The genre of this music is Indie Rock, claiming to sound like bands such as Kings of Leon and Of Monsters and Men. The band is currently unsigned which was a good opportunity for us to come up with our own, original ideas. We decided to portray a solo artist because the video would be easier to make this way, with a solo performer and acoustic guitar.
Our chosen song for our music video was Hold Fast (play below).
The song is very catchy and simple, we had a clear view of how the video could look. We decided to go for a bright theme, often used by artists such as Ben Howard and Mumford and Sons. With these ideas in mind, the design for the website and digipack could also be easily incorporated, using the same rural 'indie' feel throughout.
'Indie'
Indie stands for individual, which already gives me a sense of who the target audience of this genre of music is. People associated with Indie music often enjoy new trends and find ways to become a unique individual. This comes in aspects such as clothing styles, hobbies and interests.
SHOPS:
Finding out where indie kids like to shop will help me to understand their style and therefore inspire the design element of the music video, website and digipak.
The associated shops Topman and Topshop are very popular with teens, especially those with an individual style. On the Topshop website we can see a girl in a field wearing a floral dress. I have found this rural theme in indie music videos and CD covers, which confirms that this element of the raw, patterned festival look is popular with indie kids. This gives me inspiration for the colours and design of the Digipak and music video. The Topman website is similar with the sky background and sunglasses. They both portray an overall sunny and bright theme.
HOBBIES AND INTERESTS:
I have discovered that being indie is also about being natural and creative. Indie kids seem to enjoy making their own things and learning new skills. For example, modifying clothing to create an even more individualistic style.
With this in mind, I can include natural and rugged elements into our pieces, such as imperfections within props and designs.
Vintage is also an element of the indie style and I have found that they often enjoy using old methods to produce creative things e.g polaroid cameras.
Now I know that it would be appealing to the target audience if the music video, website and digipak had a homemade element to it.
I decided to analyse music videos associated with the indie rock genre in order to give me inspiration for our micro-project music video. This will also help me for later on in the year.
Kings of Leon- Back Down South
Ben Howard- Keep Your Head Up
This music video is made up of various summery scenes which are bright and colourful.
An element used in this video is an unfocused effect on the camera which creates a dreamlike atmosphere that is overly upbeat and happy.
There are less shots of the singer singing and playing instruments in this video. It focuses more on the atmosphere and visual effects of the scenery. I think this is an effective method for this genre as it displays the individualistic themes and arty ideas.
Some scenes have lower key lighting but has an overall ambient and natural feel to it which connotes the idea of the song, to be strong and find happiness.
There are tracking shots of the singer walking through a forest with his guitar. This shows the audience who the song is by and we then associate him with the music. He is seemingly happy, which lightens the atmosphere further.
He comes out of the shadowed forest and is in a field on a haystack. This is very stereotypical of this sub genre of indie music. A narrative begins to form here as the singer seems to be attempting to create something.
There are many types of shots which flow together well, thus creating good continuity.
The colour palette in this video is mostly yellow, green and light browns. This portrays a happier atmosphere and suites the natural acoustic sounds of the song.
The narrative develops further and more people are introduced which are connoted as Ben Howard's friends.
There are many artistic extreme close-ups which are pleasurable and uplifting e.g cornfields blowing in the wind and bubbles appearing in various shots.
As the narrative continues the audience realise that the people are creating a slide through the forest.
The last few shots are of the people going down the slide. Some people hold the camera as they go down and the adds a fun element to the video and it ends on a happy and uplifting note.
From these video analysis I have had inspiration for our 1 minute video. I intend to include bright scenes throughout and know to make sure that the song fits well with the atmosphere of the video. I also will include the music artist within the video, singing and playing a guitar as I feel this is an effective way to create a professional music video.
Digipak
I created this using the photograph from the webpage Jackson created. I edited the colours slightly to make a warmer pallet to match the water colours on the back of the cover.
I wanted to create a contrast between the two sides as one is seemingly professional and the other is handmade. I thought this was perfect for the indie genre and I have seen other covers that have the same elements. I incorporated the front cover with the back cover by drawing the rest of the photograph in pencil.
Then I used the same paper texture as on the website to create the song titles. Furthermore I used different fonts for these to highlight the slightly rugged theme. I also used this idea on the spine of the case as 'Dylan James' is in a handwritten font. I finally added the record company logo and barcode to give it a professional finish.
Finished Digipak:
EVALUATION: For the real product at the end of the year, I will definitley take my own photo/use my own artwork for any designs and products as the picture here was a royalty free photo, but still not original.
Website
The website that my other group member created is very fitting with the themes of the genre and also has themes from the digipak. However, we have considered the fact that it could have a brighter pallet, especially with the wooden background being dark. However, I feel the logo design and overall website layout is very proffessional and reflects the webpages and sites we have seen on the internet.
Storyboard for music video:
This simple storyboard show what shots we are going to use and what kinds of things we are going to film. I think the basic cut in shots of nature along with the shots of the singer will work well and have an overall professional effect. I have seen this technique used in the videos I have analysed.
FINAL PRODUCT
Overall, I believe our music video works well and fits to the music and also more significantly the indie rock genre. The shots have good continuity with a well balanced mix of performance and other shots of the area around the singer. I also believe we have used a wide range of different shots including close-ups and medium shots. As well as this, to give the video the raw element we felt was required, we often used the camera free hand to portray an imperfection that works well with the music.
However, there are many areas we can improve on for projects later on in the year. For example, the video has an element of unevenness with the effects on each shot. Also, the idea of the video was perhaps too simple and basic, we could have been more creative and even included a narrative. I also felt that the 1 minute target was too small to create an effective and dynamic video, it seems to finish too early and abruptly.
In conclusion, from this micro-production I have discovered new skills in using software such as Final Cut and even new elements on iMovie. I also have a basic knowledge of genres of music and how music videos work due to the research taken placace. Finally, I now understand what to avoid and what to include in a music video to make it as proffessional as possible.
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