Cross Media Case Study

1. Cross-Media Case Study
A British indie rock band formed in 2007, well known for
‘Breezeblocks’, ‘Matilda’ and ‘Hunger of the Pine’.

2. Alt-J’s background
• Members of Alt-J met during studying at Leeds University in 2007, and in their
second year guitar and lead vocals ,Newman, introduced some of his songs to
bass player, Sainsbury. They then started to create music on campus with
Garage Band software, where they couldn’t use guitars or drums, which
explains the bands unusual sounds.
• They worked on their music after graduating and were signed to Infectious
Records in 2011.
• Alt-J’s debut album, An Awesome Wave, was released May 2012 and featured
popular songs ‘Breezeblocks’ and ‘Matilda’. Tours and festivals followed this
and in 2012 the band one the Mercury Prize for their album.

3. Alt-J’s website- First page analysis
Alt-J’s newest album
‘This Is All Yours’ has a
painting on the album
artwork;
so the use of paint on
the website is to
reference this.
The design of the page is very
simple, which leads us to
focus on the middle links
which lead us to more
information.
No images of the band members,
showing that the band doesn’t
want to focus on their
appearance but more on their
music.
A link that takes you straight to
the ordering of the new album.
Convenient for consumers and
also promotes sales of album.
The bands name and all the links are in a
dull colour with simple font. Suggests the
band doesn’t center themselves around
their image.
The colours used (grey with splatter of paint)
may be a reflection of the bands style of
music; lyrics can be dull but the sounds are
unique and colourful.

4. Website Analysis continued..
Some other pages from the website. Every page remains simplistic
with greys and whites, suggesting the band don’t want too
distract anyone from their music. It also makes it easy and
convenient for people on the site who are merely looking to buy
albums, tour tickets etc. It also suggests that the band aren’t
about anything apart from just their music; there’s no complex
themes, images or videos.
Whole track list from
new album appears.
The songs can also be
previewed allowing
the consumer to
preview the product
and it also promotes
the album.

5. Album Artwork- This Is All Yours
The front cover artwork is very bright, colourful and abstract. It’s very eye-catching
and distinctive which may make it stand out from other albums. There’s also no
text, and so no indication of the band or album name. This suggests Alt-J are using
bright colours and paint as symbols of themselves, which can also reference their
style of music which is unique and indie, which we consider with breaking
conventions.
The back of the CD follows the same design as the front, simply having the track list in a
font which uses the colours from the front cover.
The album artwork demonstrates that Alt-J are merely about their music, there’s no
suggestion of fan interaction. It also shows the band doesn’t depend on their
appearances but base themselves on their eccentric style, and so they can be
known for just that.

6. Album Promotion
Again, the colour theme is apparent which makes it stand out and is symbolic of the bands new album. The American Tour
poster uses the colours in a map, referencing the album which fans would be familiar with because of the colourful paint
theme. The album poster at the bus stop uses the colours, again referencing the bright colours recurring with Alt-J's new
music. They also created an app that fans could download where they would have to find a certain location too be able to
listen to the new album, this is interactive for the fans and gets them involved.

7. Music Video- Hunger Of The Pine
Hunger Of The Pine is a single taken from 'This Is All Yours', it's lyrics describes a man's love for the woman
and his desire for her love, but she rebels against his love.
The music video starts with a bird-eye view of a forest, this
establishing shot gives us a basis of the mise-en-scene.
We then see a man running through the woods, running from
arrows, he’s shot but keeps running. The trees in the forest
reflect the song title ‘Hunger of the Pine’, the trees are
relevant throughout.
For a minute, the video continues with the man running, who is
clearly the videos focal point. Him running from the arrows may
be metaphorical of him running from a situation or lover.

8. As the song progresses, the man runs into an open space of field
in sync with the lyrics that sing “I’m a female rebel” and the music
which becomes more vibrant. This connotes the subject being
free.
Close-up shots show the arrow through his chest. In reality,
he would be dead, the arrows through him may suggest his
strength and will to carry on.
Other close-ups of the subjects face shows his eagerness to run
but also how exhausted he is, maybe he’s exhausted of trying to
love?

9. At the end of the video, the man stops and find a liquid which he
then pours over himself. He has given up running and gave into his
‘hunger’.
He seems relieved now he has stopped
running, this is a juxtaposition of what we
have seen throughout the whole video.
The lyrics here are in French but translate
to “A great hope has crossed the earth, a
great hope has crossed my fear”. This tells
us that despite the anger towards his
former lover, he still hangs on to hope that
it may work out. The water may be
significant for drowning everything he
had.

10. Music video analysis- Applying Goodwin’s
Theory
The relationship between the lyrics and visuals-
‘Hunger of the Pine’ the man is running through a
forest with pine trees. Although the lyrics actually
represent suffering mental and emotional decline,
the lyrics of a pine and the use of pines creates a
link.
The music video doesn’t follow typical
music video conventions, and doesn’t
fully follow Goodwins theory. It’s a good
example of how music videos can be
made without following conventions.
There’s no scenes of the artists either,
Alt-J don’t use their image in their
videos, album artwork or album
promotion.
The relationship between music and visuals- the songs build up which has less
instruments is of the man running through the forest, when the song changes to the
woman singing ‘I’m a female rebel’ and more instruments come in, we see the man
run into an open field. As the tone of the song changes so did the space around the
subject.
The video doesn’t follow some of Goodwins theory;
• No appearance of the band members.
• No typical conventions or iconography.
• No notion of looking.
The video is a good example of how a video based on a song can be made without using the conventions of other music videos
within that genre, and this is what adds to Alt-J’s unique image.
•

11. Conclusion
Looking at Alt-J’s website, album artwork/promotion and their music
video, it’s clear that they don’t centre themselves around their
appearances. There’s a clear focus on the eccentric music Alt-J
produce. Although their latest album artwork is abstract, it becomes
easy recognizable as the colours are symbolic for the band. The same
with the triangle logo which is associated with Alt-J.
Alt-J want their audiences to focus on their music and it’s meaning, by
using actors in music videos and creating a narrative, the audience
focuses on this.