DHB - Similar Product Research - History

Deanna Hammond-Blackburn - 9164

Historical Similar Product Research

The term ‘indie’ was originally used to the music record labels rather than the actual music, but this changed when other genres such as ‘grunge’, ‘punk revival’ and ‘britpop’ became more mainstream in the 1990s and the phrase ‘indie’ was used to label those bands that were seen as outsiders to the new mainstream music scene. The indie genre developed many sub-genres, such as Baroque pop, C86, Dance-punk, Dream pop, Indie pop, Jangle pop, Lo-fi, Math rock, Noise pop, Noise rock, Post-punk revival, Post-rock, Sadcore.  Some indie-rock/grunge bands, such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains rose to fame in the 2000s, which caused some more dedicated fans question the usefulness of the term ‘indie’, and it began to have a meaning more of ‘commercially lighter’ music. Due to the technology developments of such things as the internet and digital technologies, more indie-rock bands gained commercial success in the 2000s, however the term ‘indie’ was more readily used to label other areas of popular culture as well as just the indie music.

It was in 1992 when alternative-rock/indie-rock was first considered to enter the mainstream with the unexpected success of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ by the grunge band Nirvana. The song entered many of the charts around the world, such as the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart for one week and it reached 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song wouldn’t be classed as indie today due to the way the music that is considered indie has changed to be much softer and acoustic.

The music video for the Nirvana song has some of the typical conventions of an indie/alternative video still seen today, such as the close up shots of the band members, darker colours used for the rock/grunge side of the subgenre, the band not being shown in a voyeuristic way and the use of colour for representations. Goodwin’s theory can be applied to this video too, there are clear links between the visuals and the lyrics, for example ‘With the lights out, it's less dangerous, Here we are now, entertain us’. The location of the video is quite dark and the only lights that are on only seem to give the place a dirtier, grimier feel, which also links the music and the visuals. ‘Entertain us’ has a clear relationship with the visuals as the band are obviously there to entertain the crowd. 

Strauss' theory of binary opposition in music video can be applied due to the way the teenage audience react to the band. In the beginning they are sat quietly while looking bored, which is the complete opposite to the end where the whole audience have started rioting and destroying the band's equipment; harmony vs. anarchy. Todorov's theory could also be subtly applied as the calm in the beginning is the equilibrium, when the teenagers start 'moshing'  this is the disequilibrium as they seem to be restricted or holding back, and the new equilibrium is when they are rioting as they have broken through the social boundaries that were subconsciously inhibiting them.

Carol Venallis' theory of the 4 concepts can somewhat be applied here; the narrative is about the band playing a school concert and trying to find some success, the camera movements show a lot of close ups/mid shots of the band members and the framing is a little unusual, the actions of both the band and the audience are regularly cut short through the diegesis and the audience are left wondering at what exactly caused the crowd to riot in such an angry fashion. However the editing isn't always cut to the beat of the song. This is all probably done to conform to the 90's connotations of being 'indie'. This still happens in new music videos in the 2000's, but with much more variations depending on the band which further conforms to the 'indie' label. 

Blur were also an indie rock band that gained commercial success in the 90s and became popular due to their different style of music. Although they are a part of the same decade as Nirvana they are completely different. Their music is much softer and shows how quickly the genre changed, which complies with what Abercrombie said; "the boundaries between genres are shifting".

These changes from over the years suggest that the indie genre may either become more indie again or the indie label may continue to lose it's usefulness as a genre. This is because the indie genre has always had crossovers from other genres but the more famous indie bands will have to change to keep their audiences happy. 

EH - Similar Product Research - History

Solo Task - Emma Hall 9162

“New genre is the transformation of old genres” – Todorov

Combining genres together is becoming more and more frequent in modern times, with indie-folk only starting to appear in the 1990s, but quickly becoming a genre given many titles and variations such as acoustic-soft rock, alternative country or folk-pop. As Abercrombie rightly ascertained “the boundaries between genres are shifting”, the early music videos in this genre were a mixture of conventions from different genres, before a style of its own could be developed.

AM - Similar Product Research 3

Solo Task - Alex Major - 9190

Cage The elephant - Ain't No Rest For The Wicked 

I couldn't upload the video because its not available to share on the blog in this country for copyright reasons. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U631FGnXDXY

Goodwin can be applied heavily to this music video as every aspect of the video has a reference to the videos lyrics or has a direct reference to the lyrics. On one of the first lines he says "a pretty little thing approaching me" then cuts to a woman , she's wearing a red dress to symbolise sexual desire, but then cuts to a snake then a eagle to which you would subconsciously think of danger. Then as its getting close to the chorus more signs of danger appear as a scorpion appears , elderly couple with one holding a pitch fork and just as the 

singer is about to step into the car it shows a road sign saying rough road.

 As the chorus comes in it shows some performative shots of the band playing then cutting to the band in the car, as the chorus ends the car crashes and crashes the same way the car at the very start of the video crashes. As the second verse begins the woman comes back performing voyeuristic dance moves and then showing her scorpion tattoo on her back which then cuts very quickly back to the snake showing the danger. When the lyrics "Try to make a move I wont think twice" a policeman is shown to which he does the hand gesture of "I've got my eyes on you".

The chorus comes in again doing more performative shots of the band playing but then shows the singer walking down a road with lots of signs which say rough road , then he gets in the car for the second time, which then crashes again cutting to various animals and the woman again. But this time its as if he is hallucinating as the woman turns into one of his band members. While this is happening it keeps cutting back to the car which has crashed but then ends on the same kind of frame set and mise en scene as if it was a circle.

AM - Similar Product Research 2

Solo Task Alex Major - 9190

Papa Roach - No Matter What (Acoustic)

This music video is 80% performative but is very clever from the beginning as the first shot is of a man opening a book, this shows the audience the start of a story. The video has small hints to what is going to happen at the end of the video, as there is a filter on top of the video which is of a flickering old tape effect present. This tells the viewer that the theme of the video has something to do with "age". As the video carries on it starts to reveal the age theme as the song is based upon two lovers that stay together forever and two young kids are sat next to each other and then when the chorus comes in, the kids begin slow dancing with each other mouthing the lyrics "I'll take a bullet for you" and as the line is said the boy spins the girl and she turns from a young girl into a woman.

As the chorus ends, the second verse only has performative camera shots and camera angles and as the chorus begins to come in again it fades in to the couple from before but they are still young adults, still mouthing the lyrics of “I’ll take a bullet for you” but this time the couple are holding each other tighter and are burying each others heads in their shoulder. As the bridge and guitar solo comes in, the drummer of the band is shown coming in and brings in a beat but this time when the chorus comes in the couple are now elderly, and then ends on the line of “were the last ones standing” showing the dancing couple as the very last shot.

AM - Similar Product Research 1

Solo Task - Alex Major 9190

Imagine Dragons - Its Time

In this music video Neale and Todorov apply very well as this music video is based on symbolism, a seed which is planted into the soil triggers an explosion. The explosion causes the clouds and the darkness to disappear and light slowly begins to burst through the clouds and onto the soil.

 This applies to Todorov because there was a new equilibrium caused by the explosion and Neale said that “Difference is absolutely essential because this is an acoustic folk/rock song most songs would have a video about a couple, a love story or a sad story with a happy ending, whereas this song starts with the band walking around a broken dark beat up planet, by the looks of it from the audiences point of view the band are the hero’s or the stragglers/survivors ,as they soldier on the camera shows a long shot of them walking past some flags , this shows a corner stone into the journey they are taking on.

Half way through the video the chorus comes in and the camera cut to the band looking at a tree, this is one of the elements that make the video based on symbolism. The tree is representing life or a new beginning, and as the chorus line “It’s time to begin” comes in the band start to dig near the tree and at the bridge of the song the light seed is dropped into the ground and the new equilibrium begins.

DHB - Similar Product Research 3

Solo Task - Deanna Hammond-Blackburn 9164

Imagine Dragons – Demons

This video is interesting as throughout the video the narrative aspects are intertwined with the performance aspects. From the first few shots we presume the video is completely performance as it shows the band playing a live gig. However this changes when it shows close ups of certain people in the crowd and then it zooms in quickly and cuts to a short narrative part about that person.

The lyrics are related to the visuals; the very beginning of the video is very dark with only blue strobe lighting used on the band which relates directly to the first line: ‘When the days are cold’. Throughout the rest of the video it doesn’t get much lighter and the darkness is spread over the crowd as well as the band which is showing ‘It’s dark inside; it’s where my demons hide’.  The darkness is used to represent how everyone has some ‘demons’ inside them that they hide from everyone due to their negative nature. ‘When you feel my heat, look into my eyes’ is also shown through the use of the red strobe lighting streaming from behind the band into the crowd; red is associated with heat and danger and is used her as a symbolic colour. There are also regular close ups of people’s eyes; either the main singer or another band member’s or one of the people in the crowd with a short narrative part showing their hidden demons.  

The music is related to the visuals, as seen in Goodnwin’s theory, as you see the crowd waving their arms along in time with the music, and the band members move along to the music at times too. In the beginning the ASL is quite long too, which links to the slow introduction. This then shortens when the tempo of the music increases during the chorus. The ASL then lengthens again during the slower verses.

Applying Goodwin’s theory further, the conventions of indie rock music videos that have been used include showing a journey; you follow the soldier near the end carrying his fallen comrade through a desert, there is no voyeuristic choreographed dancing, the rock side is shown through the use of darker colours.

Strauss’ theory of binary opposition can be applied here; dark vs. light, strength vs. weakness, being alone vs. being in a crowd, hot vs. cold. Dark vs. light can be interpreted in a literal sense or in a more poetic sense in the way that emotional darkness is the main theme of the song and the video, yet the different people are finding ways to suppress the darkness with light or joy, which is found through the music.

Todorov can also be applied but in a more unusual way, as it applies for each person individually. The woman in the beginning is shown in a state of disequilibrium as she sat beside a coffin of who we presume is someone dear to her, this then changes to a new equilibrium as she is portrayed as calm at the gig. This is the same for the men too; they are shown in a state of disequilibrium where something bad has happened to them, and then they are shown as more positive in the concert.

The video is effective in the way the performance is used almost like a therapy session for the narrative aspects. This video makes the audience think about their own demons and then feel more connected with the song, perhaps then bringing more enjoyment out of it for them. The audience uses this video not only for entertainment but for personal identity according to Katz and Blumer’s theory. Personal identity is connotated throughout the video through the narrative clips showing insight into the peoples' lives which are otherwise unknown to the other people in the video, including the band members. The use of close ups on the band members also suggest the band are there for their own personal identities and to help hide their own 'demons'. This helps connect the audience with the video as they feel they can relate to the band members more.

This song has become popular mainly due to the Night Visions album success, and the success of their song 'Radioactive'. The band came to fame from their song 'Radioactive' being used on the soundtrack for the film The Host and the popular game Assassins' Creed trailer and other TV programs and advertisements, and 'On Top Of The World' was used on the Samsung Galaxy Note advert, which are on the same album as "Demons'. However the videos for 'Radioactive' and 'It's Time' are very different to the 'Demons' video, 'Radioactive' is very narrative and concept based but seems to have a lighter feel, while 'It's Time' is very narrative and concept based with some performance aspects but is much darker. Each video has a different director; this is because the songs are all very different to the others and need to portray different connotations.

I like the video as the way the performance and narrative are integrated make it much more thought provoking, which is what I am looking to do in my own work. The use of colours to give different representations as well as linking the lyrics and visuals is also interesting and something I would look at incorporating into my video.

DHB - Similar Product Research 2

Solo Task - Deanna Hammond-Blackburn 9164

The Lumineers - Stubborn Love:  

 

This music video is almost completely narrative based with only an incredibly short part of performance which is beautifully intertwined with the narrative. The video follows the journey of a very young girl who is travelling in a car with who we presume to be her mother, and the narrative is told through what is seen through the window of the car and the girl’s reactions to the events she sees.

There is a distinct relationship between the lyrics and the visuals as the lyrics are reflected in the events seen. For example when the car stops there is a shot of his reaction to the little girl in the car, and from the lyrics ‘she'll tear a hole in you, the one you can't repair, but I still love her, I don't really care’ connotates the unconditional love a parent feels for a child it shows how he is concerned for the girl yet she just seems carefree. Another example is ‘When we were young’ is shown as two teenagers kissing. The way the shots shown directly portray the lyrics is effective as it makes the viewer feel like they’re in the car with the little girl, traveling with her and feeling what she feels.

The relationship between the music and the visuals is shown mostly through the slower ASL, and then the short clip of the band performing. This bit follows the style of the rest of the video in that it is seen through the car window as the car passes, although there is a close up of a few of the band members. This doesn’t conform as much to Goodnwin’s theory of the music video showing lots of close ups of the artists and there is no voyeuristic portrayal of women. However there is the frequent reference to the notion of looking as the girl is constantly looking out the window.

Genre characteristics that are used include the common convention of a journey and following the main protagonist, no scenes of dancing to the song and the location of a town or a secluded part of nature, a mixture of short and medium length ASL, and the use of bright colours.

Although this video is almost solely narrative, some narrative theorists can’t be applied completely. For example Propp and Strauss, in the video there are no clear specific characters such as the princess or the dispatcher, and there are no clear examples of binary opposition. However the little girl can be interpreted as being the hero of the narrative, with her mother being the donor or helper (as she gives the girl her ring).

Todorov could be applied here as the narrative begins with equilibrium as the journey starts off without unusual events. The disequilibrium occurs when the car travels past an accident and the little girl appears to be upset, and the events that follow as they travel through the town seem to make her uncomfortable. The new equilibrium is then achieved as they leave the town and travel on a more open road, and the little girl winds down the window. This changes her mood as she waves her hand out the window in time to the music and we see her filled with joy.

The aspects in this video that I could use in my own production are things such as the sophisticated way the performance element is incorporated into the narrative; I feel that this is very effective and would work well in my work. 

 

 

DHB - Similar Product Research 1

Solo Task - Deanna Hammond-Blackburn 9164

 

Jake Bugg - Lightning Bolt:

 

This video is mainly performance-based but has elements of concept based shots too, and there is barely any narrative to this video. The concept elements consist of the different clips of different transports and moving shots shown in old style video. This makes the video seem faster paced, and combined with the black and white performance elements, it gives the overall video a very nostalgic feel.

The old style clips also give the video a gritty feeling which links in with Goodwin’s theory; the relationship between the lyrics and visuals is shown through the concept elements. Considering the lyrics ‘path of a lightning bolt’ you would expect the video to be brighter or more intense, although the ASL decreases noticeably during the quicker parts if the song, showing the relationship between the music and visuals. Applying Goodwin’s theory further we do see a lot of shots of Jake Bugg himself performing the song, with lots of intertextual references to many different places.

There are a few typical conventions of an indie/soft rock music video; the shots following the artist on a journey through a location which relates to the lyrics, a mixture of short and medium ASL, showing the artist performing with instruments and without instruments in a range of different locations, use of bright colours. The genre of the music is also apparent in the video in the style and his representations. The main signifier is him walking alone down a street; this is done to represent his individuality. The use of the black and white shots is important as this emphasises his individual style. The way he is dressed is used to represent his youth, which subtly contrasts with the lyrics as they suggest the artist is perhaps more experienced and has more knowledge of the world, whereas Jake looks like a stereotypical young adult. The black and white colouring casts his face in quite dark shadows which represent him as more moody and mysterious, which thereby contrasts with his youthful appearance and relates more to the representation the lyrics give. This also links to the nostalgic feel of the video.

Other theorists, such as the narrative theorists Todorov and Propp cannot be applied to this video as there is no narrative in this video. However there are some subtle ways that Strauss’ theory can be applied; traveling alone vs. traveling in a group for example. This is shown through the way that various shots of different modes of transport are interspersed in between shots of the artist walking along by himself. This could be used as symbolism for the meaning of the lyrics as there are different references to taking risks and not standing by as opportunities arise, and the video is showing how most people don’t take the opportunities, while the few that do are struck by a divine light; ‘walk right into the path of a lightning bolt’.

The lyrics of this song are similar to those of the song chosen for my own video as they are quite concept-based; ‘chances, people tell you not to take chances’, which means I could use the symbolism in a similar way, with broad interpretations which are ambiguous in whether they are positive or negative. 

EH - Similar Product Research 4

Solo Task - Emma Hall 9162

The Lumineers "Ho Hey"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvCBSSwgtg4

This video is completely performance based, and so is unusual for an indie-folk song. It also takes place entirely inside, which also defies the convention that the locations should all be natural sites of beauty. Instead the location initially is a dimly lit corridor, with walls bare except for old light-bulbs strung like Christmas lights down the length of the hallway, as seen in a long opening tracking shot emphasising the emptiness. Although bare and unusual, it is not foreboding or harsh, but a warm location, with its own unique beauty, as it is lit with a warm, sepia tone that is welcoming despite the sparseness. Members of the band are introduced one by one as they walk down the corridor playing their instruments and singing. Here more of the typical genre characteristics are introduced, such as the acoustic guitar, and the costumes worn by the band members, which are less of a popular, modern style - more of a sweet, vintage style. For example the female member wears a sweet white dress that symbolises an innocence that is a far cry from the voyeuristic approach usually taken towards the female body in most pop videos. Similarly, at times in the video, pink roses are seen hanging from the ceiling as the trio walk in a tracking shot towards the camera. These are a sign that signifies romance and love, which along with the continued symbols of light (from the light-bulbs on the wall, the back-lit corridor and even an over-cranked shot of a light-bulb smashing) suggest a loving environment created not through gaudy sets and bright colours, but by homely, simple touches which are friendly and invite the audience to connect with the images onscreen. This sentiment, although portrayed quite differently here, is echoed in many other videos of this genre.

EH - Similar Product Research 3

Solo Task - Emma Hall 9162

 The Paper Kites “Bloom”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8inJtTG_DuU

This video’s purpose for an audience would mainly be for entertainment but some may find a sense of personal identity from the distinctive style used in the costuming, locations and music. Also they could find this by identifying with how their gender is being represented, as both are present in this video, giving it a wide appeal. There is a slight conceptual aspect to this video, with the notion of two people finding each other, which requires an active audience, as the video’s meaning could be read differently by different people. The video begins with a fade up from black, which will become a common feature of this video, and matches the gentleness of the song, which starts similarly quiet. The shot is an extreme close up of tins cans strung from a tree, gently swinging in the breeze, and moves slowly in and out of focus, creating a hazy atmosphere, as we match cut to other angles of the cans which show the bright sun behind, low in the sky, setting the video in the morning, explaining the slow, just waking up feeling created. This video is mainly narrative based, with a small performance element that is hinted at to begin with but then builds in the middle, before dissipating at the end. Initially, there are only brief snippets such as an extreme close up of a banjo being picked up out of the grass, and the plucking of strings to match the instrumental opening to the song, which builds an air of mystery and enchantment that runs through the whole video.

EH - Similar Product Research 2

Solo Task - Emma Hall 9162

Sea Wolf – “Old Friend”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNSbrvhHPF4

An audience member watching this music video, according to Katz and Blumer, would gain some perspective on and be able to develop their own personal identity through its use of contrasting scenarios and lifestyles, which enable the viewer to make personal decisions about what locations they feel they belong in through its extensive use and variety of wide shots of two distinctly different settings. The audience, therefore,  covers quite a range of lifestyles, and age groups, and one the video’s purposes is to actively make the audience think about what social group they belong to. This begins immediately with the first shot of the music video being an establishing shot looking over a large city full of lights, in the pink glow of the morning, which makes the city look quite beautiful, and matches the slow tempo of the song. However, the next shot is a long shot of the main singer stood at a bus stop, which is repeated a few times throughout the first half of the video. He stands still, spotlighted by a streetlamp, whilst the lights of cars speed past in front of him. This shot has been under-cranked to speed up the cars into blurs of lights, which look busy and lively compared to the singer who stands completely still and looks very lonely under his spotlight. This shot used at the beginning singles the man out as the protagonist for the video’s narrative.

EH - Similar Product Research 1

Solo Task - Emma Hall 9162

Local Natives "Who Knows, Who Cares"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAHD6WQSBWo

This video is mostly narrative based, with the last section including performance that is worked into the narrative, as the group of friends travelling included the band. The purpose of the video is to entertain and create a memorable image of the band. Audience members watching this would gain a sense of personal identity, as it shows quite a distinct lifestyle that is very free and young, but can mostly watch this passively without having to think too much about the contents, following the hypodermic needle theory. This is in some ways unusual for the indie-folk genre, as it generally takes more of an age-neutral stand point, but this video is clearly aimed at a young, in the 20s audience, with the group of friends having fun together, eventually dancing together to live music. This is usually more typical of the pop genre, however, the costumes and other activities such as rowing a boat and fishing which are depicted in the video are more individual and less-mainstream than pop.

Initial Response to the Brief

Group Task - Deanna Hammond-Blackburn 9164

                     - Emma Hall 9162

                     - Alex Major 9190

Brief 1

A promotional package for the release of an album to include a music promo video, together with two ancillary tasks: a digipak for the album's release & a magazine advertisement for the digipak.

 

We chose to do this brief as there are more varied avenues to go down to express our creativity with it, and we all felt as though music related more to our lives as young people than something like a documentary. After deciding to do the music video brief, we had to choose a music genre we all felt comfortable with and felt we could explore fully, and then a song to match. We decided upon acoustic soft rock, with some folk and indie influences, as it is quite universal in its appeal and was easy to listen to. We had some difficulty finding songs with no copyright protection with a good quality sound. However finally we agreed upon quite a calm, slow song, which became more upbeat as it went along called 'Silver Light' by House of the Old Boat. This song has quite ambiguous lyrics that were quite poetic and open to interpretation, which means that we can take it in many different directions.

The audience for this genre we feel is quite broad, encompassing ages from 15-28 as a core music video-watching audience, but has the scope to go wider. The audience will be made up of both genders, though we thought it might sway slightly more towards young girls, with boys being interested at an older, more mature age. We want our audiences to be active audiences that have to think about what they are seeing, and not just passively watch an explosion of noise and flashing lights. We feel that modern music videos tend to be more in-your-face, big productions of the Lady Ga Ga variety that try to match the fast pace of modern living. In response to this, we feel that modern audiences sometimes need time to calm and reflect, with a simpler, more subtle video that allows them to relax from their busy lives.

The primary purpose of the music video will be to promote the image of the artist, and encourage sales of the single. To do this, we want to create something that will start people talking about the band, linking in with our secondary purpose of challenging the audience and making them think/reflect. In this way, although we initially considered making a mainly narrative/performance based music video, we are now interested in including some conceptual elements.

The initial themes that we are considering exploring in our video come from looking at similar products and analysing the lyrics. These themes include: legacy and the act of passing something on; the opposition between dark/light and night/day; repetition and cycles of life; warmth of friendship and relationships; the need to never be alone.