Final Products and Audience Feedback

Final Advertisement Poster

This is the final advertisement poster we designed for the bands new album release. This was our favourite design out of several different options for several reasons:

• The picture works really well as it enables the audience to recognize the band as a group. It also takes up most of the poster, making the overall poster more exciting as it includes more than just text.
• The colour/font used throughout the poster is the same making it look professional and also makes it easy for the audience to understand the information against a black background
• We feel that it fits in with the indie genre due to the image ,the font and the colours used.
• Also use of italics, bolds and size helps the information to be exciting and means the audience won't get bored just looking at the same thing.

Final Digi-pack

This is our final digipack template. It was a result of many different attempts and ideas. We wanted to ensure that we were including some of our best images. We felt that this worked best as it helped to create a unique digipack whilst sticking to usual codes and conventions of digi-packs from the indie-rock genre. It works well for several reasons:

•  The images are of high quality and are all different. By including the images we have made the members of the band recognizable to the audience and created a band identity. Also, the high quality images have meant that the digipack looks proffesional.
• The digipack also includes the members as individuals, again, helping the audience relate to them and get to know them
• We feel that the different images work well together and make the product unique and appealing to an audience.

Audience Feedback

After producing our final products, we then shared them with other members of the class and asked them for their feedback. It was essential for us to gain both positive and negative factors from our products so we we able to evaluate them properly.

Audience feedback from the music video

Evaluation of the specific elements:

Genre

Positives

• The performance clearly reflected the indie genre through costumes and lighting
• The indie genre was very clear through the overall image of the band
• Overall the video met the conventions of the indie genre well, the song choice specifically
• The band setting reflected the genre 
• Conventional settings and costumes are used 
• The musical instruments reinforce the indie genre
• The track used is appropriate for the genre and works well with the band members

Negatives

• The costume and setting didn't necessarily fit with the genre completely
• Could have included crowd footage aswell 

Narrative and Editing

Positives

• The editing between the different couples was effective in demonstrating the narrative
• The lyrics of the track aided the narrative and made the story easy to follow
• The narrative was clear due to the shots being edited to fit with the story/track
• The editing in the section where the male is seen with various girls is effective and works well with the narrative
• The straight cuts made it easy to follow
• The narrative is very clear and understandable
• The editing is high quality and made the audience aware of the plot
• The storyline and the track fit well together, making the narrative easier to follow
• The editing was effective in differentiating between the band/ main male character
• 
  

Negatives

• The lip synching was out at certain times
• No improvements could be made

Camera Shot/ movement

Positives

• The emotions of the characters were made clear through close ups
• The close ups of the male character holding hands with the different girls demonstrated an element of closeness and chemistry
• Different aspects of the band were shown through the camera shots
• Shots were well thought out
• Good use of close ups to engage the audience
• Instruments were shown through mid shots
• Good use of shots and edits together adding to the pace and tone of the song
• Close ups are used to highlight important props

Negatives

• There is not  a lot of varied movement
• The shots are limited
• Could have used a greater range of shots of the instruments in order to create variety
• Framing could have been improved to focus more on the band members to engage the audience

Mise en scene

Positives

• Clothing was conventional of genre
• Good use of outdoor settings in order to reflect the genre
• Framing clearly shows characters/ bands importance
• Colours link well with the genre conventions
• Props also work well to represent genre
• The characters used suited the genre
• Settings are accurate to genre
• Typical elements of an indie band have been used. E.G drumset, guitars and microphone
• The main male character fits in well with the indie genre

Negatives

• The lighting could have been improved in the band setting- would have made the performance more effective
• A variety of settings could have been utilized
• More colour could have been used

Overall Impressions

Positive Impressions

• The indie genre is clearly shown. 
• Continuity is demonstrated through editing
• Overall, the transition between the band and the storyline worked incredibly well
• The narrative makes sense and the video is easy to follow
• Brilliant narrative and shots, well edited
• Good song choice
• Genre is clearly presented
• Get a real sense of a 'music video'
• Clear narrative and the edits made it really good

Negative Impressions- Areas for improvement

• More camera movement could have been incorporated to make it more engaging for the audience

Overall Evaluation

Positive Factors:

• The split screen used was unique and helped the audience to understand the whole situation with the male character and the different girls
• Throughout the performance, the main male character was using 'direct mode of address' which helped the audience to identify with him and the band as a whole
• The lip syncing looked professional and was well edited to fit in with the song
• The lighting and quality of images and shots in the music video were good
• Both the video and the song relate to the indie genre and are quite quirky and exciting
• The set up of the performance section worked really well, enabling the audience to view the band and the instruments as a whole which made it more believable
• It was different from other videos as it included a split screen, which worked really well and made the video unique and exciting
• The narrative was also easy to follow making the video more engaging

Negative Factors:

•  Some of the costume used is fairly inappropriate. For example, one of the band members is wearing grey tracksuit bottoms. This attire goes completely against costume typically seen in the indie genre and doesn't fit in with the video. Secondly, another band member is wearing a Columbia records T-shirt, which contrasts with the chosen institution for the band.
• There are sections where the performance section of the video looks fake. For example, the guitarist is often showing lifting the guitar up and down which would not happen in a real performance.
• The framing of the whole performance section is slightly more focused on one side of the setting, meaning that a full view of the setting is not provided.

Audience Feedback from the digipack

Evaluation of the specific elements:

Mise en scene

Positives

• Really liked the image used of the instrument set up
• The iconography used is clear of genre and the back of the CD works well
• The band being shown on many of the sides works well and is engaging
• The instruments are effective in showing the genre
• The focus on the band works well as a whole 
• Good colours are used in representing the genre 

Negatives

• Very dark
• Poor lighting- hides a lot 
• The layout is a bit cramped
• A bit boring due to the dark colours

Framing

Positives 

• The band are placed nicely in the frame, making them easily recognisable for the audience
• Good variety of shots
• Everything is clear in the frame
• Artists are represented all through the cover
• Good range of poses

Negative

• Too much on cover

Typography

Positives

• White colour stands out against background
• Strong masculine representations 
• The font is bright
• Professionally typed, no improvements could be made

Negatives

• The name of the tracks needs to be a bit bigger
• Text could have been clearer
• Not much text used
• More information could be included
• Font is too small

Overall Impression

Positive Impressions

• Good quality images
• Relates to genre
• The text fits well, the colours make it easy to read and stands out against the background images
• The overall digipack is different and unusual- makes it more appealing
• More effective that the band feature on the digipack

Negative Impressions

• Some of the images look the same 
• Don't think the picture of instruments is effective- could be replaced with something a bit more exciting 

Overall Evaluation

Positive Factors:

• The images used are good quality which make the overall appearance much more professional
• The band are seen as a unity, and also as individuals which make it easier for the audience to recognise them and get to know them a bit more
• The different images also fit in with each other as the background and colours are the same
• Very similiar to other digipacks from the indie-rock genre  
• The montages of different images makes the digipack unique and more exciting

Negative Factors:

• Some of the images are very similiar which makes it seem as if not much effort was made into making different images for each side
• The text used on the back cover is fairly hard to read so the tracks cannot be easily recognised
• The blue font used on the back also does not really fit in with the colour scheme used for the rest of the sides

Audience Feedback from the Poster

Evaluation of the specific elements:

Mise en scene

Positives

• The costume fits well with the genre
• The image is of good quality
• Effective to have the band featured on it- more engaging than just an unrelated picture
• The black background fits with the theme from the digi-pack and music video
• The 'band identity' is shown, helping the audience relate to the band and engage with them also

Negatives

• Quite plain
• Could have a more exciting/adventurous background
• The band are fairly serious- may give off the wrong impression to their audience

Framing

Positives

• Effective as all of the band members are clearly visible
• The band are shown as a unit- which is a common feature of indie bands
• Creates an identity for them
• Appear to fit well together in the frame
• Difference between band members in terms of facial expressions, body language etc. represents them as individuals as well as part of a band

Negatives

• More could be put in the frame- two of the members have been cut out 
• The members could be more spaced apart- it all looks a bit too close and awkward

Typography

Positives

• White and grey colours fit in with the colour scheme carried through from the digipack
• The title stands out and is very clear
• The date created in a larger font is effective as it signifies its importance
• Effective as the same font is used from the digipack- helps to build identity

Negatives

• The name of the band should be in a larger font as its important in showing the purpose of the poster and needs to attract the bands audience
• Could of had a variety of fonts, rather than just one- it's a bit boring

Overall Impression

Positive Impressions

• Can tell it's been well thought about due to the colours matching the theme of the bands products
• Image relates to both the music video and digipack- increases the bands identity
• Fits well with the indie genre due to costumes and facial expressions
• The image alongside the typography and background colours work well together

Negative Impressions

• The colours and fonts are a bit plain and not very appealing
• The picture of the band shouldn't be cropped- maybe could be a bit bigger to include the whole band
• Could have used a variety of fonts and colours
• A different setting could be used so it wasn't so dark and plain

Overall Evaluation

Positive Factors

• The image used on the poster is really good quality and allows the band to be recognizable to the audience
• The title of the new album is clear due to the bold, large font used
• The colours used all fit in well with each other and enable the font to be easily legible against the black background
• The colours and format relate to the indie rock genre and products that are constructed by this genre
• It looks really professional due to the picture and the font and colours etc.
• The more important information is highlighted making the audience aware of how to get hold of the album etc.

Negative Factors

• The body language of each member is different which makes it hard to see them as a whole group. They could have been positioned in a better way so that they look more of a group rather than individual artists.
• One of the members is smiling which does not actually fit in with the indie rock genre and goes against the rest of the members facial expressions

Digipack and Advertisement Poster- Planning and Final Drafts

In addition to our music video, we also are expected to create a digi-pack for the album and also a poster to advertise the album. From previous research completed, we were aware of the features included in digi-packs and posters designed for indie rock bands. Analysing our findings helped us to devise various ideas for use in the planning process.


Digipack
It was essential for us to complete the digipack first so that we had an album available to advertise on the poster. As a group, we had the possibility of using either a four or six sided format. The albums we looked at during our research process featured a variety of different images in order to expose the bands personality and demonstrate the strong bond between the members. We therefore thought it would be most suitable to use a six sided format for the digipack as it would give us the opportunity to include a number of pictures of the band, giving those purchasing the album a chance to learn more about the band and create an awareness of their relationship with one another. Additionally, we had a variety of different images of the band members which we thought would look effective on the digi-pack. Due to taking the various images beforehand, drafting the digi-pack was a fairly quick process. We had a lot of material to work with which enabled us to outline numerous ideas for the digi-pack. Analysing each image on the digi-pack helped us to make sure we were fitting in with the usual codes and conventions for digi-packs from the indie-rock genre. For example, we have highlighted the use of a black background in order to help the band members and font stand out. Additionally, dark colours are a usual feature of indie-rock digi-packs.  Below are the three main ideas we developed for our digi-pack.


First Draft

During the design process we had a variety of different ideas for the digi-pack as a whole. One of our strongest ideas was using numerous images of the band members to create a sense of personality to the band. We also thought this would help the audience to identify and relate to band members and consequently become more interested and engaged with the band and their music. Therefore, in our first draft we used images of the four band members on five out of the six sides. We thought this was really effective as it helped to create a band identity. The only problem we found with this what that the sides tended to look very similiar and we didn't want the digipack to appear as boring to our audience. Having said this, the image on the bottom left helped to break up the other four images whilst still including images of all the band members. We decided to create a collage using images of the four band members. We believe this side of the album works really well as we have created something new, fresh and exciting- which also relates to the genre of the digipack as a whole. Also, through using close ups of the band members it makes this specific side different from the others and looks at the band from a slightly different perspective. We strongly believe that this side has helped us to introduce the band members and their personalities. Overall, this digipack features a range of shots: close-ups, mid-shots and long-shots. By using a variety of shots, we have developed a quircky, different digi-pack. This is significant as it shows that we have taken both genre and our audience into consideration. Finally, we have used images of the instruments for the side where the cd will be situated. Again, this breaks up the many images of the band and emphasises the genre of the band. We didn't include an image of the band on this particular side of the digi-pack as it would have been covered up by the cd.

Second Draft

The second draft is considerably similiar to the first draft. We were really pleased with the images generated from the photoshoot with the band. Therefore, it was really just a case of finding the correct placement for each of the images within the digipack. The layout of the images is slightly different in this draft, however, the majority of images used were also used in our first draft. The one main difference is the front cover. We decided to use the collage for the front cover in order to create something new and exciting. Despite wanting to use the collage in the digipack, we felt that it wasn't suitable to use for the front cover. Most indie rock band front covers include the group as a whole- demonstrating a sense of unity. However, we felt that the front cover for this particular draft emphasised each member of the group as individuals rather than a whole group. We felt that the band should be introduced to the audience together to reinforce their strong relationship. Also, we have to take into account the front cover will be the first image that the audiences see of the digi-pick. We would rather have a front cover that the audience is able to understand and can recognise the group easily. As a whole, we felt that this draft would not be suitable for consideration for our final mock-up. Neverthless, we still approve of the theme used. For example, using a black background, using white and grey fonts etc. 

Final Draft

We decided to experiment with a four sided digipack for our final draft. A positive of using four sides is being able to focus on four main images. However, we felt that it didn't allow us to represent the bands relationship or personality as effectively as we could using a six sided digipack. By using more images, we are able to reinforce the postive, quircky energy generated from the band members. This specific draft did include various images of the band, alongside the collage of the different members. We felt that the front cover was effective as it emphasised their relationship with one another whilst creating a relationship with the audience due to a direct shot.

First Mock Up

Using all three drafts, we combined our ideas to design our first mock-up of the digi-pack. We didn't feel that one specific draft of the digi-pack was most successful. Rather, we thought it would be most suitable to combine elements from each draft. We felt that by combining all of the ideas, we were able to design a digi-pack suitable for both the genre of the band and the audience. Our mock up includes a range of different images of the band as a whole, and also each member individually. By doing this, we believe that our digi-pack thoroughly represents the band and helps the audience to indentify with both them and their music. Through using a variety of shots we have created a very quircky, interesting digi-pack which relates to the indie-rock genre.

Front cover of the Digi-Pack

Inside view of the two sides

Overall inside view

Back Cover

We are fairly pleased with our first mock up. The images of the band members have come out really well and we believe that Digi-Pack reflects the band being an indie-band and also represents their strong relationship with each other.

However, we also believe that there are a few features that could be improved to make our Digi-pack even more successful. It is essential for us to include : the title of the album, Island Records logo , the bar code , the black strip between the back cover and inside right cover where the fold is and lyrics around the individual images on band members. We also need to alter the font to represent the genre more and make the song list look more professional. By making these changes, we believe that it will ensure our digipack is completed to look as professional as possible and include all of the conventions normally found on an indie-rock album digi- pack.

Poster

First Draft of Poster

• For this particular draft, we have decided to use all four images of each band member. We felt this would be effective in demonstrating them as individuals. Additionally, fitting them all together almost gives the effect of unity and joining together to become one band.
• We have continued the black background theme from our digipack as we thought it worked well with the different images and worked really well as a whole.
• Additionally, we have also used grey/white font again as this worked really well on our digipack and really stands out against the images and the background.
• We wanted to ensure that the text used on the advertisement wasn't boring and simple. The whole point of the poster is to excite our audience and persuade them into purchasing the album. Therefore we have used a variety of different types of font- for example bold, italic etc. We have also highlighted the important text such as the name of the band and the album title in a much larger font. By highlighting these titles, it means that the audience are more likely to familiarise themselves with both the band and album name.
• The pictures also enable the audience to become familiar with the band, and are then able to recognise the album when looking online/in shops.
  
  

Second Draft of Poster



We thought that this poster was the most effective out of the two. However, a few changes needed to be made in order to finalise the product. One of the changes was ensuring that the audience were aware of the availability of the album on iTunes. From our research the way in which bands promote their album is through iTunes. Additionally, our audience is more likely to purchase albums online due it's convenience and time saving. Therefore, we believe by illustrating the album being available on iTunes, it already increases the albums success as a whole.

Shooting Schedule

Rehearsal Schedule
We have planned to do our rehearsal on the 12th October ,we have yet to decide the exact timing for our rehearsal. This will be decided once we have approached all of the cast and seen when they are available. It will also be decided once we are aware of how long the facilities are available for.

• Overall, we need the lead singer and the six different girls we plan to use. Not forgetting, us as a group.
• We are excluding the performance part from our rehearsal as it will be take too much time and effort to set up, but feel that we will be ready to film once we have set up on the planned day of filming. To ensure we are prepared for the rehearsal, as a group, we are meeting up beforehand to discuss the structure of the rehearsal and the content we need to go through in order to make sure we are prepared for the filming.
• We will need mobile phones for each of the seven characters, masking tape to lay on the floor so we can get each female and the male to walk the same distance in the urban setting to ensure continuity, the video camera and the tripod. We may also need a digital camera to take photos of each female character and the male in preparation for the actual film.
• By doing the above, it will ensure all of the cast are prepared for the actual filming and will give our group an idea of how successful our planning is. Additionally, through rehearsing, it means that if we notice any disadvantages or problems, we are able to fix them before filming takes place and it is too late.

 Shooting Schedule

As a group, we had to take into account the costumes that the members should wear in order to represent the indie-rock genre in our video. After analysing various indie-rock videos and the band members included in them, we were able to generate a few costume ideas for our video.

From most of the indie-rock videos we analysed, we found that the members tended to wear fairly dark, dull clothing. These members are often seen as 'trend-setters' and inspire their audiences.Therefore, the clothing used in the videos is fairly trendy, modern and young. We have decided that in our video, the band members will be dressed in grey or black jeans, with a mixture of black and another colour on the top half/trainers.

Planning :Location

After analyzing the lyrics, coming up with a synopsis and planning the storyboard, we have come to a conclusion that we need three separate locations to use when it comes to filming our music video. Firstly, we need a setting where the performance of the song will be held. We ideally need a setting to complete our performance scene in the best way possible. This should be a stage with a drum kit set up along with guitars and microphone stands. We need to create a realistic performance effect so we have researched local studios within Birmingham in which we could possibly hire a room out for around two hours to film our band performing the song. The place we found is called Rich Bitch Studios which is a studio complex with 13 different rooms to hire out at different prices. We have decided as a group that we are willing to pay a small fee each to hire out a room for a reasonable price to film our performance stage in. The room is perfect and what we are looking for exactly with a drum kit already in place, lighting fitted in, and microphone stands already in place. Here is a photo of the room we hope to hire out in which we will visit within the next week to check it is suitable:

Rich Bitch Studios

One of the members in our group recently emailed the manager of Rich Bitch studios to ask for permission to hire out studios for a A2 Level purpose, as we had doubts because we won't technically be using their equipment to their full extent so we felt that we should email first. The reply we received was luckily, very positive, and we have arranged a date to go in to visit the studio and hopefully book the studio to hire. We are very happy that we have access to facilities such as these as we feel it will make our video look the best it can be. It will also make our video look considerably more proffesional than if we chose to use facilities available to us at school.

The second location we have chosen in is a local road as a section of our filming will show the lead singer, as the cheeky male, with the six different girls. The process will go in this order: side views of the six girls walking towards the male (lead singer), front view of the lead walking along with the six girls and front view of lead giving six girls a hug each. We were originally debating between filming it in a local park, but as a group, we felt that a park would appear more romantic and serious, where this is the opposite to what we plan to portray in our music video. We feel a small road will look much less romantic and more simple, which is the the type of relationships we are portraying the male character to have. The male character doesn't really care about these girls and treating them nicely, therefore this setting would potray this factor to the audience. Here we have considered the symbolism of the setting and how it would appear in our music video.

The final location is in a house. We need this setting for several different shots. These are the male lead sitting on his own singing to the camera, the male on the phone to the six girls, we will place the girls in a different room in the  house and show them on the phone which will be the split screen scene, the girls looking at the photos and finally the boy talking to each girl. To save filming time, we will use seven different rooms or backdrops within the house to ensure it looks as if they are all in different environments so that it looks realistic enough to pass as is they are all in different houses. We also need to use the bench in the garden of the house to film the scene where he is informing the girls that he has been a 'bad man' to them.


Problems with the Location

Unfortunately, we faced a few issues with our chosen location for the performance setting. Firstly, it was situated in Selly Oak which meant that our cast members would have to travel to the location, also we would have to take all of the equipment down with us and then bring it back up to the school after we had finished filming. We also didn't know the amount of time we would need to film the overall performance section of our video and the Location in Selly Oak only offered specific time spots in which we were able to film.

Therefore, as a group, we thought it would be best to change the location to somewhere more convenient for both us and those participating in the video. We decided to use the drama studio in our school as the new location. We chose this for several reasons. Firstly, it was easier for the cast of the video to get too. Secondly, it was more suitable for using the instruments in school rather than having to carry them elsewhere. Thirdly, it meant that we didn't necessarily have to worry about how long we were using the location for - the drama studio was available from 3pm to 6pm each weekday. Fourthly, the location was easy to access if we needed to film the scenes again. And finally, it meant that we were able to rehearse in the location thoroughly in order to analyse any problems with the set-up overall before the filming took place.

Planning: Band

In order to find a suitable artist/ band to use in our music video we looked through a significant number of unsigned artists from various websites. As a group, we were looking for a young, quirky band from the indie-rock genre. It was significantly important for us to find an upbeat song so that we could create an exciting, new video. It was also necessary for the lyrics of the song to represent the manic indie lifestyle. Additionally, we were looking for a song which our young audience would be able to relate to. 

We came across a local band called Empire. Empire consists of four male members located in Birmingham. Their songs are available on their YouTube channel. Their channel contains 5 of their songs alongside information on the band itself and how they formed. Additionally, they also have a Facebook page which is used to announce their new releases, news relating to the band, tracks, photos, Information on the band and where they will be performing next. This is useful as the band is able to target their young audience through the facebook page. By using the facebook page, the audience can relate to the band and are aware of their latest news.

Both the band and the track fit the normal conventions of the indie-rock genre. 

Band 
All members of the band are male, which is one of the conventions we found whilst researching the genre. The band also fit in with the conventional image associated with indie rock bands. For example, they appear wearing fairly dark clothing, have long messy hair and express fairly plain, miserable facial expressions on all of their products. Additionally, there are four members of the band. Whilst researching into the indie genre, we found typically indie bands consisted of 4/5 members. All of these typical conventions the band hold conform to the indie genre, making 'Empire' a suitable band to use as our artist. 

Track
We believe 'Bad-Man' is a suitable track for several reasons. Firstly, the track is based around the idea of one of the males being a 'bad man'. This fits in with the dominant ideology of young male indie band members being very mischievous and messing around with females. They are often represented as boisterous, carefree and energetic. All factors which we believe the track encodes. Also, the track is upbeat and fast. This factor conforms to the generic conventions of indie tracks. During research, we found indie tracks were fairly upbeat in order to represent the chaotic lifestyle of the band members. 'Bad-Man' reflects this quircky energy associated with indie bands which is why we chose it.

Lyrics for Empire: Bad-man

Intro: 11 seconds

I’ve been the bad man; I’ve been the crook

So just take a second, to have a look … at me

And tell me what do you see

See I’ve been a marta, but im not a mug

So face it darlin’ , ive been havin fun

Livin on the run

Cause you are the messiah

Wooahhoooo

And I am the king

And you call me a liar

Wooahhoooooo

You say that I’m a cheat

(Guitar Solo)

You said that you loved me, you said that you care

But the force of the feeling, it was making me scared, you see

Cause I just wanna be free

Wooahhoooo

Cause you are the messiah

Wooahhoooo

And I am the king

And you call me a liar

Wooahhoooooo

You say that I’m a cheat

Cause I was a bad man for you

I have been a bad man for you

I have been a bad man for you

I have been a bad man for youuuuuuuuuuuuu

WOOOOOOOAHHH

I was a bad man to you

I have been a bad man to you

I have been a bad man to you

I have been a bad man to you

(guitar solo)

Woaaahhhh (x10)

Because I was a bad man to you

I have been a bad man to you

I have been a bad man to you

I have been a bad man to you

I have been a bad man to you

I have been a bad man to you

I have been a bad man, bad mannnnnnnn


Band Profile
For our music video, we have recruited four males around the age of 17/18. They have been formed to make up 'The Supremacies'.  

Who are they?
'The Supremacies' are a typical indie band from Birmingham. Armed with no more than their musical instincts, determination (and a guitar or two), the lads have been conquering the Midlands music scene since mid-2011. It's this determination that sees the promising four-piece continue to deliver an animated array of anthems and charming guitar music. At live shows expect classic pop melodies, gritty guitar, a big dollop of stage presence and a genuine vibe from an honest band. Set to release their debut EP in early 2012, everything seems to be going right for this band at the moment; bringing guitar music back in more ways than one.

How are you going to encode them with meaning?
There are several ways in which we can encode them with meaning. If we do this successfully, the audience should be able to recognize them as an 'indie band' and receive their representation as we mean it to be intended . For us, this means we need to consider their costumes, facial expressions, gestures, how they are positioned in the frame etc. More depth on how we are planning to formulate meaning for the band is found below.

How are you representing gender/youth etc. through iconography?

Media has a strong influence on the way in which certain people are represented to an audience. Representations in the media can challenge and subvert dominant ideologies in society. They are able to either reinforce a dominant idea of the way in which people are seen in society, or provide an alternative view. The absence of representation of certain groups can also be utilised in order to shape meaning to a product. Additionally, an entropic representation can also be used in media in order to create a challenging, controversial image of a group to shock or influence an audience. 

Media represent social groups such as gender, race, class, age etc. It is impossible for a media representation to be ‘neutral’. Representations are shaped by genre, audience, institutional context and dominant ideologies in society. The process of mediation ensures that representations always carry meanings and values. Some critics, like Stuart Price, would argue that representations reinforce dominant ideologies in society. He says ‘If gender differences are socially constructed, and society itself is based on unequal relations of power, then we can see why many writers argue that mainstream representations will be biased against subordinate groups. Dominant ideology is supposedly used to keep the downtrodden in their place… ideologies of gender promote sexist representations of women… ideologies make equalities and subordination appear natural’. In contrast, other critics argue that representations in the media have the ability to challenge and overthrow dominant ideologies in society.

What this therefore means is that when we are constructing our artists we must encode different stereotypes that carry meanings and values. It is essential to consider the ways in which our artists have represented certain groups to our audience, and whether our representations challenge or conform to dominant ideologies in society.

Gender
Through our research stages, we found that the majority of indie bands featured male members. Therefore, we have chosen to only utilise male characters. The male characters in our video are going to be represented as powerful, ruthless and mischievous. We have constructed the main male character in the music video as the mischievous, ruthless character. In contrast, the females are going to be seen as naïve and inexperienced. These representations conform to the usual divide between young males and females in society. The dominant ideology of males being in control of the females is going to be represented through the amount of girls the male character is seeing at one time, in the same locations, showing little remorse whatsoever. On the other hand , the females are represented as relying on the male and being the ones hurt by the males actions. These concepts of male and female are consistently reinforced in the media, the male is always seen as the ‘bad’ one, with the female being empathized and felt sorry for. These stereotypes serve to naturalise the power relations in society; they have a hegemonic function, the fact that women are often stereotyped as subservient to men legitimises their position.

Adding to these stereotypes we have constructed is the name of the track (Badman) and the lyrics that are used. The lyrics explain how the male is aware of being a ‘badman’, however enjoys his lifestyle of ‘living on the run’. Again, reinforcing the dominant ideology of males’ carefree attitude towards the way in which their actions hurt other people- mainly females. The image featured on the band profile shows the males being fairly relaxed whilst powerful. The images represent the way in which males appear to have power, however have little consideration for how they use their power. The body language and facial expressions on the images are used to highlight these ideas and support the male’s light-hearted attitude towards their lifestyles.

Youth
We are going to incorporate usual scenes related to youth in our music video. For example, in one scene we are planning to include the male walking by a park with each different girl .The media delivers an idea of younger people always hanging around parks and causing trouble. This specific idea is going to be reinforced in our video due to the main character causing trouble in this particular setting. We are going to construct him bringing each individual female to this area which reinforces the dominant ideology of teenage romance being primarily based in a park setting. Also, we are planning to use a large amount of mobile technology and computers for communication between the teens; this reinforces a different ideology of youth- that they spend the majority of their time on new technology rather than pursuing their education. Young people are often seen in the media focusing more on their relationship than their school life. Society almost blames new technology for the change in young people’s social skills. Through our music video, we are planning to conform to the dominant ideology of young people’s over use of technology, increasing concentration on relationships rather than education and also the way in which they are constantly going out- primarily to park settings. 


Race
We have decided to use white teenagers. In the video we plan to feature the teenagers appearing very confident and also arrogant. We want to show them enjoying themselves and in control of the setting- almost as if they own it. The representation of male’s behaviour that is going to be used in our video fits in with the dominant ideology of white males. In media, white males tend to be represented as quite self-assured, authoritative characters. Relating back to our synopsis, the way in which the male character treats the females also fits in with this dominant ideology- he is represented as the powerful character and takes control of the females and their lives. We have created an ideology of white males being care-free and troublesome. Additionally, the shots we have taken of the artists for the band profile fit in with this dominant ideology. Images are used of the males together, which conforms to the dominant ideology of white males almost sticking together and being part of a ‘group’. They are seen as a powerful unit once they are all together. There are also images of the band members individually shown which reinforces the idea of each of them being powerful and in control. Additionally, we have decided to name the band ‘The supremacies’, which itself connotes power and authority. All of these factors make it clear that we have conformed to the dominant ideology of white males. 

Class

We have represented the characters as ‘working- class’, and are planning to use several stereotypical features to conform to the dominant ideologies of this group. Firstly, in relation to our video, we are planning to use settings (such as the park) that can be associated with working-class. The band section is going to be filmed in a studio –the equipment will not necessarily be high tech and the stage we are planning to use looks fairly worn down. Additionally, the outdoor setting will be used to reinforce the dominant ideology of ‘working-class’ people having little selection of places to go. The lighting is going to be fairly dark during the band setting, which is going to be used to reinforce the dark, miserable lifestyle associated with members of the working class. The costumes we have constructed for the characters are fairly dull and boring. The characters are going to be seen wearing costumes with dark, plain colours and little detail. This specific aspect reinforces the dominant ideology of those in the working class being unable to afford nice, detailed, colourful clothing.

Overall, the artists we have created do not necessarily challenge dominant ideologies in the media. Throughout the construction of our artists we have conformed to dominant ideologies within ethnicity, class, youth and gender. ‘The Supremacies’ utilize stereotypes consistently represented in the media and society.  

What might be a feminist/ post modernist/ Marxist reading of your characters?

Feminist reading
In terms of gender, the male band members are very domineering and in control, which fits in with Mulvey's theory. Mulvey states that women connote a 'to-be-looked-at-ness', and are viewed by males as a trophy/prize. When analysing Hollywood cinema, she found females to be represented as passive objects of male sexual desire.

Throughout the music video, the main male character is going to be seen treating women as commodities and objects of desire. The male is seen in control of six different women at the same time having little regard for their feelings, which reinforces the idea of women being objectified in media texts. The women have little say whatsoever in the situation and seek attention and guidance from the lead male.