Group Discussion: Indie Artist Analysis

The three of us took responsibility for a band within the indie/alternative rock genre, these being: Two Door Cinema Club, The 1975 and The Courteeners. This gave us a wide rage of ideas regarding the aesthetic of bands within our chosen genre. Once we had individually researched our chosen bands, we brought these ideas together within a discussion. During this we looked at what we had produced and proceeded to compare the conventions and common aspects of the genre in order to bring about a specific image.

This helped to consolidate our knowledge about what we had found in relation to the indie genre. Ultimately, this research allows for us to strategically guide our research and begin to bring about our initial ideas for our own music video. A music video is usually guided by an artists style and image they wish to portray; therefore, it is important to understand each and every aspect of a band in order to draw a direct comparison within the indie genre.

Georgia took the role of looking at The 1975 and their branding, alongside the image they wish to portray.

Danielle also took a role in depicting the image of an indie/alternative band of a slightly more rock nature: Courteeners.

And finally, I decided to research Two Door Cinema Club.

Artist Analysis: Indie Rock

The indie genre is one that utilises a number of factors in order to create some sort of distinctive brand for themselves and their fans. The aesthetic of an artist helps to define their music direction as well as the image they wish to portray. 

The 1975: Branding and Re-branding

Every artist/band creates an aesthetic in their own right and allows this to be an ongoing recognition piece for their work. Every artist across all genres abides by a strategy and image that will allow for fans and other members of the public to recognise them straight away. It allows for a sense of identity and individuality. The 1975 are an indie/alternative rock band that are a prime example of this as they haven taken complete advantage of the aesthetic of their band and the image they wish to portray. They began with the aesthetic of black and white until reaching a point they believed a re-brand would allow for a new and exciting divert for the band and the fans.

The band started out experimenting with a number of band names and performing at small venues around their home town of Manchester. The band attended Wilmslow High School and have been playing together since they were teenagers in 2002. The four boys: Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald aim to create something different whilst still being relevant to the struggles and real life situations people face. It is a modern and intriguing spearheaded by front man: Matty Healy. idea The band formerly known as performing under 'Me and You Versus Them', 'Forever Enjoying Sex', 'Talkhouse', 'The Slowdown', 'Bigsleep' and 'Drive Like I do', finally settled upon the name of 'The 1975' after lead singer Matty Healy, son of Denise Welch and Tim Healy, was given a piece of literature dated '1st June The 1975'.

Once they began to become recognised they were signed to Dirty Hit records and began their journey with the self-titled album 'The 1975'. 

On 1st June 2015, the band made the conscious effort to terminate their social media accounts; keeping fans in the dark of what they were planning to do. This continued for a number of days before their aesthetic returned with an entire make over of a main focal colour: pink. The album 'I like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it' followed soon after. They had performed a number of soon to be released songs on tour for the fans that had supported them since the beginning. 

The importance of branding allows for recognition however, re-branding can allow for an updated image as well as an opportunity to subtly change the direction the band wishes to go with their music.

Final Decision on Genre

Research into genre has allowed me to understand the route that me and my group wish to take. It is clear that the indie/alternative rock genre allows for diversification and a distinctive image and sound that we can utilise within our project. It also allows for us to utilise a local band that have a small following and would also benefit from the creation of this music video. The research that I have completed has allowed me to understand the conventions of an indie music video and the specific aesthetic that comes along with that.

Women in Music

Women within the music industry are represented in a number of ways. Throughout media women are sexualised and their 'selling point' frequently seems to be their body or looks. However, the indie/alternative genre diverts away from this ideology. It focuses upon praising women for their musical talents and lyrical influence rather than appearance like mainstream artists tend to focus upon. Bands such as this allow for the music video to be influenced by narrative and simplicity rather than excessive performance. However, artists such as Rihanna and Beyonce utilise the opposing approach to go alongside their music. 

Indie Aesthetic Mood Board

Goodwins Theory

Narrative versus Simplicity

Artists utilise a number of conventions throughout music videos. It allows for them to express themselves as well as the connotations that the song itself and the specifics of the lyrics have. A clear narrative is commonly one of the main aims for an artist as it allows for a deeper understanding of the song and the artists intentions for audience reaction. The indie genre utilises this as lyrics are commonly meaningful and speak openly of emotions and past experiences. A song never gives away too much and to grasp the full understanding one must understand the artist as an individual as well as what they wished to portray throughout the specific song. This is where music videos come into use.

However, narrative isn't always used in order to express intentions of a song; sometimes the approach is much more minimalist and approaches the video with intentions of focus upon the song itself and the stripped down video allows for this. 

Artist Analysis: R&B/Pop

Rihanna

Beyonce

R&B Research to Indie/Alternative

In order to understand a direct comparison between genre and the one most suited for our group. I decided to move on from R&B in order to look at the indie genre, as it is one that I aim solely interested in and I believe it will allow me to address a number of potential ideas into the group. As a group we discussed a range of genres that would influence our outcome and it is clear that this genre is one of intrigue between us. This will consolidate any ideas we have for R&B and allow us to potentially come to a distinct conclusion of which route we wish to take.

Genre Conventions: R&B

Unfaithful Analysis

Relationships are commonly a focus within artists muse during writing and producing music and therefore more often than not are the clear focus within music videos. Artists such as Rihanna and Beyonce, to name just two have utilised this concept a number of times over the years. It allows for emotional expression throughout the lyrics and images shown within a music video.

The specific video that I looked at follows this common structure and uses Rihanna not only as an artist but also a character: a real person, with real emotions. It shows her emotional struggle and vulnerability due to her exposure within this toxic relationship.

Initial ideas

As soon as my group and I were given the music video brief we began to think of ideas. Our initial thought was a relationship narrative, following a break up and the story of both parts. These were our immediate thoughts:

We intend to produce a romance based music video, following the narrative of an Ed Sheeran song. It will be a story of a broken up relationship therefore we will follow the story of both characters within the relationship and then the aftermath of the relationships end. We have discussed a researched a number of artists and songs within this genre and came to the conclusion that it is likely we will use ‘All of the Stars’ by Ed Sheeran as our main focus as we believe a narrative could be distinctively developed throughout the utilisation of the lyrics. 

However, from analysing existing products of other A Level students and real life examples, we came to the conclusion that this may be too cliche and we could venture into something of more originality and substance. We aim to be creative and original with our ideas and in order to do this it is necessary to research a number of genres and narratives to ensure it is a unique piece that still follows the conventions of that specific genre. 

SWOT Analysis: Music Video

From the options set out to us we thought it would be most beneficial for us to do the music video option. It was an initial instinct we all had that we wished to do this specific brief. I believe that this would be enjoyable as well as rewarding with how we could be creative with our ideas including: editing, camera angles, shot types and narrative. A SWOT analysis is the ideal way to assess how me and the members of my group: Georgia and Danielle, could benefit from this chosen task. 

What I aim to achieve in my A2 Course

I have learnt a number of skills throughout my AS course; it has allowed me to understand what is needed to be successful within your ideas and approach towards a task. It allowed me to grasp the concept of editing and what is expected for a professional looking piece. 

"I want my advanced portfolio to be more diverse and creative; I wish to experiment with further ideas."