Below is an overview of the ideas we have formed for our music video. We used the website- 'Xtranormal' to place our findings and thoughts about our music video into a computer animated videoclip.
Xtranormal hosts text-to-speech based,computer-animated videoclips featuring animated three-dimensional characters speaking in monotone computer voices. We found Xtranormal useful as it allowed us to shorten down our ideas and explain the decisions we have made about our music video.
What is the overall idea for our music video?
Xtranormal hosts text-to-speech based,computer-animated videoclips featuring animated three-dimensional characters speaking in monotone computer voices. We found Xtranormal useful as it allowed us to shorten down our ideas and explain the decisions we have made about our music video.
Overall synopsis for our music video
<p><a href="http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/13713752/overall-synopsis-for-music-video" target="_blank" style="font-size: 14px;font-weight:bold;">Overall synopsis for music video</a><br />by: <a href="http://www.xtranormal.com/profile/8397831" style="" target="_blank">katerogers94</a></p><iframe id="xtranormal_Overall synopsis for music video" name="xtranormal_Overall synopsis for music video" style="width:640px;height:389px;" src="http://www.xtranormal.com/xtraplayr/13713752/overall-synopsis-for-music-video" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" border="0" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto"></iframe>
What is the overall idea for our music video?
After viewing these videos, we decided that this was the kind of video we wanted to create. As a group, we have agreed for our video to focus on a boy in the narrative who will be the lead singer of the band, to be a jack-the-lad who has a number of girlfriends as he is going to be represented as a male that treats females like an object rather than a person - as the lyrics show he just wants to have fun. This relates to the name of the song featured in the music video - 'Badman'. Additionally, this fits with the generic convention from this genre of visuals associated with the track name being included in the music video. For example, in the 'Kings of Leon' video for 'Sex Is On Fire', the shots are tinted yellow, in order to represent the colours that would be present in a real fire. It also helps to create the atmosphere of a real fire and anchors more meaning to the overall track.
In the same way, we are planning to use fast-paced editing and create the main character as a 'bad man' in order to create a connection between the track and the music video. We believe this will engage our audience as it provides the lyrics with meaning and a narrative rather than there being no connection whatsoever.
As well as the narrative we will have shots of the band performing and them having fun to reinforce the light hearted nature of the friendship and the fact that indie bands have a passion for their music and like to show that as much as possible. This aspect of the 'indie band lifestyle' is represented in almost every indie video, making it a generic convention. We found the light-heartedness of videos during our research one of the most important factors to include in our video. Indie bands are recognized for this attitude towards life, and therefore it's significant for us to represent their personality as much as possible so they can be related to by our target audience.
Examples of the indie lifestyle being represented in real media texts:
The Twang- Barney Rubble
The King Blues- I Got Love
The performance sections of the video also emphasise the strong bond between the band members which is a typical convention of indie videos. Our decision to use both a narrative and performance setting was determined by the audience feedback we received. Our target audience revealed that they would prefer the use of both settings rather than just focusing on a single setting throughout the video.
We have found two music videos which involve some of the techniques we wish to use in our product:
The editing techniques which we are using within our music video is a split screen created on the programme 'Final Cut Express' and a continuity process which works by keeping the same male walking along the street with six different girls. This is a complicated editing process which we have seen previously in the following two music videos;
The first video that features these techniques is by an artist called example for his single 'kick starts'. Although the artist doesn't fit in with the genre we are using for our video, their video is useful in demonstrating what we expect ours will look like.
Example: Kick Starts
This video shows exactly how we want our editing to look and uses editing perfectly to display the flicking between people effect in a single motion to create a sense of numbers - as in more than one person. It is used frequently and, along with the split screen, it appears to be the main focus of the video and connotes that the meaning of the lyrics are not just felt by the singer but can be related to all of the different people shown. By using this techniques, it will help our product to emphasise the attitude of the character of the male and the effects that his actions are having on the several different girls. It reinforces the 'bad man' stereotype and fits in well with the song also.
The second video is by Nero for the song 'Crush On You'. Similarly to Example, this artist also does not fit in with the specific genre for our product. Nevertheless, it is able to demonstrate how the different editing we plan to use will work effectively.
Nero: Crush On You
The video only features the effect we plan to use at 0:25 seconds. It demonstrates fast editing showing the male kissing the different girls. Although it only features this one flicking between people effect, it does feature the idea of one boy having lots of girlfriends which is similiar to our synopsis. As a group, we thought it was effective as it placed a strong emphasis on the fast pace in which the boy was moving through the different girls. We also thought that using this would be effective in our video as it would coincide with the fast pace of the track that we are planning to use
Generic Conventions
Stock Characters
Due to Indie bands mainly focusing on a niche audience, they seem to focus on a small amount of cast and band members. All of the videos we have looked at during the research stages of our coursework have kept the main characters to a minimum. For example, 'The Kooks- She Moves In Her Own Way' is focused purely on the four members of the band. There are characters in the background, however, they bare little significance in the overall video. Therefore, in our music video we have kept our involvement of characters to a minimum to conform to this generic convention.
Stock Characters in the Band
Main male lead singer- This particular singer will also be featured as the 'badman' in the narrative. He will appear on screen as extremely confident, powerful and cheeky. We have designed this member of the band to fit in with the stereotypical representation of indie band male lead singers.
Male drummer- The drummer is not necessarily highlighted that much due to the attention being solely based on the lead singer. However, we found from our research that various camera angles are used (mainly close ups and mid-shots) to demonstrate that this character is still important in the construction of the band. Also, close ups of the drums are used to highlight the importance of the instruments. Were including close ups of the instruments as we found this a typical convention in indie rock videos. The instruments are a huge part of the band and are overall huge symbols of the genre. Indie rock bands are constantly connected to their instruments, and therefore our audience would expect to see these instruments in the frame.
Male lead guitarist- Guitars are a significant instrument featured in indie music videos. Aswell as playing the guitar, this character is also shown singing throughout and enjoying playing in the band.
Male Backing guitarist- In Indie bands, there are usually around two guitarists. We have included this feature in our video to make our audience aware of the specific genre. By highlighting guitars through close ups, the indie genre shines through our video.
All of the members of the band are male, our decision was influenced by both research into the genre and results from our audience questionnaire. Our audience stated that they preferred indie bands to consist of male members:
Stock Characters in the narrative
The 'Badman'- Played by the lead singer of the band. He is seen messing around with six different girls. This is used to represent the purpose of the song and the title of the song also. He is extremely confident, quirky and boisterous. This specific character is normally associated with the indie genre- the main male character is oftens seen as a womaniser with little feelings about the girls he treates poorly along the way.
6 different girls- These girls are represented as weak, defenceless and naive. The 'badman' is very much in control of these girls and has them available at his every need.
Stock Settings
Outdoor/ Park setting- After researching into the indie genre, our group found that setting a music video outdoors was a common feature. It was used in order demonstrate a sense of freedom and excitement. Therefore, we have decided to utilise this setting throughout the narrative of our video. The park is a common setting for teenagers to meet, therefore aswell as attracting our target audience we will be able to create a sense of verisimilitude. The 'Badman' will be seen in this setting holding hands with the different girls. The fact that he sees all six girls in the one particular setting is used to represent his carefree attitude- he seems to not care if they find out.
Studio- This will be where the band are shown performing and enjoying each others company. By using this setting it will allow this section of the video to be solely focused on the band and their instruments. It also enables the audience to recognise the relationship between band members and get to know them a little more.
How will you conform/challenge conventions?
We will be challenging the stereotypical view of the band having plain, straight faces and instead, we will represent them to be happy individuals who enjoy having fun to match the lyrics. We will be conforming the generic conventions of: the costume with dark colours and indie style, the city setting, the use of the instruments being shown, combining both narrative and performance of the band together and making the editing quick by using straight cuts to create the fast pace. We feel these aspects will represent the indie rock genre to our audience and will create an effective music video.
What narrative devices are you going to deploy in your music video?
The Narrative and Performance Theory: Steve Archer (2004) will be deployed in our video because we will show the band performing aswell as a narrative structure. As part of the narrative the lead singer of the band will be the male character which means the Goodwin (1992) "Star-In-Text" theory will also be in place because one of the stars is being framed and singled out from the others. This also makes the lyrics seem more personal to the band themselves because the story is being played by someone the audience will know well and can recognize easily. Also, for audiences who are unaware of the band, they will immediately recognize who is the main band member and therefore have the opportunity to learn more about him and his character. Strauss' Binary opposites are used in our video through male and female and good and bad because the boy is presented to be patriarchal and treat women as objects rather than being emotionally attached to them like the females are to him- this idea represents the indie band stereotypical behaviours- the males in the group are often seen as holding little respect for females. This is a common theme found in indie videos. The narrative is not an obvious "boy being a player" which means that Roland Barthes' The Enigma Code' also fits in to our video because the audience are intrigued by the need to solve a problem and tell the girls who are oblivious to the main characters true nature.
Are you going to challenge/conform to narrative convention?
We will conform to all the narrative theories above but will not use other theories such as John Berger's 'Ways of Seeing' theory because we won't be using visuals that don't include humans like dance videos do. By excluding this theory from our video, it means we are able to make the genre more apparent in the video rather than confusing our audience with conventions that are not necessarily associated with the indie genre. We also will not be using Todorov's theory because our narrative does not have a beginning middle or end and the situation does not change throughout like a closed narrative.
How are you going to appeal to/ engage with your audience?
We will appeal to our audience by using the codes and conventions they will recognize from the chosen genre; such as the costume, colours, dark lighting, instruments and direct mode of address camera shots to engage them and make them feel like they are being sang to and are part of the scene. Also having a narrative makes the video easier to get into and makes it more interesting to view so hopefully this will appeal to the audience. Additionally, by using the lead singer as the 'Badman' in our narrative ,it will allow the audience to gain knowledge about his personality and get to know him a bit more. It may also allow certain individuals to relate to the character, making the video more enjoyable. This fits in with the Uses and Gratification theory, which states that media texts are able to provide a sense of identity for the audience members. They are able to recognize the person in front of them, in this case it would be the 'badman'. They can also recognize role models that reflect similar values to their own and aspire to be the character they see in the media text. Additionally, the music video features an upbeat track and a captivating synopsis which makes the video entertaining for the audience we have chosen. This represents another feature of this theory, it states that what audiences consume should provide them with enjoyment and a form of 'escapism'- allowing the audience to forget about their worries temporarily.
In terms of Propps characters, we have subverted to the 'Villain' character through the 'Bad -Man' in the narrative section. Some audience members will view him as a very cruel, cold-hearted character due to the way in which he treats the female character. Despite him appearing as a villain to some audience members, we believe that a male audience would view this character as a hero, due to him having certain qualities they aspire to have. Aside from the hero, we have also subverted to the 'victim' characters through the different females. They have been portrayed as very weak, vulnerable characters under the control of the 'Bad-Man'.
Representing the male character as a hero for the male audience helps to engage them with the music video. All males aspire to be the 'Bad Man' with a string of girls, living a life full of fun and excitement. Including the 'hero' character has made our video more appealing for a male audience as they are able to view the character they aspire to be.
However, at the end of the video, the male characters conniving ways are revealed and the female characters therefore come up on top. The females are almost seen as a 'collective' against the male. Representing the females as a 'group' makes it more engaging for a female audience as it provides the video with a sense of 'girl power' ,which is heightened by incorporating the notion of all the females coming together to 'fight' against the males.
In terms of Propps characters, we have subverted to the 'Villain' character through the 'Bad -Man' in the narrative section. Some audience members will view him as a very cruel, cold-hearted character due to the way in which he treats the female character. Despite him appearing as a villain to some audience members, we believe that a male audience would view this character as a hero, due to him having certain qualities they aspire to have. Aside from the hero, we have also subverted to the 'victim' characters through the different females. They have been portrayed as very weak, vulnerable characters under the control of the 'Bad-Man'.
Representing the male character as a hero for the male audience helps to engage them with the music video. All males aspire to be the 'Bad Man' with a string of girls, living a life full of fun and excitement. Including the 'hero' character has made our video more appealing for a male audience as they are able to view the character they aspire to be.
However, at the end of the video, the male characters conniving ways are revealed and the female characters therefore come up on top. The females are almost seen as a 'collective' against the male. Representing the females as a 'group' makes it more engaging for a female audience as it provides the video with a sense of 'girl power' ,which is heightened by incorporating the notion of all the females coming together to 'fight' against the males.
Could your music video be criticized in anyway?
I do not think our video can be criticized but it might include some alcohol which some parents might not like their child to be viewing on the music channels. Also, females viewing the video may find the representation of males treatment towards women fairly disrespectful and therefore not like the band, other than that we will not be including any other offensive material.
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