Genre

Audience

Identity for band / artist

Costume

Seen as the song I am using is from the Indie Rock genre, the actors who are playing the artists will follow the conventional costume of the genre.

Most indie rock artists are shown wearing quite unique clothing that is either very out-dated or just weird and random. Some bands like to wear casual clothing to show that they don't care about their appearance, just their music. Here are some examples:

 Following these conventions, I have decided that my artists will be wearing all black and will have scruffy hair. However, because my artist is going to be in dark red lighting all the way through the music video, the protagonist of the narrative in my video will wear the conventional teen costume.

I think my protagonist should wear a black denim jacket with a retro / geeky top in order to fit into the unique fashion sense indie rock bands have. I also want him to wear black skinny jeans, casual footwear and have scruffy hair in order to reflect the genre. The protagonist in the narrative is also going to be a teenager and it is iconic for teenagers to dress casually and have scruffy hair. 

Logo / Album Covers

By looking at my research, I have decided that my band logo will have quite a dark ideology along with an artistic album cover for its digi-pack.

Here are some photo's I have took that show the conventional indie rock costume.

Band Name

Looking at other indie rock band names like Arctic Monkey's, Bring Me The Horizon, Muse, Maddness, Royal Blood, Weezer, Red Hot Chilli Peppers. They all seems unique and very quirky, this is to represent the genre of being "independent", therefore they are "indie" bands who are different from the rest. 

Using this information I have decided to call Infamous, this name I feel expresses the dark, heavy sound that is heard in my soundtrack in my music video. It is also very dark and gritty much like the indie rock genre. 

Official Artist Mise-en-scene

As you can see, both my artists are wearing a lot of black in order to reflect the genre's dark ideology. My artist on the left is also wearing a denim jacket which is considered a retro clothing style that has been brought back into mainstream fashion. Both artists have messy hair in order to reflect the genre and are also wearing casual clothing as most indie artists focus on their music, not their appearance.

The History of Music Videos

Semitotics and Signs

Initial Ideas / tests / influences

I was inspired by the music video "Out of the Black", in this music video aliens attack a petrol station. When the unrealistic explosions and over the top fights and gore take place, the video is animated, this is perhaps for an artistic effect or it is because of the low budget and censoring of the gore. When the chorus of the song plays, the animation starts.

I also want my music video to be partially animated as I could create extreme, over the top situations whilst it is still possible. I would also like the animation to appear when the musc tempo picks up for dramatic effect.




To explore this style, I practiced drawing over frames of a fight scene video I found on youtube (i want a fight scene on my music video) then put them together for a short animation, this is what I got:



Even though the panels of animation are very roughly drawn, when they are put together they look very distorted and the lines have violent movement. I really like this type of effect as it fits the indie rock genre I want to produce a music video for. I feel like my music video is going to have a narrative going on in one diegisis whilst the band / singer is singing in the other diegisis. The animation is most likely going to appear in the narrative diegisis.

Here are a few panels so far I have made 30:

This type of animation was inspired by an animated series I was watching at the time this project was set, it is called Mob Psycho 100. The art style is very roughly drawn and the frames and chaotic and full of straight black lines in order to show the protagonists anger and rage. This aspect could come in use on an indie rock music video as anger and rage is part of the genre's ideology.




Another idea which I have had is the type of narrative my music video has. I have took inspiration from the Dreaming music video by the Smallpools and would like my character to be stuck in a world where he feels trapped and keeps ending up in the same place no matter how many doors he opens. However, I want my character to get more stressed and eventually have a fight with the person who is causing it. I also want more gritty locations rather than a house party scene. The fight will be the main part of animation. I think this fits the indie rock genre well as both the music I am deciding to use is quite violent and disruptive. Here is the Dreaming Music video by the Smallpools:

These are the songs I am deciding on using, one of the songs does have a music video but I feel like I can make it more unique rather than it being footage of whats appears to be a live audience:






I have also had another idea where parts of the animated drawings of the actors actually appear into the real world also, a few examples are Take On Me by A-Ha, and You Better Pray by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.





Another idea I have had is that the narrative will focus upon the night before the events at the beginning of the video. The protagonist will wake up in the middle of a ran down location and will accidentally run into the events of the previous night by opening doors like in the Smallpools music video - Dreaming. He will get into all kinds of trouble as well as have an animated fight at the end. The end of the music video will then be the same as the beginning as it shows a cycle and explains this.

My idea for this has also been influenced by films:



The narrative of Source Code is about a man who wakes up with a mission to find a bomb on a train. He has no idea how he got there and every time he dies in the process of stopping the bomb, the situation restarts. This type of mystery and confusion I will also like to include in my music video.

At the time this brief was set, I was watching an animated series in which influenced my idea for the narrative also. The narrative for RE: Zero is also very similar to Source Code in which the protagonist comes to life after he has died, only to have to try again and fix his mistakes. This causes an unbearable amount of suffering and stress for the protagonist in which I want to show in my music video.

Music Video Representation - Sven E.Carlson (Media Theorist)

Sven E Carlson made a media theory based on music videos in 1999. According to Carlson, certain music videos go under 3 purposes on why they are made like they are.

1. Commercial Exhibitionist
2.Television Bard
3. Electronic Shaman

1.Commercial Exhibitionist

Artists sometimes make music videos to present themselves as a brand; selling their appearance as well as their musical talent. Not only that, but their lifestyle and fashion sense is also on show.

An old example of this is Jenifer Lopez's "Jenny From the Block" music video (2002)




Jennifer Lopez created this music video to prove to her fans that no matter how rich she gets, she won't change. This is proven by the lyrics as well as the cinematography in the music video.

For example, alot of the shots in the music video are partially covered by objects, this implies that the camera man is hiding/ spying on her. This represents the paparazzi that try and judge her on her actions and on what lifestyle has (she is on a yacht sunbathing) 

This shot also represents the paparazzi spying on her. However she is show in casual clothing, dancing to a song on her own. This convey's the message that she still is a normal human being and hasn't changed due to her celebrity lifestyle. 

The mise-en-scene is this shot also represents her as a normal person and not a celeb who lives a luxurious life. For example, her clothing is very casual and street-like, she is also dancing on a busy road which also represents the urban landscape she originated from before becoming a celebrity. 

A contemporary example of a Commercial Exhibitionist is Beyonce's video; "Drunk in Love" (2013)

In this music video, Beyonce' is selling her body and good looks to the audience, making her girl audience want to be her and making the male audience want a girlfriend like her. This is shown through "male-gazey" close ups of her body. 

2.Television Bard 

This is when artists create a music video that represents a story, because they are singing, they are usually the story teller. 

A contemporary example of this is Lukas Graham's music video "7 years" (2016)

The music video is about Lukas Graham's life and how he became a professional singer.

At the start of the music video  there is a slow motion black and white shot of a burning book moving through the air, this links to the end shot of the music video were Lukas throws his song book behind him and it explodes. The fire and explosion represents the potential his lyrics have and how they have an impact on the world and on his life.

The overall music video shows the story of how Lukas Graham became a professional singer. This is shown by the locations he is in at the start and at the end of the music video. For example, at first he is at a skatepark which is conventional for being where local, lower class youths hang out. 

Later on in the video he is shown on a stage via a tracking shot. This shows his body language as he walks on stage. The next shot is then an extreme low angle of the stage to show how many seats there are at the venue. 

At the end of the music video he is seen with an old man walking and singing the lyrics of his song. This implies that the old man will be him when he's older. The lyrics then go on to explain how Lukas' future will pan out according to him. 

3. Electronic Shaman

These are big budget productions were the artist either has immortal powers or adpots the alter ego of another iconic character, personality or superhero. 

An old example of this is Michael Jackson's music video "Scream" (1995)

In this video Michael Jackson plays the role of a space man who operates a spaceship. This shown through the high amount of CGI used. This is the most expensive music video ever made costing $7 million.

There is also effects in which makes Michael Jackson appear like he is floating through the air. 

A contemporary example of an Electronic Shaman is Roar by Katy Perry (2013)

The costume worn by Katy Perry shows that she has adopted the alter ago of Tarzan or an amazon lady.

At the start of the music video there is a cartoon landscape which also refers to the popular disney cartoon Tarzan. The cartoon text also implies this.

At the start of the music video, there is mise-en-scene of a plane crash ion a jungle, this is conventional in alot of films. This implies that it parodies many adventure films like Indianan Jones and the Temple of Doom.