Magazine Advert Analysis (changes made)

Task 1:

Analyse the following magazine advert. Ensure that your analysis is detailed and that you have included excellent examples to support the points that you have made. Also relate back to the music conventions and the target audience.

Representation of music artist

Advert of Nina Nesbitt's tour

The artist representation taken from this particular advert, conforms to the conventions of an indie artist as a result of many contributing attributes. One being the appearance of the artist; she is wearing lipstick and heavy eye-liner which is typical of the indie style of it gives an edgy twist on the natural look. As well as this, the artist is wearing what appears to be vintage style shorts with a jumper, also very typical of the indie style. Not only in her appearance, but her choice of background contributes to the typical indie artist representation; the use of a brick wall. This connotes quirky places such as Camden and Brick Lane, locations deemed both edgy and indie. It reminds the target audience that the artist has also been brought up in a location they can relate to and therefore allow the audience to build a relationship with her. Furthermore, the tour dates revealed remain in the UK, indicating that the artist is only within the UK and give a sense of exclusiveness; she is only known in the UK and therefore prone to being unique in style and music as a result of lack of record label demand. Through this the target audience may assume that the artist is more truthful to her actual personality, subverting mainstream ideologies and in turn, found more appealing.

Connotations of the advert

The advert appears to have an evident blue motif, connoting the natural world such as the sea and sky etc. It is very conventional for indie artists to focus on nature in their visual representations as it portrays them as more down to earth and therefore the target audience find them more appealing as they feel they are easy to relate to. This representation is also relevant in regards to the other colours used in the advert; green connoting grass, trees etc and yellow also connoting sunlight, sand etc. Therefore this representation of the artist being down to earth through the natural motif is holistic, solely conforming to the conventions of an indie artist.

Design/layout

In consideration of the size of the advert itself, the image of the artist is relatively large and takes up a large amount of the area. This allows the audience to focus on her appearance and style, giving them something to take/maintain an interest in. For example, what clothes she is wearing in order for them to purchase/adopt a similar style so that they feel similar to the artist. Similarly, the artist's name is also very large in the advert, emphasising that it is in fact an advert for 'Nina Nesbitt' attracting the audience whether they are aware of her or not, as the large name will create awareness as it is easily visible. With both aspects of the poster being large, this makes the aim of the advert very clear to the audience as they quickly become aware of who the advert is about. The large proportions of each aspect are engaging also as they are attention grabbing whereas small proportionate aspects become hard to see and therefore unrecognisable to a potential target audience. Furthermore, the lack of additional and unnecessary information on the advert, engage the audience into the facts that are vital; her name, what she looks like, her tour dates. In this case, the target audience know who she is, where she is performing and when. Any additional information in terms of single sales, record label etc become uninteresting and therefore the target audience no longer are engaged in the advert. It is the minimal but vital information on this advert that make is successful as it encourages potential audience to purchase tickets to see her perform.

Choice of images

There are two main images in the advert; the artist herself and the background, creating a very simplistic advert as a whole. The lack of visual variation limit a possible over-crowding effect, which may appeal to the target audience of a pop artist, however less likely in term of an indie artist, as they appear simple and focused on their music rather than their image. The image of the artist herself is also very simple; she is just standing. However this shot of her allows the audience to see her style, whereas if the shot were of just her face, this would not allow the target audience to engage an interest in her style, giving them reason to keep up to date with the artist. The background is a brick wall, again simple as the target audience view this as a familiar location easy to relate to. It is suggestive of the artist's past, that she also lived an everyday life and therefore portrays a quality which is similar to the target audience. In turn, the audience feel more similar to the artist and are able to build a relationship based on common ground as they feel the artist is down to earth and realistic.

Typography

The font used to write the artist's name, is always used on any product in which the artist's name features in i.e. adverts, album covers, artist website. Therefore, this begins to build an image of the artist as the consistency of this particular font allows the audience to associate such font with the artist, therefore creating increased awareness of her. Also, her name is very large in size, letting the audience know straight away that the advert is about her; it is engaging regardless if the audience has heard of her or not as they are immediately drawn to her name as a result of the size of the font. Furthermore, the tour dates are all in capital letters to emphasise to the audience that she is on tour and when she is performing. It encourages the target audience to purchase tickets as they are efficiently informed as to when she is performing.

Style of language

The advert lacks information on the artist herself in terms of her music, background and style. The key language used is the promotion of her tour dates. The lack of information doesn't provide the audience with any additional information on the artist and therefore the language of the advert is solely purposeful to promote her tour dates as well as the website to purchase them. The language is encouraging the audience to purchase tickets rather than informing the target audience of her as an artist. The tour dates encourage the audience to watch/listen to her and then develop their interest accordingly, in which case they will then find out information on the artist themselves, encouraging them to remain interested as there is more to find out.

·               How does the advert promote the music genre?

The content of the advert lacks any information about the artist or her music and therefore the audience do not focus on any additional and arguably unnecessary information about the artist that may take them away from actually listening to the artist and rather just know more about her. Therefore, by only including tour dates of the artist's, the advert encourages the audience to attend a live performance of hers, a typical convention deemed significant in defining the indie genre. Live performances are conventionally associated with the indie genre because it is representative of the artist's appreciation for the audience and how down to earth they are in order for the audience to directly connect with the artist. Therefore the advert promotes the genre as it highlights the importance of live performance and included the audience in the artist representation, conventional of the genre.

·               How does the advert promote the artist?

The advert promotes the artist as it encourages potential target audience to listen to her, in which they wouldn't be if the advert were not to exist and therefore there would be no method of persuasion to encourage others to listen to her; in which case, a limited amount of people would. Therefore the advert is successful in conveying his image from the picture included and as a result, the audience are familiar with her image, portrayed as easy to relate to for she is dressed simple and conventionally indie. It promotes her as a down to earth person in which the audience find appealing as they can relate to her. Furthermore, the tour dates encourage the audience to purchase tickets in order to see her live and therefore it promotes her ability to provide a successful performance,suggesting her talent and dedication within music.

Representation of music artist

The advert represents the artists conventional indie artists for it has incorporated several indie conventions; one being the theme of nature, as they all appear to be in a field. Such location represents the artists as down to earth and natural, rather than falsely constructed in order to encourage consumption. Such representation is conventional to the indie genre as the target audience favour the realism that indie artists portray; they appear genuine and therefore the target audience can relate to them easier. Furthermore, each of the band members are holding a guitar, suggesting that they can all play them in which case, are represented as very talented. Once again, this representation conventional to the genre as the target audience favour the real talent that the artists have, rather than being famous for the sake of it. Also, this representation is easy to relate to as the target audience may share a similar interest or hobby regarding instruments and therefore this gives the audience a similar quality
 to the artists that they can build a relationship upon through mutuality.

Connotations of the advert

The colours of the advert are both conventional and unconventional.Such colours of blues, browns and greens are conventional colours within the indie genre as they connote nature; a theme that is clearly visible in this poster. This connotation reinforces the artist representation as being down to earth and therefore easier to relate to as the target audience feel increasingly similar to them. By conforming to such convention, the audience can clearly recognise the artists as being indie and therefore the appeal in increased. Contrastingly, the poster also consists of the colours black and white, typically associated with genres such as Rock, as they connote evil, anger and darkness in personality. Arguably, these colours have been used to highlight the nature motif through complete contrast. Also, these colours are very basic and minimalistic, conventional to the indie genre; and therefore the colour connotations can be justified in this advert.

Design/layout

The layout of the advert conforms to indie conventions. Although the band are separated in their own image, each of the members are proportionate to the other and therefore this implies their equal status within the group. Typically in genres such as Pop, there is a lead member within the band that typically appears more important than the other members; however this advert represents the band as unified due to their equal importance and therefore encourages the audience to focus on their music rather than the arguments disproportionate status may cause within the band i.e. the Pussy Cat Dolls.

Furthermore, the name of the band is easily visible for the audience to see; conventional to the genre. This method of having the name of the artist may be strategical for encouraging the audience to remember them as the representation of the artist is very minimalistic and simple and therefore gives the audience nothing in particular to remember or associate with. However, by enlarging the name of the artist/band, this encourages the audience to focus on it, thus encouraging them to remember it. Therefore, this appeals to the target audience as they remember the artist, encouraging them to find out more i.e. look at provided pictures, song titles etc.

Choice of images

The images used are very conventional due to their nature motif; each band member is laying in a field and therefore this implies their representation of being down to earth. As a result, the audience feel they are easy to relate to as they appear 'normal', encouraging them to build a relationship with the artist in order to maintain an interest in them. Furthermore, each of the members appear to be sitting on the ground, again reinforcing the representation and qualities that they are ordinary people rather than celebrities who appear spoilt. Also, the only images on the advert are the band themselves and therefore is very minimalistic. This limits the effect of feeling overwhelmed by too much visual content, thus highlighting the image of the band as being focused on their music and not over the top in doing this.

Style of language

The advert includes a quoted review on the band, sourced from NME; a corporation that provides music and information on artists that aren't usually mainstream, but rather appeal to those of a niche market, much like the indie genre. Therefore by having a review by NME, indie fans will recognise such name is being associated with niche artists that are typically alternative to mainstream, thus appealing to them as they are provided with a trusted opinion. Also the source is unbiased and therefore more valid, emphasising the encouragement to listen to their music. The quote itself reads: 'A band who know they are onto something not just good, but something spectacular' which implies that the band are much better in comparison to the existing bands already known amongst the target audience through the use of the word 'spectacular', again reinforcing the encouragement to listen.

Filming Schedule

Why is a filming schedule important to have?

A filming schedule is a vital accomplice in successfully acquiring the footage that you need as it assists the efficiency in which your time is spent as the producers of your material. It is a stage of pre-planning what you will film and the equipment you may need so that this does not come as a surprise to you when actually filming you footage and therefore, will require another slotted time period to shoot again. Our filming schedule consisted of 8 columns to address each stage of planning we must carry out before actually filming. Below are each of the titles in which we addressed and why we felt they needed addressing.

Date & Time:

We pre-planned when we are going to film our footage according date, so that each member of the group was aware when we were filming, to ensure they were available and present when shooting. Also, as a result of the footage we had to film, we also had to take into account the weather as some of the filming had to be shot outside and therefore if it was scheduled to rain, we could not film as this would effect both the equipment we had and the quality of our music video. We also planned according to time so that we gave ourselves a realistic period of time to achieve what was desired and to ensure we didn't waste any time. Also, we had to take into consideration lighting and therefore had to plan times when the lighting was suitable outside. For example, if it were to get too late, ti would get too dark to film and therefore we would be unable to film.

Location:

We planned our locations in advance to ensure that all members of the group knew where they were going and therefore we did not waste time deciding on where we were going on the day of filming. If we were to have not already planned, we would have wasted time deciding on where to go. Also we had to consider the suitability of each location in regards to our music video. For example, when looking for a skate park, we were originally going to go to south bank skate park but realised that it was too crowded to create the isolated effect we wanted and therefore we went to Hainault skate park which was surrounded by fields and unpopular.

Content and Action:

We planned a rough idea as to what content we wanted to have achieved by the end of the filming process so that the outline of our narrative was being created rather the filming random footage and the story of the music video being incoherent and not understandable. In which case, we would have had to re-film what we had done in order to get the required footage, which would waste time.

Shot Type and Duration:

In our filming schedule, we planned what shot we wanted in terms of the content being filmed, mainly for two reasons; the first being that the shot was effective in creating the desire effect we wanted on the audience so that they understood the narrative i.e. when the artist is performing there will be a variation of both mid shots in order to see her playing guitar and conform to convention, as well as close ups to familiarise the herself with the audience. Secondly, the planning of the shots being used ensured that we were using a variation of shots overall, as this increases continuity of the footage and increases realism in order for the audience to relate and understand.

Costume, Hair and Make Up:

We planned each aspect of the artist's image in order to ensure that it was suitable to the footage being filmed. For example, during the performance aspect of the video the artist is much more stripped back, wearing plain clothes. Whereas during the argument scene in the skate park, she is wearing outdoor clothing to suit the scene being filmed. Also, as an Indie artist we aimed to present this effectively in order to appeal to the target audience and therefore the artist typically had; ruffled hair, black eye liner, red lipstick, denim or leather jacket and a dress with boots. Such image subverts mainstream conventions and therefore the audience can recognise the artist as being different an indie.

Iconography:

Planning iconography assisted us in being prepared as to what to take with us on set, to ensure we had all that we needed to complete filming. For example, when shooting performance we needed the guitar and therefore if we were not to have included the guitar within our filming schedule, we may have been prone to forgetting to bring it and therefore the period of time we had planned to film would have had to have been rearranged and done again. It also allowed us to keep track of whether we were conforming to convention or not in terms of iconography used in the indie genre.

Personnel:

We planned as to what positions had to be present in the filming period of each scene in order to ensure each role was being efficiently fulfilled. Although we all took turns as to the role we played, by noting down who was required to be there it ensured that we all had a chance of playing a role during the filming process as well of the post production process. It also assisted in planning travel methods, as if there was too many people required to be present at filming we would have to take the bus instead of a car, which would have had to have been organised, for example.

Equipment:

We planned the equipment we will need for filming to ensure that we remembered to bring each piece of equipment with us. Not only this, but that we had pre-organised to have permission to use the equipment as well as checking they were fully charged and working. Otherwise, this may have delayed us in carrying out our filming.


Do you follow the schedule while filming, or did you make any changes?

Overall, we typically met our filming schedule across all the aspects that we had planned in advance. However,  we did change one area, in which that was the last of the filming schedule. Instead of filming in London to do a time-lapse, we instead filming an argument in the skate park as we felt this was more effective in relation to the narrative of the music video. The skate park had been previously used to show the boyfriend's individual space and therefore by filming the argument in this location, shows how the individuals have lost themselves in each other as a result of delusion.

Risk Assessment

It is vital to complete a risk assessment previous to filming our music video in order to identify any potential hazards and in turn, discover methods to limit the chance of any potential hazards occurring. We have recognised 5 potential hazards that could occur and how we will stop them from happening so that both the safety of ourselves and others as well as are filming go according to plan. This will assist our filming as it will become more efficient, any potential hazards that could waste time or effect the quality of out filming have been dealt with before happening so that they don't happen when actually filming.

Planning Lighting and Colours

What is the purpose of lighting and colour?

Lighting in production is often used to create a certain mood for the audience to pick up on. It creates a desired atmosphere in order almost 'set the scene'. For example, low key lighting is often used in thrillers in order to hide the identity of the antagonist and therefore keep the audience in suspense as to who it is. It also creates a eerie atmosphere because it is dark, and therefore the audience cannot see very much, making them vulnerable to any sudden movements or sound in the film. Conclusively, it can be argued that lighting is significant in creating an ambience, conventionally to effect the audience in some way or another. Colour is used in production as they connote hidden meanings that subconsciously effect the audience. For example, if a person is wearing white, the audience are prone to presuming that they are innocent and pure as these are conventional connotations of the colour white in which humans are likely to associate with one another. Therefore colour is purposeful in suggesting hidden meaning which in the case of our music video, could possibly contribute to the artist representation and the narrative its self. Colour is effectively used in our music video, explained below:


What lighting will you include and why?

Light is a motif in our music video as the artist often refers to it in the lyrics of our chosen song. We have discovered that the allusion to light conveys hidden meaning when annotating the lyrics of our song, presented in the Lyrics Analysis post. The lyrics refer to different sources of light, one being the indication of sun rise in the line 'He goes out, till the lights up' suggesting that the 'light' is in fact the sun coming up and therefore, he has been out all night. We decided that to create a scene in which both the artist and boyfriend are out on a field at sunrise to show that they had been out all night. Because the sunrise is effectively to start of a new day, this could be symbolic of a new period in their lives, as if it were a 'new start'. However, the lyrics state that his behaviour continues and therefore this portrays the endless cycle of their relationship as there is always a new day, but nothing ever changes for them to have a 'new start'. Therefore this use of light conveys to the audience that the relationship in non-progressive, a deeper understanding than what the lyrics provide alone.

Another source of light we aim to use, is fireworks and sparklers. In the post Planning Setting and Iconography I have spoke about the desired effect in which these pieces of iconography are aimed to have create. The fireworks will be used to suggest chaos, the couple being out of control in terms of reality, for they are unaware of such thing. The fireworks will be used in a field so that it is emphasised that such chaos and lack of self control is cut of from the real world for they have isolated themselves through delusion. In turn, this source of light will present the relationship as destructive and wild, again providing the audience with a deeper understanding of the song itself. Further explanation regarding our light motif can be found in the post above.


What colour will you use and why?

During the firework scene, we plan to use red flares in the background of the scene so that they are visible but not completely focused on. We decided on the colour red as this colour in particular has many ambiguous connotations that allow the audience to decide for themselves as to which they choose. The colour red can be associated with feelings such as love; in which this could be portray the viewpoint of the artist, as in the beginning of the video she believes that she does in fact love her boyfriend. However, this colour also connotes emotions such as anger, can be used as a warning for danger, as well as being used to inform people to stop. All of the previous connotations are relevant to the portrayal of the relationship between the two individuals as the artist does become angry with her boyfriend, he is dangerous to be around and in the end, the artist does want to stop the relationship and move on.

Costumes of the characters will vary in colour an therefore portraying their diversity as the contrast of colours suggest an ever changing personality, relevant to the boyfriend in particular. DONT KNOW WHAT TO WRITEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE


How is your lighting and colour conventional to your music genre?

Sources of light that are naturalistic such as the sunset are conventional to the indie genre as it is simplistic. The indie genre often consists of natural and simple content as this contributes to their laid back image that can be easily related to by their target audience. However, sources of light such as fireworks and sparklers subvert the indie genre, as they aren't natural can arguably be interpreted as contrasting to simplistic. Also, as we are using these to convey the hidden meaning behind the lyrics,  this also subverts the indie genre as artists typically focus on the music itself rather than its visual understanding. We have chosen to challenge such convention in order for the audience to remain engaged in the music video, as it provides an unpredictable indie music video because it doesn't completely conform to the generic conventions.


How does it build a relationship with your target audience?

The light and colours are symbolic of the hidden meaning of the song and therefore provides the audience with a deeper understanding of the portrayal regarding the relationship the artist depicts. This encourages the audience to increasingly connect with the song as they understand the meaning in more depth, therefore understanding the artist in more depth also, as they are familiar with how she is feeling, what she is going through etc etc. In turn, the lighting and colour used in the video allows the audience to build a relationship with the song and artist. Not only this, but the lighting and colour are visually appealing and therefore engage the audience in watching it, as it becomes appealing for them to watch.



This post demonstrates proficient planning techniques. You have explained the reasons for selecting your lighting and colour that you wish to include, by focusing on the effect each will create. 

Now you need to ensure that you have related your points back to the codes and conventions of an indie music genre. Also aim to include images to support the points that you have made.

Finally, read over the introduction to this post, as you have confused yourself with the purpose of lighting and the effect it creates.

Planning Artist Image

What is the purpose of an artist's image?

Rihanna's first album in 2006. She appears
 natural and the music on this particular album is very innocent.

Rihanna in 2013; her style more edgy and lyrics
more explicit.

The image of an artist refers to their current fashion style, personal lifestyle, the type of music they are making and what they are known for. Richard Dyer's theory proposes that artist image should remain incoherent in order to maintain an interest from their target audience. It suggests that artists are commodities to be consumed by remaining incoherent as the changing image of the artist is effectively encouraging the audience to keep up with it. Therefore he states that artist image effectively is something for an audience to keep up with as it gives the audience something to relate to, whether it be accurate or false to the actual individual. A good example of an artist that continuously changes her image is Rihanna; in 2006 she was a natural beauty that was creating music consisting of innocent lyrics that spoke of heartbreak and having a good time; whereas now in 2013, has a very edgy style and arguably promotes controversial topics in her explicit lyrics that often push the boundaries in terms of what is acceptable.

What image will you include and why?

The image of our artist

Nina Nesbitt conforms to the typical image of a female indie artist, in which we will also aspire to create. She is portrayed as an individual rather than a commodity, proposed by Richard Dyer. This is important in portraying to our target audience, as indie was created as a genre as a result of people rebelling against mainstream artists and conventions and therefore, to appeal to such people we must create an image that can be related to rather than what is deemed 'abnormal'.

Our artist will appear down to earth and simplistic; her make up will be red lipstick and dark eye liner, conventional to the indie genre as this is an edgy take on the natural look without appearing too over the top. She will also play the guitar during the performance aspects of our music video, as this conveys her talents and interests therefore providing a short representation for the audience to relate to. Also, we will illustrate the artist's emotions during the narrative side of the video, as the artist begins to convey emotion in the lyrics of the song. The artist sings of a struggling relationship in which the audience can relate to as it is an ordinary situation and therefore by conveying emotions that the audience can relate to, the audience can feel they know the artist in more depth and therefore increasing the ability to build a relationship with her.

How is your artist image conventional to your music genre?

Nina Nesbitt, an example of an
 'indie artist'

Female artists in the Indie genre have a recognisable image that could therefore be deemed conventional in terms of the genre; they normally have dark, heavier eye liner, red lipstick, hair typically long and wavy or short and bright coloured and wear unusual vintage clothing. Our artist will also wear eye liner and red lipstick, conventional to the indie genre in terms of a girl's make up. Her hair will also be long and wavy rather than short and bright coloured as this can be related to by the target audience as well as a wider audience to increase the popularity of the artist. Her style will remain conventional to the genre, wearing outfits that are typical of the indie genre. Here are the outfits planned to be worn by the artist:

PICS OF OUTFITS

How does it build a relationship with your target audience?

Our artist's image can be easily related to by our target audience. Indie artists typically wear high street clothing and therefore is affordable as well as wearable by our target audience. Because our target audience can relate to the style of our artist, it encourages them to maintain an interest as to what they are wearing, where they shop etc. Artists such as Beyonce who's image consists wearing expensive high end fashion can not by related to by the audience in terms of familiarity, as they can not wear the clothes she does. However, because our artist will be wearing clothing that can be worn by our target audience, it allows them to relate to the artist through common ground regarding fashion and therefore build a relationship with the artist themselves as they feel more similar to the artist.

However, an artist's image does not only consist of their style, but also considers the type of person they come across as. As stated before, Richard Dyer claims that artists are commodities in which their image is constructed purposefully in order to be consumed by the target audience, suggesting that such image is fake in terms of what that artist is actually like as a person. However, our artist image will be portrayed as much more realistic in terms of her personality. She will be shown as having both good and bad times with her boyfriend in simplistic locations such as London and fields. The narrative will depict a conflicting relationship in which our target audience can easily relate to, as they possibly may have experienced similar circumstances either directly or indirectly. Therefore the emotions portrayed by the artist can be related to by the audience encouraging them to build a relationship with the artist as they can relate to her as a person rather than an artist.

This demonstrates a proficient understanding of planning techniques. You have started to consider a variety of clothes that you wish to include within your music video. But further discussion of the effect it creates and how it is conventional, is essential in demonstrating further planning techniques. Also aim to explain why you have decided on using a variety of clothes, for each location that you have selected. 

Planning Editing

What is the purpose of editing?

Editing is the method in which footage that has been filmed is put together in order to create a final narrative that makes sense to the audience using a software such as Final Cut Pro. It is used to create continuity as
it allows you to remove any mistakes made that disrupt the flow of footage. Without editing audience would be unable to comprehend what was going on as it would include unnecessary footage as well as mistakes made and therefore wouldn't make sense. Editing also allows you to add any effects to your footage in order to create the desired effect on your audience as it can effect not only to understanding of the footage by the emotion triggered in the audience. For example, in editing you can make your footage black and white to suggest memory in which the person is reminiscing on and therefore they understand what is going on in the narrative.


What style will you include and why?

Our editing style will vary in terms of pace to correlate with the song and therefore provide a deeper understanding for the audience. The artist is suggestive of pace in the lyrics of the song with lines such as 'live fast die young' indicating a fast pace and contrasting lines such as 'he's going nowhere' suggesting a much slower pace. Our editing will not particularly vary according to transitions, as we will mostly use a straight cut; however we will edit the actual frame to convey pace. Here are 3 examples of how we will do so and what effect we wish to create:

Time lapse

A time lapse denotes the photographic technique of taking a sequence of frames at set intervals to record changes that take place slowly over time. When the frames are shown at normal speed the action seems much faster. We will use a time lapse when the couple appear to be arguing with each other, as this effectively focuses on them arguing as well as suggesting that they are cut off from the outside world as people will be carrying on with their lives; suggesting isolation from reality as a result of their destructive relationship.It will create a fast paced frame and therefore portray the chaotic mind set of the two of them, giving the audience a deeper understanding of the song and consequently their relationship. We will create the time lapse by filming them arguing and then filming the world going on around them separately using Final Cut Pro during the editing phase of the production,

Slow Motion

Slow motion is created by filming the original footage and then slowing it down during the editing stages. It is normally used to stress the moment as it is elongated for the audience to focus on. We will use slow motion at the very beginning of the music video, when our artist is running over to her boyfriend as he is passed out. The shot will be from his point of view, and therefore the slow motion shot of Daisy running towards him will suggest that he is intoxicated and therefore disorientated in terms of his ability to see and properly process information. It will allow the audience to see the world from his point of view and therefore have a deeper understanding of what he is like.


Blurred Frame

A blurred frame consists of a deep focus, in which one part of the frame is visually clear and the other slightly blurred; created through editing software. Blurred frames are often used to pull attention to the main focus in the shot, the visually clear part, as the blurred areas of the frame become unidentifiable. We are going to use a blurred frame to pull attraction to the boyfriend.


How is your editing style conventional to your music genre?

Our main editing will be slow paced and simplistic in terms of the transitions, as we will often use straight cuts to do so, so that it is in time with the beat of the song; which is conventional to the indie genre as it is simple.
However the complex editing subverts indie genre because it gives something else for the audience to focus on other than the music. Indie artists often use simplistic editing so that they subvert mainstream style and focus on the music rather than an overcomplicated music video. However, our argument for subverting such conventions is, it allows the audience to understand the song in more depth and also provides an unpredictable music video to engage them and in turn, encourage them to understand the artist and song.


How does it build a relationship with your target audience?

The editing in our music video creates an illustrative relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. When the artist sings of fast paced narrative, the music video will depict such pace through the content in the frame. As when the artist sings of slow paced narrative, the music video will correlate. This allows the audience to have a deeper understanding of the song as they begin to comprehend what life is like in the relationship the artist speaks of. When the artist speaks of her boyfriend living life fast, the audience can see the chaos in their lives as a result, shown through the time lapse. Therefore not only do they understand what is literally going on in their lives, they also know the emotions stimulated from the artist as a result. This encourages them to build a relationship with the artist as the audience can relate to what she is singing about and therefore feel as if they know her more. It portrays the artist as an individual with common issues rather than a 'celebrity'.



This demonstrates a good understanding of planning techniques. You have considered a variety of editing styles that you wish to include within your music video. You have provided a range of examples to support your justifications, on why you have planned to use certain styles. But further explanation is needed of the effect it will create. This can be achieved by considering the style and narrative of your music video in further detail. 

Aim to include original photography to support the points that you have made.

Planning Cinematography (changes made)

What is the purpose of cinematography?

Cinematography is effectively used in a music video so that the audience can see a visual interpretation of the song. Different camera shot create a specific desired effect on the audience in order to appeal to them. Therefore cinematography is a vital aspect of the production process, for it not only allows the audience to visually witness what is happening, but it also encourages them to interpret such visual, for different camera shots/angles are chosen specifically to effect the audience in the desired way. For example, if it was desired to make the audience feel empathetic toward a character, a high angle may be used for this is suggestive of vulnerability as they are being look down upon, implying a weakness in contrast to another character or the situation itself. If the same effect wanted to be created but a low angle was used, this may become disorientating for the audience, as low angles conventionally imply power, for the audience are looking up to the character and therefore is indicative of strength. On the other hand, directors may chose to use contrasting shots so that the narrative seems more unpredictable to the audience, in which case engaging their attention; however the consequence of confusing the audience may increase.

What cinematography will you include and why?

Close up of guitar

During the narrative aspect of the music video, there will be a range of the artist singing, and the artist singing with a guitar; in which we plan to get a close up of. Be having a close up of the guitar, this will increase the appeal of our music videos for two main reasons; the first being that it provides the audience with more information about the artist, that she can play guitar as well as sing and therefore will indicate her true talent. Such representation is conventional to the indie genre as the genre itself is a response to mainstream genres such as pop, in which the artists are typically constructed in order for consumption. However, if our artist is represented as talented this will increase the appeal from our target audience as they will recognise the artist as dedicated and talented, qualities that are favourable to them. Secondly, by identifying that the artist can play guitar, this may provide the target audience with a similarity to the artist as they may be able to play guitar or another instrument themselves, thus allowing them to build a relationship with the artist and therefore encouraging them to maintain an interest with the artist. Furthermore, the significance of the close up is vital, as the effect previously spoke of could be created with a mid shot; however a close up increases the engagement between audience and video, for they must focus on the guitar as nothing else is on the frame, thus providing a much more intimate feeling between audience and artist.

Mid shot of artist

When the artist is performing, a mid shot will be used as this provides an effective balance of engagement; not so far away that the audience cannot see the artist, but not so close that they feel overwhelmed. Richard Dyer's theory argues that an artist must remain both present so that the audience can connect with the artist, know more about them and build a relationship; but also absent, so that the audience maintain their interest through enigmatic mystery, thus using social networking sites etc to fulfil such questions of what they are doing, what are they wearing etc etc. A mid shot creates a similar effect. The artist will be present for the audience to connect, but not entirely present that they become uninterested, also created by the balance of narrative and performance aspects. This particular shot could be argued to be both conventional and unconventional to the genre, for it is present in some but not all indie music videos.

Here is an example of an indie music video that has chosen to have a performance based aspect however, has chosen not to use a mid shot but rather a long shot. The long shot has highlighted the live performance aspect of the video, for the viewer can identify the stage, the band and the background as being coherently a live performance, shown by the green rectangle around the frame; a convention of the indie genre. therefore this shot will appeal to the target audience as it emphasise the down to earth nature of the artist, that he is interested in the music he is making live, rather than being on a stage the song playing from a stereo, again favourable to the target audience of an indie artist. However, if the artist were to use a mid shot, exampled by the red square, such effect wouldn't be created and therefore this could arguably decrease the appeal, for the audience could not recognise the live performance.

On the other hand, here is an example of another indie music video in which the artist has chosen to use a mid shot which we can recognise as the position of the camera is fairly close to the artist, exampled by the red square, but the audience are still able to see the background, exampled by the green rectangle. In this song, the artist sings of strong emotions much like the artist Nina Nesbitt in her song Noserings & Shoestrings, our chosen song. The mid shot of the artist intensifies the emotion he speaks of, as the shot creates the effect that both artist and audience are close in proximity and therefore encourages them to engage and empathise for the artist. Contrastingly, if the artist were to have chosen a long shot similar to Passenger, such effect would failed in creation, for the audience may feel they cannot connect with the artist as they are too far away.Therefore, we felt that a mid shot would be more effective during the performance aspect of the music video as it allows the audience to connect and build a relationship with the artist.

Establishing shot of skate park

Our music video will consist of more than one location and therefore it is vital to notify the audience when and where the locations change to, as they may become confused. Also, the video consists of both reminiscent memories and their present relationship so the establishment of location may assist in indicating which is which. Locations of the music video include the forest, a skate park and a plain white wall. The performance aspect will be a plain white wall and therefore wont require an establishing shot, however we plan to establish both the forest and skate park; the forest being a particular convention of the indie genre as nature is commonly highlighted in such videos to signify the simplistic, minimalistic and purity and the artist and their talent in order to appeal to the target audience. The establishing shot of the skate park will highlight the characteristics of the artist's boyfriend as being isolated from her and therefore will imply their present relationship.