place with a lot going on and panning helps to show the environment behind the characters. But as it is following the couple it also helps to maintain the audiences attention to them instead of fully getting distracted from the background environment. Also the market scenery links back to the conventions of indie, as it is quite quirky and doesn't follow the norm, this makes it relatable to the audience. This shot will help to represent our artist as in love and focused on her partner, they are in a busy place yet they are both content with focusing on each other and not being distracted by what is happening in the market around them. By showing her as this our audience can relate to her and almost be envious of her and they may want a partner who pays this much attention to them and focuses on them that much.
My forth camera technique that I am going to use is an over the shoulder shot of a conversation between the couple. The camera will be positioned so you can see the back of someone's head and part of their shoulder and the person in-front of them talking, as if you are looking over the shoulder of the person at the other. This helps the audience to imagine themselves in place of the person who's shoulder you are looking over and see things from their perspective. We are going to use this hot to show a generic conversation between the two and how well the get on together. Showing how they joke around together and understand one and another's humour, the part of the song/lyrics we layered over this shot would should their happy state together as the conversation would actually be muted. This is conventional to the indie genre as most artists display their emotions in their songs through the state of their relationship and how well or not well it is going. This shot particularly represents our artists as concerned and engaged with their partner as they are having a conversation together which shows they have an interest in each others lives.
My final camera technique that we are considering using in our music video is a hand held shot, this is when the camera is held in a persons hand as the movement is to quick for the camera to be on the tripod. This shot helps to create a sense of realism to the video as an actual person is physically holding the camera instead of it just being on the tripod. The shots will be more shaky and not very stable but this resembles the body movement of the person holding the camera, this helps the audience to gain a better understanding of the narrative as the more wobbly connotes the more emotional and unstable the person holding it is. The camera technique also makes the audience feel more involved with the story line. As a group we was thinking of having a hand held part when the artist is at the bonfire with her partner and peers, and she is holding the camera in her hand. This will make the audience feel like that are more involved in the party therefore they will be more engaged with the video. It will be as if they are with the artists and everyone having fun due to the more personal feel the hand held shot portrays. This technique is conventional to the indie genre as the videos are always very personal to the artist and shows the good and bad sides of them, the hand held gives the impression that it is being filmed on their own personal camera. This makes the audience feel as if they are building up a relationship with the artist.
Our target audience can build a relationship with our artist through the various cinematography techniques used in our music video because they all help to show a deeper insight into the emotions of the artist, and gives the video a more personal feel. E.g. hand held camera resembling a home camera. By doing this the audience will feel like they no the artist on a more intimate level which will make her a more relatable character for them. We have ensured that our artist is relatable throughout by connoting her in a plethora of different ways and showing weaker and stronger sides to her and her relationship which the audience a can link personal stories to.
Setting and iconography are important in a music video as it helps to build up a relationship with the audience and allows them to follow the narrative. They help to build up the audiences expectations of what they should see, this could make our video diverse if we do not follow the expectations of the audience. The iconography helps to create a sense of realism and makes the artists story feel more real to the audience.
The first setting we have chosen to film our indie music video in is a field. This is one of our main locations as it is quite isolated which means the audiences attention will remain on the artist while she is performing. Furthermore, we think that is will help to display her as quite lonely and vulnerable which is a convention for indie artists, as they commonly write songs and lyrics about their emotions and feelings and their videos commonly mirror these feelings. Some of the shots that we have considered including for the field setting are long/mid/panning shots of the artists and her female lover dancing and mucking around together and having flash backs of happy time together. By having these shots in the field it shows them as free and expressive as they are not worrying about anything and just running around having fun together. We are going to include a time laps in this setting as well when the girls are having fun together to connote how time flies when your having fun. Another reason we have decided to film part of the video in a field is because it shows the artist in a real life everyday place that many of the audience can relate to, this links in with Dyer's star theory of an artist being more of a real person then star. A frame that is going to be shot in this location is the bonfire scene with the artist hanging out and staying out all night with her friends. Again this is relatable to the audience because it encourages them to reminisce about rebellious times they have had, as this is how the artist is portrayed. Some limitations and risks that we may encounter when filming in this location is the danger of being around the fire, as it can be quite dangerous and cause serious injuries. Therefore we need to make sure that we are extra careful when shooting with the fire and have the correct equipment e.g. matches, water, fire blanket. The only other problem that may occur when shooting in the field is the weather, as it is such a large open space we will have no cover what so ever if it is heavily raining or worse. As a result of this our actors and actresses may feel uncomfortable performing in the rain and not perform to the best of their ability. Also the rain could damage our camera. To avoid this we can make sure we are prepare, if the weather is only slightly bad then we can use more umbrellas and covers to make sure everything stays warm and dry. But if the weather is really bad then we will have to rearrange to another day to make sure we get the best out of our actors and camera.
Closely linking in to the field, within this we are going to have the location of a lake. Here we will shoot the two homosexual girls walking hand in hand together around the lake, being affectionate and loving towards each other. We have decided to shoot this around the lake because it has connotations of peacefulness which helps to represent the girls togetherness as they are not hiding away from anyone and are happy being together at that point. Similarly to the field the lake has the same health and safety risks, but an additional risk is the actual lake its self. There I the unlikely possibility that someone may fall in the lake, at the time of year it will be freezing cold therefore the person my become ill if this happens. Or if they fall in they may not be able to swim which would not end well. Therefore, we will make sure that none of the camera crew or actors go near the lake, ensuring that they keep a far distance away.
Thee second location we are going to film in is a house. This is a highly familiar setting for the audience and they would be very familiar with it, therefore will know what it includes and is in it. Furthermore, a house has connotations of love and a warming, inviting environment were people feel comfortable. Making it easy for the audience to relate to this setting and feel more involved with the scene and helps to gain a sense of realism. The frames that will be filmed in the house will be the two girls sitting around with each other and relaxing in each others company. This shows the audience how they interact together and are comfortable with each other is a private, intimate, warming setting. However, a limitation of filming inside the house is that it can be quite confined meaning that we may not have enough space to achieve all of the shots we want to include as there may not be space to set up our camera and tripod. Additionally, a small space could end up representing the female characters as trapped and stuck together which is not what we want to portray to or audience. To overcome this limitation we will have to be adventurous with the way in which we set up our camera to make sure we make the frame look big enough so everything desired is in shot.
Linking in closely to the house setting we will also film in a bedroom. This is a more personal and intimate setting, which allows our audience to get to no the artist on a deeper level because they will see how they design their personal space thus showing a lot about their personality, which makes it conventional to the indie genre as they commonly show personal and intimate frames in their videos in order to help the audience connect and relate to them. The bedroom will further mirror the artists emotions because we will have a messy and untidy room which highlights her confusion with her relationship and that her head is a mess because she doesn't no what to do. However, by having a messy room this could be slightly hazardous to the actors and crew because they may trip over some of the mess which could injure themselves. To over come this hazard we will make sure that everyone is highly aware of themselves and what they are doing when filming to avoid them falling. The weather will not affect us in the house or bedroom because they are both inside and will be dry and warm.
The next location we are going to use in the video is a street, this is a casual everyday environment that the audience will easily be able to relate to. This is conventional of indie as it is something that is used on a daily basis by herself and the general public. We are using the street to show the artist looking back on her life and portraying her as lonely as she is reminiscing. We are going to show one of the artists memories of her and her lover walking down the street together and are happy and enjoying themselves. And the a now shot of the artist walking own the street on her own displaying her loneliness and how things have changed for her. Also how she misses being with her partners. This setting could have limitations because it will have to be shot around the every day public therefore we have to make sure we are respectful of other people and make sure that we do not cause any disturbances. To ensure this we will have group meetings prior to filming to discussing what will want to achieve out of that filming sessions and asses how busy the street is in order to see if filming would be plausible. Also if we decide on a certain area that we want to film we can tell people on approach to this area that we are filming and then if they don't mind they can keep going otherwise could walk around us.
Our final setting that we are going to film in is the dance studio as we hope to include some choreographed dancing to represent that artists emotions as she is singing and the song. We have chosen to do this in the dance studio because it has the right amount of space to safely perform a dance routine and it also has the correct lighting and other various features that we need to help us e.g. black curtains which will assist in highlighting the dancers movements. This would link back to part of the chorus where it says "if these wings could fly" and the dancers would then reveal their wings to the audience, the features in this room will help to dramatize this. Although this room has the right amount of space for the dancers to perform it does limit the places that we can situate the camera and crew as it is not a massive room but to overcome this we will just have to make the crew be creative when thinking about camera placement and think carefully about the placement of the dancers.
Our first piece of iconography that we have chosen to include in our music video is smoke canisters, these are small tube looking canisters that have chemicals inside that burn quickly releasing a coloured smoke. We have decided to use this as it displays that the artist is having fun with her friends and doesn't have any worries at that moment, it also reflects excited by the bright colours used. Smoke canisters are highly conventional to the indie genre because I think the smoke represents the artists as being a free spirit (which is common within indie artists) and floating around without any stresses or fears. We are going to get our actors to dance with the smoke canisters, the colourful smoke that is being released while the dance could also have connotations of them being on drugs and tripping out, implying they are quite rebellious, this gives the video a sense of realism for the audience as is it something common people of this age would do. This is conventional to the indie genre as artists normally symbolise their relationships as a type of drug that they are addicted to and cant live without. Additionally the smoke will be quite thick which could portray her as quite shy and this is mirrored in the fact that she is partly trying to hide her feelings towards the other female and is shy about how she really feels, therefore is trying to hide in the smoke.
The follow piece of iconography that we have chosen to include is alcohol. This is commonly know as a depressant, meaning that is slows down the vital functions such as movements and reactions, it highly affects someone's ability to think rationally and distorts their judgement. One of the most common reasons for someone to drink alcohol is to help them loosen up and be more fun, however a large intake of it can be used by people to forget about issues in their lives and drown their sorrows. We are going to use It in the field scene of the music video when the artist is hanging out with friends and surrounded by her peers. This will help the audience to relate to the video as they are likely to have bee in the situation where they are drinking with their friends in order to forget about issues or stress in their lives. Similarly to our artist who is shown to be drinking in order to forget her troubles with her partner. The artist will be happy and carefree while under the influence of the alcohol because it is says that the truth comes out when you drink therefore she is happy being around her partner and friends without trying to cover up their relationship and it mentally unaware of what she is actually doing.
My third piece of iconography that we are going to use is fireworks because it helps to imply our artist as rebellious which is a convention of artists within the indie genre. They also portray danger and excitement which would resemble the artists relationship with her partner as they are not out as a couple together yet so are still sneaking around together. We are going to use these in the field/lake scene as it is a big open space which realistically is needed to have fireworks safely. We are also aiming to film this frame on bonfire night, as it will be helpful that the sky will be filled with other peoples fireworks as well, therefore helping to build up the story. As well as the actual fireworks we are going to use sparklers which is a handheld firework with releases a small spark. These can be used to draw shapes with and write things in the air if done quickly. We have decided to use these as it shows a youthful childlike side of the artists and her peers, showing they are all quite comfortable around each other and it is stereotypical of teenagers to try to be adult ie drinking but they are still quite childish at times like when they are playing with the sparklers. The artist and her partner will be able to draw heart shapes and each others names displays their love for one and another, this is conventional of the indie genre as there are often gestures of love and romance seen in them.
Another piece of iconography we are going to use is a tent, this is a moveable shelter that is constructed of cloth supported by one or more poles and pinned down by pegs and string. These can be easily put up and moved around. We will use this is the bonfire scene and will be used by the couple as they camp under the stars together. This represents them as love stuck and rebellious as they are staying out late together, not going home and do not seem to be worried about any sort of consequences that may occur. Implying that they live for each other and are so in love they would rather spend the night with just each other than family. Also as the tent is quite a confined space it creates a sense of intimacy and togetherness as they are in the field alone. To make our tent have more of an indie feel we will most likely create our tent out of rough pieces of cloth and fabric as indie videos are normally low budget this home made tent will help to represent this. Also the way in which we make our tent look will help to represent the artists personality and is a way they can express themselves. By them doing this youthful activity is shows them as quite an outgoing couple, which is a trait you would expect from this age group.
My final piece of iconography that we have decided to include In the video is a piano, this is a musical instrument, it is rather large and has metal strings that are stuck by hammers when a key is pressed to produce a sound. The sounds produced are quite mellow which is conventional of the indie genre as it matches the slow songs and helps to build up tension and intimacy which helps the audience to follow the story as they follow the music. It is also conventional to include a type of instrument in an indie music video as it shows them as extraordinary as they have a talent as well as being ordinary and relatable to the audience. To show that our artist has actual talent and knows what they are doing we are going to include a low angled shot of her playing the piano and singing showing her as multi-talented. It also helps us to included Goodwin's performance style in our music video which helps to engage the audience as we are using a variety of styles. A piano is also quite an intimate instrument due to the soft tones of the keys which helps the audience to build up a relationship with the artist as she plays.
This planning of setting and iconography has helped me and my group in creating our music video as it has allowed us to clearly map out what frames we are going to have in certain settings and what is going to happen there. Also what iconography is going to be used in certain frames this will help us to make sure we don't forget anything while filming. Furthermore it has shown any problems that may occur and also how we can overcome these, this will save time when filming if we encounter any of these problems as we are already aware of the risks.
I conducted research into the opinions of 40 people regarding indie music videos, as i wanted to find out their opinions and expectations. This would then allow me to see what features i should include in my video. Also by doing this research i will find out what sort of elements of an indie music video really engages them, therefore maintaining their attention through out the video. This would be beneficial to my artist as a successful music video will encourage fans to go see tours and concerts. I survey quite a large number of people so that i could gather a wide range of opinions and see a wider range of expectations from the music video. I included a mixture of both open and closed questions, which allows my surveyors to develop some of the answers meaning i will find out even more what will engage them with my music video.
This the first question i asked when conducting the survey, the gender of the person answering the questions. This will show me if there is a difference between the views of men to the views of women. Furthermore it will help to vary my survey results because men are more likely to share similar views and as are women, meaning it will help to show a variety of opinions.
This graph shows the variety of ages that took part in my survey. It also shows that a large 40% of the people asked were between the ages of 21 and 25, this could have an impact of the results of the survey as people the people asked will be predominantly from this age group, meaning it is mostly going to be their views of indie music. However most indie music artists that I am aware of are from this sort of age range, meaning this is the target audience they would be aiming for.
The next question I asked the surveyors was the themes that they would expect to see in indie music videos, I asked this question as it would help me massively to form my narrative and shape the type of concept I am going to create for the video. From this graph I can see that a massive 52% of the people asked said that they would expect to see the theme of relationships in indie music videos, which has massive swayed my decision of what the video should be based on. Even tough this question has helped me to decided my main theme, there was still another 23% of surveyors who said that they would expect to see performance in the video, this has made me want to include long and mid panning shots of my artist playing the guitar and singing as this is something that quite a lot of people expected to see.
The following question was a closed question to see whether people who expect to see filter, green screens or special effects. A whopping 67% of the people asked said that they would expect to see filters in an indie music video. Filters are a very common editing effect used in indie music videos because the videos normal include flashbacks or memories therefore these are used to show this.
Only 25% said special effects and a very low 8% said green screens, this could be because many people are aware that indie music videos are very low budget productions so are unlikely to use such expensive equipment a lot through the videos.
The next questions asked the surveyors what type of costumes they would expect a female indie music artist to wear in the video. A 65% majority of the people asked said they would expect them to wear quite casual clothing in the video. This could be because by the artist wearing casual clothing it makes them more relatable to the audience and this shows that the people I asked generally relate to the indie music videos they watch and one of the ways they do this is through the casual clothing the artist wears. This highlights to me the importance of choosing the correct clothing for my female artist so that the audience can relate to them. Also another reason this could be the most popular answer is because again like I said in my earlier point most fans of indie are aware that the music videos are quite low budget. Therefore by the artist wearing casual clothing is represents the video is more about the music then showing off money and wealth through over the top clothing. This could show why only 5% said they expected to see glamorous clothing and 3% said fancy dress as these would be extravagant and expensive outfits. 27% said they expected to see grunge styled clothing this could be because it also gives off the idea of quite a low budget lifestyle and not being obsessed with wealth and expensive clothing.
My next question that I asked the people was whether the preferred a indie music video with a clear narrative or not and why. By asking this question it helped to shape what style of music video I was going to have and whether it should be mainly narrative based or be more balanced with concept and performance. A massive 92% of the people I asked said yes to this question, therefore this has shown me that my video is going to be mainly narrative based with only some elements of performance and concept. But I will make sure that I do definitely include some elements of these in the video as by having all three styles it helps to engage the audience and maintain their attention throughout as it breaks up the video.
The following question I asked was the type of camera shots that they expected to see in an indie music video and then asked them to explain why the thought this. 62% of the people asked said that they mostly expected to see close up in an indie music video, this has encouraged me to think about the type of close ups that I can include in the video. I think I want to have quite a lot of close ups when the artist is singing as I think this helps to focus the audiences attention on the lyrics that the artist is singing and therefore encourages them to understand what they are saying. The next popular shot that I am going to include was long shots with 25%, this will help the audience to see exactly what the artist looks like and their style for clothing etc. Even though mid-shots and extreme close up only make up13% between them I am still going to incorporate some of them in the video just not as much as the others.
In this question a massive 85% of people said that they would like a artist to be more relatable and only 15% said like a star. Therefore this has encouraged me to think about the different ways in which I can make my video more relatable to the audience, such as the clothing and the representation of the artist in the video. However, there are still some people that want the artist to be more like a star, so I will still include some elements of this in my video, such as a close up of the artist singing which shows her as talented and this is quite an extraordinary thing for a person therefore portrays her as a star.
The following question that I asked my people was the type of instrument that people expect the artist to be playing in the video and why. The most common answer with 62% was a guitar, when explaining why a lot of the people said because it is quite hipster and by them playing, it portrays them as talented. Therefore I would like to include a few different shots of my artist playing the guitar as I think that the audience will be able to relate to this. Even though 38% of people said other instruments I don't think I will include these in the video because if I include to many instruments then it will just confuse the audience and look unprofessional.
The final question that I asked the people was where they expect the indie music video to be set and why. The results for this question were slightly more varied then the previous questions. 40% said they expected it to be set in a town, however only 5% less people said they expect it to be set in a house. This question has made me consider my location choices when filming. I think I would like to use a variety of settings, as these results show there are a variety of settings that people expect the indie music video to be set. However, my main settings are going to be in the house and around the town centre. Some of the shots that I could include in these locations include a panning shot of the artist hanging out with friends in the town or a mid shot of the girl in bed with her lover in the house location.
The theory that I have chosen to apply to my question and music video is Hebige, this is because he believes that if you look deeper into 'subcultures there is enough richness to warrant renaming them as 'little cultures'. Meaning that there is enough belief and support behind them for them to stand alone as an individual smaller culture group. He also believes that sub-cultures go against the mainstream and this is because they are quite diverse. I believe indie fans and music could be seen as a small culture of there own as they are quite different from the popular mainstream pop music. They have a much higher focus on the actual music being produced by the artist and connecting with their audience. This is why I did not follow the centre for contemporary culture studies theory (CCCS) as they assume that all sub-cultures come from one culture, which would not match the genre I have chosen for my music video as indie could be seen as quite diverse.
Voxpop's
Alongside my questions I produced voxpops of 5 of the people I asked, the reason for doing this is because it allows me to provide qualitative data as well as quantitative data. In the voxpops the people can elaborate on the answers that they give me and therefore I will be able to gain a better understand of their opinions. By having a greater understanding of their opinions it will lead to me being able to mould my music video better in order to make it more appealing for the target audience.
Artists create magazine adverts in order to promote their work and create a buzz around their music. Also by using a magazine to promote their work it helps to reach a wider audience, they appeal to people who read the magazines as well as the people who listen to music. Also it helps to link in with other advertisements of the album to create more marketing, this could all them to get support from other companies that could push sales further. It also acts as an constant reminder of the upcoming album, this allows the audience to continually be aware that the album is coming out and maintains the buzz created. Furthermore, the magazine advert could link in with any articles within the magazine on the artist, therefore benefitting the magazine and artist. The two artist adverts that i have chosen to analyse is Birdy's as this is my chosen artist and Lana Del Rey's as she is very similar to our chosen artists.
This is an advert by Birdy, advertising her upcoming tour. In the advert i think that Birdy is represented as very innocent and reserved, also she could be seen as rather timid. I made these assumptions based on the mew-en-scene of her in this advert. Her costume, is quite childish, the long shot of her shows her wearing a red wooly jumper and a long pale pink flowy skirt and some black boots. This costume reveals very little skin and therefore portrays her as innocent and reserved. This is highly relatable to the target audience because it shows her as the girl next door and they most likely wear similar clothing. Her facial expression, is quite neutral and simplistic, this mirrors the fact that she is quite a simplistic artist and is more about her music then the glitz and glam. Also the positioning/body language of her in the long shot shows her standing up straight and holding onto her dress with her hands, this again shows her timidness as this is commonly something people do when they are nervous. The audience would enjoy seeing this innocence portray in the advert as it shows her as a real person and they feel like they are getting to know her better.
The colours used in the advert are all quite pale pastel colours, this again represents her innocent and purity as an artist. These colours would appeal to her target audience as they match the themes and type of music she produces, therefore the colours will make the audience think about her music and maybe go back and listen to it. This will benefit Birdy because it helps her artist image and paints her in a positive light for her audience.
The poster is laid out with Birdy's name in a large font at the top of the page, this is because she is a fairly new artist therefore it draws attention to her name. People who are not aware of who he is, will then know her name. Also there is a large long shot of her standing next to her name. This clearly shows what she looks like, again as she is a fairly new artist this allows her audience to get to know what she looks like and will then be able to link the name to the face. Birdy benefits from this as it helps to create a buzz around her and will help to get her noticed more. As people may see her face or name in other places and then link it back to her. This could then lead to her album sales increasing and people are trying to find out more about her as an artist.
In the advert Lana Del Rey is represented as a confident and proud artist, this can be seen in the advert by her facial expressions and body language. The mid shot shows her looks directly at the camera, standing up straight with her head held high. Her face is almost directly in the centre of the page and this draws the audiences attention directly to her face, therefore making her appear very strong and proud of herself. Her self confidence could almost be quite intimidating for the audience because many people don't have it, however they could also take inspiration about how she is holding her head so high and want to be like her in this respect.
The colours used in the advert are mainly red, white and blue. The red lipstick is a common convention of indie music, it could also link back to my earlier point that she appears to be quite fierce. Also the blue sky background, has connotations of calmness and peacefulness, this is mirrored in her music as it is all quite slow paced and relaxing. Therefore, the audience will be able to clearly link the poster with her music. The white is used for her costume and her name at the top, this could represent her innocence as an artist and that she has not been drawn into the negative side of frame. She is still quite a new fresh artist.
The advert by Lana promotes the indie music genre because it show some conventions that we would expect to see from the indie genre. Such as the casual park looking setting, this is conventional because it would be quite a cheap place to shoot the photo for the advert. And indie music artists normally have quite low budget productions, so this would link in with this as it is low cost. Also the red lipstick in commonly seen on female indie artists, as it shows although they are quite innocent with the music they produce and image they portray to their audience, they are still confident and fierce women. These two conventions make the advert easily identifiable as from the indie genre, thus helping to promote the genre as it could encourage the audience to look into other songs and artists from the genre. If they see the poster and watch Lana's music video or go to her tour and enjoy the music then they are likely to find other indie misc artiest that they also enjoy.
The advert helps to promote the artist because it clearly shows in a blue font the date of her tour "January 2013" and the name of her tour in a slightly larger red font underneath this "The open road tour" This would allow the audience to research into her tour and find out more about it, e,g, locations, prices. Or they could look into more of her music to see fi they enjoy it and therefore if they want to go to see her live. This all helps to create a buzz around Lana and get people talking about her and her music. The audience could talk about her to friends and this would then create free advertising for her through word of mouth.
My chosen music artist for my music video, is Birdy, who is a quite a well know indie artist. A large majority of her songs are slow and could be deemed as having quite a sad theme. However, I love the fact that her songs are slow and quite like a ballad. I think this allow me and the audience to really understand the emotions she is trying to show in her music. Also you feel as if you are getting to know Birdy on a much more personal level, as her videos have a feel of the song being sang live. The song I am going to use is Wings, I have decided to use this song as I think it is truly a beautiful song and portrays real emotion about an experience she has had in her life. Therefore, I feel I really understand the lyrics and concept in the sing. By understanding this ill be able to produce a suitable music video for the song, the matches the standard of the song.
Birdy has had music embed in her since a young age, her mother was a concert pianist, and at the age of 7 she learned to play the piano and began to write her own music. She is quite a current artist and hasn't been in the industry for very long, however this is understandable as she is only 19 years old. Her first real experience singing in front of an audience was when she won and entered an UK talent contest, Open Mic UK. She performed her own original song, this was her first time singing in front of an audience apart from her family.
After this contest Birdy record her own album with Gareth Henderson in River Studios, this album ended up being offered a publishing contract with Good Soldier Songs Ltd. This is run by Christian Tattersfield, who is also the chairman for Warner Bros. Records UK.
One song popular song by Birdy is Skinny love.
In the video I can see Dyer's theory evident, Birdy is displayed as both ordinary and extraordinary. This is evident through this mid shot of Birdy playing the piano and singing. This is quite a normal thing for someone to be able to do, however she is shown at extra talented as she has a whole production made just for her and the whole focus on her.
Also Goodwin's theory is evident in the video, a variety of close ups are seen of the artist. This close up I have chosen shows the artist Birdy singing and looking directly into the camera. This allows the focus of the video to be on her face and the lyrics that she is singing at that current moment. For the audience this really intensifies the song, as her face is the only object visible in the frame, therefore giving the impression she is singing directly to them. This benefits Birdy as it allows her audience to feel like they have a connection with her and therefore would follow her music to try to get this feeling again. It is evident again when as the video is primarily performance based, we see this through a mid shot showing Birdy singing and playing piano. She is not looking at the camera, this could imply that she is really focused on her music and likes to concentrate on it. This shows the audience that Birdy has actual talent as she is playing the piano as well as singing. Some of the audience would therefore find her more respectable as an artist as it highlights that she has pure talent and doesn't need a music studio to make her sound good. Birdy could benefit from this as it gives her really positive image as an artist.
In the video Birdy is represented as quite a shy and reserved person as this mid shot shows a silhouette of the back of Birdy. Implying that she is not the most confident and out going person as you don't see face. This is a common feature in this video as her face is not shown very often. This makes her a relatable person to her target audience as many people go through confidence issues so it shows her as a real person and that she has these issues as well. Being relatable is important to an artist like Birdy as this is what engages people with her music and allows her audience to feel like they are getting to know her through her videos and lyrics.
The target audience for this video is 17 - 30 this is shown in the video by the concept of the video, as it is based on love. She is singing about a failing relationship and that it is going sour. This age range are likely to have gone through or be going through similar situations to this. Meaning they will be able to relate their own personal experiences to the song, this will allow them to gain a better understanding of the lyrics. As they feel more real to them.
Mes-en-scene is seen in the video, specifically costume, hair and make up is shown through a variety of shots as there is not single shot that shows the whole of her including her face. This mid shot is one of the shots where Birdy is most visible, we can see she has very natural hair with barely any make up, also she is wearing a lace flowing dress. This is conventional to female artists in the indie genre as it gives them an edgy/retro vibe that many of her audience can relate to. This benefits Birdy as it shows her a very natural as that she doesn't need to be covered in loads of make up and fancy outfits but she is a very real and natural artist. Linking back to my earlier point that she has raw talent of playing the piano.
Setting and iconography, this shot is of Birdy's foot as she is playing the piano, highlighting to the audience that she is actually playing the instrument herself and that there are not tricks, she actually has pure talent. This shows her as a good role model to her audience as it shows that you have to work had to achieve your dreams, she has the actual talent of playing the piano and there is no studio glitches, it really I her playing.
Lighting and colours used can be seen through this mid/long shot of her walking up the stairs, the lighting used is dark/low key, thus supporting my earlier point that she is being quite reserved in the song and trying to hide herself quite a lot. Again this makes her highly relatable to her older teenager target audience as it is commonly known that many teenage girls are quite self conscious and try to hide away sometimes. therefore it shows her as a real person and not just a star
Facial expressions and body language, can be seen through a close up of her hands as they are touching the glass window, her movement appears soft and gracious, this matches the speed and tempo of the song. I think this helps the audience to relax into the music and really following the song.
A common camera technique that is seen in the video is a bringing the shots in and out of focus this can be seen at the start of the video, an unfocused mid shot of Birdy playing the piano slowly focuses back into a sharp focus mid shot of her playing the piano. This helps to draw attention to Birdy, as it is near the start of the video it helps to focus the audiences attention of the artist. This will help to keep the audience engaged as they are waiting to see a clear shot of the video.
The song opens with close up shallow focus shot of the light beginning to increase and pour into the frame. Implying that it is the start of the day. This also represents the start of the artists relationship, at the beginning when everything was bright and happy. At the very end of the video the song finishes with this close up of the glass model and the frame getting darker, eventually fading to black. This represents the end of the day and the end of the relationship. These two shots will benefit the audience because they will feel like they have been on a journey with the artist in her relationship. This will then allow them to personally build up a better relationship with the artist because they will feel like they can relate to her/understand her music better.
Some common editing techniques in the video include slow editing, this is show through a close up of Birdy's feet/legs as she walks up the stairs. This matches the speed of the song and when the music slows down slow editing is used like in this frame. It also helps to link the visuals to the muicThis helps the audience to really engage with the song as they are waiting to see what happens next. This benefits Birdy as if she engages her audience they are likely to want to go and see her perform live to mirror the feelings they felt when they watched her video.
The next editing technique that I can see in the music video is a fade. The frame fades from a black screen with the light pouring in revealing a small glass object. Slowly pouring in the light sets the tone for the rest of the song, which engages the audience as to what is going to happen in the rest of the song. This editing style represents the artist as emotional and sad as it is representing her love fading away in her relationship with her partner and everything is going sour. As a result of this the audience will feel sympathetic towards the artist, and relate to her relationship problems.
People help the people
Dyers star theory is used, as in this video Birdy is seen as an ordinary person, we can see this through a mid shot showing her sitting on a bus looking out of the window, this shows her as an ordinary person as she is not traveling around in a private car being driven for her. She is on the bus like regular people. This implies to the audience that she thinks of herself as a regular person and doesn't think she should get any special treatment just because she is a star. This benefits Birdy as it makes her relatable to her audience and this therefore engages them with her music.
Goodwins theory is evident as there is a plethora of close ups of the artist, similarly to the previous video. The first one we see, is when the camera pans into a close up of her face as she begins to start singing. This helps to really focus all the attention onto Birdy and hooks the audiences attention to what she is singing. Birdy would benefit from this as it will help the audience to understand her emotions more when she is singing specific lyrics and therefore will be able to relate and link there own past experiences to the video better.
His theory is also evident as there is a link between the visuals and the lyrics. This can be seen when she sings "give me your hand and ill hold it" and syncing with this you can see a group of children walking down some stairs, some of the bigger children are helping the younger ones down the stairs. This is implying that she thinks everybody should help each other, even if it is a simple thing like helping someone down the stairs. Offering a hand to someone can go a long way. This is relatable to the audience because they will be able to link this back to when they've needed help in the past or when they have helped someone themselves.
Birdy is represented as very relatable and normal in this video, this close up shows birdy singing into the camera by looking away slightly. Also in the shot I can see her braces poking out. This shows her as a really normal person and that not everything about her is perfect, she also has some flaws. This is highly relatable to the audience and I think they will highly appreciate the fact that Birdy isn't trying to hide away in this video like the other and is embracing herself.
For this video i think that Birdy has a wide target audience because her song is relatable to many people. Most people have gone through some struggles in life and had to have someone help them. And as Birdy is displayed as such a normal person many various ages will find this relatable and enjoy listening to her music. Parents will find her a good role model for their children and younger people will be inspired to be more like her and try to help people more.
The style of the music video is mainly performance based, this mid/long shot shows birdy walking down the road singing. This again shows her as a highly relatable artist because she is just walking along and does not have a crowd of people following her, like security and hair and make up people. This shows the audience she is a real person and doesn't need all of the glamor that comes with fame like some artists, therefore they will be able to relate to her.
Mes-en-scene is evident in the video as, a long shot shows her waling down the road wearing long baggy clothing and little make up and hair products. This shows her as a very natural person and that she doesn't need to hide behind a face full of make up or fancy outfits. Therefore making her appear as a normal person and this will make her relatable to her audience. The message that it is giving off tot he audience is that you don't need to wear a load of make up to be beautiful and it doesn't matter what you look like. The message of her music is far more important to her than looks and a big outgoing performance. Instead like her outfit and make up everything is quite casual and relatable to the audience.
The setting through out the video is common everyday setting that we would see all the time. The filming is London based, we can see this through an establishing shot at the start of the video, these everyday settings make the audience able to relate to the video therefore will help them to engage in what is going on. Also London, is quite an iconic place, London bridge is in the background and the iconic black cab can be seen. Therefore even people from other countries will recognise the location and be able to relate to it. Furthermore indie music videos conventionally are filmed in low budget settings, the public setting is very low cost so is conventional of the genre.
Birdy holds quite a neutral facial expression through out the whole video, this can be seen in this close up of Birdy singing on the bus looking out the window. By having this neutral facial expressions i think that is represents that she is quite a 'neutral party' she does not judge anyone and is accepting of different people. However, i think this also shows her to be looking quite hopeful and that she wants everybody to join her in helping others.
The video has a black and white filter layered over it through out. This is because in the video Birdy is trying to represent everyone as equal as they should all be helping each other. Therefore this filter helps to make everyone look more similar. Also it is quite bright so everyone is quite exposed. Implying that everyone should just join together and come together as a community to help each other.
Although Birdy is in the whole frame of the camera a lot, a vast majority of the frames are of other people walking along the streets and sitting on the bus with her. This is because the whole concept of the song is about helping other people and being better members of our community. However, when she is in shot her positioning is always slightly off centre, this portrays to the audience that she feels she does not always feel the need to be in the centre of attention. And even though it is her music video she does not need to be the whole focus all of the time.
This mid shot of Birdy show her looking slightly upset as she is looking to the floor and slightly frowning. Due to the concept of the song this implies that she is quite upset and frustrated with the way that people treat each other and how peopled not help each other. This will make the audience considering how they themselves treat other people and get treated. And how they also like Birdy want to live in a world where people treat each other right and help each other.
Slow pace editing is evident int eh establishing shot in London of people walking and the cars going past. This is implying that now days everyone leads such high pace life styles and rushes around everywhere, sometimes in life we just need to slow down. Not everything in life has to be rushed and sometimes we can just take our time and slow down a bit. This will make the audience consider their own life styles and how they should take time out from rushing around and spend time with friends and family.
A common editing technique that I can see in the video is slow editing, this matches the pace of the singing and the soundtrack. It is good that the editing is used to match the music because I think that it encourages the audience to slow down and focus their attention onto the music video. Therefore, it helps to maintain the audiences attention to the video. This is good for Birdy as it will help her to build up a relationship with her target audience, and it will also allow them to get a better understanding of the song and what she felt when she was writing it.
To conclude, this post has helped me to see some of the common features that Birdy uses in her music videos, these include slow editing and dark filters over her video. I think that she does this to help show her emotion through her music and allow the audience to focus on her lyrics. Also I have learnt that she typically wears very casual clothing and is a very simplistic artists and doesn't like to hide behind fancy props or costumes.
