In what ways does your media product use, develop or

challenge forms and conventions of real media

products?

The development of my media products was in the genre of indie-rock, as I used the song "Late" by the Jungle Doctors. Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, the majority of bands are small, independent groups who originally started out on the local scenes. Example of real indie rock bands that have become successful in mainstream global music are bands such as, Circa Waves, Arctic Monkeys and Catfish and the Bottlemen. These bands have created their own style in terms of lyrics and sound but stay true to the indie rock genre.

Arctic Monkeys Catfish and the Bottlemen Circa Waves

There are many conventions specifically associated with the indie genre. A key one of these is image, with the majority of videos and posters all revolve around the band. To further this, the main image of the indie rock genre is to get across that the band are real and are passionate about the music more than the industry and the glamor that surround the majority of the music industry. This leads to a large focus on the instruments and the band performing.

In order to show the deeper meaning of the music that the artists have created there is a large use of close ups, especially of the artist or the instrument; usually guitars, bass, drums or the mic and in order to show the 'togetherness' of the band a music video will usually open with a group shot of the whole band. On top of this some indie rock videos will have a narrative involving the band or some band members to further support this. In terms of costume it usually involves tight jeans and lose tops or jackets, all of which I conformed too.

Another key element of the indie-rock genre is narrative, but unlike other genres such as pop or R&B the narrative is used to support the lyrics and to attempt to increase the emotional value of the video. It is rare that a indie-rock video will only consist of narrative, but instead it is usually between shots of the band playing. This is unlike other genres who have scripted dance routines, such as pop videos, who use the video to attract the audience based on the visuals, whereas the indie-rock genre uses the narrative to back up the lyrics or the performance shots. It creates a feeling that the video is representing the band, that they are real and not interested in the money and fame aspects of other genres.

Furthermore the use of editing in the indie-rock genre is used to put further emphasis on the band. With cuts usually happening on the beat, trying not to distort the visuals from the music. There is usually two types of editing used, either fast paced cutting based on the fast drum beat or guitars, or there is long drawn out shots for the slower, lyric based parts of the song. As this puts emphasis on the band and the music itself, instead of distracting audiences with elaborate visuals. With editing techniques such as blurring and fading to give the appearance that the band is performing live.

Narrative is a key aspect of the majority of indie-rock videos. However not all videos use them, some videos show the band as a who they are. These videos usually consist of the band messing around while on tour but can also be used to introduce a new band, in attempt to get in to the scene. I used this style as I thought it would show the band off, especially as an unsigned artist using this style of video can help create an audience who relates to the band or what they’re like.

I took inspiration from videos that used this style, such as Circa Waves’ video for ‘fossils’. Which shows the band on tour, this gives an insight into what the band is like and helps create a feeling of togetherness with the audience. Also from the Foo Fighters’ ‘Cant Stop’ although this is more of a rock genre and the band are international artists, the core convention of showing the band as real people who enjoy playing music is a key element through out the video. Moreover another song I took inspiration from was ‘Stressed Out’ by Twenty One Pilots. All these videos use a mixture of both the band being themselves and the use of performance shots in between.

For my video I decided to show the band as who they are instead of having a narrative to add to the song. Right at the beginning of the song we get a group shot of the band messing around in London, and then cutting to a more serious “welcome” shot of each of the members looking right at the camera. This starts the video off by showing who each of the members are, and what role they have in the band in terms of performance.

This conforms to the convention of the indie-rock genre to show the band off for who the are instead of presenting fake version of themselves for the screen. I used these mid shots of the members as individuals to try and allow for the audience to create a connection with the band members as individuals. This is something I tried to keep throughout the video, a sense of feeling and the song meaning more to the band. This is a key genre convention of having strong images of the band to support the group. Furthermore to try and create a sense of intimacy between the audience and the lead singer I used lots of close ups of the lead singer throughout the video whereas for the other members I only used upper body shots at the start of the video. I think that using this specific style and shots meant that people can relate to the lead singer but can see the passion for the music being played by other members.

One convention of using this style of indie-rock video is that the band knows that they are being filmed. Therefore they look straight at the camera, and at times attempt to connect with the audience directly. I decided that this style of video was best for showing the unsigned band off as it creates a sense of innocence and childish behavior. This style of narrative compared to a more serious narrative of some other genres such as pop or R&B, where the videos are trying to show off who is better in the industry. For example Drake’s video for ‘started at the bottom’.

This allowed me to use a hand held camera that shows the band filming themselves, instead of having them filmed by other people in a documentary style. This isn't a common convention of the indie rock genre, with most videos consisting of the band playing around but they're not the people filming one another.

I took inspiration for this idea from pop video of Justin Beiber’s ‘beauty and a beat’ video where he is filming himself. This helps to create a closer bond between the band and audience as it removes the feeling that the video has been edited or constructed in a certain way, and that it shows the raw band.

One video which consists of only band performance shots is ‘T-Shirt Weather’ by Circa Waves. This draws the audience towards the music as there is no narrative to distract the audience away from the musical intensions of the lyrics and song. I considered making a video like this however I didn't’t believe that I would be able to create an entertaining video that lasts for nearly 4 minutes purely based on band shots. Also after getting audience feedback I decided that the song I used, wouldn't’t suit this style of video, and needed some type of narrative or visuals.

As the Jungle Doctors are a young unsigned band the conventions of the indie-rock genre are slightly different to those of full signed artists. This led to me researching artists like the Jungle Doctors, in terms of music and video style.

Another local unsigned band are the Crystal Whites, who are also a young unsigned group who produce similar style of music. This meant that they have faced similar issues such as budget and equipment. This allowed me to get insight in to what its like for another local unsigned group in similar situation.

As the Jungle Doctors have produced 3 EPs already, I decided to research the videos that they produced already. This allowed me to get clear insight into the style and the type of video that they are attempting to produce. Furthermore it also allowed me to see what type of videos they are more inclined to produce, either narrative or performance. This allowed me to create some synergy not only wit my own products and texts but those that they had already created.

The video that the Jungle Doctors produced that gave me the key ideas, in terms of their style and approach to videos was, the video for ‘Falling’. The whole video is filmed in a small recoding booth, consisting of just performance shots, with lots of close ups of instruments and the band members in action. I attempted this style originally for my video, by recording in a small studio with the my 4 members playing in the tight space. However after getting audience feedback on the footage taken I decided that the lighting and the shots weren’t up to standard that they needed to be. Although the recording studio is an ideal setting for a indie video as it keeps the feeling of the video authentic and real, the footage wasn’t up to the level that it needed to be. This led me to film all the performance based shots against a black backdrop.

Based on this I had to adapt my idea and break some indie-rock conventions, instead of staying in the recording studio I decided to film the performance shots on a black backdrop, with key and side lighting, with an orange filter. This created a sense of warmth on the face of the lead singer, as well as making the band members stand out more. I used this style of lighting in order to make the singer stand out more, by not using a back light I meant that his shoulders blended with the background so that only his face stood out against the backdrop. This is similar to style used by You Me At Six in ‘Live a Lie’

Live performances in front of crowds is a key convention in many indie-rock genres. However this wasn’t possible for me to do, as it would require setting up a gig as well as organizing the shoot. Therefore I resulted in smaller “recording” style shots for performance based shots. I used lighting in order to help this convention. For example I used key and side lighting on the lead singer. This idea of using an orange filter lighting comes from the Circa Wave’s video for ‘T-shirt Weather’ where the use of lighting is a key aspect of the video.

A further important convention of the indie-rock genre is the use of setting. With majority of artists being proud about where they come from and some reference places around them, making setting for the video very important. This is especially important for an unsigned artist like The Jungle Doctors, that if their songs are heard internationally the video can put a place reference for people to know where they come from. One influence I took for this idea of representing where the artist comes from, is from Jamie T, especially his video for ‘sticks ‘n’ stones’

He filmed a part of his video at Wimbledon station, where he is from, this shows that he is proud of where he comes from and doesn't’t mind showing it off. Unlike other genres of music who don’t reference where they come from or just talk about trying to “escape” the area, indie/rock genre artists are usually proud of their area.

I used key signs that London is known for such as the London underground and Big Ben. This is to show that the band is from London and are proud to show it.

The ending of the video shows the lead singer, Joe Tiongson, walking and singing through winter wonderland in London This was used to fish the video showing the band is proud of London.

The setting for the parts of the video where the band are messing around is important to show where they come from and who they are. This meant I decided to go around London and film in key areas, such as Hyde Park, Winter Wonderland, Southbank, London Eye, Big Ben and Piccadilly Circus. I used all these areas to show to anyone who doesn’t know the band, would know iconic areas such as these.

This idea of showing of the city and area where the band is from is similar to the ‘Always Like This’ video by Bombay Bicycle Club or the ‘Best Day of my Life’ by American Authors. This creates a sense of authenticity and keeps the video as close to the true band as possible.

One key Indie-rock genre conventions is the used of close ups and performance shots. For the majority of my video I stuck to the generic conventions of the indie-rock genre. Especially in terms of performance based shots and the close ups used. For example in my video I used lots of close ups of the guitars in order to represent the importance of the music instead of any visuals. This is very similar to lots of different indie-rock videos. Including that by Circa Waves, where the video shows the band playing instruments on their own and as a collective, the use of close ups inspired out tight close ups of the guitars in my video as it is a clear message showing the music is key.

The comparison of the video “So Long” by Circa Waves and my video “Late”. The use of close ups of instruments is widely used throughout the indie-rock genre but I feel that in “So Long” it is use very effectively as it just shows the bad playing and keeps the music and the group ‘real’ and relatable which is a theme that I wanted to create in my video. It also shows the importance of the electric guitar in the indie-rock genre.

Another key shot I used for performance shots was the mid shots and close ups of the lead singer. I took inspiration from The 1975’s “Ugh!” although this is not an indie-rock video it is a sub genre of indie-pop. The use of a close up and mid shots of the lead singer grabbing the mic inspired me for my video. This is a convention that is found in the majority of performance shots as it brings the audience closer to the band and shows that it is a real performance.

Furthermore a key shot found in lots of indie-rock music videos is the close up of the drums. For example I got inspirations from The Strypes video for ‘Hometown girls’. This gave me the idea of using the focus the foreground of the drum kit and then focus the drummer in the background.

All these conventions are used for the benefit of creating a positive image for the band to build their fan base upon. Both unsigned and signed artists have developed these conventions for their own purposes and needs. I feel I have developed, used and challenged some of these generic conventions for the indie-rock genre.

Indie-rock conventions for digipak/posters

One key convention of the indie-rock genre is simplicity in terms of the digipak. Bands like to keep the digipak simple and raw creating a greater connection between the band and audience. I believed using a simplistic style for the poster and especially the digipak cover was key in order to create a indie look for the band. This meant I decided to use a simple image of the band together and plain white text. Which is the most simplistic style possible. Which I learnt from my research is common theme/style in the indie-rock genre.

Inspiration for Digipak

For my digipak I had two main influences, both of which differed in terms of style and image. I wanted to create a mixture of the simplistic image of the band while create a unique style at the same time. My inspiration to use a band image comes from The Kooks album for ‘Inside out’. I believed that this style of image is effective for the indie-rock genre as I keeps to conventions of being raw and real. This led me to use a band image, however I didn’t conform to this convention 100% I developed it by just having the band without instruments.

My second main inspiration for the digipak was from The 1975’s album cover for ‘1975’. I used the style of a polarised image from this as their image isn’t complete clear. I developed this and made this a key theme throughout my print products are ibelieve it conforms to the style of the band, the “Hipster” look is associated with this style of photography therefore using it will connect better with the target audience.

A convention found in many genres not just indie-rock is the little use of text on the digipak. Throughout music album covers are usually plain and simple only consisting of the title of the album and the name of the band. This is used to stop any confusion. I decided to use this convention as I believe it is the best style for the digipak. As it keeps it looking clean and professional.

For example in the Catfish and the Bottlemen’s album there is little text and it is kept in the top corner creating a simplistic style.

Furthermore another convention is the use of size of text. By using different text sizes for the band name and the album name is important, as it allows the audience to see the name of the band first, and its stands out more when on shop selves. Therefore many album covers will use large font sizes for the name of the band on the front cover.

For the inside of my album I conformed and developed different conventions of the indie-rock genre. For example one convention of having lyric books for the songs is found in lots of indie-rock albums as well as those in other music genres. One example for this was from Drake. Although he isn’t apart of the indie-rock genre this is a key convention found in all genres and his style inspired mine.

I developed Drake’s style of polarised images with the lyrics in white text over the top, as I believe that this is a simplistic style that works well. Furthermore the use of images that relate to him and where he's from are used which I conformed with as well.

Both of my lyric books are white text with image in the background similar to Drake’s

Both lyric books have the song name followed by the lyrics underneath

However I developed this convention by using different style of images on the inside of my album. for example many albums will consist of mainly band images or images involving instruments. Instead I decide to develop the convention of locality and being proud of where the artist is from. This is a common theme throughout many indie-rock videos. I decided to use images of the local area which develops this convention.

Back coverThe conventions for the back cover are mainly the same between all genres of music, consisting of the track list, the production logos and the copyright protection. All of these I conformed to in order to create a professional look for the band which is important especially for an unsigned group.

The production company logo

Copyright protection for the songs and band name

Track list in order

The address for the bands website.

The MagazineOne key convention is the name of the band and album

Another common convention is the use of a band image

Positive reviews are found on many adverts to attract new audiences.

A major convention is the links to social media sites and the band’s website as this is where audiences can find out more about the band

An image of the digipak, which they are trying to sell and get draw attention too.

Another convention is the use of different text sizes to grab attention to important parts of the advert such as ‘OUT NOW’

Using the NME logo to confirm the statement, keeps it legitimate. And audiences are more likely to trust it.

Where would the advert feature?

I would use this magazine advert in many different music and non-music magazines. I would mainly focus on music magazines that already attract audiences of the indie-rock genre, such as Kerrang and NME. But to further increase the chance of getting a larger audience I would use the magazine online. This allows it to reach more people quicker and cheaper which is very important for unsigned bands.

It is important to use these types of magazines as they are already associated with the genre and larger bands that are in the indie-rock genre have feature on them. NME is extra important for a British band as it is a British magazine and therefore has a large audience in the UK that the band can tap in on.

But to increase the chance of getting a larger audience the advert would feature online through different formats. For example at the end of the music video the advert would appear and hold for 10 seconds, allowing people to see that the album is out now. Furthermore through the use of social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Furthermore the band would use online magazines such as Complex to reach larger audiences on the internet.