Combining the information above with my previous knowledge of Indie culture, I created this mood board using Polyvore, an online interactive collage website. As Indie culture is so diverse, here I compiled a group of images which I believe hold significance to someone who identifies with this social group.
My primary research has shown that the majority of those interested in the Indie genre of music are females, and so I have compiled this image with items which would be associated with someone who identifies as female.
Fashion is considered a crucial foundation within indie culture, vintage or handmade items are especially popular, as are band t-shirts and printed items. Despite this focus on individuality, the result is often counterintuitive, with indie having a varied yet definable aesthetic. Conforming is often rejected by this culture, and by purchasing from charity shops and vintage outlets, they believe that they are rejecting the dominance of mainstream fashion. However, once again, these items often appropriate styles from the 60's, 70's, and 80's, indeed still following fashion. The focus is on smaller, independent brands which are otherwise not widely available, in an attempt to maintain a unique fashion sense, which can ultimately be recognised and labelled.
The extent of the impact which indie culture can be accountable for is most notably the appropriation of vintage clothing. Following Levi-Strauss's theory of bricolage (1976) - the re-contextualisation of objects to communicate fresh meanings, including prior significance and meanings to the objects used - with members of the indie culture transforming and rearranging existing objects to portray something new, with the aim to be embraced by those both within and outside this social group. Vintage clothing originally referred to older clothing from around 1950-1980, otherwise considered old and cheap. Vintage stores were stereotypically frequented by those who could not afford the up-to-date fashion trends, and as such held negative connotations. However, the indie culture transformed this intended connotation into something quite the opposite, with vintage clothing now widely deemed as an expression of individuality from mainstream culture, resulting in something to be adored. As a result of this, many larger mainstream fashion outlets developed 'vintage-inspired' lines which are still readily available and popular in stores today, demonstrating how large and influential this social group is.
Continuing the vintage theme, this ties in with the aforementioned love of vinyl records, offering an experience and collectable element which we have otherwise been desensitised to through the development of MP3's. I have referenced this through the faded image of a record store and a vinyl, with the faded, low contrast aesthetic proving conventional in indie music videos.
In order to receive some quantitate data regarding the target audience's music habits, I decided to use SurveyMonkey which enables me to easily access a larger potential audience than personally circulated print questionnaire would. This enabled me to gather psychographic and demographic information which I can analyse and evaluate in relation to the formulation of the target audience profile.
As the track I have chosen is a fine example of the indie genre, I will be researching into this culture. In it's traditional terms, Indie culture focuses on individuality and uniqueness. Originating in the film and music industry in the 1950's and 60's to describe those were unsigned or without a distributor, who then released their content completely independently. Major companies dominated these markets (and indeed still do) making it difficult for aspiring artists to enter the mainstream market. Various producers and artists in both the UK and the US attempted to start independent labels, but many of these failed to match the already established record labels. Eventually these independent labels began grouping together and, skipping forwards to 1980, the UK Indie Chart was created, with the distribution of indie music becoming more refined in the late 1970's onwards.
The indie music genre today enables some bands to emerge onto the mainstream market through major labels. These companies continue to dominate the music business, offering greater financial aids and contacts within the industry; often making use of vertical integration to ensure the process from production to exhibition is secured. However, this does often come at a cost, with major labels often dictating and developing a particular 'star image' to promote and categorise a band. This results in signed artists maintaining an 'indie' aesthetic for marketing purposes, altering the intended meaning of this genre.
The proliferation of hardware and content enables aspiring artists of the present to create and share their own music creations through a multiple of social media sites. From quality software to create the content available for affordable prices, to websites such as SoundCloud and Youtube allowing international sharing of such content with a click of a button. Technological convergence also means that much - if not all - of this process can be created using just one device, traditionally a desktop or laptop computer, which the majority of people have reliable access to. Combining all this makes the production and distribution of independent music very accessible, maintaining creative freedom which is often restricted by a record label.
Due to the ease to which one can create music nowadays, the indie market has become saturated due to quite how broad the genre is. Sub genres including indie rock, indie psych, and indie pop refine this genre further, but still maintain a broad arrange of styles. Today, indie music can be defined as "melodic... simple but well textured guitar riffs... soft vocals" corresponding to the dreamy, vintage, and summery aesthetic evidenced in previous indie music videos I've analysed.
In summary, indie music has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the proliferation of hardware and content. Popular among those in their mid-teens to early-twenties, the term 'indie' originates from unsigned and independent artists, but has since developed into an aesthetic to describe soft, melodic music.
Indie Culture:
Indie culture in itself is very difficult to define. A CNN article aptly defines indie culture as: "if it's cool, creative and different, it's indie" which I believe to be a good description as to what modern day indie culture encompasses.
The aforementioned origins of indie culture focused solely on the handmade aspect, which can be applied to music, film, and indeed fashion, suggesting that those who identify as indie will source and create their own material. However nowadays indie appears to encompass all that which is not actually independent, becoming a fairly mainstream aesthetic, which many aspire to. This is evidenced through the many articles which are available on how to be indie, such as "3 Ways to Be Indie" and "How to Dress Indie" just two guides as to how appear more 'indie'. Evidently, indie culture has become very mainstream at present, and perhaps could be interchangeable with the word 'trendy'.
Adding substance to this, stereotypically, indie culture is fiercely independent, with those identifying as indie striving to be as unique as possible; from avoiding branded clothing, to scouring vintage shops to get one-of-a-kind antique furniture. With the growth and dominance of MP3, many in this culture and music genre like to listen to music in a more traditional way, sourcing vinyl records to listen to; resulting in many mainstream artists who maintain an indie aesthetic to release their track in this format, catering to their target audience. In turn, this alters their consumption of music, turning it into more of an experience rather than a background noise, which demonstrates the passion which this audience conventionally possesses.
Indie culture holds a close connection to music, sharing an overall philosophy regarding individuality and resisting conformity. As indie is such a large culture, this can be further categorised into sub-cultures, most notably Hipsters. Hipsters tend to shun anything which is considered 'mainstream', with the focus on anti-conformity at all costs. Perhaps considered an extreme version of indie, hipsters are stereotypically more snobbish than the indie social group, with more definitive tastes which tend to exhaust irony, with many stating that they despise a mainstream, dominant company, only to purchase and consume a product made by said company. As my music video corresponds with the indie genre, I am not going to be focusing on the hipster sub-culture, although due to it's relation I deemed it necessary to mention.
Time lapse has been a consideration within my potential music video. My original intention was to use the Canon 600D by either taking a photo every 10 seconds and combining them in post, or to film for a long period of time before speeding up the clip. However, with the new iOS 8 Update comes a Time Lapse video mode, so James and I decided to experiment with this mode and the overall quality of the footage. The first set of clips were shot on an iPhone 5S, and the second set were shot on an iPhone 6.
I was especially surprised by the quality of the footage from the iPhone 6, despite the three cloud sequences being shot through a window, the quality was still clear. Should I integrate this mode into my final music video, I would actually go outside to film the clips removing the possible loss of quality resulting from the window. As I do not have an iPhone tripod, this did limit the potential of where I can place the phone and keep it steady, hence why we used books on both occasions as a platform for these shots.
Shot 1 (iPhone 5S): Filmed at college, this was more of a test shot to see the possibilities of the time lapse mode, as we were both inexperienced with this mode. The original clip filmed for around 15 minutes, resulting in a clip that was around 5 seconds long. In this clip you can see areas of dirt on the window, as well as a reflection in the window, but the aforementioned lack of tripod and quick access to somewhere fairly high with a clear view of the sky meant that we had to cope with what we had.
Shot 2 (iPhone 5S): Excited by the possibilities of this mode, we decided that we wanted to capture the clouds during sunset, which often create vibrant and beautiful colours. Checking when the sun would set in Norwich through google (at 6:44pm), we set up this shot at around 6:15pm, leaving it for about 30 mins. As this was positioned slightly north of the sunset, the overall effect on the clouds captured was not as dramatic as it could have been if the shot was positioned further west. There is also a reflection from the glass of the two strip lights, but at the time this was necessary as we were working whilst this shot was taking place. This inspired us to experiment more with cloud movements and sunsets, both of which in my case are conventional to the indie genre.
Shot 3 (iPhone 5S): This time including people, we filmed for a very short period, perhaps 5 minutes, going backwards and forwards on our chairs. I really like the rapid and disjointed effect which is fairly similar to stop motion, and was more of the effect that we wanted to achieve in our earlier pre-production planning speed tests.
Shot 4 (iPhone 5S): Another fairly quick shot, here an extreme close up of James's hands typing on a computer. This would be a useful shot for part of a sequence, which I would like to develop further. It was also very accessible, allowing us to complete work and gain footage which can be refined. I liked the rapid, flowing movements demonstrated by his fingers on the keyboard.
Shot 5 (iPhone 6): Somewhat of a comparison shot between quality, I recreated shot 4 with the iPhone 6 in similar lighting conditions, resulting in the picture being far more vibrant and of better technical quality than the previous example.
Shot 6.1 (iPhone 6): Revisiting the clouds from earlier, here I picked a much cleaner window and recreated the shot at around midday, resulting in a brighter, vibrant sky. I love watching the transitions of the clouds, and this is definitely something which I want to develop. I ended up leaving this clip for an hour, and the battery was near unaffected by this - a clear difference to that of the battery drain of a DSLR with the shutter open for that amount of time. Another reason to develop and refine the use of this camera.
Shot 6.2 (iPhone 6): The same shot as above, but made 4x faster in post production. The cloud movements are far more rapid, and would suit a music video with quicker cuts in, creating a more impactful passage of time over a shorter window.
Shot 7 (iPhone 6): This time revisiting the sunset shot, this time I aimed the camera almost directly at the sun as it was setting, ensuring that I had a silhouette of nearby houses in the foreground to create an interesting composition. The sun gradually disappears behind the houses, leaving behind a lovely colour palette which is completely unedited; I believe that these can only be improved through colour grading. I do intend to go up to the 4th floor onto a balcony hopefully with a tripod, resulting in an even clearer, more stable clip.
Once again, as this was edited over the weekend, I used iMovie to edit these clips. As this video was fairly simple in that it was a series of cuts with the occasional title, this software was very adequate. Had I wanted to use specific colour grading or more advanced editing techniques and special effects, iMovie would have limited this possibility.
I found that a 60 minute filming period resulted in a 30 second shot, but as the iPhone used the automatic Time Lapse mode I could be sure that the intervals between each photo were exact; difficult to reproduce without a shutter control attached to a 600D. As mentioned previously, the iPhone 6 shot 1080p HD footage which looks sharp on my particular monitor. Should I integrate this technique through the double exposure, I would see the iPhone 6 as a plausible device to shoot Time Lapse sequences on.
The manipulation of speed has been an element within each of our group practical tests. We decided to experiment with this further, with exercises including the song being lip-synced at different rates (from half speed to double speed) and then either speeding up or slowing down the final clip, hopefully resulting in the front person lip-syncing at normal speed, and the people behind becoming blurred or slowed down respectively.
Here the song was sung at half the normal speed, whilst we danced in the background. Then the clip was sped up in post production, causing James to move at normal speed, and those in the background slightly faster. This was not as successful as we'd have hoped, partially down to us not dancing quick enough to cause any real fragmentation in the background, and James's partial movement causing him to become slightly jittery rather than completely unaffected by this speed manipulation.
In this video, we had the audio lip-synced to at 200%, and people moving slowly behind James. This meant that when the video was slowed down in post to 50% (normal speed) those who walked behind him would be blurred and appear with a trail. This appeared more successful than the previous video above, whereby the video was sped up rather than slowed down.
We also decided to keep James seated and fairly still, as with the 50% audio version he appeared slightly jerky in places when he moved. The trailing effect was certainly interesting in this particular video, demonstrating how the decisions on walking speed during the shoot will vary the intensity of the effect slightly.
I edited this particular clip over a weekend, because of this I only had access to iMovie. Whilst this is not as sophisticated as Premiere Pro, I was already proficient in this software, and for the simple task of slowing down one long clip, iMovie was sufficient.
A test footage piece, here double exposure is used with motion tracking, fluidly moving the hand and the overlaid image, causing the two layers to move simultaneously. In previous videos, the background image remained in a static position whilst the clip played, creating a detachment between the two layers. Here masking and double exposure is used to unify the two images, integrating a static image file which could be an interesting addition to my music video. This uses a similar process to the ADBNE Opening Titles analysed above.
As indie track, the overall sunbleached and soft grading used in each layer of shot is synonymous with this genre. Reverberant vocals compliment this overall aesthetic, as well as the layering of vocals starting from 1:29 mimicking the continuous use of double exposure effects; overlaying one scene into another, similar to masking an image in Photoshop. As a result, this video corresponds with Goodwin's theory that: "there is a relationship between the music and the visuals."
This video in particular really sparked my imagination for the potential of my music video, with the use of green screen and layering of clips creating this double exposure aesthetic which I really love. Lip-syncing is used throughout this video, which is subtly evident through the layered exposures. Applying Jon Gow's 1992 theory, this video would definitely encapsulate the 'special effects extravaganza' whereby, "videos with human performance is over shadowed by spectacular imagery."
Whilst the imagery used is conventional to a music video of an indie genre, the combination of multiple exposure is seemingly unrelated to the lyrics. Under Lynch's 1984 theory, this would lead to this video being classed as conceptual in nature, with lip-syncing throughout adding the performance element.
Multiple locations are used in this video, with the lyrics "Bout time to pack my bags", "Another plane, another land", and "Never been the type to stay tied down" demonstrating a link between the lyrics and the visuals. Because it is the actual use of seemingly unrelated locations which, in Goodwin's theory "there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals", here used to amplify the lyrics more than illustrate them (e.g. no clip of plane when 'plane' in mentioned in the lyrics).
As seen in these screenshots, the clear muted tones compliment the slightly vignetted cream background, replacing where the green screen would have been. The clip varies between mainly medium shots, to close up and long shots, which correspond with the subtle varying intensity of the song. Each shot appears to be angled slightly below the subject, which I believe is not used to conventionally portray power in this piece, but rather to heighten the possible shadows and features to be retained after the multiple exposure.
This video also somewhat applies Goodwin's theory that "there is a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close ups of the main artist/vocalist." Whilst this is not overly evident, the whole video does feature both people in the duo, demonstrating that their is a need for them to be forefront in their videos; likely due to them needing exposure. In order to further the consistency in this video, each edit falls on a beat, causing the video to be both conventional and easier to follow, with the strong beat of the track guiding the viewer through the various scenes.
Interestingly, it is largely natural forms which are featured in this video, with only the female appearing in solo shots. This could suggest a link between nature and it's feminine connotations (mother nature). As a jacket collar is evident in the previous screenshot, this shows that she is not wearing especially tight clothes, and therefore the focus here is not on the links shared between the female body and natural forms. The fact that the same images are overlaid on to both members of the band, suggest that the images were most likely selected to correspond with the stereotypical indie genre, appealing to their target audience of younger 16-25 year old females, who will stereotypically be attracted to this aesthetic.
Similar to the concept of Vance Joy's Riptide video, this video by Young Liars mainly follows Goodwin's theory that "there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals" with each line interpreted within the piece. The video also includes some subtle stop-motion elements which both illustrate various sequences (boots moving along floor) as well as exaggerating and fragmenting the various zooms used to illustrate the performance elements. A quite unconventional use of stop motion in that it is not used as a pure animation element, I really admire the consistency and almost smoothness that I could definitely use in my video.
Visual effects are also utilised, with the shot below demonstrating what would otherwise be a fairly rigid composition of the man playing the guitar, made more visually exciting through the addition of repeating the image three times in the same sequence. This was likely done through a split screen, and would not be unachievable in my own project as long as the background remains as clean as possible, preventing the viewer from seeing the join.
The clean and slightly muted colour grading is synonymous once again with indie music videos, as well as including elements such as the older window frame rather than a modern one, conventional to the indie genre's stereotypical retro style. However, their outfits are quite modern, and white is a colour which is considered to be fresh, perhaps fitting with what the indie genre encompasses; higher quality music with borrowed retro sounds.
This video also utilises multiple exposure in parts, with more of the artist visible. Presumably the contrast and transparency was set differently for this particular video, but this does show the possibilities of multiple exposure technology. As multiple exposure is evident quite coincidentally in both of the videos I have studied, the process is now a definite consideration for my video, and I want to test this feature using a green screen and Adobe After Effects rather than Premiere Pro.
Joan Lynch (1984) theorised that all the basic structure for music videos include at least one element of: performance, narrative, and concept. Sometimes videos include multiples of these, and often certain artists identify with a certain aspect of this theory.
Sia is well known for not showing her face in many performances and music videos in order to leave the song unaffected by the artist, forcing the viewer to focus solely upon the track. The video for Chandelier by Sia solely features dancing, an element of performance videos. The lyrics suggest the story of a "party girl" as she falls into the despair of not being valued, partying so hard that she will "swing from the chandelier". The quite manic but very well executed dance mimics the deterioration within the lyrics, demonstrating how dance can be a very successful medium within performance videos.
A narrative video can be defined as a video which tells a story, often through the direct or close relation between the lyrics and the visuals. In the video above for David Guetta and Sia's track Titanium, the 4 minute long clip follows the story of a young boy running away from the police after he caused a 'supernatural occurrence at local school', directly shown through a newsflash on a TV. As the audience, we are positioned to see the events as they unfold, piecing together various visual clues to understand the narrative. In the beginning, the mise en scène presents a chaotic scene with rubble and various notes across a floor. Through iconography of a corridor lined with lockers and the boys age, the viewer assumes that he is in a school, which is later confirmed through the TV shot above. As we follow the boy back to his house where he is hurriedly packing, his 'supernatural powers' are revealed, using his mind to take some keys off a table from across the room. An ellipsis marks the transition from day to night, with the boy being chased - presumably by the police - through some woods. The boy is eventually captured, erupting with a flash of light which causes those surrounding him to be thrown, before the clip fades to black. Leaving somewhat of a cliffhanger, this video evidences how solely a narrative can be portrayed through a video, with visual clues and iconography fundamental to the perceived viewing of the video.
In Naughty Boy's video La La La featuring Sam Smith, references to local lore and popular culture encapsulate the narrative to the video, personally leaving me curious as to the backstory to this narrative. Revolving around Bolivian legend from the 19th century, a deaf boy (the protagonist) flees his abusive home and finds a stray dog. Living on the streets, he finds that he can heal people's struggles by screaming. By screaming he saves a man who is being stoned, reviving his heart in the process. He then discovers a disfigured man who was cursed by the demon El Tio, who is considered lord of the underworld in Bolivia. Anyone who can hear the demon will fall under his control, but as the boy is deaf he cannot fall victim to the curse, so they go on a quest to find El Tio so that the boy can save others from falling victim to the curse. The boys screaming overpowers the demon, which is shown throughout this video by the boy sticking his fingers in his ears and lip-syncing to the songs namesake 'La La La'. References have also been made to The Wizard of Oz, with the tin man, scarecrow, and lion identifiable characters here. I personally find this video very successful in the portrayal of the narrative, with mythology adding another considered layer to the clip.
Conceptual:
Often conceptual videos are a secondary category to either performance or narrative, with the concept acting as a foundation for which the video to be remembered. However, in the video above by The Replacements, the concept is the clear focus, with the video lacking any elements of performance or narrative. Featuring a continuous shot of a speaker, the shot is gradually zoomed out until 1:06, revealing a greater section of the room. A record player and records are stacked, but otherwise everything is still except for the pulsating speaker. At 1:41 a man walks into the frame, with only the lower half of him visible. He then precedes to sit down, presumably on a couch which the camera appears to be resting on. Then, until 3:21, the viewer is positioned to see only a hand or a foot, as the man shuffles around on the sofa. The audience is positioned to feel as if we are witnessing a fairly intimate aspect of this persons life, with the partial reveal of the person suggesting we are intruding or otherwise spying on the man. This routine of shuffling about on the couch is interrupted with the end of the song at 3:21, with the man getting up, kicking the speaker out of frame, before walking out of the door. This could be a social statement in that they are rejecting mainstream conventions of the music industry, by destroying the one thing that the audience was positioned to focus upon from the start of the video. The brash removal of conventions is further reiterated through the unique conceptual nature of this video, and definitely leaves the clip open to interpretation.
As mentioned above, often videos will integrate concept with elements of performance and/or narrative. Muse's video for Supermassive Black Hole above, can be defined as having both a performance and conceptual structure. The quite abstract idea of various people in morphsuits adorned with an array of prints from owls to abstracted natural textures, each character appears completely unrelated to that of the song lyrics. Furthermore, hooded, faceless characters playing various instruments are interlaced with performance clips of the band lip-syncing to the track. As with many conceptual videos, the various symbolisms and imagery within the clip are open to interpretation, however on a surface level, the bizarre visuals bare little resemblance to the lyrics, forming a conceptual element to this video.
After receiving permission from each of the artists I mentioned in my previous post 'Possible Song Choices' I have narrowed down my track selection to two songs; my first choice and a backup. I decided to use the tracks I found on Soundcloud rather than the older songs from before 1964 for two reasons: I did not have explicit permission to use those tracks, which could result in difficulties when I come to upload the video, and finding the original recording of these tracks was particularly difficult as many had been re-recorded more recently.
First Choice:
The thing which really drew me to this track is the overriding mellow, relaxed tone to the piece which is well complimented by the almost 60's sound to the piece, complimenting my personal music tastes. Definitely fitting into the indie genre, the strong guitar and reverberate vocals suggest a psychedelic rock influence, reminding me of the Hippie subculture from the mid-1960's. Due to the relaxed nature of the track, I don't think it would overwhelm any complicated imagery, allowing more experimental cinematography and editing to harness the main focus in the video. Similarly, I really think that exciting visuals will enhance this track further, although because of the quite unusual lyrics it would be perhaps difficult to literally interpret them as with Dmitri Basil's video for Vance Joy.
Alternative Choice:
Another indie track with a more modern sound, I have a fairly solid narrative idea which would illustrate the lyrics of this single, but could be quite difficult to execute and not necessarily allow for as much creative freedom as I would like. Gaining permission for the use of this track also means that should anything happen to my first choice, I have a solid contingency plan.
After selecting 4 potential songs, I wanted to contact each of the artists to maximise my chance of replies, hence refraining from narrowing down my potential selection. In the sidebar of each artist's Soundcloud page had their contact details, so I composed a message and sent it to at least one contact source in hopes of getting a reply. As I have gained permission to use all three of the tracks I shortlisted from Soundcloud, I have decided to limit myself once again to two options, giving me the assurance that I do have permission to use these tracks rather than relying on those which are out of copyright. All of these artists are unsigned and independent, reiterating this assurance.
The Purple Lights - Devil Man
Contacting The Purple Lights on both Facebook and Soundcloud, I received their permission through Facebook to use their track 'Devil Man' for the music video and upload it to Youtube.
Jungle Doctors - Dry
Jungle Doctors appeared very active on their Facebook page, so I sent them a message. I received their permission through Facebook to use their track 'Dry' for the music video and upload it to Youtube.
The Plastic Dots - Velvet Cafe
Once again, The Plastic Dots were more active on their Facebook, so I sent them a message. I received their permission through Facebook to use their track 'Velvet Cafe' for the music video and upload it to Youtube.
Copyright Free Tracks
When looking for possible tracks to use in my music video, I was inspired by my own personal tastes into older music. Having looked on sites such as freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com, I couldn't find any music which was to my taste. Instead I discovered unsignedandindependent.com, a monthly magazine which showcases the work of unsigned and independent artists, often found through the website Soundcloud. Whilst the majority of music on Soundcloud is not royalty free, I found four songs created by unsigned artists, so therefore only need their permission to use the track.
The catchy guitar and mysterious vocals really grabbed my attention from the start with this song. The slightly gruff vocals offer a classic rock feel which I really like. The Purple Lights wrote this song about their landlord, with a consistent referral to the 'devil man' adding a slightly humorous edge to this track. A strong beat offers more flexibility for cutting at said intervals, although the imagery could become fairly limited. It is quite long with various repetitions, however I've defined two instrumental sections which could be removed, leaving the song at around 3 minutes long.
A more modern sound, Dry by the Jungle Doctors has a clear lyrical structure which could be developed upon with word association as with Vance Joy's Riptide video. The melody is something which I also admire, resulting in a catchy song. I actually find the introduction up to 0:10 a bit unnecessary, although attention grabbing, but this could be cut. I also really like the change at 1:58, which could be an interesting challenge to edit to.
The older almost 60s vibe to this tune immediately caught my attention. Very relaxed but with a strong bass line, I could imagine this fitting to a narrative structured music video, with the song not being too distracting to more intense visuals. There are a lot of instrumental elements to this song, which would once again prove a challenge, going slightly against my original intentions of following Dmitri Basil's literal directing style. If I can think of a strong narrative or concept for this track, I think it would be very successful for a music video.
Recordings Exempt from Copyright
The UK Copyright service states under P-07 that after 50 years from the year of the recording or date of release, that specific sound recording is no longer covered under copyright law. However this does not apply to the composition, musical score, lyrics, and artwork which is covered under a separate copyright law, and often prevents the change or editing of a track for profit.
Because of this, I decided to search for some more songs which were recorded in 1964 and before, leaving them outside of the 50 year copyright restriction. Firstly I found a radio site called 'AccuRadio - Oldies 1964 & Before' which showcases various tracks. I also looked through my iTunes library to see if I had any songs from this period.
Calendar Girl - Neil Sedaka: From 1961, this classic song takes you through each month of the year with each verse, and I could see this being an interesting concept to cater the visuals too. As I do not have the time to film in each season, this would require some thought as to how each month could be illustrated, which could prove both limited and complicated.
The End Of The World - Skeeter Davis (1962): A very emotional song from a singer with a country background, I could imagine this being played over near-apocolyptic scenes. A slow song, I definitely think that this would illustrate complicated imagery well, or form a narrative around the same themes of the song; heartbreak, despair, loneliness. Due to the distinctive older sound of this piece, I think it would be interesting to portray more modern themes to create a contrast of imagery.
Green Onions - Booker T & The MG's (1962): Described as a rock instrumental, I also feel that this popular instrumental track of the 60s has a funk edge to it. Whilst instrumentals are quite hard to edit to, I do think that this leaves more scope for the possible interpretations of visuals. The evident 'retro' feel to the piece would enable me to continue with my original plans of a 60s/70s aesthetic music video.
After finding these particular track recordings from the 60's were out of copyright, I definitely want to explore more into each of these singles through the potential imagery I could utilise.
Given the task was to use continuity editing to document the transition of a person approaching one door and passing through another, we needed careful planning to ensure that the edit was smooth. We could also add some copyright free music of our choice, which we believed fit with the sequence.
Often an integral device in continuity editing is the use of the 180 degree rule, my illustration below. The 180 degree rule can be described as the relationship between either a couple, or a person with an object. The axis, shown as the dotted line in the diagrams below, is an imaginary line which the camera should remain one side of to create a convincing continuity edit. Keeping on one side, in front, and behind the person/object aids the consistency of the scene, hence not disorientating the viewer.
As this video would involve a match on action edit, it was very important to include the 180 degree rule, acting as a visual bridge which will distract away from the various edits. Revisiting the speed/duration control from the Transition Music Video, we decided to reverse the whole clip to draw attention to the use of this rule.
As the task was to include a match on action cut documenting the opening of two separate doors to appear seamless through continuity editing, we wanted to think hard as to how we could blend each movement. Firstly, we had to find two separate doors which open the same way, as to maintain the visual axis of the 180 degree rule. Then, we had to decide on what camera angles would fit best with the movement of the door opening.
As seen in the sequence above, a medium shot was maintained for both shots to keep a consistent framing across the edit. We decided on a shot-reverse-shot sequence between a medium shot behind the character > match on action > medium shot in front of the character, of which is another device used in continuity editing. To further smooth this edit, we matched the movement of the door opening with an outwards zoom, which we found surprisingly successful in the edit.
If I was to repeat this task, I would pay particular attention to the exposure of each shot, to further the continuity in the aesthetic of the visuals. As we decided to move from outside to inside, the ambient light was different in each situation, and whilst we did change the exposure for the second sequence, there is still a clear contrast in the exposure of these two shots.
In order to add variety to the scene, we also included POV shot, long shot, medium shot, pan, and extreme close up to vary and challenge each edit. Also, by utilising each channel on the timeline in Premiere Pro, we were able to include a split screen which can be developed upon in future tasks.
"A videotaped performance of a recorded popular song, usually accompanied by dancing and visual images interpreting the lyrics."
Music videos are considered an important part of the artist's aesthetic. On a basic level, music videos play a necessary and pivotal role in an artists promotion, forming a foundation for their 'star image'. Many artists and directors utilise music videos as a means for creativity, extending each micro element to enhance any message which the artist is wanting to portray.
The 1980s boosted the production of music videos, namely through the launch of MTV in 1981, the world's first 24 hour music video channel. The opportunity for nationwide exposure lead to many bands creating music videos which portray their star image.
Varying musical genres have their own codes and conventions in music videos. The most common example is rock music videos, which often focus on performance videos, with footage of live performances to demonstrate the overall atmosphere.
Today, music videos are still especially integral to mainstream media. Large budget productions dominate various charts dedicated to music videos, with each video competing to be more memorable and bigger than the rest.
Many Directors often use music videos as a stepping stone to film directing, with music videos a short film in themselves, whereby the imagery and sound are (in most cases) closely related. With MTV making music videos more mainstream in 1981, now music videos are a given with any release of a mainstream artist's song. With iconic music videos hold a place in history, I was keen to research some of my favourite music videos, and the directors behind them.
Dimitri Basil
Most famous for his video promoting Vance Joy's song 'Riptide', I love the retro 60's/70's aesthetic which are focused upon in his work. Born in 1988 in Columbia, he originally stopped going to school at the age of 13 to study Music, but instead ended up studying Film. Currently specialising in music videos and shorts, Basil is independent filmmaker who is inspired by past decades, commenting in an interview "I guess it is the notion that it will never come back."
The first video I discovered of Basil's was that of mainstream indie track 'Riptide', but he has directed (both past and present) mainly videos with lesser-known indie tracks, namely: Wunder Wunder - Hail the Madmen, Snakadaktal - Fall Underneath, Veen - Thyreoalis, The Grates - Turn Me On, and Flight Facilities - Foreign Language.
The main thing that I absolutely love about this video is the direct relation to the words and the visuals. Through the combined use of text (subtitles) and imagery, each jump cut matches that in the mention or change in subject matter within the lyrics.
The three close up shots above are taken from the chorus, which features the line "you're gonna sing the words wrong" this is met by a lady who uses limited mouth movements to lip-sync the words "you gone and sank the worlds wolf". This humorous addition makes use of irony, with the subtitles and singer indeed singing the words wrong. Furthering this, subtitles are intended to bring clarity to what is happening, highlighting the clear humour which Basil utilises in his work. Also, the actress here is not the original artist, which corresponds with Basil tending to not use the actual band or live performances in his work.
Continuing the use of text on screen with the same typeface, in the chorus the line "I wanna be your left hand man" is paired with an extreme close up shot of a hand holding or completing seemingly unrelated objects/tasks. Each of these hands are the left hand, which is reinforced with the word 'left' flashing throughout this line. By changing this imagery each time, the narrative is pushed forward, as well as demonstrating the retro-inspired aesthetic which Basil utilises.
It is this aesthetic which first engaged me when watching the Riptide video. The opening tilting shot of a hazy blue sky immediately matches the upbeat ukelele, which sets the tone for the rest of the video. The slightly faded but beautifully coloured grading of each shot reminds me of a 70s film, whilst retaining the sharpness and quality of modern-day videos. As well as the grading, visual clues such as the video tape and old leather suitcase give connotations as to the intended time period of this video. Furthermore, the tall, blonde-haired, attractive women are similar to the image of an original 'Bond-Girl', especially considering the pistol poised in a traditional James Bond pose. A slightly saturated palette compliments the indie folk genre of Vance Joy, which is helped by many of the shots taken during the 'golden hour' when the sun is setting.
Basil's editing style is also likeable, with fast jump cuts matching the progression of the lyrics, furthering the original concept of the imagery matching the lyrics. He also utilises camera movements such as tilts, pans, and zooms, which can become distracting and amateur-looking. However, Basil integrates these perfectly, notably with the stack of dollar bills which are subtly zoomed into; continuing the pace of the editing and song without distracting the viewer. Another sequence which I admire is the double use of a pan between three people. The camera first pans right to left from one lady in the frame to two others outside of the frame, before reversing to a left to right pan, but the lady is no longer there (as illustrated above). This continues the narrative of the video, with a later edit of the same lady in a wide angle shot of her running, corresponding with the lyric "running down to the riptide", reiterating the relationship the visuals and lyrics have. Also, the creative use of the pan acts substitutes a cut, adding variety to each short sequence of the video, hence continuing to engage the viewer.
Directed by Dimitri Basil once again, Foreign Language by Flight Facilities is another favourite music video of mine. Here, Basil uses his originality to make the video seem like the opening of a 70s television show, rather than matching the composition to the lyrics as with Vance Joy's video. His original intention was to trick the viewer into thinking that the music video was indeed an opening to a television series of old, with the song then becoming the soundtrack of the show.
Cross cutting is mainly used here to document the progression in narrative, following three linked story lines. Considering how Basil comments that "early James Bond films were my initial inspirations", the props of guns, running and evidently staged action shots all lend themselves to such films. The cross cutting is highlighted at the very end with a tracking shot of both spy duos, each consisting of a man and a woman. The third storyline which is included is that presumably of the villain, stereotypically featured in a chair which no doubt spins. Basil's humorous appreciation for this era is evident through the stereotypes that one would imagine when it comes to a classic spy film.
Once again, artistic shots and camera movements are utilised to add some diversity to each sequence. Above, an over-the-shoulder shot is zoomed out to a medium-shot, with a pull-focus shifting the attention to the woman. With the Riptide video, it is clear that Basil especially likes to use zoom and pan camera movements, which were common in many 70s television dramas.
Similarly to the Riptide video, text was equally important in this video, but for a different reason. Here the font is used to identify the characters in true retro TV show style, complete with a momentary pause focused on each of the characters (shown above). Basil used the font "Lee Bold" which was used both in the opening of 'Charlie's Angels' and for the VHS logo; adding further authenticity to the video. In order to reinforce the authenticity of this music video, Basil used a real 70's lens, and only edited some of the contrast in post production. Pair this with the fitting props and costumes, the overall mise-en-scène is extremely convincing.
Russell Mulcahy
A notable music video director from the 80s, Russell Malcahy directed some of my most favourite music videos, including Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart, Duran Duran - Rio, and The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star. Personally, I love how each of these are terrifically 80s, with experimental post production effects and fast-paced editing often paired with a narrative which is quite obscure, each video is a classic example of the beginnings of popular mainstream music videos.
Above is the music video for Duran Duran's Hungry Like The Wolf. Released in 1981, Duran Duran were at this time trying to break into the competitive US Market. Wanting to impress and gain attention, experimental postproduction effects and erotic themes were used. MTV played a large part in the eventual success, with this video becoming a favourite on the show which was then broadcasting in North America. Fast paced editing eventually disrupts the largely linear timeline of the video, with the plot focused on lead singer Simon LeBon chasing a woman both around a Sri Lankan market before cross cutting to a jungle where the chase continues on a more primal level. The consistent cutting and occasionally disorientating effects blur these timelines, resulting in a confusing yet captivating video; LeBon was very much a heartthrob in the 80s, so Mulcahy's aim was to keep as much focus on the star rather than a plot, to boost the popularity amongst the many female fans. This is further reiterated through the use of performance and narrative which corresponds with Joan Lynch's theory, maintaining a further focus on the band. The music loosely links these images, with lines such as "I'm on the hunt I'm after you" confirming the intentions of the chase.
Personally, the quite muted grading of each shot give an aesthetic which I do not particularly like, however the experimental editing which Malcahy utilised is inspiring considering the period at which it was made. Slow motion, dissolves, transitions, split screens, and horizontal frame slides are just some of the post production effects used in this video. This slightly overwhelming creativity with editing is something which I would like to develop, but perhaps being more selective as to not overwhelm the video.
Mulcahy also directed perhaps my favourite music video. Bonnie Tyler's music video for Total Eclipse Of The Heart is brilliantly bizarre, with elements of narrative and performance which appear characteristic of Mulcahy's work. Featuring a plethora of seemingly unrelated characters, namely gymnasts, ninjas, footballers, fencers, and choirboys, these all add up to a complex narrative which matches the powerful nature of the classic ballad. Perhaps the strongest narrative of all the videos I have studied, the plot is that of Bonnie Tyler playing an instructor or teacher at an all-boys school, followed by various fantasies, before returning back to reality.
Malcahy uses symbolism heavily in this video, from Tyler dressed all in white and releasing white doves, with connotations of virginity and purity. However, the dove appears to be struggling to fly, which could be a deliberate choice by Mulcahy to further symbolise the hidden frustration that Tyler faces inferred through the lyrics of the song. Cleverly, the repetition of a man saying "turn around" in the lyrics paired with these symbols suggests that Tyler is refusing to confront something.
Malcahy also utilises mythology in his work, with the motif of glowing eyes repeated throughout. Glowing eyes often symbolise a penetrating gaze which is considered to reveal secrets, and with the 1960's film Village of the Damned, the similarities between these two videos show that Malcahy was keen to include references to pop culture.
Once again, this is an example of how the lyrics are used to convey another layer of meaning, adding a greater complexity to that of Basil's videos. This video in particular is greatly analysed for its captivating and complex narrative, matched by Tyler's emotive performance and Malcahy's effective use of symbolism.
My primary research has shown that the majority of those interested in the Indie genre of music are females, and so I have compiled this image with items which would be associated with someone who identifies as female.
