Research Into Similar Products: Genre Conventions

Through watching various music videos, I have been able to see the conventions of indie rock music videos in action. The first I saw was the convention of the band performance. This is a feature used in most indie rock videos. In this particular video, the performance is shot in black and white which is another convention of an indie rock music video. 

The setting in indie rock videos are also pretty simple so that the focus is mostly on the artist and the music. I plan to keep this convention present in my own video by filming it in a field. The video below is set in a shabby house and so reflects the sadness of the song and also draws little attention away from the artist.



In most indie rock videos, the camera shots most commonly used are high/low angle shots, medium close ups and wide shots that show the whole band. I plan to use many medium close ups and high angle shots in my own video to clearly show the actors. Shed Seven use these same shots throughout their whole video below. 



Some indie rock videos contain a story line to help carry the lyrics of the song. I plan to include this convention in my own video as I feel it makes the video more interesting than just a performance. Coffee and TV by Blur is one video that has stuck in my memory since I was a kid and so I think this is a good example of a narrative video.



Indie rock videos sometimes feature unique effects that make them stand out. A Movie Script Ending has a flipbook-like effect to create a sense of nostalgia. 

Research Into Similar Products: Digipak Fonts

By looking at other album covers, I have been exploring the different fonts used for album titles. Firstly, I have looked at the fonts used by Bombay Bicycle Club themselves, so that I can try and carry the bands ethos through my own work. I like the font used for the album 'A Different Kind Of Fix' as it is very simple but bold and quite straight to the point. 

Another font that I enjoy is the one used for Lana Del Rey's Born To Die album. Although similar to the one above, the font used for this album is bold and the sharp edges make it seem very serious and distinct. I like this font as it is very memorable.

Both of these album covers use similar simple, bold fonts that are white and I would like to use a similar font to these as I like the simplicity of them. 

Organisation: Props/Blocking

In my video, I want to portray the idea of two people feeling lost in life but also being together in their loneliness. To achieve this I would like to include the prop of a retro suitcase to help create an old time feel, vintage feel to my video. I would also like to include a guitar to create a romantic feel to the video. I also like the idea of having these props included in my digipak and magazine advertisement as I was inspired to do this by the movie poster for Once, as I like the friendly feel they create. I feel this is specifically created in the way they're blocked but for my own poster, I would have the two people with their backs towards the camera to give the idea of them running away from reality/life. 

An alternate idea for my digipak would be to have my two actors facing each other but looking down at their feet. This idea would again show the loneliness of the two actors. I would also use the prop of the rose to show a type of romanticism as well as the thorns on the rose showing the imperfections of it all. 

Organisation: Effects

I have a couple of ideas for how I would like my music video to look in the end.
The first idea is to keep the video as monochrome as possible. I feel that this specific effect would fit the lyrics to the song that I have chosen (My God - Bombay Bicycle Club) as words such as 'fading', 'downwards' and 'quietly' would be complimented by a video with hushed colours and effects. Richard Ayoade's movie The Double has given me inspired me as he uses a monochromatic effect throughout the whole movie.

                                                                    

The other effect I was thinking of using was the one used in another Bombay Bicycle Club, Luna, as it focuses primarily on the colour blue throughout the video. I would like to use this effect but rather than focus on the colour blue, I would prefer to focus on the colour yellow. The reason I would use yellow is that yellow can connote happiness and sun just like what people may associate with God. However, the yellow can also represent decay and so would reflect the lyrics in the song itself. 

Research Into Similar Products: CD Back Cover Conventions

By looking at the back cover of Lana Del Rey's Ultraviolence, I have been able to identify the key conventions of a back cover. This has helped me form an idea of what my own digipak should look like and what is important to have on it. 

Research into Similar Products - Music Video Analysis

To find out more about the way directors produce music videos of the indie genre, I have analysed Two Door Cinema Club's Changing of the Seasons as it is part of the same genre I aim to make my own music video in. 

Research Into Similar Products: Oasis Magazine Ad Analysis

I have been looking at the conventions of a magazine album advert to see the common features so that I can make my own as realistic as possible.