Planning setting and Iconography

What is the purpose of settings and Iconography?

The purpose of settings and Iconography is to create realism to the music video. The audience want to be able to believe the narrative and therefore a setting will enable this to happen as the audience can visually see the character's within their environment.
Iconography is also important as it is the representation of something that contains certain conventions that we associate with different genres. The genre Indie is almost a hybrid of Pop and Rock music in terms of the appearance and the music that these musicians play.  The appearance of the artists is also very unique as well and can link in with both how pop and rock are viewed. The artists tend to look very clean cut like those found in pop music but also very unique and different like those found in rock. 

For example Katy Perry thinking of you, the setting and iconography show how the time period which is set in the 1940's. For example Katy's hair and make up is classic and elegant which is stereotypical of women in this time period. The male in the video also wears a smart hat which is also conventional of old fashioned dress. Katy also wears a swimming costume of burnt orange which can connote happiness which contrasts the lyrics of the song which are emotional. The setting of Katy's bedroom consist of brown colours and wooden effects which show how the room is very basic and archaic. The use of the mirror is very effective as it shows how Katy is reflecting and looking back into her past and how she was once happy with her late partner. There are two mirrors in the shot which creates a theme of identity and how she feels she has lost herself since the tragedy of her loss.

The setting of the woods and lake connote a sense of nature which dipicts how the romance between the pair came naturally to them and was real. The wooden bench shows the informal and fun date that the couple are on, and also the two inflatable rings represent the inner child that they bring out in one another, showing young love.

Setting and iconography we are going to use?

We intend to capture the young love theme that is featured in Katy Perry's thinking of you video. As our music video is set in modern day our video will differ in setting however we will include colours to connote happiness between the couple and also a mirror to show how the female character reflects on her relationship.

We have a number of settings which include Brick lane, southbank,skatepark, camden lock and also a white wall for performance based shots

The setting we aim to shoot in is a market street in London called brick lane which is known for it's quirky and exciting atmosphere. The vintage stools and exotic people will connote the way in which the male character is misguided and influenced by ilegal acts such as excessive drinking and drugs. 

We also aim to shoot at a skate park which will allow us to use Goodwin's theory as the lyrics  are linked to the visuals. The lyrics include 'hangs about at the skatepark, with his lighter and a pack of cards. A skate park is usually a unique place for teenagers to hang out in modern day society however as we are portraying our male character to be a quirky character he needs to be differentiated from regular males his age. Although the central focus in on the male character there will be others in the background which will show how the sport allows people to take out any underlying emotions they have.

Southbank is also one of our locations as we feel that this could be a romantic place to shoot the more intimate and emotional scenes between the couples. We have imagined a shot where the couple are hugging and looking towards the thames at night with the London eye in the background. This place can also be quite a relaxing place which will be ideal for romantic walks and important conversations that we may want to include.

Iconography

• Guitar 
• Cigarettes
• Playing cards
• Hit flask
• Skateboard

These props represent certain ideas and views that we intend to portray. For example the guitar will show live performance which is conventional of an Indie music video. It also shows diversity and it is alternative for a female artist to play the guitar.

Cigarettes are going to be used to show a rebellious side to the characters which goes by Star Dyer's theory of a key element rebellion. We aim to portray the artist's boyfriend to be under the influence of drink and drugs and therefore having a cigarette this will show he rebels against what is expected of him by society.

Playing cards will be used to support Goodwin's theory of having the visuals and lyrics parallel to each other. This also shows that magic and tricks is something the male character can focus on when he feels lost and 'misguided'. When he is playing cards, he  forgets about his troubles else where and is engrossed in the game.

The hit flask also relates to the lyrics 'hides a bottle in his vest'. The flask shows how the male character drinks during the day which shows an unhealthy lifestyle. Also the bottle is small which allows him to hide it in his vest, hiding his habit from the rest of the world shows he has insecurities and realises that he may need some guidance.

The skateboard represents how the male character is quirky and different from regular teenage boys. The skateboard will always be close to the character, almost as if he sees it as comforting because he feels so alone at times.

How the settings and iconography are conventional to the indie genre?
The setting of Brick lane is conventional to an Indie genre because it is an alternative place to go and it also very colourful and vibrant. This links to the Indie genre because it is about being different from mainstream. This street is where you would find vintage clothing, exotic food and drink, eccentric artwork and a variation of people. As we intend to portray our characters to be very street wise and rebellious. Artists within the Indie genre are known for being different to those of the pop genre because they are less stereotypical and predictable.

 

How does it build a relationship which target audience?
These settings will build a relationship with our target audience as they will be fun and exciting places to watch the characters. Places such as brick lane and Southbank are also real places that are well known therefore the audience will be able to relate to the video and therefore create more f a connection to the narrative and the artist. South bank has the very iconic landmark of the London Eye which our target audience of girl's ages 15-25 will have either seen, been on or definitely heard of before therefore this creates another connection. The setting also builds a relationship between the target audience an the artist as they will see the artist having fun with her boyfriend out in London which many girls will be able to relate with as many would have been on dates and had these experiences. Therefore the audience will enjoy to watch these scenes as they could imagine themselves in the situations.