Stranded in this spooky town
Stoplights are swaying and the phone lines are down
This floor is crackling cold
She took my heart, I think she took my soul
With the moon I run
Far from the carnage of the fiery sun
Driven by the strangled vein
Showing no mercy I do it again
Open up your eye
You keep on crying, baby
I’ll bleed you dry
The skies are blinking at me
I see a storm bubbling up from the sea
And it's coming closer
And it's coming closer
You, shimmy shook my bone
Leaving me stranded all in love on my own
What do you think of me
Where am I now? Baby where do I sleep
Feel so good but I'm old,
2000 years of chasing taking its toll
I have conducted target audience research through the form of a questionnaire in order to help me make the most suitable music video for the bands target audience. 15 people answered the questionnaire with an age range of 11 to 50 year olds taking part in the questionnaire, who’s favoured music genre was contrasting which meant that the theme and type of the video would proved a range of results as often music videos match the genre of music which they have been made for. For example; music videos for R’n’B will often feature a romantic narrative because a large amount of the songs are about love. From the results of the questionnaire I have decided to use a dramatic narrative as the main theme for my music video, with the video being targeted towards the age range of 11-19 year olds and also viewers of music channels such as NME.
Firstly the questionnaire showed that the target audience for the video is 11-19 year olds who listen to indie music. So the decision to use the Kings of Leon’s song “Closer” seemed appropriate as the questionnaire showed that the majority of people feel that the band are indie. 73% of the voters felt that the Kings of Leon’s music is most suitable for the music channel NME, which shows a large amount of indie music from both high and low profile artists. The fact that 73% chose NME also shows that the bands main target audience is between the ages of 16-24, which is the channels main target audience. These statistics have also helped me choose the type/genre of music video which I will produce.
The target audience for the music video has helped me decided what type and genre of music video to produce. 47% of the voters said that they would like to see both the band and a narrative in the music video however, because the target audience for the video is 11-19 years and 54% of this age group said they would like to see just a narrative in the video I have chosen to use this as the type of video for the song. The genre of the narrative will be a dramatic because 60% of people said that this was their favoured type of narrative. This questionnaire research has helped me to choose to use a dramatic narrative in the music video. Also the 44% of 11-19 year olds who listen to indie music has helped back up the use of the Kings of Leon video “Closer”, with 60% of the voters choosing that the Kings of Leon play indie rock music.
Kings of Leon are a band, which would describe their music as rock or indie rock, which has a large-scale fan base that consists mainly of a young age group, this group acts as the bands main target audience. The band often features in music magazine NME which has a main demographic of 50% 16-24 year olds, which is similar to the band. However, due to the bands alternative southern rock sound the band also have a group of older fans. This means that the bands will also feature in Q magazine which is the UK’s biggest music magazine and has a higher aged audience. The bands 4th album “Only by the Night” debuted at number 1 in the UK album chart and sold over 220,000 units in its first week of sale, (www.billboard.com). With the album eventually having sold 2.5 million copies in the UK and a reported 6.2 million in worldwide sales.
As well as featuring in music magazines the band’s videos become largely distributed through television, with a variety of channels made to suit all genres of music. NME, Q, 4-Music and Chart Show TV would be the main distributors of music videos for the band with the target audience for these types of channel being mainly 16-24 years old. Media conglomerates such as MTV, which own several forms of media will use the different types of media to promote the bands music; this will include Television channels such as MTV, radio channels and magazines. The music videos would feature on several of the networks channels such as MTV Rocks or MTV hits. The target audience for these types of channels is generally teenagers to early twenties which can be seen through the design of the channel, for example the logo is shown to be youthful. MTV have some channels which are not aimed at a specific target audience, this means a different audience maybe interested in the band which will create a vast variety of audience members.
The band have also been the main feature in music magazines such as NME and Q, which has helped enlarge their reputation and popularity of the band. They have featured in these magazines particularly because the target audience is similar to the band. According to the National Readership Survey NME have an estimated 325,000 readers with 74% male and 26% female readers for each magazine that is produced. Where as Q has an estimated 505,000 readers, which is high than NME, however similarly has higher percentage of male readers than females. The National Readership Survey shows that 80% of the magazines readers are male and only 20% are female. With bands such as the Kings of Leon featuring mainly in these two magazines it shows me that there could be a higher percentage of males than females in the Kings of Leon’s target audience, (www.nrs.co.uk). These statistics show me that the band could have higher percentage male fans with the main age group being in the region of 15 – 30.
The typography for “The Foals” advert for the album “Total life Forever” is bold and white which helps it stand out against the background. This is done so that the text is clear and easy for the viewer to read because of the contrast with the background image and colour. The “Gorilaz” advert “plastic Beach” similarly uses this typography to make the text impact against the album cover that is also displayed on the advert. The use of bold, white text is a conventional feature of album cover adverts however; the “Plan B” advert for “The defamation of Strickland Banks” does not use this typography. Instead the advert uses the colour red for the text because red is a symbol of passion, strength and determination in the music industry. The red text which is used also matches the use of a theatre advertising board because red text is stereotypically used on these boards, which also creates the idea of “Plan B” performing in the theatre. Red is also a colour used on many advertising boards because it is a colour which stimulates quick decisions, this is done to persuade the customer to buy the product. The “Gorilaz” advert uses the slogan “Out Now!” the typography used for this is bigger than any other text which adds emphasis to this idea and makes the audience want to go out and buy the album. Secondary text is used on all three of the adverts with the typography being smaller, white, and plain, this secondary text includes the conventional use of the album reviews and tour dates. A plain font is used for both “Plan B” and “Gorilaz” adverts however, “The Foals” advert uses text which has been personalised for their products. This font may form part of a logo and will be used on several other products which the band choose to release.
The layout for “The Foals” advert uses a conventional advertisement layout which is used on many other music adverts. The album and artist name is bold at the top whilst the secondary information is at the bottom of the advert. The “Gorilaz” advert also uses this conventional method of advertising however; the album cover forms the majority of the advert. The album covers which are used on these adverts are positioned in the centre of advert and draw the main attention to the advert and attract the viewer’s attention. “Plan B’s” advert uses the exact same method for the layout with the album art being a mass part of the advert. The album cover for “Plan B’s” fades out into the background where as the “Gorilaz” album cover is framed on the page. On “The Foals” advert uses overlapping text with the main image shown clearly through the text. Differently “Plan B” and the “Gorilaz” advert do not use any overlapping text which helps make everything stand out rather than fade into the background.
The “Gorilaz” advert uses the conventional method of showing the album on the advert which will help the buyer know what the cover looks like. The album cover uses a low angle shot to show the island on the album cover with the image being drawn into the centre of the advert by using a triangle composition. The image on the album cover links to the title of the album because it uses the idea of a “Plastic Beach” which has meaning to it because it shows the idea of people living in perfect harmony in one place. “Plan B’s” advert also uses a conventional method of advertising by using the album cover on the advert. The image is a long shot of the artist sitting on a theatre stage with an iris shot used of the band which makes the representation of the artist’s contemplation of the things which he portrays through his music. This image links to the use of red text on the advert. The picture also reflects part of the feeling represented throughout the album. The artist often refers to himself as “Strickland Banks” which could show that this alter ego is expressing the artist’s feelings through the album. The image also represents the idea of the artist performing on stage, with the theatre board adding to this effect. Another conventional method of advertising is used on “The Foals” advert because an image of the band is used. The image is tinted blue because it is a symbol of calmness and tranquillity which is used because it reflects the idea that when the buyer listens to the album they will feel relaxed and serene. The colour is also used to create the effect of the band being under water. The artist has does this so that the advert links to the title of the album “Total Life Forever” it is a common method of advertising to use an image which relates to the title of the album. Light filters down from the top right corner of the image which changes the tone of blue; this represents a possible consistent change of mood. Several conventional advertising methods are shown in the magazine adverts which I have analysed.
The language on the advert is simplistic because only the information about the band and album is used; this has been done so that attention is not deterred by any unneeded information. This convention is use on all three of the album covers because the main focus is intentionally put on the advert. On the “Gorilaz” advert the slogan “Out Now” is used on the advert, with the font being large than any other on the advert. This has been done purposely to persuade the customer to buy the product. Another conventional method of advertising is to use album reviews on the advert. Both “Plan B” and the “Gorilaz adverts use this method, which has been done so that the customer can see how good the album is. The information on the album is put in sections. The “Foals” advert has a line in-between each piece of text; which includes information on how the advert can be brought. Differently the “Gorilaz” advert has each piece of information of the same concept on the same line which is similar to the “Plan B” advert. There are several conventional methods of advertising used on all of the adverts. These conventions are used for a specific meaning which help further promote the album through the advert, and help get more people to buy the album.
“The Clash” are a punk rock band whose album “London Calling” uses an iconic image for this genre of music. The album cover is an image of the bands guitarist Paul Simonon smashing his guitar against the stage. Using an image of a band member or of the entire band on an album cover is a stereotypical convention for album covers. The actions shown in the image reflect the bands punk rock image which the viewer may associate with themselves, also the image is in black and white which reflects the bands anarchic image. Similarly “Rage against the Machines” album “The Battle of Los Angeles” also uses a black and white cover which helps to represent the bands seditious image. The image used for the cover is of a protestor which is spray painted onto a wall which represents the lyrical side of the bands music. Some CD covers contain stickers on the album covers which help promote the bands product or give guidance to the buyer as to the content of the CD. Neither The Clash nor Rage against the Machines album uses a parental guidance sticker. However, “Fat Boy Slims” album “You’ve Come along Way Baby” uses a parental guidance sticker due to the explicit content of the CD. It has become a conventional method of promoting an album by putting stickers on the front of the album, with bands often choosing to advertise a particular track which is included on the albums cover. However, “The Clash’s” album cover does not use stickers on the front this could be because of the bands vast fan base. Another sticker which maybe used on the front of an album is a review sticker from a particular music magazine which has given the band a good review; this is done so that the interested buyer will know that the album could suit their style. The image used on the cover of the album “You’ve Come along Way Baby” is what many people would associate with the name of the artist; also the comedic aspect to the cover represents the personality of the artist. It is conventional for the artist to have an influence on the graphics on the album cover, this is shown through both “Fat Boy Slim” and “Rage against the Machines” album covers. It is important for the album cover to be attractive to the audience so that it attracts the audience’s attention because it is the first thing that the audience will see. The back of the album normally keeps in theme with the image used on the front of the album with a similar background. Both “Rage against the Machine” and “Fat Boy Slim’s” album back covers use a similar background to the front cover which is conventional for album covers. However, “The Clash’s” album uses a plain white background with several images of the band used on the back. The album cover for “The Battle of Los Angeles” uses an image which could be associated with name of the album; this is a conventional method of creating an album cover. “Fat Boy Slim’s” album could be perceived to use the same convention, and also creates a comedic aspect to the CD cover. However, the album cover also has secondary me aning with the clothes worn by the person on the front cover. The motto “I’m number 1 so why try harder” is shown on the t-shirt worn by the person. This could be an idea which the artist is trying to express about himself but it could also be used as a representation of the society which we live in which creates a negative on modern society.
The typography for “The Clash’s” album is inspired by the typography used on the front cover of Elvis Pressley’s debut album. The use of this lettering may represent the change in the bands musical style for this particular album. The bands name is also used on the front cover however a simplistic font is used for this. Similarly “Rage against the Machines” album cover also uses a simple font for the bands name however the album title is part of the album covers main graphic which is in spray painted style which reflects the bands rebellious, anarchic image. Differently the typography for “Fat Boy Slim” is in a font which is personal to the artist; this typography forms a logo for the artist. This is a conventional use of typography because the fans will associate this font with the artist. However like the typography for “The Clash’s” album the artists name is in small font in the corner of the cover. The album title is in bold white text at the bottom of the image, this will help the album stand out to the buyer on the shelf in shops. The back cover for “Rage against the Machines” album uses the same font on both the front and back cover of the album which is a stereotypical convention for CD covers. Differently The Clash album uses a different font for the information on the back cover; this could represent the bands change in genre for this particular album. “Rages against the Machine” often use an image which represents their music and the views expressed through their music. Their album “The Battle of Los Angeles” applies to this idea because the image of a protestor represents their reasons for producing the album. The album cover represents the audience that would be buying the album because they might share the same views shown through the music. Differently the audience who would buy “The Clash’s” album may buy the CD to show that they are part of a particular social group, this is because punk was a popular genre at the time of the albums release. The image represents a stereotype because it shows the stereotypical anarchic attitude of a punk band, this would add to anyone’s feelings towards punk rock. The image used on this album has become an iconic musical image especially for punk rock and now the audience buying the CD will automatically associate the image with the band. Contrastingly the album cover for “You’ve Come along Way Baby” represents the artist’s personality and also represents the atmosphere created by the music. The comedic style to the album cover will attract the attention of shoppers and hopefully enlarge the artist’s reputation. All of the three artist use album covers which represent the genre of music which their music belongs to, and use images which the audience would expect to see on the front of the artist’s album.
The video for “Radiohead’s” song “Just” begins with a slow zoom in on the a man standing by the bath which shows the audience that he is the centric character in the narrative of the video. There is a large amount of crosscutting used in the video because the narrative story is shown to be happening at the same time as the band playing in the apartment block. A graphic match is used at the start of the video to show that the events a taking place at the same time however, the images crosscut rather than fade in to one another. The slow pace of the cinematography and editing in the opening of the video make the opening sequence interesting for the audience as it begins to set the tone of the video , this is because the opening sequence gives no detail of the narrative and begins to create the enigma within the video. However, the pace of editing builds up throughout the video as the narrative begins to develop. Contrastingly the pace of editing for “LCD Soundsytem’s” track “Someone Great” changes continuously throughout the video, which means a contrast is created when fast paced editing is used because the song is slow. Differently there is no editing used in “Coldplay’s” video “Strawberry Swings”, this is because the video is a montage of drawings on the pavement which create a constant moving image showing the narrative of the video. This means that there is limited composition within the video however; high and low angles are used within the video. For example; when the protagonist and antagonist initially confront each other there is a switch from low to high angle to show that the hero has lost his power when he is falling through the city. Similarly a power change is represent by the switch between a low and high angle shot is used in the video “Just”. Throughout the video high angle shots are used on the central character to show that he is the weaker persona in the narrative, low angle shots are also used to show that the crowd of people interrogating the man are more powerful. However, at the end of the video a high tracking shot is used on all the characters to show that the enigma in the video has made them all weak, this all helps to add to the enigma as the audience continues to question the actions of the characters. Non-stereotypically the police officer in the video is shown to be weak and powerless to stop the centric character from lying on the pavement because a high angle shot is used, where as usually a low angle shot would be used on the officer to show his authority. Contrastingly the video “Someone Great” uses very little high or low angles which represent the political ideas shown in the video. This is because the protagonist in the video does not represent any culture or social group, the lack of high and low angled shots represents that no person in the world should have more authority or power because of their culture or social persona. There is however a large amount of tracking shots used on the central character which is similar to “Strawberry Swings” which uses tracking shots for the majority of the video with a lack of editing which allows the video to flow. There is a large amount of close ups used in both videos “Just” and “Someone Great”, close ups are used in “Just” to show the contrasting emotions on the characters faces however, “Someone Great” uses close ups are used to show the contentment on the characters faces. The producer has done this within the video to show that different cultures should treat each other same rather than appear distant to each other.
The protagonist in the video “Strawberry Swings” is shown as a superhero because he stereotypically changes into costume when there is a sign of danger. The female protagonist in the video is wearing a red dress, the colour red is used in the video to symbolise love. This symbolism is used to show the love shared between the protagonist and stereotypical damsel in distress. Similarly, the police officer in wears a stereotypical uniform which is used to show his power and authority however, this makes a juxtaposition with his role in the video. This is because the police officer has no control over the actions of the man lying on the pavement. Differently the central character in the video “Someone Great” is completely filled in black and at some points in the video appears to be in 2 dimensional form. The producer has done this to create racial and cultural meaning to the video; the protagonist does not represent any culture or society and acts as a bridge between the different cultures shown in the video. At the end of the video “Strawberry Swings” bright colours are used to show the happy ending to the video, and the setting for the video continuously changes as the narrative of the video develops. However, the opening of the video “Just” sets the location for the video; the set seems very empty which helps keep the audience focussed on the enigma created.
Often in the video “Someone Great” the pace of editing contrast with the sound played over the top of the video however, the song is the only sound played with the video. Although the editing contrasts with the music, the subject of the video goes with the music. Contrastingly there is a small section of sound played at the end of “Strawberry Swings” which deters from the comic book style of the video because begin to walk across the painting. Differently the video “Just” uses subtitles to add to the narrative of the video because the narrative of the video does not go with the music. However, there is silence at the start of video before the music kicks in; this is done to show the importance of the central character of the video. However, the subtitles are used in the video to create an enigma to the storyline, but at the end of the video the subtitles cut out which leaves the video on a cliff hanger.
There are several stereotypes used within the video “Just”, for example the police officer shows stereotypical traits as being helpful and powerful. However, his power is un-stereotypical taken away because he cannot use his authority on the man. Stereotypes are also use in the video “Strawberry Swings” because the female character is shown to be weak and the hero is stereotypically male which a key aspect of most comic book narratives is. Differently the video for “Someone Great” does not uses the block coloured person to show that there a certain stereotypes in society which should not exist. This shows the feelings of the artist through both the song and also the music as both share the same theme which is a typical convention of a music video. The video for “Strawberry Swings” immediately shows the narrative of the video which is a conventional concept used in most music videos. The video also uses stereotypical conventions of comic book narratives by using typical male and female roles. An enigma is used in the music video “Just” which is an unconventional idea for a music video which makes this particular video stand out. The enigma continues to build up throughout the video until the end when the audience believe that they are about to discover the answer only for the video to end on a cliff hanger. This is done to create discussion on the video which may help promote the video to other people who may not have heard of the band, which is a conventional way of increasing popularity for the band. However, a typical convention is used in the video because the bands are shown playing the song at the same time as the narrative of the video, which is a typical feature of a music video.
