Music Video Comparison

Music Video Comparison

I believe that I have created a successful music video that is conventional to the indie genre. This is because I directly followed the brief I was given which was to create a music video for a song of up to 5 minutes of our own chosen genre. In addition to this I think that I have created a successful music video due to the feedback that I received from my target audience. This therefore enforces that my final music video appeals to my target audience and therefore I believe that means it has proved a success. Furthermore throughout my music video I incorporated indie conventional codes and conventions to develop the indie music genre which I believe enhanced how successful my music video was. Some of the indie codes and conventions I included in my music video was; simplistic aspects such as the skate park location and having my artist perform in front of a white wall, having my artist display an indie style appearance by wearing a floral dress and red lipstick and having my artist play the acoustic guitar. By including these elements in my music video it allowed my target audience to identify with common aspects of the indie genre which therefore enhanced their experiences whilst watching my music video.

I believe that iconography is the micro-element that best shows my creativity and understanding of the indie genre throughout my music video. This is because the iconography I have incorporated into my music video visually notifies my target audience of the genre of the song. In turn this enhances their experiences whilst watching the music video and also reaches their expectations of what they want to see in an indie genre music video. The iconography in my music video includes an acoustic guitar which my artist is seen playing. This particular instrument is highly recognised by my target audience as it is conventional to the indie music genre and therefore enhances the visuals of my music video. It also provides a connection between my artist and the target audience as they may also play this particular instrument and therefore allows them to engage with the artist. In addition to this my artist displays an indie style appearance as she is seen wearing a floral dress, red lipstick, army style boots and also a denim shirt. These elements further develop the indie genre for my target audience and provide them with an insight into my artists personality which therefore allows them to build a relationship with her.
 

After completing our final music video we decided to compare it to a successful music video of the indie genre to assess how successful the outcome of our music video is and how conventional it is to the indie genre. The music video I chose to compare it to is Passenger - The Wrong Direction. I chose this particular artist as although he is male, he is a highly recognised artist of the indie genre and therefore I would be able to accurately assess the success of my music video in comparison to his. 

The style of my music video is 70% narrative and 30% performance, which in a way subverts the typical style of an indie genre music video, which is primarily performance based. This particular style of music video allows the audience to engage with the artist whilst also understanding more surrounding her music and personality, as she is the centre of attention within the music videos narrative. In comparison to this Passengers - The Wrong Direction music video is 100% performance based which therefore conforms to the conventions of the style of an indie music video. However there is a somewhat slight narrative evident through the artists performance. This style of music video allows the audience to fully engage with the artist through their musical talents and allows the artist to act as a role model figure for the audience. This in turn may entice the audience to listen to more of that particular artists songs as they have begun to build a significant relationship with them.

 

A main similarity between my Noserings and Shoestrings music video and The Wrong Direction music video is the fact that they both conform to Goodwin's theory in a number of ways. A main way in which they both conform is through demonstrating genre characteristics. This is mainly evident through the mise-en-scene within both music videos. Throughout my music video the artist is seen displaying an indie style image which is formed through her wearing a floral dress, denim shirt, red lipstick and also having messy hair. Having my artist display this image allows the audience to further understand the genre of the song which means they are able to build a relationship with her. In the Passenger music video he is also seen displaying an indie style image through wearing a shirt and trousers that provides him with a scruffy appearance. By having an indie style image it allows the audience to engage deeper into the music video and with the artists enhancing their experiences whilst watching the music video. In addition to this both my artist and Passenger are seen playing the acoustic guitar, a highly conventional piece of iconography within the indie genre. By having the artists perform with this particular image it informs the audience of the high level of talent that they have and also increases how visually conventional the music video is. In addition to this elements of mise-en-scene both my music video and Passengers' music video contains indie conventional locations, however they differ in their styles. My music video contains more simplistic, natural locations that are conventional to the indie genre to allow the music video to feel more realistic to the audience. The skate park is one of the simplistic locations, which is the boyfriends place to escape and also where the climax of the argument takes place. By having this particular location for these particular moments in the music video it allows the audience to engage fully with the characters as the location allows the on goings to seem realistic. The use of the outdoor location also presents the characters as down to earth and therefore relatable for the audience. In contrast to this a main indie location in Passengers - The Wrong Direction music video is the old fashioned, indie style room at the beginning of the music video. The room evokes the feeling of it being the artists home and therefore provides a personal link between him and the audience, which allows the audience to build a relationship with him early on. Also due to the indie style location is increases the visual appeal of the music video and furthers the audiences understanding of the song. 

My Noserings and Shoestrings music video and Passengers, The Wrong Direction music video both further follow Goodwin's Theory as they include visuals that directly relate to the lyrics. By including this element of Goodwins Theory it allows the audience to become engaged with the music video gain a deeper understanding into the overall music video. In my music video the first visual and lyric link is during the lyrics 'hangs about at the skateparks, with his lighter and his pack of cards'. At this point in the music video a camera shot of the boyfriend playing with a lighter and a zoom in camera shot of a playing cards is employed. We felt that by creating this link between the visuals and lyrics at this point it would enhance the idea that the artist is fed up by her boyfriends idiotic behaviour. We also included another visual and lyrics link when the lyrics state 'sit with his guitar and playing a song'. We decided to include a long and close up camera shot of the artist and her boyfriend playing with the guitar to highlight the happier times in the relationship in contrast to the argument scene that comes soon after. In Passengers music video the visuals link to the lyrics when the lyrics state 'leaves us on our a****'. At this point in the music video the audience see a women falling over behind the artist on the green screen. This therefore provides the audience with a direct link which allows them to gain a deeper understanding of the music video. In addition to this there is another link with the lyrics 'fish in the sea for me to make a selection'. At this point in the music video the audience see the artist laying in a paddling pool with two fish swimming around him. This link between the visuals and lyrics allows the audience to gain a deeper understanding of the lyrics which suggests the artist is singing about finding a partner. 

Throughout my music video my artist is represented as a relatable, down to earth, everyday teenager. This is evident through the music video as she experiences an argument with her boyfriend which is a common event that individuals go through. Therefore the audience can look up to the artist as a role model and relate to the feelings she expresses through the performance shots. These performance shots also allow the audience to build a deep relationship with the artist and therefore increases their understanding of the narrative running throughout. In comparison to this, as Passengers - The Wrong Direction music video is primarily performance based it allows the audience to build a relationship with him that becomes deeper throughout the duration of the music video. This is also further increased due to the fact that Passenger provides the audience with eye contact throughout the music video which provides a link between the artist and the audience. 

The ability for the audience to build a relationship with the artist is increased through the incorporation of particular camera shots. Both of the music videos contain a number of close up camera shots of the artist performing. The close up camera shots allow the audience to engage with the artist and understand their emotions at this particular time in the music video. It therefore allows them to build a deeper relationship with the artist and learn more surrounding the whole music video. 

In addition to this both music videos also contain mid camera shots of them performing. Within these camera shots the artists are seen playing the acoustic guitar which informs the audience of their musical talents. It also allows them to build a relationship with them based on this talent, as they may also play an instrument. The employment of the artists playing the acoustic guitar increases how visually conventional the music video is to the indie genre, increasing the impact the music video has on the audience. 

The main editing style that is evident throughout my music video is slow pace editing. By including slow pace editing in my music video it allows the audience to understand the narrative and engage with the characters. This therefore means the audience can connect with the characters through their emotions which allows them to build a relationship, especially with the artist. The performance camera shots throughout our music video allows the audience to engage with the audience the most so alongside the slow pace editing style the impact the music video has on the audience is enhanced. In comparison to this throughout Passengers music video, slow pace editing is also employed. As The Wrong Direction is primarily performance based the slow pace editing allows the audience to engage with the artist and build a strong relationship with them. This therefore means they understand more surrounding the artists personality as they are not distracted by the events of a narrative. This style of editing is highly recognisable within the indie genre and therefore increases how conventional both of the music videos are to the indie genre. Although this editing style is similar between both music videos, Passengers music video also contains the use of a green screen. This element is unusual for an indie style music video and is therefore the reason it is not featured in my Noserings and Shoestrings music video. However within the Passenger music video it works effectively as it allows the audience to gain a deeper understanding surrounding the meaning of the song and lyrics. Which further increases the impact on the audience of building a relationship with the artist. It also provides the audience with more information surrounding the hidden narrative throughout the music video. 

From comparing my Noserings and Shoestrings music video to Passengers - The Wrong Direction music video I have learnt that the music video I have created is successful. This is because it is highly conventional to the indie music genre and shares a number of micro-elements with the Passenger music video. Due to being aware that The Wrong Direction music video is extremely popular and well known within indie music it therefore enforces that my music video would also be a success as it would appeal to my target audience.