LA Productions - Music Blog

We researched the codes and conventions of the indie genre in order to make our video appeal to an indie market. Follow the link to see our powerpoint on Codes and Conventions of music videos Alexander

We researched different audience theories to see which could be applied to our music video.View our powerpoint on Audience Theories  Alexander

We researched what a music video is, the history of music video and Goodwin's theory, in order to learn the basic stipulations so that our video adheres to these conventions. Follow the link to see our research into 'What is a music video' Alexander

WE INTERVIEWED A FEW MEMBERS OF OUR TARGET AUDIENCE SOLITARIL. READ A TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEWS, AND WHAT WE LEARNT FROM IT HERE Alexander 

Macintosh Plus - Floral Shoppe Another example of underground music, Macintosh Plus’ Floral Shoppe is seen as the definitive album for the internet - conceived genre of music called vaporwave, which has a heavy focus on conveying a retro or nostalgic atmosphere. The album cover to go with the music is a good example of an underground album that presents itself in a far more inviting manner, piquing the audience’s curiosity rather than repulsing them. The placement of a roman bust next to a vhs screen suggests a change from old to new, perhaps representing the album as an emergent genre, a metaphorical new technology against a background of relics. The checkered floor stretching out into the pink background seems otherworldly, and the bright colours and recognisable imagery of a city seems inviting, perhaps (unlike the art to accompany Mezzanine) encouraging audiences to pick up and explore the album with an open mind, framing it as comfortingly similar to what they are used to...

Massive Attack - Mezzanine Mezzanine, Massive Attack’s most popular albums to date, was praised for it’s dark and creepy sound and high production quality. This is something that is represented well in the album art, which depicts a stag beetle, spread across the front, spine and back of the cover. The inside of the case shows a dark, black - and - white profile shot of both members of the trip - hop group. The lack of colour helps to create a dark and uninviting atmosphere to the album, which perfectly represents the underground scene that the genre and the artist are rooted in. The lack of colour gives the cover a sense of monotony, suggesting that it ‘blends in’ rather than stands out to an audience, against a background of brighter mainstream albums. The repulsive imagery on the cover of the album could be intentional, in order to ‘scare off’ mainstream audiences in order to make the album only seem appealing to those who know the artist themselves. This seems to be anot...

Analysis - The use of two black subjects on the album cover is supportive of his genre, which is influenced significantly by rap, african drum patterns, and jazz, all genres created by the black community. -Women are presented negatively on this album cover. The woman is presented in short shorts and a vest top, which all suggest a sexualisation of the woman. The fact the man seems deeply in love with the woman, the woman is depicted with her eyes open, suggesting she is just using the man, and is not necessarily in love with him. -The bed takes up much of the album cover which perhaps suggests the women is only using the man for sex. On the contrary the somewhat luxurious looking bed sheet alludes to the fact that the woman is using her sexuality to take money from the man. -The bare, and somewhat clinical looking mis en scene in the bedroom mirror the shallowness of the woman in the album cover. - The use of the mirror is typical of the music genre, which often focusses on v...

Key Features - The use of a purple colour throughout, especially in the sky alludes to a drug influenced event being the basis for this album cover. -The artist is featured centrally on the album which suggests he is the main draw to this album; he is the best advert for the album. On the contrary, the name of the artist never appears on the album which suggests the albums focus is on the music, rather than the personality behind it.  -The use of stars and constellations in the background, one in the shape of the artists face, suggests that the artist is hoping for greater things from this album, to use a popular cliche, that this album is out of this world. The significance of one of the constellations being in the form of Chance's face alludes to the fact that he is a star, in the show business sense.  -The somewhat pained or confused expression on the subjects face suggests that drug taking is negative. The character gives a sense of being lost, and this is p...

Kavinsky - Protovision The music video to Kavinsky’s synthwave song Protovision harks back to the days of 80s cinema, using blue colour grading and saturated colours against a dark background to make the video seem like an excerpt from an action film. This video serves as a good example as to how the use of colour and lighting can be used to give a video a particularly retro feel. The video also somewhat holds up to some of the precedents laid out by Goodwin’s law, but not all of them. Whilst the video has a particular emphasis on the artist as the ‘protagonist’ of the video, the lack of lyrics makes it difficult to tell if the video relates to the song in any way. The use of static shots in places one would expect very fast paced, dynamic shots helps to warp the overall atmosphere of the entire video, making what should be a tense and fast paced video feel far more relaxed and choreographed than what the actual content of the video might suggest. The oversaturated n...

Massive Attack - Inertia Creeps Whilst perhaps not a prime example of the indie genre, Massive Attack are known for making particularly dark or strange trip - hop songs, and their videos perfectly match the feel of their music. The video to inertia creeps is a great example of how using low - quality footage in a video can be used to great effect, helping to give some of the video a frightening ‘found - footage’ appeal. Whilst our video isn’t exactly going for a frightening feel, the video is a testament to how using specific effects and dated footage can instantly change the feel of the video. The use of VHS video footage, complete with scanlines and pixelated video, helps to create a sense of paranoia, making the audience feel vulnerable or uncomfortable. It gives the impression that the subjects of the music video are being recorded or watched without their consent, which makes the video, and perhaps the audience, feel creepy or unwanted. The VHS footage is static and sho...

Beck - Where It’s At The music video to Beck’s song ‘Where It’s At’ serves as a good example for a video that uses techniques designed to make it seem more dated and amateurish, something that we will be using to some degree in our own music video. The effect is done through the use of specific camera shots, as well as Mis en Scene and lighting. The video is also a good example of one that defies Goodwin’s theory of music videos, since the video itself does not seem to actually follow a narrative that relates to the song itself. The video manages to feel low - budget through the use of showing the audience things that they might relate to a down - market and ‘backcountry’ environment. The tacky editing between shots such as circle wipes gives the audience the feeling that the video was cheap, making the overall tone of the video more low brow. Similarly, the use of a dynamic camera in places where you would expect a static camera, such as the use of extreme zooms and shaky han...

Although not of the genre we are intending to base our music video in, Ashes to Ashes is a video from the 1980s, and is a prime example of the editing techniques, lighting, Mis en Scene, and cinematography that was used in that period. I analysed this in the hope that we would be able to apply those techniques into our video, as we are hoping to achieve a retro style. The video achieves a disconcerting feel within the audience through its use of ambiguity. The mis en scene of the piece is extremely ambigious and appears to be random. Bowie is seen dressed as a clown for much of the video, followed round by Egyptian looking women and a digger. These seemingly unconnected elements create a disconcerting feeling within the viewer, which is further enhanced by the use of uncommon editing techniques, such as extreme contrasts, and green screening, which in the 1980s would have been a relatively modern technique. Similarly, extreme close ups of Bowies face, followed by extreme wide shots o...

Pulp’s Common People is an indie music video that features references to a past age, in this instance the disco age of the 1970s. The use of green screen to present the ensemble on a stereotypically 1970s dance floor, and the use of bright colourful lights create a naff scene, which is presented negatively, and mocked by the band, a staple of the indie genre being rebelling against conformity. Furthermore, the contrast between the colourful lighting of the club, and the naturalistic lighting on the singer, enhances the idea of rebellion against conformity. There is a key focus on the band, which is both stereotypical of the pop genre, which the video aims to mock, and the indie genre, which the band is classified as. By using extreme close ups of the lead vocalist; in conjunction with wider shots of him, there is excess focus on Jarvis Cocker, mocking the characteristic of pop music that record labels push for greater focus on the star. With the panning shot during which the lea...

Bad Habits by The Last Shadow Puppets is shot using a vintage style of camera, which is either from the use of a film camera, or an effect that can be recreated in editing (something that our workshops have affirmed). The effect creates a nostalgic feel within the audience, or for the teenage ‘indie’ audience that the band targets, a sense of disconformity to the current age of high quality video cameras. Toyed with the retro mis en scene - the vintage style microphone, 70s fashion sense and blue tinted, black and white aesthetic – and the use of multi-layer editing which creates colourful yet ambiguous visuals, the video creates a 1970/80 feel, reminiscent of The Sex Pistols, or The Clash.   This vintage style would appeal to some radio 2 listeners, on which the song had a good amount of airplay, and perhaps more significantly, the indie market which dominates young culture today. The use of fast pace editing gives the song a rebellious feel, which matches the lyrical content...