The document discusses conventions used in a music video and related media products to promote a fictional indie rock band. Specifically, it discusses using: - Close ups and a "grungy" style to promote the band's image through their performance in the music video. - A narrative element involving a fight scene to engage audiences and create an image of the band as "rebellious" and "dangerous." - Artistic camera techniques like handheld shots to match the style of similar indie bands. - Symbolism using light bulbs and trees throughout the video and other products to represent the band's quirky and mysterious nature. - A lead singer as the "front man" in the video, website

2. Use of performance
We wanted to use this form to showcase the talent of our artists by having a
performance element. Our band have talent and can play instruments and so we
used this as a platform for our video. We showcased the artist by using close ups of
their face. This helps to promote their star image. Richard Dyer says that star
image is “a semi mythological set of meanings attached to the persona of an artist”
and it is what makes them unique from other artists. We wanted to have a grungy,
indie look for our artists that isn’t going to distract from the music and talent of the
band. An example of a very prominent star image is Lady GaGa who is known for
her wacky outfits such as her meat dress.
An example of the use of close ups from a real music video is The 1975 video
‘Girls’. Artists frequently use close ups in videos to promote and put forward the
star image. You are trying to sell the artist so it is important that viewers know
who they are and the image they are trying to convey.

3. Use of Narrative
We gave our media text meaning by using the form of narrative. We created a
character for the artist which made him exciting and dangerous. This expanded our
target audience. Below is a still shot from the music video ‘Robbers’ by ‘The 1975’.
The narrative similarly creates a rebellious, dangerous yet romantic character that
appeals to the target audience. We wanted to keep our narrative element ambiguous
and so we started in the middle of the fight. This meant that we skipped straight to
the action and gave just enough away for the audience to pick up what had
happened. This also kept our audience engaged and interested throughout the video.
We wanted to have a consistent link throughout our video between the narrative and
performance so we cut between the two elements. We had the music and image
working together collaboratively. unlike many music videos which focus solely on
the band or narrative we decided to incorporate both. We did however do a
performance cut but decided that the narrative element enhanced the overall
product.

4. Artistic Camera Work
During the chorus of the song we used the convention of artistic camera work by
using handheld shots. The rhythm of the song matches the shaky and unsteady
movement of the handheld. We also used the handheld shots for some of the
narrative elements which added to the tension and atmosphere of the fight.
The 1975 song Robbers frequently uses handheld shots. It feels less staged and
helps viewers feel as if they are there on location as opposed to watching it on a
screen. The handheld shots also link with they grungy style of the band as they
are deliberately not polished and perfect. Our artist is more about talent and the
music as apposed to a glamorous star image and video of a pop artist.

5. Conspicuous use of lighting
We used a light bulb as we felt that that
it related to the style of the music and
video as it fits in with the indi rock
genre. The movement draws links with
the narrative and brings the two
elements together adding a grungy
atmosphere. It contributed to the artists
star image by adding to the edgy style
that isn’t bright and polished like most
mainstream artists such as Nicki Minaj.
The 1975 song Chocolate has a light
above him in the opening shot. The light
draws attention and highlights the artist
but not as obviously as a spotlight
would. It links in with style of artist as
they are an indi band and so it more
grungy and less prominent.

6. Rhythmic editing
We used Adobe premier to cut the footage. It is in full quality and
the best version of editing software there is. It has multiple video
layers and complex transitions. This meant we could cut from one
video channel to another and back again. We had eight takes
working simultaneously. Because it’s a music video we had to take
into account the rhythmic determent of the music by placing
markers on the beats on the timeline to indicate potential cutting
points. We assembled he shots sequences so they were dictated by
the music. We kept the pace of the video up to match the action that
is going on. We did this by having fast cuts to keep it lively and
intense.

7. Conventions in our digi-pak
Having seen the band interact together, we
decided that we wanted to promote the band
via a 'front man' and we chose the lead singer
for this part. The lead singer had the most
charisma, and as he was to star in both the
performance and narrative element, we
decided that he would be the best choice. As a
result, we created the idea of 'Carter James',
thus our product would centre around a lead
singer, but would also include the other band
members. We took inspiration from bands
such as The Script and the Kaiser Chiefs, who
are bands but also use front men to promote
the group. Due to this, we have decided that
the website and digi-pak will centre on the
lead singer.

8. Symbolism
In all three of our products, we used form to present the
images of light bulbs and trees. These images reflect our star
image, as the light bulb represents the quirkiness of our band,
whilst the trees portray the rebellious mysterious nature of the
band. These images are central in our video, as the single light
bulb in the performance element is drawn attention to through
numerous close ups. Imagine Dragons uses the same image in
their website and digipak, and this helps to establish a running
theme throughout the bands products.
The narrative element is shot in a woods and we also took
photos for the digipack, heightening the rebellious star image,
but also the authentic and organic nature of the band. Equally,
the home page of our website displays an image of a hand
holding a light bulb with a tree growing inside. We constructed
this image through taking a photo of a tree and a light bulb and
merging the two together on Photoshop. You are then able to
draw connections between the website and music video.
By continually using these two motifs the bands star image
was emphasised, but it also helped to familiarise the audience
with the band and caused them to identify the band with these
two symbols.

9. Conventions of Artist Websites
We researched bands with a similar star image in order to gain
inspiration for our own website. We really liked the black and white
theme that The 1975 uses in their website, and how the front page is a
mixture of striking images. However, we equally liked the bold image on
The Scripts opening webpage. We noticed how both bands had their
name in big letters in the opening page, and how it was in the same
place on all the other pages as well.
After some initial research, we decided that we wanted to have a bold
image on the front page of website, in order to entice potential
consumers. We chose the light bulb film as it keeps consistency with our
artist image.

10. We looked at the conventions of different artists websites and decided on 6 main pages. We
uploaded all the pictures we had onto the GALLERY page of our website. We also had an
ABOUT page of the website. We looked at similar artists websites for inspiration as we
wanted to know what generic information we should provide. Thus, we centered the
ABOUT page around where the band comes from, and introduced the lead singer as the
front man and then the rest of the band members. We did not want the text to be too long,
as audiences would lose interest, thus we created a concise summary that explained the
bands background.
We then focused on the TOUR page of our website, we needed to create a variety of
locations where our band would play. We researched various venues that coincided with
the star image of the band and then added them to the website. We linked the website with
Ticketmaster, as we decided that they were a suitable site that would sell tickets. We also
had a sign up page so that people can get in touch and a merchandise page where people
can buy products relating to the artist. We realised that T-Shirts were the main product
that artists used. There are multiple combinations that can be used to promote the artist.

11. Social Media on the Website
We wanted our website to be accessible to our target demographic (males aged 17-25),
thus we wanted to involve other social media websites where we could promote the band.
Having done some basic research, we fond that the most widely used social media by
similar artists was Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. They were also the mostly widely used
by our target audience, thus we set about creating pages for our band. We created a
'Carter James' Facebook and Twitter page, and then linked them to the website. We
connected the YouTube page to the video, so that when you click on it, the video
immediately begins to play. Again this was about building up a promotional campaign for
the band. In relation to this, we created a SIGN UP page for the website, so that we could
gain 'feedback' or 'fan mail' from potential audiences. To do this we created a Gmail
account for the band and added it as a footer to every page of the website. We hoped that
this would encourage audiences to become involved with the artist and thus benefit
promotion.