edited:CASE STUDY: HOW ARE THE CONVENTIONS OF THE INDIE GENRE EVIDENT IN BASTILLE'S 'FAKE IT'

On the 9th of September 2016, Bastille released their second official album entitled 'Wild World.'

Bastille are a British indie pop band who came on the scene in 2013 when they released their first official album called 'Bad Blood.' Since then, the indie pop band has had a phenomenal amount of successful chart songs and have done numerous global tours.

GENERAL CONVENTIONS OF THE INDIE POP GENRE

SETTING
Indie Pop music videos are known to be low budget. Many of the videos of the genre tend to be set in studios, cities, parks, woods and places that are cheaply and easily accessible. These locations create mysteries which makes the audience focus more on the performance or the messages that may be hidden inside the video.
PERFORMANCE
Most Indie Pop music videos includes a live performance which can make the audience focus on the talent the artist has.
It makes their career about their passion for music rather than success or making money in the music industry.
Live performances promote the artist/s too. This enables audiences to see the atmosphere the artist creates in their concerts encouraging the public to watch the artist/s live. It helps with the promotion of tours etc as it makes the audience interested and stimulates them making them want to experience something similar.
Performance is often partnered with a narrative to break up the music video which can make the music video memorable and can make it more relateable for certain audience members, potentially making the audience member feel as though they have a connection with the artist. 

NARRATIVE

A narrative can be used to tell a story by using a sequence of images and videos that are related to the song this may enable the audience to understand why it was given that certain narrative which links with song. You can apply Goodwin's theory to the idea of having a narrative as it links the song to the visuals and can link the visuals to the lyrics.
As technology advances, music video directors are able to create a variation of storytelling created by special effects that can enhance the impact of the video, making the video a lot more interesting for the audience, engaging them in the music. This can also help gain success and status of the song, artist/s and directors.
Similarly, using narrative techniques can help artists to create motifs in their videos which can hugely increase the success of a video. 
MISE EN SCENE
Indie music videos are generally simple. Props, costumes, make up etc can be linked to a particular scene which can have a significant meaning. A prop can complete a scene as audiences are able to physically see what the character or perform is doing. For example, some indie videos may show an artist singing into a microphone or using an instrument.
Costume and make up create the character. They are a huge part in many music videos, especially ones that carry a narrative structure. It can indicate their age, wealth, status, stability and all sorts of personal traits. For example,In Bastille's 'Good Grief' the character's costume and makeup etc relate to their position in the video.

CAMERA WORK 
& EDITING
Extreme close-ups are close-ups the most common shots used in these types of videos as this introduces the artist or the character to the audience, they can also be used to express emotions, foreshadow events that may take place in the future of the video.
Long shots establish the setting of the video and can also establish the character and their traits. It can show a persons personality towards their surroundings and current situation. It can also help the audience understand the message behind the video 
Shots like tilts and pans can help, in the same way long shots do, to show a location but can also foreshadow events and create portrayals of characters in certain ways. 
Filters and overlays are often used over the top of clips or an entire video to give a certain idea to the viewer, like showing the clip in a positive or negative light or making the video seem older than it may be. Black and white or desaturated colours may be the main filters used to create an archaic look.
Fast and slow cuts between shots reflects the pace of the music, creating the atmosphere of the music video. It can also create suspense or completely change the assumed tone of the video.

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO BASTILLE'S FAKE IT?

Linking the conventions of the genre to Bastille's video of Fake it, it is obvious there are many elements of the indie pop genre that are prominent in the video. 

LOCATIONS/SETTING.

The locations of the video seem fitting towards the genre. 

they are seemingly low budget, although they may not be. The video starts by showing an 'old school' tv set which already insinuates low budget in itself.

We then move to a news room type studio which isn't as typical of the genre. This is a much more glamorous location that what may be commonly

found in videos of this type.

We then see this Tv set in multiple locations throughout the video but never see much else of the other locations.

All the locations we do see tend to be dimly lit with strong shadows.

In contrast, at the end of the video we see the main character in an open space. This is almost the complete opposite to all the locations we have seen previously.

PERFORMANCE.

Unlike, generic indie music videos, this video shows an element of performance in a completely alternative way. Rather than coming from the band, it comes from the actor who is the focus of the narrative. This video also features no appearances of the band but forms a strong narrative motif with the other videos released from this album in the sense that they don't tend to appear hugely in any other videos.

NARRATIVE.

A strong sense of narrative is created in this video which also creates a motif linked to many of Bastille's other videos.

It is a linear narrative as we see events in a chronological order and as the song comes to an end, it's almost as though we see and end to the character's story. 

You can apply Goodwin's theory to this video in the sense that the lyrics link strong to the visuals. When the lyrics say 'Let's do our very best to fake it' the character fakes a smile. 

MISE EN SCENE.

In terms of mise en scene this video is incredibly particular of the indie genre. It is seemingly simple with one thing (tv set, male presenter) being the focal point of the video at all times. 

This is similar in terms of the costume as we have one character at all times wearing the same costume which is just a grey/black suit and tie. 

CAMERA WORK.

This video sticks hugely to conventions in the sense that there are a huge amount of close ups and extreme close ups of the characters face. This helps to create a much more tense atmosphere but also creates a representation of the character at the same time. There are also multiple long shots of many of the more open locations which makes all of the locations seem overly bleak.

Overall, this video is one that sticks to genre conventions extremely closely creating generic representations and a motif that allows many of their other videos to fall into the same category/genre. 

CASE STUDY: HOW DO ARCTIC MONKEYS ENGAGE WITH THEIR AUDIENCE THROUGH THEIR ALBUM ART?

HOW DO ARCTIC MONKEYS ENGAGE WITH THEIR AUDIENCE THROUGH THEIR ALBUM ART?

Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band formed in 2002 in the UK. They have released six albums since then and have won many awards including multiple BRITs.

The images below how 3 of the bands albums. The art for these albums is non as consistent as other bands or artists I have previously studied. For this reason I am going to focus on the album entitled ‘Whatever people say I am, that’s what I’m not.’

The generic fan of the band is male aged between 18 and 24. This album art, to me, is so important as it is appealing to this market.

In basic terms, this album is appealing as the main image in the album is a man smoking against a negative space. This single image links to the indie genre as this is a characteristic of that, but, this in an image that could be attractive to both genders of audience. For men, this could give them an aspirational image and for females, it may be something ‘nice’ to look at. They connect with their audience by using an ascetically pleasing image that may entice people to buy the album based on that image.

In terms of composition of this album art, it is simple. As there is only one image, the rule of thirds and a shallow depth of focus are used. This means that because there’s only a plain colour background, this focus remains on the image that is present on the cover.

There is also the use of a logo in this image which was once used to create a visual motif and more of a strong identity for the band. This logo was dropped after this album in 2006 as they felt the logo didn’t relate to the band or their music anymore.

The man’s face and hand that is holding the cigarette are also in extreme focus which could be seen to be promoting images of smoking or holding authority over the audience in the image but using a direct mode of focus.

WHATEVER PEOPLE SAY I AM, THAT'S WHAT I'M NOT

Colour in this image is something that can have many meanings, for example, the image is black and white which could mean is may have mysterious connotations. In my opinion, this has been done to connect with their target audience as it creates a much more indie style image. The use of black and white takes the identity of the man in the image and creates a new one that may be more identifiable for the consumer. It may also make the audience feel as though he is a figure of authority over the person who is buying the album.

There isn’t much Negative space in this image as most of it is taken by either the man in the image or the band logo. The backdrop of this image is what looks like a pair of black curtains. This creates an element of negative space but as there is detail in this part of the image, it is not entirely negative. I think the space is used efficiently as it allows the audience to focus on the man in the image rather than the black space that surrounds him.

The type used in this image is fairly simple as it only contains the bands logo on the front of the album. This engages with their audience as it creates something that would be memorable for the audience to look back on. For example, if this logo was used continually, the audience would know which album belonged to the band just by looking at the logo placed on top of the image.

Other than this logo, there is no other text on the front of the album, thus creating an almost enigmatic effect that connects with the audience as it does not give the audience all of the information they are looking for straight away meaning they have to look further through the album to find out.

In conclusion, this band effectively connects with their audience in this album cover as they create an identity for the man on the front cover. This then gives the audience something to relate or aspire to, making them buy and listen to the album.

CASE STUDY: HOW DOES MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS ENGAGE WITH HER AUDIENCE THROUGH HER ALBUM ART

HOW DOES MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS ENGAGE WITH HER AUDIENCE THROUGH HER ALBUM ART?

Marina Lambrini Diamandis, known professionally as Marina and the Diamonds, is a Welsh singer-songwriter who has been releasing music since 2010. She has released 3 studio albums of which have led to the motif style in the images located below.

Her target audience tends to be female with ages ranging from 18 to 25. To me, I see her as a particularly stylised singer which allows her target audience to have something to aspire and relate to.

Her second album, seen below, ‘Electra Heart’ feature a made up character that went through all of the stages of typical teenage life. This was created by Marina to give her audience something to relate to and feel as though it was made for them.

The cover art of all 3 of Marina’s albums creates a visual motif for her, this combined with all of the single she has released create a catalogue of related images that make her, as a brand, identifiable. For example, all 3 albums, and singles that can be seen in the images below contain an image of her face. This image is usually central and contains a shallow depth of focus. This is so her face becomes the only thing that is important in the image.

As the album covers develop, the type on each cover changes. For singles and EP’s the type is the same depending on which album it came from, again creating a motif and making her work identifiable.

It could be said that all of the images feature in the cover art are highly sexualised. This can be seen, especially in the albums ‘Froot’ and ‘The Family Jewels’ Marina is either perceived to be naked or laying in a seductive position. This is where the element of her male target audience come in. the male gaze theory suggests that women are portrayed in a way that makes it pleasurable for me to look at and in the case of these two album covers I believe that to be true.

In Marina’s first 2 album covers, the colour tone is extremely desaturated. This gives both of these a very indie look. This could entice Marina’s target audience in the sense that she is creating something that is not stereotypical of her genre of pop which makes her more indie for her audience to look at. This would then be appealing for her teenage audience as seeing something that is slightly more individual is something that appeals to a teenage demographic.

The Electra Heart album is one that particularly stood out to me. This is the album that contains a story line of teen angst. In my opinion, Marin identifies with her target audience in these images as although she is in her 30’s she is made up to look as though she is much younger. This is a device that creates a relatableness for the audience members as they feel she is singing song about their lives.

The composition of these album covers are all very similar, again creating a form of motif. They all show Marina in character at the focal point of the image. I believe that these images are eye catching and interesting to look at as no one image is the same. As you look through the album cover, you can see the development of Marina and her music from 2010 to 2015. These images are all incredibly stylised as they show a highly made up attractive woman in a location that is more likely to be a studio location specifically for means such as shooting videos and taking pictures for cover art. Again, looking at the Electra Heart album, this is edited in a way that introduces and archaic but psychedelic element to the image without it just being a portrait which to me, would be something that would entice me into buying the album as it looks a lot more interesting than a portrait of the artist.

All three of these album covers contain different colour pallets but they all work effectively in creating a spectacle for the target audience. The first of the three, The Family Jewels contains a much more archaic colour pallet which again links to the idea of using an indie colour pallet to make the image more interesting. This is then juxtaposed with a black typeface. This of course makes the type stand out against her airbrushed picturesque face and the muted colours of the fabric in the background

Album 2, Electra Heart has a very similar colour pallet. This too contains a more archaic and desaturated colour pallet. I believe this was done to emphasise the artist’s face but also to create a vale of illusion to entice the audience as it juxtaposes her age and the way she looks in the image with the meaning of the music on the album.

Album 3 is a slightly more different image. This contains a black background with a more distorted utopian portrait. This to me is a much more modern image as it shows her as the focal point but it Is a much simpler image. Around her portrait there are flares of colour that match the type in the image. This again I believe adds a slightly more psychedelic element to the video as I makes the image much more interesting, rather than just being a portrait of her.

The use of type in all 3 albums varies and I believe this dismembers the previously created motif for the target audience to some extent. The Family Jewels has a much more hand written style type which creates a more personal message to the target audience and gives the impression that she has hand made the album for them. Electra Heart really plays on the more indie vibe as it has a serif bold font. This is more eye catching than handmade which again links to the idea of the album cover being individual as it stands out more in terms of the image, the colour and the type used. Froot links back to the first and second albums, creating a separate motif as it contains elements of both types. The handwritten font again gives the audience the impression that the album was handmade and the serif font creates a more indie yet regimented feel.

Negative space is something that is entirely common in these album covers as the focal point is the artists face. This lack of negative spaces means the audience has to focus on her making her like the main attraction in the process of buying the album. All 3 albums contain a fairly plain background which is then covered in some form of text thus creating a busy yet calm image that contains the appropriate text whilst also creating a shallow focus image to promote the artists appearance.