Evaluation

Music Video Evaluation

Representation of the Artist

There is a mixture of the bands downtime and performance throughout my music video. During the start of the video you can see the band setting up and socialising before they start playing. This is typical of several existing music videos, it can be seen during the start of ‘Arctic Monkeys – Teddy Picker’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A2XBoxtcUA&ob=av2e) . Fans who have seen this already existing music video will be able to relate to my music video because of this opening link.As the video progresses the band start to perform like in and typical music video and this carries on for the duration of the song. There are more elements of the band ‘carrying on’ and relaxing during the slower instrumental parts of the song which can also be seen in existing music videos.This all links into Goodwin's theory that certain music genres such as this one (indie rock) have certain images or style.

Links Between Visual and Track

There are some clear links between my visual shots and the ‘Reckoning’ (the track). The lead singer, during the chorus sings, “This is a day of reckoning, I do what I want, because I can”. This links well with one of the final shots of the video when all that is left of the figure being chased is his jacket, he is running away because he can and because it is his day of reckoning against the mainstream (the figure chasing him). It shows that he has disappeared out of existence as it is hard not to be associated with the mainstream in the 21st century. All the way through the narrative the figure is being chased and at points is nearly caught. This can be seen especially in the handheld chasing shot where he is being caught up by the other figure.

Ironically, in the band performance the band are shown to be having a good time and enjoying themselves as any other band would do, it shows a lighter side to the music where things are almost care free and enjoyable rather than overly serious.

Setting/Location

There are two locations throughout the whole video. The narrative performance of my video was shot in a wooded area in East Stanley, it was the idea place to get the chase shots I needed where I wouldn’t have to shoot around the public walking through as it is a quiet area. However, some of the shots in the narrative are in narrow alleys and so had to be in a more build up area but there are still bushes and plants in the alleys and so helps the continuity of the narrative of my video.

The band performance element of my video was shot in the practice rooms at Tanfield-Lea industrial estate, I wanted to capture the shots I needed in the practice rooms rather than watching them perform live on stage as I got a more intimate view of the band as they relax more during a practice than playing live. Because of the location it again links in with existing music videos from bands like ‘The Arctic Monkeys’ and ‘The Libertines’ where band downtime is shown (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLYsIESNtUc&feature=relmfu).

Clothing/ Style

When it cam to filming I just asked the band (The Notice) to dress as they would for a practice session or a gig to keep that genuine look about the band. This would help them feel like it was just a normal session and they don’t have to act and make it look ‘robotic’.

As for the narrative performance within my music video I told my two actors that one would be represent the mainstream and one would represent a part of the indie movement being chased. They are dressed similarly because I wanted to highlight the fact that there is very little difference between the indie movement and mainstream movement when it comes to clothing. Their music tastes may differ but these days indie clothing is moving into the mainstream and I believe the two actors I have capture this brilliantly.

Camerawork

My camerawork throughout the video is vital as I needed a good range of shots to show my skills with a camera off. This range of shots was also needed because of the amount of cutting involved in this video. I did not just want the same shots appearing over and over again. The shots I used included Wide shots. Long shots. Close ups. Handheld shots.

The camera work came together really well and all the shots slot together like a jigsaw. I drew my inspiration for all of these quick cuts from ‘The Beastie Boys’ music video ‘Sabotage’ where the cuts are quick and on the beat of the drums and a range of shots are used right from mid shots to handheld shots.

How Narrative/Genre is Indicated

The narrative is indicated through the lyrics of the song, “This is a day of reckoning”. This is the indie’s (the one being chased) day of reckoning and he’s trying to escape from the mainstream. Between the chase shots there are clips of the band playing and the singer singing the lyrics which shows us the genre of this video being indie rock which is basically the mainstream in today’s music industry.

As the guitar is fading and slowing down at the end of the song and the figure disappears and all that is left of him is his jacket. Again as the song has slowed down so has the figure being chased so he thinks he is in the clear when he is caught this makes links to Goodwin’s theory that the tempo of music represents what is going on in the video.

Special Effects/Editing

The editing is incredibly important in my music video. The quick tempo means my editing has to be quick cuts of just a few seconds each. There are very little special effects in my music video because the editing is so quick that jump cuts are the most effective cuts to use in my video.

I have used a slow motion clip in several parts of my video where the song slows down to help put emphasis on the fact that the song has slowed down again linking to Goodwin’s theory on the music matching the track.

At the end of my music video I hade added a fade to black clip as the song fades out again matching the song with Goodwin’s theory. The fade out also helps make the disappearance of the actor being chased mysterious giving my video an eerie edge.

Digipack/Magazine

Representation of Artist

Because The Notice are an indie rock band, I wanted to create something original which is not really seen when making adverts and digi packs. I thought if I created something which looked drawn and only used a few actual photographic images then it helps give the band this original feel and so would attract a wider audience.

I also wanted to give them a mysterious sort of edge which is why it is also so simple and stripped back. This means there isn’t a lot going on in either piece which gives the impression the band are focused and know what they want to so they have a clear direction which the audience can see.

Mise – en – Scene of Images

The Mise – en Scene of the two images I have taken is also quite simple. The signs help show that the album intends to take you in a certain direction and the fact that the figure looks quite small walking into the distance which gives a sense of loneliness. Also on the inside photo the landscape is quite grey in comparison to the front cover which has a lot of sky in it suggesting positive connotations. This all helps create this journey the target audience will go on with the band.

Costumes and props

Linking the photos to the music video, the person I have used is wearing similar clothes to those in the video. This is to show continuity with the genre and show that all 3 pieces work together effectively.

The denim jacket and dark jeans are a very indie rock look and so links to the musical genre and the character being chased in my music video.

The addition of the guitar helps link in with the band and represents them on a journey through the album with the listeners.

Use of Font and Style/Written Context

I have used the same font – Ariel Black – throughout the magazine advert and digi pack. It is all about continuity for keeping the audience interested in them and also to give both products a professional feel. After looking into magazine adverts and digi packs which already exist I found they kept this continuity because they didn’t want to upset their target audiences with a change.

The track listings also follow a clear direction starting with ‘Reckoning’ and finishing with ‘Going Gone’. Not many albums do this and so I wanted to create a unique album which would again draw audiences in.

Music Genre/How my advert suggests it

My magazine advert suggests the musical genre in a few different ways. The simple set up of the advert relates to the indie rock theme as it is stripped back and original. There is not a lot going on in the advert and so it shows a clear focus to it that can be linked to the band again.

There is only one piece of colour on the advert as well which could resemble the band or the person viewing the advert. The fork in the road is a decision the listener has to make as to what to do.

The magazine reviews also add a realistic edge to the advert and because I have used ‘NME’ and ‘Q’ they are linked with indie rock bands to help emphasize the genre of The Notice.

Music Genre/ how my digipack suggests it

My digi pack also suggests the indie rock music genre as it is not like many of the mainstream album cases you get in the existing market. Like the magazine advert it is stripped back and simple and so has a very clear message.

In this case the message is that everyone is on a journey and that we arrive at our destinations at different times. But the band are on this journey with the listener. The clothing of the figure is also a big giveaway as it is like the clothing in the music video and represents indie rock and also a by-gone era of the music industry with links to punk and grunge.

The drawings are simple and give the impression they have been done by hand which is the impression I wanted to give as if this is artwork the band have drawn themselves which is a very indie thing to do.

Layout/Special Effects

The layout of both pieces is standard for that of a magazine advert and digi pack, after my research I came to the conclusion that the layout of existing products works and so there is no need to change it. A masthead followed up by sub headings and then the actual track listings all work together nicely in a good format.

As for special effects, I created most of the drawings on Adobe Photoshop but kept them quite simple so they looked as if they had been drawn on. I used the pencil tool and the brush tool ad well as the lines for making the signposts.

As for the photos, they needed very little in the way of editing because I took then late on in the day when the light was dropping to get the effect I wanted. However I did use the lighting tool a bit to drop the light of the picture on the inside of my digi pack to give it that gloomy sort of feeling to it which links to the track names.