My Music Video - Genre

In the endeavour to gain a better understanding of this genre of music - so as to be able to create a more informed, professional standard music video - I watched various music videos from within this genre, helping familiarise myself with some of the most common conventions.

Example Music Videos of the Genre

The music video for the song "Backslider" by Wild Belle features the band's vocalist standing/singing/dancing in front of a screen which has various artistic images projected onto it. As I mention in my previous post, this is a similar concept to what I have decided on for my own music video.
The 'old film' style is one that seems to crop up fairly regularly within the alternative genre - specifically with female singers - for example, it's also used frequently by Lana Del Rey, in videos for songs such as 'National Anthem', 'Young and Beautiful', and *'Summertime Sadness'.

*(This particular video is very similar to my proposed concept, with Del Rey exploring a love through point of view footage and implied memories. The use of projections and 'old camera' footage is a very stylised effect, and is almost exactly the type of effect that I have in mind for my own video.)

Certainly from videos such as these I can predict that my concept will work, as it fits very well with these pre-existing media products.

The music video for the song "Kamikaze" by MØ  (which is technically not indie, but pop - however, the relevance of this is that MØ is a female singer with fans similar to Briggs, and therefore what appeals to audiences in her videos is likely the same as what will appeal to fans of Briggs,) is typical of videos produced by artists in the pop genre.
It features a semi-apocalyptic, rundown mise-en-scene, lots of young adults wearing grungey urban clothing, and purposefully shaken hi-def quality shots.

MØ also receives star treatment, performs in the video, and utilises looking to 'connect' with her audience.

Codes & Conventions

While certain elements of this genre - such as looking, star treatment, performance (both artists sing) - are common features of all music videos, regardless of genre, I have noted that there are certain themes and ideas that seem to be more prominent within the broad confines of the 'alternative' genre. 

The themes of such videos often deal with 'young adult' issues, exploring things like being 'different' or rebelling against societal expectations. 

While in some ways videos within this genre are artistic expressions designed to explore the 'realness' of being human, they're also very much just a way of crafting a new identity of sorts for the millennial generation. 

Certain common features of videos in this genre:

• Abandoned places, devoid of other people - empty buildings, forests, deserts
• Unfocused style of filming
• A mix of performance and 'story acting'
• Manipulation of light
• Colour themes - e.g. red to connote love, blood, pain etc.
• Unusual clothing, make-up - makes a statement
• Symbolic object - again, designed to make a statement 
• Story lines involving love, fights, rebellion, 'contemplative' scenes, death, surreal scenes

My Music Video - Audience Research

As Bishop Briggs only released her first single (which was "River") in January of this year, she's still fairly unestablished within the industry, meaning her fan base is still relatively small.

After spending ages searching around unsuccessfully for information on her audience, I decided to conduct my audience research working on the presumption that her fans would intersect as fans of other dark pop musicians. I chose Halsey and Melanie Martinez, as Bishop Briggs seems closely matched to their styles.

I must note that I do already feel as though I have a solid understanding of my target audience, which I intended to be females aged 17 to 24 (and my research has confirmed this), as I am myself a female within this age demographic, so I've got first hand knowledge of what this demographic is interested in. My secondary audience would be females aged 25 to 29.

To conduct the following research I used YouGov

Melanie Martinez's Audience

As the primary audience is female, my decision to make the subject of my video female was a good one, as it means my audience will be more able to connect with her. Also, the "monthly spare" suggests my audience are generally well to do; from this it can be assumed that they're likely to go to concerts and engage in such activities as I intend to depict in my music video (e.g. exotic holidays). 

The interests of the audience are very much what I expected; conveniently enough, I'd even already planned on including some of these activities (such as cycling, swimming, and travel) into my video.

While most of this can be disregarded, I noted how this says that the audience would occasionally describe themselves as "lonely" - these feelings and self-perceptions are important, as they can link to themes of my video.

The typical fashion brand choices; once again, these correlate nicely to what I'd expected to base costume style on.

Halsey

The information I found on Halsey's audience matched very closely with the information on Martinez's audience, once again confirming my knowledge of the fan base.

My Music Video - Audience Research Questionnaire Results

And the results are in!

Overview
I obtained 23 questionnaire responses (9 online and 14 hard copy). Of these responders 12 were female, 9 were male, and 2 individuals who preferred not to specify their gender. It was also the case that all of save 2 of the responders were between the ages of 17 years - 19 years, meaning that their answers are relevant to my particular video as they're the age of my target audience.

For the responders aged 17 years - 19 years the typical job was either a shop assistant or a worker in the food service industry, and all (except 1) within this age range in current study of A-levels. 

The music

The first thing I learnt from my results is that I'm bad at designing surveys.

I'd foolishly chosen to let people use comment boxes, so that they could write in their answers without being affected by predetermined choice lists. However, this meant that I got an enormous range of answers (for example, a collective 24 different styles of music as answers to "What music genres do you like/listen to?" as people tended to list multiple genres, some of which I'd barely heard of!) The issue became how to consolidate these to be useful to me, and my solution was a crude tally sheet (that took ages). The results of this tally sheet (which was a combination of the online and hard copy responses) showed the following: 

While it all boiled down to being a lot more fiddly and number-y than I'd planned, the important thing about these results is that they show me the top three most liked genres: Pop, Rock, and Alternative, while Indie came in at a close 4th (tied with Hip Hop). 

These results are encouraging to me, as the song these are the genres that my song/music video are closest to. 

The other significant music information that is required is the disliked genres. I analysed the information I received in the same why I did with the liked genres, and here's what I found:

The Heavy Metal genre was the clear winner for 'most disliked music genre', particularly within my female responders, while Rock took second place (curiously enough, as that means it's the 2nd most liked and disliked genre according to my results), followed by Rap and Classical (you couldn't find two more different genres) tying for third. 

While my questionnaires also probed for other information (such as favourite/least favourite movies/tv shows/genres, and hobbies) the results are too varied to include in a concise format. 

I'm not going to ignore the information though,  as I've read through all the answers and am paying attention to them so as to give me the possibility to include certain 'easter eggs' within my music video. For example, one responder stated their hobby is "playing on my roller skates"; so I'm now going to try and include GoPro footage of rollerskating in my music video.

My Music Video - Masks and Iconography

Since the conceptualisation of my music video, I wanted to use a mask to obscure the identity of my singer, primarily as it means I can use audience address and looking without having to include performance, but also as I like the enigma that this creates in association with my artist.

Before my pitch I'd already done a quick google for potential mask options, and found myself favouring some curious, plain, geometric animal masks - their simplicity was soothing, and I liked the connotations that presenting my singer as semi-animal can create.
I returned to searching for those masks tonight, and quickly discovered their source. They're available for purchase from https://wintercroft.com/ and come in the form of a PDF file, allowing customers to download and assemble their chosen mask for themselves. With fantastic customer reviews and a website as smooth and sharp as the masks, i bought one straight away.
The only difficulty I had with the process was choosing which one of their many beautiful designs I wanted most.

Firstly, the fox. This half mask is delicate in design, and presenting my artist in connection with a fox has potential to link her to the associations of foxes as being quiet and mysterious animals. However, foxes are also associated with being sneakily clever and pests. My main reason for not choosing this mask (despite my love for it, irregardless of the negatives about foxes) was that it wouldn't cover my artists mouth, and I intend to totally obscure her face/identity, (with the exception of her eyes.)

I also considered the wolf mask. I liked the idea of the 'lone wolf' character type, which could metaphorically represent the isolation of my music video's subject. However, I was uncertain about the open mouth and eye slant of this mask - while I personally really like it, I'm aware that it looks slightly aggressive and predatory, and I don't want to present my artist in this way as it may turn potential fans away.

And so I chose the Jaguar. I felt this mask still has enough animal wildness to it, but that the backwards slanted ears and high brow made it seem softer and more timid somehow. Jaguars are also generally more mysterious animals, and are associated with a sense of simultaneous grace and power. 

My downloadable PDF template for the jaguar mask was sent to me immediately upon purchase (a mere £4.50 - (which i guess could be seen as steep considering it's only a template, but there you go, I have a poor concept of money)), so as soon as I get my hands on some cardboard and a printer I'll begin my attempts to assemble this.

Fingers crossed all goes well! 

My Music Video - Locations

Due to the subject of my music video being an abstract exploration of memories, its needless to say that the range of locations is going to be vast.

Already, I have filmed the scenes needed for the concert, which of course was done at the location of the actual concert, the O2 Academy in Leeds.

Another location that will be featured heavily within the music video is Ilkley river. I very much planned the opening and closing sections with the river in mind, although I did have to spend an hour or so walking up and down to find an appropriate spot of the river at which to film.

The left image was a point I had considered filming from, but when it came down to practicality I found it would not have been possible to obtain the shots that I required. The above image is at a point slightly further down the river, and on the opposite bank; this part of the river (at low tide) proved far more appropriate for filming.

For the scenes in which the subject gets ready for the concert, I chose to film in my own bedroom, as the mise-en-scene was already conveniently set up to connote a teenaged/young adult female's living space.

While the majority of my room was left alone, I did rearrange the set up of this corner (which usually has a bean bag chair in it) so as to be able to display the record player and the collage of personal affects on the wall.

To film the projections I intend to use one of the school photography rooms, as it has blackout blinds and a white background onto which I want to project the 'memories'.

In regards to the memories footage itself, it's going to have to be acquired throughout a range of locations within the Ilkley/Addingham area and from places in Grand Cayman (I've made the decision to include footage from Cayman so as to give the video a unique twist, in the way of mixing two significantly different landscapes). I have a few ideas on where/what I will shoot, such as in my own back garden, but I'm planning that the majority of the footage will end up being spontaneous. 

My back garden in Grand Cayman (home). 

My Music Video - Concept Inspiration & Influences

I knew from the very start of this project that I wanted my music video to be related to the 'teenage experience', so it was only natural that the inspiration for what footage to include in my music video would stem from my personal experience. 

For example, the concert footage was acquired from a rock show I attended, and while I have changed the specifics of that night, what I want to portray are the feelings - the excitement of concerts, the emotions of being a teenager, and the experience of having an intimate connection with someone. 

The 'River Scene' is meant to symbolise the subject's appreciation of these memories and her acceptance in moving forwards in life (which is represented by the river), with the stick figure in the paper boat being a simplistic and innocently childish representation of her doing so. 

In terms of the actual style of the video, part of my inspiration came from the music video for Wild Belle's song "Backslider"

I admired the way in which the lighting was used, making it more of an art piece than a music video; I became excited by the idea of being able to use projections to make a more abstract, artistically free video. 

I was also inspired by the music video for Wild Belle's other song "Our Love Will Survive". I was particularly fond of the effect that was placed over the footage to make it seem like old film with faded colours - it had a softness, making the overall feeling really intimate. This intimacy is exactly what I want to capture and portray in my music video, and I think that a similar filter over my own footage will be very effective in achieving this. 

(Above and to the left: screenshots from Wild Belle's music video "Our Love Will Survive". These screenshots demonstrate the filter effect.)






Another idea with which I had played since the beginning was creating obscurity over the artist's identity, which performers such as Deadmau5, Sia, and Daft Punk are known to do.

DeadMau5

Sia

Daft Punk

This lead me to consider ways in which I could obscure the identity of my performer. I knew I didn't want to present my performer as futuristic - the genre of the music is wrong for that - so initially, I considered plain, white plastic masks with humanoid features. I liked the idea of plain coloured masks because it left me open to the possibility of changing their colours within the video, (for example, with spray paint or glitter etc.)

However, one reservation that I hold towards a humanoid mask is that they show no emotion. While this can be beneficial for anonymity and generalising the subject to present her as 'anybody' (making it easier for the audience to connect with her, by allowing them to see themselves in her,) I feared the lack of emotion may send the wrong message to my audience. This lead me to consider the possibility of making her mask animalistic, as it is primal emotions that the music and my video explore, and an animal mask would create this raw, primal sense. 

I was encouraged with my idea of using an animal mask by the Orphan Black (the BBC America fiction-drama about clones) character known as M.K. 

In the show, M.K. is a social outcast living off the grid, who wears a sheep mask (which is a nod to Dolly the Sheep) to obscure her identity during her cryptic video posts and while she's on the run. As a character, she's isolated and scared of the world - I want to address these themes within my music video, as they're common things that all young people will feel at some point or other within their lives. I'm not certain yet as to what type of animal mask I'll use, but I would happily use a sheep mask in my music video, as an intertextual nod towards M.K. and her struggle.

M.K. as seen in her mask

In summary, my video has been influenced by various modern media products, both in terms of style and concept. There is also a significant influence by the genre of the song; after all, creating a music video that doesn't match the musical genre would be ineffective and most definitely disliked by audiences. 

My Music Video - A Change in Plans

While my initial plan was to use an original song written and composed in collaboration with a new artist, I've unfortunately had to scrap this idea.

The reason for this is that i've found it difficult to manage the production and recording of said song, as my artist happens to live approximately 5000 miles away, and in a different time zone (approximately 5/6 hours behind UK time.) 

Not exactly the most practical set up, but hey ho - I gave it a go.

However, I realised it was time to take a hard look at the situation and be honest about things, in that they simply weren't going to work out; meaning that now's the time I have to cut my losses and begin plan B.

Plan B

My new plan is to use the song "River" by Bishop Briggs, which was released in early in 2016 and is described on iTunes as "exhibiting shades of trip-hop with acoustic guitar, electronic beats, and a strong dose of soul". 

I chose this song after stumbling across it on Spotify one day; the slow, heavy introductory beat sets a somber mood, while the lyrics and title of the song are (coincidentally) conveniently linkable to the concept of my music video (which I am not changing - for that, the original plan is still in place.) 

This is the song's official music video, released onto the BishopBriggsVEVO YouTube channel. The video seems fairly typical of the indie genre, featuring performance from Briggs, editing that follows the pace of the song (with a mix of naturalistic and jolting movement), and a combination of colour effects to make the footage intermittently black and white, softly faded, or non-naturalistic and psychedelic. On initial viewing, the concept for this video very much seems to be that of creating soothing, dreamlike imagery, probably with some greater metaphorical meaning. I felt no particular emotion towards this video, personally being much more impressed by the alternate music video for the song, "River (Stripped) (Vevo LIFT)", which i enjoyed for its simplicity, live performance, and utilisation of colour and light. The live performance gave it a raw element, which I felt better brought out the emotion of the song than the other music video (that felt like just another one of many, edgy try-hard indie videos.) 

So, now that I've made my decision on which song to use I've drawn up a plan of action; my goal is to have all my work completed by the Christmas holidays, something that is definitely achievable, so long as I stay focused.

(I do love a good checklist!) 

I'm now feeling much more confident and motivated, and I'm looking forward to getting to bring my concept to life.