Three Initial Ideas

Narrative One

The concept would begin with a man wearing a mask on his face sat in his house whilst a band plays in the background. The man would then receive notes which tell him to follow a trail; the words on these notes would feature lyrics from the song as well as instructions. When he follows these notes, disturbing occurrences happen around him. As the climax of the video comes, he would appear in a woods setting where another person comes out wearing the same mask, he is then grabbed maliciously and taken away off-screen. This narrative would match the ideology of the song as Thom Yorke wrote it with the idea that the characters featured should have run away whilst they had the chance, this would be the same for the main character in this. 

Narrative Two

This narrative would start with a teenage boy who is spoken to by a group of others asking for the money which is owed (all subtitled). The duration of the music video would then follow this boy whilst he evades the law and tries to sell drugs in order to avoid trouble with the antagonists of the text. As the story progresses, it results in him being chased by the ‘debt collectors’ where he meets his demise. This idea is once again based on Thom Yorke’s idea upon writing the song which is explained in the previous narrative. 

Narrative Three

At the start of the narrative, the main character is burying a dead body in the middle of the countryside. The whole video is based on his paranoia of people finding out, which subsequently features him being followed by a range of people who he believes are undercover police. The story ends with those who he suspects to be police coming out the car to be the person that he assumed he had buried.

Audience Research: Focus Group

The History of Music Videos

From 1926, companies have found a variety of ways to advertise bands and artists in creating visual entertainment to accompany a song. However, this all began in 1894 where two sheet music publishers (Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern) hired George Thomas to create a piece in which images were matched to a song; this was the opening development of music videos where there was a visual element to the audio.

Following this, in 1926 the first step up was made through ‘talkies’ which featured dancers and actors creating musical short films to be placed over a song. These were created on sound film systems named Vitaphone’s which were produced by Warner Bros. From here, animated short films were made where the audience is expected to sing along to the song through following the bouncing ball along with the lyrics. These were created in the early 30’s by Max Fleischer who created Screen Songs which followed this style. This was along with Walt Disney short films such as Silly Symphonies which followed a similar style and the full-length animation in 1940, Fantasia. The company Warner Bros. then took a liking to this style of animation by creating Loony Tunes and Merrie Melodies which featured performances from popular musicians on occasion. 

The first known clip which featured footage considered as a music video were the short films created by Ladislav Rychman which were intended to be shown simply for the purpose of the music behind it; this was done in 1958, recorded independently and considered a breakthrough.  Musical films were then created which were often shortened in the style of a modern music video. These imitated the styles of Hollywood musicals from the 1930's era such as West Side Story which was then turned into a musical film. An example of this is the video for Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend which was made famous by Marilyn Monroe’s adaptation in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The first film made specifically for a band’s music was The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night (directed by Richard Lester) starring the band in a mock documentary with their music being the basis for a lot of the narrative; this was inspiration for a range of musicals and the templates for modern music videos as well as having the TV series The Monkees based around it. Bob Dylan then imitated this style in a documentary directed by D. A. Pennebaker. The shortened video featured a song named Subterranean Homesick Blues where a man is shown down a back alley shuffling the lyrics to the song on cards.

This began the bloom of promotional films, quite a lot of which were promoted internationally for The Beatles. These were taken from their first film and Help! which was their second release. Help! was very inspirational for filmmakers interested in the idea of music videos as it uses features which are conventional to this modern day such as cross-cut editing and contrasts between long range shots and close-ups. From here, music videos began to advance substantially. In 1967, colour promotional clips were created where director Peter Goldman made music videos for Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane by The Beatles. These used techniques which were not previously common to film makers such as slow motion, strategic lighting and colouring, different camera angles and techniques taken from underground films. 1966 showed famous UK band The Kinks release Dead End Streets, the first music video which featured a strong narrative which merged the idea of a band playing music with the story-telling of films which were around in this time. After this had been made, the BBC refused to air the video as it was found to be in bad taste. 

After a range of artists approached this idea of documentaries and full length features, video footage of music came to television. TV series’ such as Sounds and Top of the Pops launched in the 70’s which gave a new perspective of visual music, however to begin with the content was very limited in which artists had produced music videos. In cases such as Sounds and the Australian TV show Countdown, the stations themselves had to create the videos for the artists. These were often lacking in substance producing very irrelevant videos for the music which was featured on the show. However, it proved to be successful meaning directors from Countdown realized the gain in marketing through music videos where they then left their jobs to pursue a career in this. British TV show Top of the Pops was the first of its kind in the UK in the late 1970's. It was realized that a good music video often lead to a large amount of sales as people would wish to watch the video again next week on the TV show. The only problem with music television in this era was that they were very limited to the outsourced music videos which could be used (especially with the BBC), this meant that it was often repetitive although not considered boring as it was revolutionary. 

By the 1980’s, music television had now become mainstream. From here, the launch of MTV and other channels had become popular in society where a 24-hour broadcast of music videos was made. The first airing was The Bugles – Video Killed the Radio Star which had become a sensation as it was the first of its kind, this was then joined with artists such as Duran Duran and Madonna. However as with everything, there was controversy with the MTV in the 1980's for not airing music videos made by african-american performers to which Rick James called 'blatant racism'. The rise of popularity for music video channels often came as they became more advanced. This was through the rise in digital media and the better equipment that came for filming. The most popular and influential video at this stage was Michael Jackson's Thriller which cost $800, 000 to make and ran for a 14-minute duration. The director of this made a large amount of money as a result. This lead to many directors working with MTV to create unique styled music videos with their own themes specific to directors such as Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and Chris Cunningham; some of which went on to direct feature films. MTV however stopped showing music videos in the mid-2000's to replace them with reality TV shows.

 Music television had become a huge area in music marketing and promoting bands further into making millions. The final step for music television was the rise of the internet streaming of artists videos. This began with a streaming website named 'iFilm' which launched in 1997 hosting a range of short films including music videos. As time passed, there started to be more and more ways to receive music and music videos on the internet. By 1999, peer-to-peer sites were on the rise with Napster starting the revolution. YouTube was created in 2005 which to this day is the largest video sharing site with millions of users daily. As YouTube became such a hit, many bands have gained worldwide fame from posting videos online (examples include OK Go and Weezer). Finally, in 2009 Vevo was created; this was made by several companies to include videos from Google and YouTube to synchorise together in a channel. Viral music videos on the internet soon became the biggest source of marketing to this present day.

Genre Conventions of Alternative Rock

 In the genre of alternative rock there are conventional features which are seen in the majority of music videos. These conventions are used to connote an image which many bands wish to follow so that they belong to a scene and gain a response from the target audience that they wish to reach. By following these conventions, the music videos promote the band to their potential fans where they may be shown on music television channels (e.g. MTV Rock), broadcasted on radio stations (e.g. Q, Kerrang!) and in more niche cases, posted on blogs, web-zines and internet channels.

The alternative rock genre often comes with a range of stereotypes which are represented through the mise-en-scene in the video. Lighting is usually not excessive in this genre as there is never a large focus on glamour as the artists tend to break the conventions of most mainstream artists. In most music videos within the genre there is mainly usage of natural lighting rather than a clear focus of flashing lights which is normally used in hip-hop and pop music. The props which are used within the genre are often not excessive to maintain a casual appearance around the artists. It is often found in alternative rock videos that the artists keep a smart-casual dress sense to progress this stereotype. In The Strokes’ music video for Juice box, the band furthers this impression through resisting showing their wealth in their clothing choice, yet keeping their attire suitable to the genre. In context of the video, they star with a variety of actors who also dress in this smart casual manner. They are shown performing everyday activities to appeal to their younger target audience who would be watching music videos. In alternative rock videos, the band are often seen playing the song whilst the narrative unfolds as a sub-plot. This essence is used to create a personal effect on the video in this genre, enhancing the idea that the artists are skilled in playing their instruments; this is shown in the video below.

 In terms of editing, music videos in this genre are often appropriately cut without appearing chaotic. In most cases, the cuts which are used match the pace of the song which is being played. This is to keep the product at a professional level which leaves the audio as the most important area in the video. If the editing is not kept to the tempo of the song, it is normally at the same speed as the narrative to maintain a suitable appearance. Occasionally, there are specialized cuts used such as fading, however this is always kept to a limit. In Interpol’s video for NYC, the band use fading cuts more than an average music video. This is because it matches the pace of the song and narrative of the video as a quiet and dark output. There are specific uses of editing where the band is shown in a negative lighting fill; this is accompanied by blue and red lit backgrounds. In alternative rock, depending on the bands style there can be uses of editing such as this as certain artists wish to convey a diverse image. 

 Cinematography and camera techniques are used in alternative rock music videos to highlight the artists as they play the music in a lot of cases. This is normally through extreme close-ups on the band and their instruments as they play along to the audio. Following this idea, the cinematography additionally features medium close-ups which include the whole band as they play in a setting (the setting is often where the narrative develops). Varieties of worm’s eye and bird’s eye shots convey the significance of the band in the music video as they show dominance to their project; whereas bird’s eye shots often reflect the narrative or show the band as a whole. In the music video for Radiohead’s Street Spirit (Fade Out), the band breaks the regular conventions for the ideologies of alternative rock videos. However, they follow a lot of conventions which are often found in the cinematography and camera work. This is through using close-ups to reflect the narrative and pace of the song where the intro shows the vocalist laid on a car bonnet waiting for the song to start. The video shows the band stood around a caravan site where gravity changes and strange events occur. The camera work for this shows medium close-ups where the whole band is pictured during the main verses; this is to show their importance to the song. Bird’s eye shots are used where the breaks in the song progress and the narrative allows a creature to fly near the vocalists personal space, this shows the shot through the perspective of the animal. There is a lack of tracking and panning in this text as the tempo of the song is slow and progressive which produces a calming effect on the audience.

LLIAR Analysis #3

The Walkmen - The Rat

The Walkmen are an alternative rock band which gained a large amount of publicity throughout the 2000's. They had a large influence on bands in the alternative rock genre and the subculture which revolved around it following the release of their acclaimed album 'Bows + Arrows' in which this song features on. The band could be interpreted as the type to follow all the conventions of alternative/indie-rock, due to their style and way in which this music video is filmed.

Representation in The Rat is conveyed by the bands attitudes and style throughout playing the song to the camera. There is no fixed narrative within the video which gives the idea that the band may be more focused on their image or the song that they are playing rather than creating a long story line for their audience. This gives the question of whether having a large narrative is conventional of alternative rock, the answer is no. Including videos which I have analysed previously (Title Fight, Pity Sex), artists such as The Strokes and Vampire Weekend who belong to this genre of music often use videos which do not depict a narrative, they are more focused on the bands' performances. Questionably, alternative rock bands do this so that it shows their talent involved in writing this music away from the mainstream artists who often use electronic instruments rather than guitars and drums. The Walkmen use representation in this video to give the impression that they are a formal, professional band. This is shown through their choice in clothing which is strictly blacks and whites, if the band were aiming to create a bold statement, it is likely that they would have appeared in brighter colours and with a more vibrant attire. 

This music video gives the impression that there is no specific audience other than fans of the alternative rock style of music. From this theory, the lack of trends and themes shows that the band have a professional outlook in which they do not aim to target any age group or type of person, they are a band which make music for those that will enjoy it. With that said, from personal information, I am aware of people from older and younger generations that both enjoy The Walkmen. Bands which are as largely established as The Walkmen can often have this effect in the alternative rock genre where they do not aim to be trendy or modern like many bands that target the younger generation. Yet, their music is based around influences from a range of eras which allows them to have a broad audience. This is illustrated in their music video as there is no colour or props present in the mise-en-scene which show character to the band, they are only shown playing their instruments to the song that the video is based on. 

Within the music video, there is no ongoing narrative or interference's which provide personality for the band. It is quite simply a video showing the band playing their hit song The Rat from a range of shots, very much so like historical music videos when they first came around (see The Beatles - Day Tripper). The similarities between this music video and those which were filmed historically are very outstanding in that they do not feature much narrative at all. This could possibly be The Walkmen's intentions towards creating this video, to give some appeal to an older audience, this ideology could also mean that they intended to create a vintage impression which is very popular in younger people in this modern day. It is also possible that The Walkmen intended to appear as darker characters in their persona and their music writing technique. This is represented through the presence of shadows which are featured continuously throughout the video; although this song does not give any dark imagery upon listening. 

In terms of institution, The Walkmen have released records on Fierce Panda, Gigantic, Bella Union and Startime; all of which are American independent labels. As the band are based in New York, there are many institutions for alternative-rock in their area. The record label Fierce Panda has released music from bands such as Keane, Kings of Leon and Art Brut; all of which have filmed music videos of the same style as The Rat. These often include the band playing the song in the background for the duration of the music video. 

The language throughout The Walkmen's video is conveyed in mise-en-scene by the colours of the clothes that the band members wear throughout. These are all whites and blacks which are normally used only for formal attire, however they are wearing it when simply playing their song. This almost seems like a postmodern feature of the music video as they are aware that they are being filmed (the reason why they are dressed formally), although their facial expressions make it seem that they do not wish to be in the music video. There are no extraordinary props or settings used in the video besides a plain practice room and the backline instruments of a band when they play live. The cinematography used in the video is that of a normal performance where there are close-up and long-range shots based on which band member is performing the most outstanding part. The shots are distributed equally so that each band member is shown playing along to the song, also in some parts the camera tilts to the tempo of the song. The sound is diegetic in this music video as the band are all self aware of the video being filmed. As they play along with the song it is clear that it is intended to give the audience the impression that they are playing it live. Editing techniques used in The Rat are very subtle as there are no bold uses of transitions or filters other than the music video being filmed in gray-scale. This has a large impact on the way the viewer receives the video as there is a slightly darker, more negative tone used; the use of black and white filming converges with the black and white outfits that the band are wearing. In the background of the practice room there is a pattern which moves, almost identical to a lava lamp. This is potentially used to appeal to the older audience who may remember when lava lamps were a groundbreaking invention, giving the video an 80's style. 

Genre Conventions Analysis #3

The World is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die - Low Light Assembly

Genre Conventions Analysis

Cinematography

Editing

Mise-en-scene

 The music video's sound is simply the song Low Light Assembly by the band. There is an eight second sequence at the beginning which is simply the sound of wind which creates the feeling of verisimilitude which changes to the impression of tranquility which comes as the music begins to play.

LLIAR Analysis #1

Title Fight - Head In The Ceiling Fan

Title Fight's music video for 'Head In The Ceiling Fan' features the band's homemade camera footage from their travels through touring, this is a frequent theme which the band often address such as the video for 'Shed'. The band often use this theme as they are a group of young musicians who are in their late teens and early twenties who have reached worldwide acclaim following their first full-length 'The Last Thing You Forget'. Since the success of  their first album (and other side projects such as hardcore bands Bad Seed and Disengage), they have been touring constantly since they became widely known. Title Fight are generally recognized as alternative-rock but often come under sub-genres such as indie and emo (sub-genre of rock/punk, not the general stereotype), regardless this video is filmed in the fashion of some modern alt-rock bands.

The band represented as having a casual attitude towards their music and lifestyles. This is shown through the way in which the whole music video is shot by using handheld cameras and personal footage which they believe is relevant to their target audience. This aspect of the filming addresses the themes of the album which this song features on (Floral Green) where there are a lot of personal matters discussed. This song uses the guitarist Jamie Rhoden as the vocalist who is renowned for his acoustic covers of some previous song which furthers the personal feeling. As a result of this, there are a lot of shots which are framed primarily to feature him as he sings along with the audio. This is a common feature of alternative-rock videos where bands such as Radiohead and The Strokes often use this. Semiotics in this video also convey the open-minded attitudes of the band. This is as they do not strictly display the stereotypical appearance and nature of people in the same musical vicinity. Title Fight do this through using shots of the band playing baseball and other sports which would perhaps not be connected to their emo/alt-rock genre. It is also displayed through the mise-en-scene where the main singer Ned Russin is shown wearing a 'Free Spirit' tshirt, a band who are renowned for spreading positive messages throughout the hardcore/punk scene in Boston. 

When bands such as Title Fight release music which uses a wide range of influences, it is often difficult to assess the audience in which they are addressing in some scenarios. The album which this song features on maintains a sound which is similar to emo bands which came from the 1990's such as Sunny Day Real Estate and Mineral. As a result of this, it is very likely that the music video is aimed at those who may have been a fan of this style of music at the time that it came out, but those who have only just become fond of it recently. The younger generation who have only just discovered this style of music are often stereotyped as hipsters who have a large appeal for vintage styled filming and imagery; Head In The Ceiling Fan addresses this with poorly edited and shot footage. The target audience's age is another factor which is hard to determine as it may appeal to those who appreciated the style of music when it was a wider known style in the 90's and those who have just become fans of it. However, the music is not easily accessible particularly.

Title Fight's image as a touring band often comes from the amount of other bands which the members have been involved in or created. They also very involved in the American alternative music scene as the vocalist owns the hardcore record label 'Back to Back Records' which is very successful for bands in the New York and Boston districts who possess a particular style. As a common hobby, travelling is an essential part of the band members' lives which is reflected in the video clearly. They are often shown on hilltops jumping into a sea where the next minute they are walking through the dark through a mysterious woods. Title Fight are signed to Revelation Records currently who bring out a range of punk bands and have been for decades. Yet, the band break the conventions of others that are on that label of following a genre which could only be loosely explained as punk. 

The video for this uses language in a way which isn't overly clustered with a specific narrative. This is through using miscellaneous home video clips which work in synergy with each other, yet do not follow a structured plot. The use of conventional features of video texts such as mise-en-scene have semiotics which are used to please the target audience and assert the bands image. As the music video is intended to appear as a collective of home videos, there is no designated props or intentional placement of items to convey an image. Yet, the setting is often in green fields or in lakes where the band are shown jumping, this connotes peace and tranquility which also gives the band an image of being laid back people. The cinematography in the video is not particularly inventive or convention-breaking, although areas such as the band walking towards the camera in a dark wooded setting is intended to display their adventure both in this setting and as artists in general. Editing is frequently questionable as there are moments where shots are cut out in a 'broken video tape' style cut (with a fuzzy screen), this appears to be intentional to abide by the theme of the music video. There are also brief shots of their live shows (which are often chaotic) where it captures people stage diving and mic-grabbing but this changes rather quickly due to the tempo of the song and the irrelevance to the video. There is lack of formality of using conventions in Title Fight's video for Head In The Ceiling Fan, but the filming is appropriately done to match the song in theme and tempo. 

LLIAR Analysis #2

Pity Sex - Wind Up

Alex Henery plays a vital role in filming and editing music videos in the underground alternative-rock scene. As the owner of Run for Cover Records (the label which Pity Sex are signed to), it is expected that he would have a part in shooting their first music video, taken from their debut LP. In the music video, there is not a strong narrative which follows the band around as the main focus is an anti-social drive in the car to various spots around a city from parks to video game arcades; none of these result in any of the band looking pleased.  The band are represented as  pessimistic and dull people from the appearance of this video, this is because of shots shown of them singing along with the song with a lifeless expression on their faces. Not a single member of the band is pictured smiling at any moment of the video which impacts the representation of the video as a whole. With that being said, the depressing expressions of the band members runs sufficiently with the lyrics and tone of the song. Clauses such as 'Don't come too close, don't try to know me because there's nothing to know' give the song a dark atmosphere as it is, along with the video, there is a large presence of negative imagery. 

As a band, Pity Sex's target audience is very small yet is ever expanding through different releases. Through their preliminary EP's and demo's, a distinctively dark atmosphere was set throughout their music and image as a band; this changed in their most recent album Feast of Love (in which Wind Up features) where their influences changed more to indie-rock and shoegaze. In creating this different sound, their audience has become broader mainly between older teenagers to young adults. Although they hold influence from renowned 90's emo bands, it is not shown enough in their music to appeal to much older adults. The band have consistently kept an image which is considered vintage in this day and age. Questionably, this is to appeal to their target audience where a lot of fans for this genre of music are the stereotypical hipsters of this generation. To reinforce this, there are point of view shots shown towards the end of the video of the band playing video games in an arcade. These games (including Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros.) are mostly made in the early 1990's when video games first came into perspective. The choice of games used in these shots reflect the vintage image which the band aim to portray throughout their work and appeal to the age range of which their music is targeted at. The picture below explains their image and audience appeal. 

In the music video, there are subtle ideologies which are placed to assist the bands image and relate to the themes used in their music without having a large amount of narrative or context. In relation to the theory from Dominic Strinati who quotes that 'media texts use style over substance', this relates to the music video for Wind-Up as there is no plot or hook for the viewer to stay attached to the video (whereas music videos such as Michael Jackson - Thriller have contained a bold narrative along with others throughout history). The moody atmosphere that the song brings upon the audience creates an impression similar to the style of the filming, this creates synergy within the text. However, there are minimal themes represented throughout which go further than reinforcing an image for the band. There are a range of shots where not much lighting is used to enhance the dark tone of the song on several occasions. In a night setting this is expected, although strategically used to show that in this text, they are not enjoying their drive whilst in this video. 

After releasing their debut LP Feast of Love under Run for Cover Records (run by the director of this music video), the band received a large critical reception. The record label are renowned for releasing the biggest emo and alternative-rock bands records which are still within the underground scene, most of these are based in the US. There are nods to the institution in which the band are from within the video where the main vocalist is shown in most shots peering out the window as he sings along with the lyrics of the song. Where he does not look amused, this reflects the attitudes of numerous bands which are based within the label (videos from Tigers Jaw and Citizen also use this style). Within the workings of independent labels as small as Run for Cover, there is often lack of funding which means that the budget will be low effecting the range of effects that the video can use. However, this should not effect the lack of narrative. 

In terms of the language used in the music video, there are still thorough uses of the conventions of a filmed media text even though there is lack of narrative. Mise-en-scene is used in the video to reflect the attitudes of the band members as individuals. An example of this are the establishing shots which show the band in the car as they embark on their travels around the city at points in the night. The general idea of a car trip containing a full band would be to show them conversing and laughing along with each other as friends; however, the shots show some members of the band looking out of the window in a lethargic manner with unsatisfied body language. Additionally, whilst one of the member is spinning a giant cube (possibly a famous landmark), the vocalist is pictured emotionless gazing into the distance as if he is not enjoying their visit. Their body language conveys a depressing outlook overall in addition to their attire solely based on white shirts and black trousers, this gives the impression that they are too fed up to care about their appearance. Cinematography is used to connote the same attitudes represented throughout the mise-en-scene as unsteady camera work is used throughout. In most cases, a rocking camera motion can bring an action scene to light giving the viewer the opportunity to feel as if they are involved in a chase or drama. This music video uses the unsteady use of camera work to give a 'sleepy' impression to the viewer as if they are tired and do not want to be involved in the creation of the video (this is as the motion is used gently throughout). There are also unconventional shots of the video games which they play towards the end of the music video where only small sections of the screen are shown. Although this would appear lazy in a regular music video, it is used strategically to give the effect that the band are only playing the games to fill up time and that they are not completely concentrating on the games that they are playing. 

Although there are no absurdities in sound (such as breaks in the music or introductions to further a narrative), the song plays in timing with the vocalist miming the words. This is a fairly frequent feature used in music videos as it creates familiarity with the audience enhancing the effects of the lyrics, rather a lot in this case. The events which occur in the video follow a similar pattern to the lyrics which are used within the song such as the line 'my head won't stop turning on me' as the guitarist of the band is shown spinning a giant cube. Where editing is concerned, there are a range of effects used in transitions between shots. This is more frequent within the middle of the video progressing towards the end where there is use of fading. Usage of this effect is to create the impression that the band are tired and that the whole night in which this was filmed was a blur to them. There are shots which bring the narrative in a different direction as they are shown within a car driving and there is a swift edit to the guitarist sat on a bike as he rides through a tunnel. This gives the impression to the audience that they are very busy and always travelling (very similar to the first LLIAR analysis which I did: Title Fight - Head In The Ceiling Fan). The band appear to be very professional in their works through the mise-en-scene and constant shots of travelling around, yet there is not a very formal structure here as they are merely a band which appeal to a younger to middle aged audience. 

Genre Conventions Analysis #2

Radiohead - No Surprises

Genre Conventions Analysis

Cinematography

Mise-en-scene

Editing

The video features no significant usage of sound other than the song itself playing in the background. This is diegetic as the vocalist is singing the song in time with the recording. 

Genre Conventions Analysis #1

Interpol - Evil

Genre Conventions Analysis

Cinematography

Mise-en-scene

Editing

Sound