The consumption of media texts has an effect on the
audience, the effect is normally negative. Due to an audience being passive to
influences they therefor may imitate what they see in the text. The power is in
the message of the text, and in music videos it may lead to violent behaviour,
an example of this being Marilyn Manson, whose music and products were accused
of being linked to the Columbine shootings.
Keeping this is mind we would have to consider the image which our band and the music video put across. For example whether it promotes violent behavior, perhaps if a fight is used. Or if a political view is portrayed, whether it will influence viewers negatively. In our video we haven't planned on using any content which could be portrayed negatively.
Marilyn Mason on the Columbine Shootings:
A study by Bandura tested young boys and girls by showing
them a video of a male or female model behaving aggressively towards a toy Bobo
Doll. A second selection of children was not shown this video at all.
Later, the children entered the experimental room individually with a Bobo
Doll. 88% of those who had seen video acted aggressively toward the doll, and
were also more verbally aggressive. This was substantially higher than those
who had not seen the video, who played nicely with the doll.
This therefor concludes that people do imitate violent content which they are exposed
to.
All Pop stars have a certain identity or persona which is not restricted to their musicianship. A true pop star has a lasting significance and has a 'brand awareness' amongst a wider market over a long period of time.
A stars image becomes a a recognised sign that is used through many different media forms. Artists use this to their advantage and will use their image as a meaning of allowing it to be used for advertising purposes.
Example-
Eminem continues this font throughout all of his advertising and merchandise, therefore his fans will be drawn towards these things if there is an existing image that he uses throughout his music.
Richard Dyers Theory-
1) Stars are artificial images which are constructed purely because they will know it will appeal to their target audience. Artists can be copied or parodied because of this certain image the artists are portraying.
'A Star is an image not a real person that is constructed (as other aspects of fiction is) out of a range of materials'
2) Industry and Audience
Stars are made to appeal to the audiences with will generate revenue for the artists record companies. Record companies nurture their stars, they shape their artists to what they think will appeal most the the artists target audience and to the general public.
'Stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of their meanings'
3) Ideology and culture
Stars promote a certain ideology by the shared cultural values and attitudes that they represent. The audience will have interests in these values which will then enhance their 'Star Quality'. If the artists convey certain beliefs, ideas and opinions outside the music, it helps to create their star persona.
4) Character and Personality
The artists are simply constructed into stars. A star first begins as a 'real' human but they are then transformed into a star (construction). The stars provide audiences with a focus, which will make them appeal to the public. It is much easier for a pop star to establish their personality and character than a film star for example, purely for the fact that they have much more consistency. A pop stars persona is constructed but is continually reconstructed and reassessed. Second album syndrome is when an artist is unable to sustain their particular persona overtime.
Star image will be relevant to my work because we will consider many of these aspects when producing out music video, digi pack and magazine advert. When choosing our band members, we will need to think about what image they would have and what style would suit the band and appeal to the target audience. We will also need to think about what sort of a recognised sign that our band will use throughout all their albums and merchandise so that they will instantly be recognised by their fans.
We are going to support the theory of Star Image by using the same font throughout our digipak which will be widely recognised and associated with the band. By Amy Thrush
Existing Digipaks- Arctic Monkeys- Suck It And See
This is the front cover used for Arctic Monkeys Album. This is very plain and uses a limited colour palette of black and white which I think works well for an Indie band. This is suggesting to their target audience that their album is all about the music and nothing else matters, all the album is showing is simply the bands name and the album name. The font they have used is also very simplistic, bold and easy to read.
The Back cover is very similar to the front cover, the background is the same colour and the colour palette is exactly the same still only using black and white. The bands name 'Arctic Monkeys' is written in the same font as it was written on the front cover and the song names have also been written in the same font as their album cover 'Suck It And See'. The Background is very dull and is still not showing an image of the band on either of the front and back covers. Along the bottom there is a Price, Barcode and also their Record Label. This digipak entails all of the information needed, however it is very straight to the point and does not have any images or colours, which relates well back to the indie genre.
The Kooks- Konk
This is the front over used for The Kooks album 'Konk', this however has a band image on the front of their album cover, but majority of the band members faces are not very visible in the image. This is suggesting to the audience that the band is not important in comparison to the band name 'The Kooks' and their album name 'Konk' which as highlighted using bright colours and lighting. The font is very simplistic and there is limited bright colours used on the front cover, this cover uses a lot of darker colours such as black and dark blue. The band members are also wearing dark smart clothing and generally have longish hair, which slightly covers their faces, suggesting that their image and what they look like does not matter.
The back cover uses the same dark and dull colours such as blues and black, however on the back this has an image of a stage/set door, the door is opened which I think is suggesting to the audience to listen to their music and to go and visit them at a concert to watch them perform. The font uses for the song names is the same font which is used on the front cover of the album which is used for the album name. The font used is written in white, which is also a plain and dull colour and the font is bold and easily readable, yet it it is a simple font. This back cover also has all the relevant information such as a Barcode, Price and Record Label but does not go in to any further information about the album or band.
The Black Keys- The Big Come Up
This is the front cover used for The Black Keys album 'The Big Come Up'. The only colours used on this cover is black and white, this makes the cover bold and the white against the black works very well which highlights the name of the band and the album. This cover however has an image of the band members in the middle, however their faces are hidden. Half of the lead singers face is covered with a black shadow only presenting half of his face, and the other band members face is our of focused and has been blurred out. Suggesting he is not as important as the lead singer. The font used is very simple, yet it is bold and big showing to the public that the band name and album name is very important.
The back cover to this album has an image of the guitar on the back, but does not show a visible image of the band members. This image is presented in black and white, which seems to be used a lot with indie bands. By using black and white I think is suggesting to the audience that the band members and advertisements are not important to an indie band. The font used for the song names is very simplistic and is written in white. This back cover has limited information on the back of it, only has the bare minimum information such as Barcode, Price and their Record label.
Lyrics-
Its been a long time,
But I got by, taking the time without a day and night,
You never forget when there was somebody behind,
Staring into straight life lines,
And on the first day,
So they've explored the memories there was to suceed to the point,
They always say they were faster to the day,
and I will take my time.
And the Footsteps that I'll take,
They'll be mine today,
To keep it or leave it all behind,
This will never be tonight
Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh
Its been a long time,
But I got by, taking the time without a day and night,
You never forget when their was somebody behind,
staring into straight life lines,
And on the first day,
So they've explored her, memories to suceed to the point,
They always say they were faster to the day,
and I will take my time.
And the Footsteps that I take,
They'll be mine today,
To keep it or leave it all behind,
This will never be tonight
* Instrumental *
And the Footsteps that I take,
They'll be mine today,
To keep it or leave it all behind,
This will never be tonight
After searching for an local/unsigned band or artist, we eventually found an indie band which we both liked. They are a band of four males, in their late teens and early twenties. The band consists of a singer, guitarist, bass guitarist and a drummer. We first heard their song 'Footsteps' and we both thought it would be perfect to use for a music video, particularly after producing the questionnaire.We gained a wider knowledge of the wants and interests our target audience would like to find in an indie band. We found that more females listen to indie bands, because the bands are usually young males, which works well as The Jefferson Brick's band members are all males. Therefore they will attract teenage girls to listen and to go and watch them perform live or in a music video. When looking for a band we were also looking for a band who have great guitar solos and can perform well live, which we both decided The Jefferson Brick have both of these.
Our letter which we sent to the band-
Dear manager and band members of The Jefferson Brick,
We are writing to you to ask permission for us to use your
music for our A Level Media Studies Coursework, where we have been given the
task of producing a music video for a local band/unsigned artist.
We have listened to your song ‘Footsteps’, which we will
like to use for our music video. Could you please get back to us asap if we are
able to use your music for our work.
Many Thanks,
Amy Thrush and Rebecca Gatfield.
Response from the band-
Dear Amy Thrush and Rebecca Gatfield,
I am writing to you
to give you permission to use our song‘Footsteps’
for your music video.
We would also love it if you would send us your work after.
Many Thanks,
The Jefferson Brick
By Amy Thrush
The music video for ‘Matters At All’ by Kids in Glass Houses
has a balance between narrative and performance. For the first half of the
music video the narrative is a very generic ‘boy meets girl’ story, but has a
twist at the end which correspond with earlier shots but is seen from a
different perspective. This twist makes
the video far more interesting and impressive, which in turn makes the song and
band more memorable.
The setting of the performance takes place in a large,
spacious room with brick walls. Alongside the instruments there seems to be
furniture covered over by sheets – as if the room had been abandoned. This
doesn’t reflect the narrative, which suggests that it may be linked to the
lyrics which seem to echo the setting as it appears to be about a former
relationship which has yet to be forgotten.
The lighting in the performance aspects of this video is
very dark as it is lit by separate lamps and spotlights instead of the room’s
normal light source. The lead vocalist is introduced when he is illuminated by
the lamp beside him as he begins singing the first verse. The lamps allow
silhouettes of the band to be made, which adds to the mysterious aspects of the
performance and is emphasised by the shady and empty room.
The clothing which the band is wearing is for the most part
very dark and casual. The dark clothing, pared with the dull lighting allows
the band to blend into the background – which could suggest that the band
doesn’t want to be the main focus of the video. The plain clothing is similar
to other indie-rock artists, who also dress relatively plainly; this could also
be due to the band wishing to be secondary to the music video.
The quickest moment in the music video is the rewind effect
at the beginning of the music video, which draws the audience’s attention to
the narrative instantly as it takes them back to the beginning of the
narrative. The rewind effect is also used when the band first enters the room
for the performance, which connects the two aspects. There are many quick-cuts,
especially when the pace of the music video picks up. The pace of each
individual shot is far slower during the narrative than in the performance,
which keeps the audiences focus on the narrative, without the performance
aspects seeming tedious due to the speed which they change. The shots flit
between the narrative and performance often and it’s rare that there is one
piece of narrative next to another, this makes the different shots seem like
they are moving faster and keeps the suspense up.
I found that with this video it appeals to our target audience of teenagers as the band members in the video are also very young - which allows them to become a role-model for the boys and a subject of romantic interest for a girl.
From this video we would like to replicate certain aspects:
The use
of narrative and performance as our music video type - the hybrid video seems to be the most popular music video type for the indie-rock genre.
The dark
lighting during the performance as it is common in most indie-rock music videos
we have looked at so far - it got a lot of praise in the feedback and if done correctly could make the video more eye-catching overall.
The pace
of the narrative as it allows the audience to follow the story-line easily, however we have to keep in mind whether it would become tedious.
The
unique narrative to keep the audience engaged and allows the band to stand out - we would like to use an interesting plot twist at the end to keep the audience thinking about it in the future.
From the feedback I have found that the music video appeals more to girls than boys, which matches our target audience. There was a mixed response on the performance aspects and the pace of the video, for example how the video cuts in a similar fashion throughout which allows the pace to become tedious. However, a particular aspect which is liked is the dark colour scheme when the band is performing - the dark and muted colours catch the audience's attention as it is dramatic and matches the darker sense of the narrative itself.
Another aspect which is liked is the twist in the narrative at the end - which in turn makes the video far more memorable and therefor the song.
Lisa likes brandy and the way it hits her lips
She's a rock 'n' roll survivor with pendulum hips
She's got deep brown eyes
That've seen it all
Working at a nightclub that was called The Avenue
The bar men used to call her "Little Lisa, Loney Tunes"
She went down on almost anyone
From the hard time living 'til the Chelsea days
From when her hair was sweet blonde 'til the day it turned gray
She said:
[Chorus]
L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.
You've got more than money and sense, my friend
You've got heart and you go in your own way
L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.
What you don't have now will come back again
You've got heart and you go in your own way
Some people wear their history like a map on their face
And Joey was an artist just living out of case
But his best word was his letters home
His standard works of fiction about imaginary success
The chorus girls in neon were his closest things to friends
But to a writer, the truth is no big deal
From the hard time living to the sleepless nights
And the black and blue body from the weekend fights
He'd say:
[Chorus]
L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.
You've got more than money and sense, my friend
You've got heart and you go in your own way
L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.
What you don't have now will come back again
You've got heart and you go in your own way
[Bridge]
On my last night on earth, I won't look to the sky
Just breathe in the air and blink in the light
On my last night on earth, I'll pay a high price
To have no regrets and be done with my life
[Chorus]
L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.
You've got more than money and sense, my friend
You've got heart and you go in your own way
L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.
What you don't have now will come back again
You've got heart and you go in your own way [repeat]
This music video by Noah and the Whale is a narrative and
performance hybrid which cuts between the band appearance the characters who a
linked to the lyrics. The characters in
the lyrics are ‘Lisa’ and ‘Joey’ who live relatively unsuccessful lives, and in
this video the characters give the audience a visual representation of this
life.
The lighting in the video I slow-key and the lights flicker
on and off to shift between showing the band and the characters. The flickering
lights and unfocussed camera work suggest the character’s distortion of life a
view of life, working with the lyrics ‘imaginary success’ and as for Lisa the
alcoholism noted upon. The video’s colour scheme and lack of other performer
shows emptiness of the character life throughout the music video.
Meeting the dark colour scheme the whole band wearing the same
dark colours, but unlike the lyrics they are dressed very smart. This would
suggest that they don’t relate with the characters, but may have come into
contact with them. The band itself is portrayed to be neat, which could be due
to what is expected to be worn from the tradition indie scene. The band’s initials
are show (NATW) on the drums to promote
the band throughout the video, it is also simple black and white, which may be
due to the band not trying to stand out and be irregular, unlike many more
popular bands/artists who need to try to look different to endorse their own
image as a brand. This could indicate that the band has a lot of confidence in
its own music, as their image is so simple.
Thought the video is pretty dark and unremarkable, this
factor makes the artist stand out from many other ‘Popular’ artists who need to
stand out to sell their image, some examples being Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj. This
is common for many indie artists who strive to be different and refuses to
follow what is popular and in the charts, therefor is individual. This matches
the lyrics in many ways ‘Got more than money and sense my friend, you got heart
and you’re going your own way’. Having no regrets to go into music and not
conforming to the masses. The band is performing to only one person and his
child in an audience which showing that they want to be seen as more of an
underground and unknown band and therefor are pretty humble.
The
video often uses shaky camera and there looks less expensively made as no other
equipment looks like it was used – more like a home video or a student-made
video of those on a budget. This makes them look like they haven’t been picked
up by any big Record Companies, that they’re singular and got where they
wanted on their own, despite being signed to record labels such as Mercury
Records. This would suggest that they are stubborn to their music and not easy
to change. This is a classically indie-artist trait of today.
There is cheap used lighting used, such as fairy lights which
emphasises the low budget used on the video as well as the rented room which
looks more like it would be rented out for parties and underground gigs. Which
supports the concept of undiscovered indie bands, therefor the band itself isn’t
conforming to what is popular, but the following what is considered typical for
an indie band.
Feedback
I got some feedback of the video and the most who commented found the
unfocussed camera irritating as well as being too plain to keep
anyone's attention. In this case more emphasis on the song which might
make it more popular, and this therefor allows the audience can pay more
attention to the song as a product over the video itself. But on the
other hand it is likable as it fits the genre and is unusual to what is
typical of popular bands. Also that there are other key themes which would go unnoticed to most.
From this video we would consider taking a few aspects, for example the style of clothing which they wear which we think would be fitting for the band shown in our video and how we wish that they would be portrayed. Also the use of lyrics which match the characters in the video, which would help to give the video more of an impact, for example in this video highlighting the lives of people who are struggling, but trying to carry on with life.
