Planning setting and iconography-Miss Georgiou

Planning setting and iconography
14/10/2014
Vasil Nikolov

Settings and Iconography is crucial in a music video as it allows the audience to understand more about the content and concepts behind the movie of the music video. Furthermore it informs the viewers about the genre of the song before they have heard it due to the conventions that they use to link the visuals with the song. In our case, the settings and iconography provide the audience with elements to relate the song to an indie music video with a very slight mix to result in the video becoming more interesting. It also provides them with further information surrounding the artist and allows them to understand the significance of each location. The iconography incorporated in a music video confirms the genre of song and allows the audience to be aware of what to expect throughout.


The first location which we are planning to use is a beach. We have chosen it because it can easily give out positive memories, and can provide the connotation of happiness. This can be seen in the lyrics as the audience would understand from Lana that she had very warm feelings towards him when they met. The beach will only be used to portray flashbacks that contain her memories. The first shot (panning shot) will be used to show the beach and hint to the audience that the beach is an important location. There will also be mid-shots of the couple strolling around and enjoying their day. Even so there will be challenges that we will have to deal with. An example would be filming at a certain time of the day, so that the beach visitors will not ruin the filming. Health and safety is another issue as the chance of water ruining the equipment is greater than if the filming was in a house. Furthermore, the weather plays a vital role in the filming and as we are in the autumn/winter period, filming can be badly affected due to poor weather conditions. Therefore we will have to check for the most appropriate day to film.
Another location that we will use is the theme park. We wish to show the positive memories as it is very conventional for a love story for a couple to be on rides when they are in their early love-life. POV shots with the combination of fast editing will also be involved when the beat has also increased. The couple will be seen on different rides in the park. This will create a lovely sequence of past memories that show that they had positive memories together. A challenge would be cost as we need to pay to get into the park. Due to the surroundings, our group will need extra care as the equipment might be damaged or stolen from pickpockets or children that are not careful.  

The next location that we will use is the couple`s  living room. As we are presenting them as a normal couple, the house will be very average. This will allow the audience to relate as they also live in similar houses. The difference dis that there will be a room in which there will be a table containing poker equipment. In the video, the room will consist of 4 blokes (one is the boy-friend) and at one point Lana will be sitting upon the lap of her bf. This would add on to Goodwin`s theory as one of his clauses state that voyeuristic images are always included in the music video. As Lana would want to go out with her bf and enjoy the evening, she would constantly try and convince him to stop playing for the money and at that moment the much loving couple will start to deteriorate. Towards the end of the game the character would loose more and more and then blame Lana for the loss. This would then deteriorate into objects being smashed and the true meaning behind his second love would surface...his love for money. This is conventional for an indie genre as the artist would sing how the relationship deteriorated due to money or alcohol habits. At this point the main (and only) hazard is the glass shards that will fly into any direction following the impact. In reality ww will make sure that the glass is smashed in a different environment and that there will be a container to catch the flying pieces.

Finally, we decided to choose the forest as our final location as it is a quiet and isolated environment for our Artist to think and reflect upon the send of her relationship. The location is linkable to the themes of nature and are conventional for the indie genre as they are cheap and force the audience to look mainly upon the artist. It would be effective for the video as the loneliness of the forest is the most peaceful place a person with a broken heart would want to see. It should be mentioned that the ground is uneven and may make the camera operator slip if he is not being careful. Furthermore, lighting is once again a challenge as the forest may become dark more quickly, resulting in loss of filming time. Overall, the weather isn't a large problem as the more dismal the weather, the better as this would reflect the artist's deep emotions, and create a difference between bright flashbacks and these darker present day clips.

Throughout the video, there will be set iconography such as cigarettes and alcohol. Although not in the original plan, we decided to add it as in the due to the lyrics given by Lana: "he was like James Dean'. And for the younger readers, James Dean was a Hollywood  star known for being a 'rebel'.  Lana would also be seen smoking whilst she is with the bf, thus showing that she is following his every move in order to look attractive for him. showing his effect on her. This also an element of the Dyer's star theory as there is a clear element of negative habits and rebellion.

Another link we will link to this is the consumption. Both sides will be drinking from one bottle and when thay split up, the character will drink on his own. Following the breakup, Lana will also start drinking more which would show that she is developing negative habits following the break up. The use of such iconography is standard for the indie genre as they usually reflect past events.

In Conclusion, both the settings and iconography are conventional for the indie genre and will result in not only intriguing our target audience but also might intrigue more members of society from the opposite gender.

Planing the magazine advert-Miss Miller

Magazine Advert

24/10/2014

Vasil

Magazine adverts are a very common and at the same time important tool with which the artist/record label can promote the product (album/tour or a concert) with which the audience could be intrigued. The use of a magazine advert aids the record company in gaining more synergetic options that they could use. Therefore I had been given the task to create a magazine advert for the album we are promoting (each member of my group also made one). The album advert will be made on Photoshop, however the drafts for the advert will be handcrafted as this way improvements can be made quicker and a general plan for the advert can be initiated. Below is my idea of what our magazine advert can be. I believe, that at our next meeting my group will like this proposal as it uses a simple layout with friendly readable font and gives the most important information.

(This is my proposition for the Magazine advert.)

For my group magazine Advertisement, I had decided that to hide half of the artist in order to both keep her as an enigma and use the background to attract more of my target audience. This is a very bold and unconventional for the indie genre choice  as the artist is usually displayed in the centre of the picture in order to intrigue the audience in his/her looks and create an emotional bond between one another. However, this way, the artist would be more memorable to the audience as too many indie artist have their-selves on their magazine adverts. Meanwhile, my  one will have a bigger background with which I could intrigue my audience in looking at the magazine advertisement.

The colours that I intend to use would be warm as the advertisement would be more cheerful and be slightly rebellious towards the overall indie style. Warm colours are conventional for the house genre and this way the audience would be more impressed as the advertisement would look more diverse compared to other artists advertisements. 

The artist`s album would be in the colour black as it would stand out on the white yellow sand, while her name would be white and would be outlined  in a thin black line in order to be more visible in the sky that contains clouds. The reason for the text being bold is in order to make the layout of the page more noteworthy. The colour black subverts the indie genre as it is usually connected to metal genres, however, by using the colour black, the artist`s album becomes more interesting for the niche audience that we had found in our target audience research. Furthermore, by using the colour white for the artist`s name, the audience would recieve the hidden message that the artist is pure and also innocent at making songs that mixed both genres. Thus we can see that by using similar conventions that partially subvert to the indie genre, the artist (Lana) would become more appealing to the main audience.

My poster used a close up of half of Lana`s face. this should make the audience maintain their concentration on her as they would wish to memorise her for future references. It should be said that this way, the advert would remind the audience of the ones during the 50`s movie design or 60`s movie ads involving Audrey Hepburn. This would cause the artist to become relatable with slightly older audiences that can remember these figures. Furthermore, as the fashion of the time, made the women further attractive, the modern male would still admire such fashion, leading to our artist increasing her fan base from the opposite sex. Also it would make the artist more memorable as she would be wearing different clothing from today.

As it can be seen, the layout that is used is simple, yet attractive. This conforms to the indie genre as the advert shows the artist placed on a simple and cheap background. This would attract more of the audience as they would wish to know which place is it being used. The shot highlights the importance of the artist as it shows her  and shows her power and confidence in herself and her music, which causes her to be admirable.

The language chosen to use is short and as the style is colloquial, the audience can understand it in an easier way, with which we can gain more audience due to the fact that more will understand her. While I have not added a hit song which the audience could use to remmeber, I have made the album name both big and surrounded by golden sand. This would give an intent to the audience that the new album is very famous as it is both big and at the same time surrounded by golden sands. That sand would imply that the album has brought in a lot of revenue for both the artist and the record labels.
The writing is similar to a neat female; handwritten font which is conventional for the indie genre as the artist would try and make the add more personal for their fans and enhance the bond between one another and appear more relatable.

I believe that I have made a good design which follows the basic outline of the factors we had agreed to add in our meeting. The meeting we had for planning this advertisement was very helpful as it was useful to know what the style for the advertisement would be. The use of Photoshop will make the advertisement far more proffessional as I am not the best at using colours to my sketches. Meanwhile, with photoshop the editing and improvement would be quicker and easier. Also from plans such as this, we will know what type of pictures to take of our artist as they are already planned which overall, makes the process more efficient.

Planning the Artist Image-Miss Georgiou

Planning artist image

20/10/2014

VAZL

The artist representation is essential for the music video as this way the aspects of the music video should be able to connect with what the audience would want to see or imagine seeing. The representation needs to be made as intriguing for the audience as possible, as the record label would want the artist to establish a good enough relationship for the individual as possible. It should be mentioned that watching the video should be intriguing as some fans of the artist become fans in the first place from watching the video, rather than just from the music or posters they have seen. Thus the representation of the artist can follow different theories like Dyer's Star Theory.

The first thing to do will be for our artist to wear 50s fashion. An example of using such fashion is the use of collared shirts. Such an example can be seen by the photos above or below. This is to match the artist`s original style and makes her appeal unique as she does not want to follow the current aspects of the fashion industry. The use of different clothing resembles how she performs a different type of music in the current industry. This follows Dyer`s theory which suggests that the artist is represented in both a casual and relaxed manner, which results in the audience to relate to her as the audience would believe that she is more casual and realistic compared to the other celebrities. The indie genre is usually seen as being rebellious and through the use of vintage clothing, our artist would both appear more indie and build a relationship with her audience. The use of this image aids us in both having an insight to her looks and find a way to reflect the visual aspect of her with the style music.

In some of the flashbacks, the artist would start to match the male's fashion sense, to show the effect of love over our artist. This would result in the visuals reflecting to the song, resulting in him becoming more relatable to the audience. Within the music video, the artist is having flashbacks where both she and her loved one (The secondary character that we will use) will be seen wearing casual clothing that is conventional for the indie genre. Meanwhile, in the present day imagery, the artist will be dressed in vintage style outfits such as those shown below. This image that we have decided to develop, would help to represent Lana's retro look.

Lana Del Rey's hair also contributes to the retro look. The well-known beehive hairstyle (closely associated with the 70's) add to the retro feel in the images on the left and below. The use of these hairstyles maintains the conventional uncommon look, which in result appeals to the audience of the indie genre. These images help to represent our artist as it shows a connection between the artist and her music as the visuals of the look, match the old-fashioned style indie music which builds a relationship between the audience.

In Conclusion, the target audience can build a relationship with Lana, through the use of the said elements above, which resembles the artist from both, earlier and current times, allowing the audience to relate and or idolise. 

Planning the Cinematography-Miss Georgiou

Planning the Cinematography
16/10/2014
Vasil Nikolov

In order to make sure that the Cinematography that we will use, we have concluded that it is extremely important within a music video plan what shots will be used as each camera shot can be used to connect the artist and the audience together or distance them. When used properly, the cinematography used can capture the audiences attention. Planing the cinematography is extremely helpful, as you can make the video more professional.

The first and possibly most common shot that can be used for the indie genre is the close-up. Close ups are conventional for the indie genre as the close up shows the emotion of the artist which allows the audience to be able to relate to them. Another reason is that the close-up makes the audience being concentrated upon the artist and possibly draw them into lyrics that are sung. My group has agreed that this camera shot will help us to represent our artist (Lana Del Rey) as her good looks (If used appropriately) can attract more than the standard female audience. 

The Extreme close-up is the second shot that we will use. Thanks to it, the audience can be hinted with a set object to what the artist is trying to say. The said extreme close-up will be used to show money and gambling as from the lyric analysis, we found that there is a big story around the love for money. Thus the use of an extreme close-up on money or other types of iconography, such as clothing brands for the "Blue jeans, White shirt". We will also will see Lana herself for the first time as an extreme close up will be used to show her eyes staring at her gentleman to the lyrics 'you know you made my eyes burn'. As this will link to Mr Goodwin`s theory (link between the lyric and visuals) our group video will not only look interesting but awso look proffessional as we do wish to follo booth Dyer`s theory and Goodwin`s theory through different shots. Furthermore, the audience will be able to bond with the artist as they can see the eyes of a young woman that has fallen in love and wishes to show it to the world. This would portray her as being normal and "down to earth", leading to the partial fullfillment of Dyer`s theory (The artist should be both normal and at the same time special). THus the use of this shot will be very helpfull and aid us in making the video more proffessional.

A high angle shot will be used on throughout the video when we need to present the artist as a victim that is helpless or inferior. This way, we will be able to build up the negative emotions that we want our audience to have towards the antagonist (Lana`s Boy-friend) as he hjas made a beautiful creature helpless and lost. Furthermore, this shot will make her look more vulnerable which contrasts to her other music videos such as: Born to Die. This would result in the audience bonding further with her asd they will also emphasize her.

Cinematography will b e also used to meet the audience with the Boy-friend of Lana. A long shot will be used to portray the chap walking across the beach. While he is walking, the lyrics 'blue jeans, white shirt, walked into the room' will be sungm and the audience would be able to connect the visuakls with the lyrics. Furthermore, the shot will make the sequence more appealing and memorable for the audience as they will know for the rest of the video, who Lana is singing about. Also, as they (The audience) meet him for the first time, it is important to make sure that he is a blank canvas for them. This way they will be shocked when violence is introduced to the clip.

Well as there is a low angle shot to portray her as a helpless victim, a Low angle shot will be used to portray her in her current state, which is more powerful than when he left her. Although the audience will not see the two chaps opposite, looking at the boy-friend qho is in the trunk, the use of the Low angle-shot will help us to showw that she is rocovering werll and that she is looking at this paswt relationship as a warning for what not to do in the future. Thus the female audience would be able to relate to her as they also might have experienced a bad relationship.

Although the example opposite might suggest that there will be a chase, there is not going to be one. The example shown is of a panning shot for the golf 7 advert in America. And indeed in the first few seconds of the video, a beach can be seen with the Lana in the given location. The paning shot will allow the audience to see the beauty of the British seaside and also meet them  shot allows the audience to be introduced to the setting. This sets up the rest of the video, creating a calming atmosphere before more dramatic scenes which links the visuals and sound together. Lastly, the panning shot allows the audience to see more than the usual extreme long shot, which is more interesting to watch.

In Conclusion, the target audience (Females aged 17-26) should be able to build a relationship with Lana through the shots selected, as they will whiteness the end of an epic love story, with which some young women can be interested in. Thanks to these shots, the story can be built in a stunning sequence. 

Magazine Advert Analysis-MIss Miller (Updated)

Magazine Advert Analysis
14/10/2014
Vasil

Magazine adverts are important for the artist as they promote him and their music to the audience. The audience are given this way a hint of the genre of music that the artist mainly performing. This way the audience could make a decision on whether they wish to purchase the disk/go to the concert or whether the artist attracts them in the first place. Thus a magazine advert gives the audience the information regarding the artist, their music and they perform. Also a magazine advert would possibly allow the audience to understand the hidden meanings about the artist and/or their music. 

Miss Del Rey is a very modern indie music artist that likes to look very serious and at the same time normal (In order to fulfill Mr. Dyer`s theory). This is why we can see her in very plain clothing, however, she is looking down on us in order to remind us that she is no ordinary female, but a star. This way she strengthens one of the concepts behind Dyer`s theory. The audience can also spot that she has an emotionless face in the advert which represents her as being serious (links to how serious she is with her music). Lana is portrayed conservatively as she is dressed in plain clothing that is buttoned up. This shows that she is preserving herself from any ideas of being promiscuous. Nevertheless, there is a slight hint of her acting as a vixen due to the red bra that is slightly revealing beneath the white blouse. The red colour hints danger which could suggest to us that there is a sense of  enigma in her music. Finally, the curls and earrings complete her well known image of being a 60`s gal. This way she is representing that era and her style of music through the costume and make-up.

Lana`s name is in a large and bold font at the top of the ad in a white colour. The idea is that this way, the audience can see the name more clearly and make the name stick with the crowd. The font is bold can be easily read via the use of the so sophisticated but simplistc writing. This tells us that Lana is a very intelligent woman within the music industry. As the writing is easy to read, the audience would be able to easily identify the artist due to the style she has used. The main title is in the matching colours of the sky, which contrasts to Lana`s shirt, making it more easy to read and show her as being professional. Furthermore, the most popular songs are advertised as they are displayed at the bottom of the album. They are in smaller italic in order to catch the eye and to promote the individual songs as well as the whole album. The release date is also in large writing to promote when the album will be released to both new and existing fans of the artist who intend to buy the album and making it clear to them of when to purchase what is being advertised.

The camera shot used is a close-up within Lana being in the centre an looking slightly down on the audience. This shows that she is the main focus of the music album  and stresses the fact that she is the one that is being promoted along with her album. Inmterestingly, Lana's body language is seen to be very conserved which shows that she is using her simplicity and secrecy in order to intrigue the audience to view more of her music and try and understand her feelings. The white shirt that she is wearing shows up the writing more clearly to make it appear more professional but it also might suggest thatthe new album is pure gold. As we can see she uses very basic colours and the connotations connected to them show the importance of her personality in the creation of the lyrics for the songs. The colour might also represent innocence of the artist which could present her as being authentic. The use of red colouring could connote love or danger and could make the audience perceive the artist to have a dangerous enigma within that lovely personality that she is portraying to us with the colours. Lana's posture and body language connote the standard female as she is not trying to be provocative. This shows that she is giving us the idea the that women do not have to come across as a sexual object in order to promote their songs.

colour co-ordination can be seen in the sense that there is a match between the typography and scenery. While the backdrop scenery is the blue sky, the blue font that overlapps the white shirt matches the sky. The use of these colours in the co-ordination is to show the professionalism of Lana and her taste towards marketing such music.

On the bottom left of the poster, there is the logo of Amazon. This suggests that she supports synergy and wishes to make the album more accessible but also helps to further construct her identity brand by providing another platform through which the audience can access Lana’s material.

The second music advert I will analyse is the album "Lungs" by Florence and the Machine. The Artist (Florence Welch) is an indie genre artist and I enjoy it even more than Lana, it will give me a greater pleasure to analyse the components of this magazine advert.

Firstly, this advert provides the audience with an insight to the artist (Florence Welch) and her band Florence and the Machine. As clearly seen, Florence does not provide us (the Audience) with eye contact and therefore does not allow us to establish a connection with us. This might also suggest to us that Florence is reserved. Interestingly, Florences' lungs are not so reserved as they can be seen on the outside of her body, which in turn might hint to us that we would have to listen to her with our heart rather than ears in order to understand her feelings. The image seen is from her album cover, which allows us to determine that the music she will be singing will be from her album, therefore promoting her new music. Florences' overall appearance illustrates that of elegance, this is due to the positioning of her body and also her surroundings. Her surroundings involve that of nature and therefore presents Florence as a down to earth, caring individual. It allows the audience to interpret that she is not overcome by fame and therefore may have a connection with nature through her music. It also presents Florence as a natural individual and in turn is true to herself through her music.

The main colour seen on the magazine is black. The black background adds an element of darkness and mystery to the advert. This could be suggestive of the meaning behind the songs on her album and also the type of artist she is becoming. The colour black is also representative of authority and power and may therefore connote the idea that Florence seeks to gain power within the music industry. The image of Florence seen on the advert provides the visuals of her lungs being on the outside of her body. This could be a connotation for the fact the music she sings on her 'lungs' album may truly reflect the feelings she holds inside, and has therefore let them out into the world. The red colour of the lungs may be extremely significant to the advert and the representation of Florence as an artist. The colour red is the most emotionally intense colour and could be a connotation of the idea of love. Further providing the audience with an insight into the meanings of her songs, and the fact that she may be singing about her true feelings. 

The advert presents Florence as the main focus as the image of her takes up over half of the advert. This is so that the first thing that the audience notice is the image which they can link to that of her 'Lungs' album. Surrounding the image is a black border which further keeps the focus on Florence as it is dark and somewhat bland. However the black background could be significant of the type of music on her Lungs album. In addition to this the text is placed to the top and bottom of the image. Above the image is the name of the band and support act as this is the most important piece of textual information on the advert. This information will determine whether the audience will continue to read the rest of the advert, therefore its place is extremely vital on the advert. Below the image is the important information regarding her performance which will appeal to her fans who decide to read the whole advert.

The image on the advert is that of Florence and the Machines' Lungs album cover. This informs the audience that the songs she will be singing at her performance will be from that album. This also may inform the audience that the performance she is doing is to promote her album to her fans and also any potential future fans. The image included on the advert also provides the audience with an array of connotations which may relate to the songs that are on her album. This means that they can understand the deeper meaning behind her songs and in turn enjoy her music at a higher level. In addition to this the image used on the advert means the audience become aware of the idea that she is a reserved individual and only presents her feelings through her music. 

The font used for the band name has a cursive appearance and therefore the letters flow into each other. This links in with the idea that Florence has a somewhat elegant appearance. The band name is the most eye catching form of typography as it is significant to the artist and enticing the audience to listen to her music or to go see her show. The other text seen on the advert is in bold letters which differentiates them from the band name. The use of this means the band name is the main textual focus, but allows the audience to understand and read the other information with ease. In addition to this the informative text is also eye catching for the audience but does not deter their attention from the bands name. The bands support acts name is somewhat eye catching besides Florence and the Machines name, this allows the audience to familiarise themselves with the support act which may assist with enticing them to go and watch the performance.

The main style of language included on the advert is informative. This is due to the language being that of information regarding her performance. The writing provides the audience with the information of where the show is, how to purchase the tickets to the show and the costs. This gives the audience the relevant information straight away which is likely to entice them to purchase tickets to the show early on. The lack of any other form of language is due to the main focus being kept on the image central to the advert.

The advert promotes the music genre of Florence and the Machine mainly through the image included and the colours of the advert. The image, which is that of her 'Lungs' album cover will appeal to the fans of the band who have listened to the album. This is because they will be familiar with her music and will therefore be notified of its genre immediately. The main colours on the advert are dark, including the black and red. This could evoke the idea that the band is of an indie genre as these colours are highly generic to the genre.

Florence and the Machine is promoted through the advert as the audience receive an insight into the band and their music. The image of the advert is highly significant in allowing the audience to understand more surrounding Florence herself, which is due to the fact she is not seen giving eye contact to the audience. This adds an element of secrecy to her music which is further determined by the background she is seen standing in front. It evokes that her music may somewhat deter the indie genre in some way, and in addition may contain vital information regarding her true feelings behind the music.

The advert attracts the target audience mainly due to the image being the main focus of the advert. It provides the audience with something to relate to and to determine who the artist is. In addition to this the contrast between the image and the black border may entice an audience as it allows the image to stand out and become more eye catching. The connotations of the advert may also be extremely appealing to the target audience as they understand that there may be hidden meaning behind her music.

In Conclusion, from the research of these two magazine adverts, I have found out more about how to plan and create my own advert for the indie genre. I have gained a deeper insight into certain conventions and as a result the research has given me ideas that I can incorporate into my magazine advert. An example would be the extreme connotations from Florence and the Machines advert and to use a more simple background in order to keep the focus of the audience upon Lana. By all means, her advertisement is good, however, it is also slightly boring and when someone thinks of indie, he thinks of different. Thus we will rebel on Miss Del Rey`s choice of over-simplicity with a dash of enigma.  This way the indie genre and Lana will become more appealing to my target audience.

Lyric Analysis-Miss Georgiou (Updated)

Lyric Analysis

07/10/2014

Vasil Nikolov

The chosen music video is Lana Del Rey`s "Blue Jeans" music video. Thus we decided to split the song and each of us to have annotate a set part of the lyrics. This way we decreased the time needed for the lyrics to be analysed and made us more able to concentrate on the meaning behind the song. Furthermore, it aided us in choosing which conventions from the indie/dance genre we can use for our music video.

From the analysis of the lyrics,we found that the song is about a girl and a guy that fell in love and their relationship started well but then the dude got involved whit money. However, the girl doesn't care as she will love him no matter what he does. Overall, she just wants to be with him and she doesn't really care about his dark side. This can be seen through the lyrics:
-"I stayed up waitin', anticipatin' and pacin' but he was"
Chasing paper" which suggests that he became interested in money. This is conventional for the indie genre as usually, the song is connected in some way with the life of the artist and that he would like to share it with the audience in order to create a friendly bond with them.

We annotated the lyrics by identifying the hidden meanings and why Lana had written the song. After that we then focused on some of the lyrics and how we can use them for our music video. For example we will use high angle shots to portray her vulnerability when the lyrics become more sad and then a quick close-up to confirm with the use of a reaction shot. This still keeps with the conventions of the indie genre as we mainly portray the artist and promote her via shots such as a close-up in order to maintain the focus of the audience upon her and what she is trying to say. Interestingly, the use of a high able shot is also slightly subversive to the indie genre as it is conventional for the indie genre for the camera to be mid-shot or a long-shot. Meanwhile, we will be also using POV shots as the pure use of one or two types of camera angles are very boring and this way we can still link the video to the Dance/House genre. This is further strengthened by the tempo of the song as when it decreases, we could use the extra time given to insert a small memory sequencer that will have been in a different font effect. This is conventional for a House/Dance music genre as the use of the space given when the base is building is to allow more information for the audience to be given.

The music video will start with the music starting and a small panning shot that portrays Victoria park and some of the artists fans. This is in order to set a calm scene in which the audience can prepare for the next. Allegedly, the scene will last 3 seconds. This scene would be scene conventional for the indie genre as indie artists like to use cheap/unexpensive backgrounds. This way their audience can dedicate all of their focus upon the artist, rather than being lost in the different types of background. We also will use this background for financial reasons, however, we wish to use it in order to introduce the artist and how she meets her love interest. This way, we can prepare the audience what they can expect to see.

In the next set of shots Lana would start singing, allowing us to quickly portray our female character (that will play her role in the music video) and how she looked before she met the loved interest (For this post I will call him Mr.X as it is quicker to type). There will be a low-angled shot with which, we can show how strong and independent she was, before she met Mr.X. She will be wearing her vintage 50`s/60`s clothing which links to the indie genre as indie Artists like to make themselves stand out and be more memorable for their audience.

In the 5th shot, the audience would finally be able to meet Mr.X as Lana will sing "Blue Jeans, White Shirt" and the audience will spot a chap wearing these two pieces of clothing and possibly a leather jacket, leading to our female character to fall in love with him. This leads to the video becoming more conventional for the dance genre as the artist likes to show off his wealth/style. This would result in the audience to become intrigued by the artist as the artist would be fashionable.  This should also intrigue the feminine side of our audience as they would also like to look fashionable and get a handsome lad like the one we will use.

The theme of alcohol will be introduced in the 8th or 9th shot as Mr.X would start to introduce his bad habits and get our female character to start copying him. This can be further strengthened by her, starting to wear similar clothing to him. This is conventional for the indie genre as the artists like to introduce dangerous or tabu themes in society in their music videos (Providing that they have a narrative in their video) this way they could subvert to the mainstream of society.

Finally, the idea of death will be inserted upon the last sequence of the music video. The artist would take pills and fall in deep sleep. Then the bottle would fall, which would result in the audience believing that the artist has died. This is conventional for the indie genre as the artist makes the audience remember her for such a unconventional way for a music video to end.

The style of our music video will be 90% narrative and a 10% performance. This way the targeted audience will be available to learn more about the artist and the reason why she made the song (The idea is that we show her happy when in  a new relationship and sad when they have broken up as he has vanished). We also believe that this way we can portray our artist as a relatable figure to our target audience as this way he can be both normal and at the same time special. The song will be a mix as it is conventional for the indie artist to have a cross style in which there is always performance.

These annotations will help the entire group when planning the conventions and the music video story because going through each paragraph of the lyrics sheet, helps us to think about the effect, lighting or cinematography we could use. Once fully annotated, the annotations would be completely helpful as we will only gaze at the lyrics for a moment to remember what we would have to do.

Research into chosen music artist-Miss Georgiou

Research into chosen music artist

02/10/2014

Vazl

 

There are several interesting artist that my group battled over. And from them, we decided to use Lana del Rey`s "Blue Jeans". However, as the song was slightly humdrum, we decided to find a remix for it. Thus the "Blue Jeans RAC remix" was chosen.

Lana Del Rey ( or Elizabeth Woolridge Grant) was born on the 21st of June 1985 in New York City. Her songwriting career started at the age of 18 and she signed her first recording contract with 5 Points Records in 2007. Her first digital album was released in January 2010. Miss Del Rey bought herself out of her contract with 5 Points Records in April 2010, by signing a joint contract with Interscope, Polydor, and Stranger Records in July 2011. Following that, she
released her second studio album “Born to Die” in January 2012. It debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200, and was the fifth best-selling album of 2012. The same year, miss Del Rey released her third extended play of the song “Paradise” in November. Three of its tracks were featured in her short film, named “Tropico”. The film was premiered in December. Her third studio album “Ultraviolence” was released in June 2014. Miss Del Rey's music has been noted for its cinematic sound and its references to various aspects of pop culture, particularly that of the 1950s and 1960s American.

Previously to her proffessional Albums, Miss Grant had registered a seven-track compact disc On April 25^th, 2005 under her original name: Elizabeth Woolridge Grant. The application title was "Rock Me Stable" with another title "Young Like Me" also listed. The track titles are currently unknown. Between 2005 and 2006, the album “Sirens” was recorded under the name "May Jailer" and leaked in May 2012. At her first performance in 2006 for the Williamsburg Live Songwriting Competition, Miss Del Rey met Van Wilson (a Representative for 5 Points Records).

Thus the first music video of Miss Del Rey which I will analyse is West Coast. "West Coast" is a song is from her third studio album “Ultraviolence” (2014). It was released on April 14, 2014 by Interscope Records and Polydor Records as the lead single from the record. The music video subverts Dyer's star theory as Lana is presenting herself as an ordinary person in many of her videos (A part from Blue Jena s where we can see her in a pool of a very nice house, being eaten by a crocodile). The reason why one has categorized her as subverting is that the artist has to be both normal and at the same time not normal. And as we can see one scene being repeated over and over, we (The Audience) can see that she does not evoke any extraordinary qualities. Although the video is very recent it is made on a very similar format as from the videos in the beginning of her music career. Nevertheless, she is also a down to earth individual and it is easy for her fans to relate to/idolise her as she illustrates qualities of a regular young woman that is very independant. It should be also added that a remake was later made which fulfilled Dyer`s theory (Caution!!! Spoiler Alert!!!), as we could see Lana in flames at the end of the video in flames. This made her look more extraordinary.

Throughout “West Coast”, Lana is presented as a young and fallen in love woman. This illustrates to the audience that she is warm and comfortable in the style she writes and also the style she produces her music career as she resembles the fallen in love young woman. She is therefore relatable to girls of the age range 17-25 as during to this period, they have discovered how to look but have started to develop more advanced tactics to flirt and bag themselves someone from their (+-1 year) age. Thus they would be very interested in her music and also she would warn them of the dangers of some relationships (in a more improved way than Rihanna). Therefore we (The audience) can see Lana as a figure to look up to  and learn from about some aspects of life.

Throughout West Coast, elements of Andrew Goodwin's theory can be seen incorporated to be more conventional to the Indie genre. There is a clear relationship between the lyrics and visuals in the music video. The lyrics “I can see my baby swinging” and the long shot provide the audience to see the seaside and Miss Del Rey snuggling and dancing in a circle with her loved one. By having this element of Goodwin's theory present in the music video it allows the performance element to flow consistently. In turn the audience will be able to understand the lyrics more clearly and enjoy the surroundings that are also very conventional for the indie genre. The use of the seaside and the rebellious look given by her clothing (jeans and a leather jacket), provide the audience with the information that they need in order to look similar to their favorite artist. There are a large number of close up camera shots of Lana to present her to the audience. This further kindles, Goodwin`s theory as this way the artist can further promote himself and the clothing he uses. There is a vague link between the music and visuals as when the music speeds up, the tempo of the video also increases. Thus we can see her from snuggling in a slow manner to quickly having a twist. In the song she is mainly seen performing in her own way (twirling and snuggling) and therefore the viewers are given the opportunity to build a relationship with her. Lana`s West Coast music video is primarily performance based and therefore allows the viewers to witness Lana dancing. An indie convention that she is subverting to as usually Indie Artist sit on a chair in the park (Or a studio as it is cost effective and the audience could concentrate). This results in the audience to further relate with her as they also like to go to the seaside with their loved one or dance.

The main location in West Coast is the beach in California. The beach looks very empty, However as the editing effect has made it look like black and white and the camera has focused mainly on her, we could conclude that she possesses a simple but enigmatic personality. This would further intrigue the audience as they would want to see more from Lana to understand the compatibility that they might have with her. As the beach is very clean and empty the artist might imply to the audience that she has started a brand new relationship. Throughout the music video Lana is centrally positioned within the camera shots near the edge of the water/sand border. Although it filmed to let the audience see something else than only the artist, it might actually imply that she is thinking of carrying on with her relationship in a further manner. Thus she is soon thinking of stepping away from what she knows at the time to more about her loved one (Presented as the ocean). Thus she might imply that she would want to find out more about her loved one and go out if the comfort zone she has established with him.

Throughout West Coast, the most common camera shots are close-up and handheld shots. These shots present Lana to the audience and allow them to reach to her personality and fashion as they are given a detailed insight from the performance and the messages that are given by the body language of the artist. These specific camera shots allow the audience to witness her talent and build a relationship with her based on it.



"Video Games" is from her second studio album, Born to Die (2012). The song was produced by Robopop, while the lyrics are attributed to Del Rey and Justin Parker (author of the songs: "Blue Jeans" and "Born to Die"). It was first released on June 29, 2011 via the internet. Musically, "Video Games" is a pop ballad (there`s something unconventional for an artist such as Lana). It lyrically refers to a girl that, despite being ignored by her boyfriend, resolves to love him regardless of anything (very conventional for an indie genre). The song was a commercial success, peaking at No. 1 in Germany and Luxembourg and then reaching a top 10 position in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The song's music video was directed and edited by the singer herself, combining scenes of Miss Del Rey performing the song filmed on a webcam with clips of archive footage.

      Lana`s music video to this song Subordinates with Dyer's star theory. This is because she has presented herself as a star that is incomplete. As she is experimenting with other genres such as pop and love balads, she shows to the audience that she is trying to fulfill her image of a star by trying new genres which insures to the audience the want to see more from her and her experiments. Also during an interview about the song, the singer stated that she used lower vocals for "Video Games" because she felt that the public did not see her as a serious artist. Lana`s music video does follow elements of Goodwin's theory. The music video relates to Goodwin's theory as a high number of close up camera shots are employed of the artist. The close up camera shots included of Lana presenting herself performing in a very fashionable, retro style. This allows the audience to learn more about Lana based on the visuals they are provided with. The style of the music video is directly split between elements of concept (50%) and performance (50%) as we can see jump cuts of her singing in different dresses and archive footage.

Throughout Video Games, Lana is presented to the viewers as an enigmatic individual (Surprise Surprise). Throughout the video we can see cuts of her looking very serious while performing in front of the webcam and then in the archive footage, we can see women that are very happy and cheerful. This highlights how she is both an enigma and a down to earth girl that has fallen in love (Again) with someone. This is unusual for a love ballad, but it is normal for an artist in the music industry that is trying to find where he is best at. From the personality we could see, she is targeting mainly females but invites males to see her beauty.

The main location of her music video is her bedroom. In this location the viewers witness Lana singing about her feelings in front of a video camera. This suggests that she might be keeping a video journal and that just like any other girl, she is common. Another location incorporated is many of the sites seen from the archive footage. This is trying to suggest to us that she likes to explore new places with her loved one. This is a convention of the indie genre and therefore enhances the visual experience of the audience and the likelihood they have of connecting with Lana as they too like to go out on romantic places and parties with their loved one. Lana is seen dressed in several vintage dresses throughout the video. This illustrates how she is quirky and likes to look more vintage than mainstream. Throughout the music video Lana is seen performing by singing. This type of performance is very conventional for the Love balad genre as the artist is making the audience concentrate only on them. We can also see the artist looking straight towards the camera, making the audience feel involved by her story.

Throughout Video Games, the most commonly used camera shots include mid-shots and close-up shots. The mid and close up shots are employed of Lana to present her as an artist and at the same time a woman that is sharing her thoughts in a video journal to the viewers. Within these camera shots she is mainly seen singing and therefore the audience get to learn more surrounding the lyrics she is seen singing. The use of specific camera shots (From the Archive footage) means the audience can see the locations in detail that she and her loved one might have visited or leave the audience to interpretate their own ideas surrounding the significance of these particular locations.

IN Conclusion, from the research I have conducted, the use of several elements will assist me with the planning and filming of my music video. A lot more detailed insight has been given to me from them music videos from Lana. From the research I found that Lana likes to create music videos with a personal element to them as she uses locations that she has went to alone/with her boyfriend. Her personality is highlighted as being enigmatic to the audience through the use of various elements in the music video including the locations and the clothing used. Therefore this has bonked me on the head to include personal elements to the artist in my music video and the same personality of my character as her one is. From the research I also discovered the extreme amount of close up shots incorporated to present the artist to the audience. In turn I will incorporate close up/mid shots in my music video to allow the viewers to build a relationship with the artist as they get an intimate insight into her personality.