Evaluation Question 1

The main purpose of a music video is to represent an artist and create a sequence which evokes specific emotions and narratives. The brief in which we were given was to create a music video and two ancillary products in order to promote the media product in which we had created. In order to create a successful media product it is the job of the group to choose a target audience in which they will intend to appeal to as well as gaining a wider audience. An audience is very important as this will allow a record company to produce more sales through the way in which the music video is played on various music channels and also through the ancillary products such as CD's and posters. The members of my group included myself, Daisy Morecroft, Emma Harris and Ella Sutherland. W e worked together in order to choose an artist in which we would focus on and use one of their songs for our music video. The artist that we chose was Nina Nesbitt and the song we chose of hers was 'Noserings and Shoestrings'. The role I adopted within the group was director and occasional camera operator. A director occupies a key position in upper management and works to organise the schedule and overall process of the making of the music video. A director will oversee and manage all functions in a specific area or department. I planned filming schedules and any meetings that we needed to have throughout the months of planning and creating. From my director role I learned exceptional leadership skills, managerial experience and be able to set business targets, time lines, plans and financial targets.
The jobs I adopted when I was camera operating included assembling, preparing and setting up equipment prior to filming, which included tripods and cables. I also offered advice on how best to shoot a scene, explaining the visual impact created by particular shots. From this I learned how to use certain equipment at a higher level and also gain more knowledge in how certain camera shots will help the audience gain a deeper understanding into the narrative of the music video.
I feel that my group worked extremely well together as we all were very understanding of each other's views and we all shared the same vision for the final music video. Each member of the group made a great effort to learn how to edit using Final cut therefore we was all able to edit whenever one of us was free. Each member of the group held valuable skills that made the music video process a very successful and enjoyable experience. 
I feel that we have made a music video of the Indie genre intended to the target audience of females between the ages of 16-25. Our music video was a successful combination of narrative and performance due to the romantic situation between the artist and her love interest, and the artist singing and playing the guitar. The ancillary products that we created, I feel were also successful because they were eye catching and also showed our artist in the best possible light. We also gave vital and persuasive information in order for onlookers to be interested and then buy the product.

The production brief was to create a music video from a particular genre of your choice and then two ancillary products that will promote the music video. The ancillary products were a digipak and a magazine advert. The purpose of a music video is to promote an artist or song that they have just released which helps to gain more of an understanding about the meaning of the song. Many music videos include narratives that will attract a specific target audience and make the music video memorable. A music video will create a relationship between the artist and the target audience in order to make the artist likeable and more successful. It will also show the audience the personality of the artist. A music video also allows fans to buy into the artists' lifestyle as they may be promoting a specific brand or item in their music video, which would entice a fan to go out and purchase the product this is called intertextual reference.
The style of a music video includes elements of performance, narrative and concept. A performance based music video will include an artist singing or dancing their song through the music video. This evokes a sense of emotion into the music video from the artist themselves. The narrative element would include a story that would run throughout the music video, this creates more of an understanding for the audience and will also make it more memorable. The concept element of a music video presents the audience with an idea or theme that runs throughout the video.
The codes and conventions of a music genre are the factors that make it evident to the audience of the genre of the song they are listening to. Dance music videos include club setting, dancing people, colours and lights. Whereas a pop music video will have a narrative and potentially a love story. It will be bright and may seem 'over the top'.
The indie genre is what we chose to use for our music video. Indie is a short-form of "independence" and is a genre in the music industry.
Indie music originated in the 80's with bands including The Smiths and Joy Division. Indie bands have become increasingly popular in more recent years. The genre is almost a hybrid of Pop and Rock music in terms of the appearance and the music that these musicians play. The style of music you tend to hear in Indie can differ from some artists sounding very clear and using their voice in a more conserved manner such as pop, and I can also be fairly loud and wild, such as rock. The appearance of the artists is also very unique as well and can link in with both how pop and rock are viewed. Unlike rock, Indie artists don't perform very wild or rebellious in their music videos and unlike in pop, they don't perform like they're having the time of their life, but instead they give off a very conservative approach in their performances as if they are just their to sell their music rather than trying to sell themselves. Our finished music video follows the conventions of an Indie music video due to the simplistic setting, priority of music, use of




instruments and quirky image.

We followed the conventions of the Indie genre through a number of ways within the our music video. Firstly we followed the conventions of artist image within an Indie genre.
An artist's image within a music video is important because is allows the audience to visually connect with the artist and it also will determine which genre the music video fits into.
Our artist is going to be perceived as Indie and Diverse as our video is following the conventions of an Indie music video.
We have chosen to have a female artist who dresses in vintage clothes with piercings and messy hair as this shows individuality which follows the Indie conventions as Indie actually means 'Individual'. Also as our target audience is young females who enjoy Indie music we want to influence them in a positive way showing they should embrace individuality and not follow the crowd.

Items used

• Red beanie hat - The red beanie hat is a comfortable item of clothing and will show a laidback attitude of the artist which is conventional to the indie genre as appearance is not the first priority of an indie artist as they are usually laidback and more interested in the music. For example Ellie Goulding always wears a beanie hat to cover her hair unlike Jessie J whose hair is immaculate as she is from the pop genre. The hat also covers messy hair showing the artist is okay with having a 'bad hair day' which shows her as normal and relatable to a female audience. The red colour also connotes passion towards her music which is very conventional of the Indie genre as again music is seen as the most important thing within the music video.

• Floral dress- The floral dress shows the artist likes to stand out however in a feminine and subtle way showing the 'Individuality' of her relating to the chosen genre. The dress is baggy which allows the artist to be comfortable when herself and her love interest are having fun, for example in the scene where they play with sparklers. Artists of the Indie genre are known for getting involved in activities, for example Nina Nesbitt plays in the sea in Brighton in her music video way in the world. She too is seen in comfortable clothes in order to not feel restricted.

• Black tights- The black tights give any outfit that the artist wears an edgy atmosphere showing that she is feminine however she is a strong personality and is not afraid to be different. The tights also cover the artist's legs showing she does not use sexuality to promote her music and her appearance is less important which is conventional to the Indie genre as generally artist's from the genre do not use sexuality within their music videos as they are laid back and promoting the sound rather than themselves.

• Gold and black ankle boots- The black and gold boots create a subtle gothic look showing that the artist s also edgy and confident within herself and her image. The boots are also comfortable shoes rather than heels showing the artist is not high maintenance and is down to earth making her likeable and relatable relating to the Indie genre as they are usually seen in low budget locations such as forests and markets therefore heels would not be suitable.
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  • Denim shirt- The denim shirt will be worn by the artist in the  mid-shot performance scenes. This is a casual look showing the artist can relax, however in these scenes the artist is singing about her boyfriend and the issues she faces with them therefore her outfit is least important in these scenes. The plain T-shirt is conventional to the Indie genre as it draws the attention of the audience away from what she is wearing and to the emotion in which she is singing about and her facial expressions.
  • Red lipstick- The red lipstick that the artist wears shows passion and charisma which many Indie artists have for their chosen music. However using the red lipstick may challenge the Indie genre as artist' normally wear minimal make up to draw attention away from their appearance. The artist has strong lips with minimal other make up showing that she has a strong personality. The lipstick also shows an attractive side to the artist making the target audience look up to her.

• Fur coat- The fur coat is a statement item of clothing which is very fashionable at the moment therefore this shows the artist as current and up to date with latest trends and fashion. The coat is also a one off piece showing her individuality
•  This will attract the intended target audience as they will enjoy to listen to an artist who is seen as current.

Our artist has blonde hair that is messy and curly which follows the indie conventions as appearance is not vital within a music video within this genre. We intended for the artist to have an effortless look to show her as someone who chooses to lose herself in music rather than face her issues.

. The artist also wears minimal make up of subtle brown and earthy colours with provides the audience with naturalistic visuals. This will provide the audience with a relationship with the artist as she will remind them of a typical teenager and they will see her as a 'friend' they can relate to.
The artist also wears a nose ring which we have used Goodwin's theory of visuals relating to the lyrics as the title of the song is 'noserings and shoestrings'. The nose ring is conventional to the indie genre as piercings are very popular amongst artist's within the Indie genre as they are interested in looking different and also have a rebellious side.

The artist will be seen holding a guitar for many scenes within the music video which is conventional to the Indie genre as their passion for music would have generally stemmed from a love of an instrument. It is also conventional as music within the indie genre usually use many instruments to create their sounds. An audience will also appreciate the guitar as it shows the artist's musical talents and the fact that she is responsible for the sound of the song increasing the entertainment factor.
 This is a simple design however the image of the guitar is very conventional to the Indie genre. The artist will be seen holding a guitar for many scenes within the music video which is conventional to the Indie genre as their passion for music would have generally stemmed from a love of an instrument. It is also conventional as music within the indie genre usually use many instruments to create their sounds. An audience will also appreciate the guitar as it shows the artist's musical talents and the fact that she is responsible for the sound of the song increasing the entertainment factor.

Not all of the settings in which we used for our music video followed the Indie genre. The settings that did were the forest and the plain wall. The forest is a natural location of an autumn forest. The lighting is naturalistic as the sun is setting and reflecting on the artist creating a magical effect which represents the location as her 'thinking place' in which she reflects on her life and in this case her failing relationship. This is conventional of the Indie genre as most Indie artist's write their own songs about their own problems therefore showing this thought process is effective.
 The colours of orange, brown and yellows are very clear connoting a peaceful atmosphere which is conventional of the Indie genre as the music is generally laid back rather than that of rock and pop which are energetic. The green  leaves also show growing, nature, freshness and life which symbolise how certain situations have made the artist grow as a person and she yearns for a relationship without the chaos that it entails at the moment. In this image the artist is sitting on the floor showing she is not afraid of getting dirty which shows her appearance is not vital to her and the music is her main focus.

The location that challenges the conventions of an Indie genre is the Skate Park. This is because the skate park was an urban setting with grey and dark colouring and a lot of graffiti. These type of urban city-like settings are generally seen in music videos of the rap or hip-hop genre. We intended to challenge the Indie genre this way in order to effectively portray the rebellious nature of the antagonists boyfriend. By showing the boyfriend in the urban setting where he is drinking and smoking, this will depict one of his many states of mind, this being his rebellious side. The skate park is seen as the boyfriend's place of escapism under the bad influences in which he throws himself into in order to forget the problems of reality. This setting also shows a contrast between the 'thinking place' of the artist Daisy who is stereotypical of the Indie genre in an autumn forest who is calm and laid back, and her boyfriend who has 'alone time' in the dull and city like skate park.

We have also  challenged the Indie Genre by using a 360 camera angle shot which is not usually seen in Indie music videos as they are usually quite simple and basic, this is because most Indie music videos are calm and laidback as they are easy-listening and meant to portray emotion from the artist point of view.
As we intended to show that there are two contrasting characters within our music video, in terms of the boyfriend in the music video we challenged the indie conventions and followed more of a hip-hop vibe in order to connote his rebellious and misguided nature due to his continuous abuse of drink and drugs.
The 360 panning shot showed the skate park and the iconography in which we went for. The shot also shows how we have developed using technology as we have become more creative and advanced with using final cut and also the HD cameras. The panning shot is visually exciting due to the use of blur transitions and a fast forward of 25%. These effects are unconventional of the Indie genre however they do successfully show the difference between the two characters and how their relationship is chaotic and unsuccessful due to these differences.