Research into record labels- Miss Georgiou

A record label can be translated as a brand/trademark related to the marketing of music/music videos. Record labels are often a publishing company that manages brands and trademarks, and controls the production, marketing and promotions for example, of music furthermore, promoting the artist and maintains a recording artist's contract. (Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_label#Major_labels)
Major record labels are bigger companies within the music industry that may own smaller companies. The major labels currently (known as the big three) are the Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment.

The Universal Music Group is an American based company that manages artists such as Bastille, Emeli Sande, Florence and the Machine, Fall Out Boy, Sam Smith and Rihanna. It is evident that that this label manages many successful artists and ranging genres.The UMGI is the distributer for artists within this label. This is a French Owned company that operates as a subsidiary of Vivendi a Paris based company. This group also owns the Universal Music Publishing Group therefore, is included with other platforms within the music industry. Overall, The Universal Music Group is an extremely successful company, that promotes it's artists as well as being part of a large amount of subsidiary companies.

Warner Music Group is one of the big three as this label is known to be one of the largest and most successful in the world. manages artists such as Charli XCX, Birdy, James Blunt, Bruno Mars and Paramore. This can be seen again that this label manages many artists that produce different genres. This company owns Warner Bros Records that manages artists such as Lily Allen, Madonna and Prince, Parlophone Records known for managing artists such as Tinie Tempah, Conor Maynard and Eliza Doolittle. Lastly, the hugely popular Atlantic Records which began in America and then distributed to the UK. This label has signed incredibly successful artists such as Ed Sheeran, Plan B and Clean Bandit.

Lastly, Sony Music Entertainment is an extremely large company which is a subsidiary company of the Sony in America, all owned by the conglomerate company in Japan. This is another large and successful label that ranges a range of artists and genres such as, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, George Ezra, Leona Lewis and Calvin Harris. Sony Music Entertainment owns a large amount of smaller companies that conduct different genres.

Independent companies however, are music labels that control only one or few music labels. These labels can be successful and often produce unique/natural music in contrast to the mainstream. Some independent music companies within the UK are 3 Beat Records, RAM Records and Barely Breaking Even.

The label 3 Beat Records is UK based founded in 1989 in Liverpool and focuses mostly on artists that produce dance music. Artists that are signed to this label are Skyla, Basshunter and Agnes.
RAM Records was established in 1992 by Andy C in Hornchurch, Essex, England. This label focuses on R&B and Dubstep genres. This label manages artists such as Chase and Status, DC Breaks and Sub Focus.
Lastly, Barely Breaking Even is a record label created by the two DJs, Ben Jolly and Peter Adarkwah. This focuses on deep funk and urban genres. This company manages artists such as Dark Room Notes, Paul Weller and Masters at Work. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_label#Major_labhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_label#Major_labelsels

Overall, the fact that few companies dominate the music industry is more negative from an artist's point of view. This is because the chances of getting noticed is slimmer and more effort needs to be made to gain such popularity. However, this is positive for the industry as they gain a larger profit from artists and subsidiaries. This is also positive for artist's signed within these record companies as they are managed successfully and promoted on a larger scale.

Because of the differences between major and independent companies, I believe that major companies are favored as mainstream artists gain more publicity and money. The idea of success between major and independent companies is down to matters of individual tastes and how certain songs/genres/artists affect people. Saying this however, I believe that sadly, independent companies are not as successful as major companies as they aren't publicised (played on the radio) and make as much money.

Overall, if a label puts enough money into their company and signs themselves to popular/mainstream artist they become more successful, compared to independent, small, UK companies. Fundamentally, I believe that independent companies however, do offer unique music and appeals to many different individuals and allows people against the mainstream to find new music.

Research into chosen music artist- Miss Georgiou

The song I will be using for my music video is the RAC remix to Lana Del Rey's 'Blue Jeans'. I chose to use a remix of the song as I find that the original song is slow and dull and would be less likely to excite/intrigue an audience. As well as this, with the beat of the music, Goodwin's theory could be incorporated as there can be an evident link between visuals and music. I chose to use Lana Del Rey as the main artist as I enjoyed the remix to the song and mixing two genres together creates something new/exciting and would appeal to a wider audience also, she is a popular artist. Her music is also deep and meaningful therefore the lyrics can be applied to the music video.

Lana Del Rey (Elizabeth Woolridge Grant) was born in New York on the 21st of June, 1986 is a retro/indie pop vocalist. At the age of 15 Lana was sent to a boarding school in Connecticut and then moved back to New York at the age of 18 to study at a University. Del Rey was previously known as Lizzy Grant in 2009 and then transformed into her present self 'Lana Del Rey' with Video Games in 2011 and signed a joint record deal with Interscope Records and Polydor. As she became more popular and discussed within the media, her record label Interscope announced her first album 'Born to Die' in 2012 which went to number one on the Official UK Album Chart, as well as reaching number one in eight other countries. Next, Del Rey created a 'Paradise EP' soon after, including the song 'Young and Beautiful', used within 'The Great Gatsby' film soundtrack, film and trailer. Her most current album is 'Ultraviolence' in the summer of 2014, and became number one in over ten countries. Lana Del Rey has currently released three albums, eighteen singles and and seventeen music videos. Over seven million albums have been sold worldwide as well as twelve million singles. Del Rey has received many awards such an MTV Music Award for Best Alternative in 2012, UK Music Video Awards for Best Pop Video of 2012, A Brit Award in 2012 for Best International Breakthrough Artist, A Brit Award in 2013 for Best International Newcomer and  A Brit Award in 2013 for International Female Solo Artist.

In Lana's video for her number one hit 'Video Games', there is an evident representation of the artist. This is evident through the use of mise en scene as any clip that she stars in, she has been dressed up stylishly and presents the idea of classic beauty. From this, she is bringing back a vintage vibe to modern day music and is making this her own, thus in a way, creating something new. This promotes her in a positive light and reflects the indie genre. This also gives the audience and inspiration platform, as her target audience are females that idolise her i.e may change their own image to mirror hers.

The indie genre is also represented throughout through the use of cinematography as hand held camera work is used within many clips. This causes the whole music video to look inexpensive  which is conventional of this genre as the music video becomes relatable and reflects a true to life feel. The use of the causes a more authentic outlook, which appeals to the audience as the use of this camera work causes the music video to seem like a old home video. Indie music videos often contain a theme or the idea of a concept, as well as using elements such as this to create a bond with the artist and portray a message to the audience.

The editing also links to my previous point, as a vintage style editing technique is used on some clips. This again, causes the video to look more authentic and promotes the artist's lifestyle. This is conventional to the indie genre as the music video is more diverse and differs from a typical pop/R&B video. This is because the editing gives the video more depth and character, causing it to become more unique and interesting for the audience to watch. Including a unique element such as this causes the music video to appeal to it's target audiences as well as appealing to new audiences as the music video explores new and individual ideas.

Within the Video Games music video, mise en scene is incorporated further through the use of flashing cameras being used as iconography. This highlights the underlying meaning, concept and theme of the whole music video which is the idea of 'personal fame'. This highlights the idea that the artist isn't arrogant due to fame, and exploits the idea that everybody is important, whatever their profession or talent. This causes the video to contain more depth and provides the audience with a concept which is conventional to the indie genre.

Cinematography is explored deeply within the music video as there are constant close ups of Lana Del Rey included. This continuously promotes the artist through the video, which converts to Goodwin's theory. By adding these shots, the audience are able to view their idol as well as connect with her and the song. The artist builds a bond with her audience which is conventional to the indie genre, and almost tells a story, linking to the lyrics 'it's you, it's you, it's all for you'. In some clips, the artist is shown with a serious expression and others she is in more of a positive mood, portraying the initial meaning of the song, and how she's love struck and her life is complete now as she discusses how life is 'only worth living if somebody, is loving you'. This overall invites her target audience of females as she discusses a love story, which is stereotypical of this gender to enjoy. By looking deeply into the camera, the artist builds a connection with the audience and and learn more about her life.

Throughout the music video, a common element of cinematography used is mid shots. This shows continuous recognition of the artist and highlighting that Lana is sharing her emotions with the audience. These close ups occur through out the entire video, as after clips of flashbacks featuring past events, the camera jumps back to Lana, reminding viewers of the artist and her importance. This also causes the audience to look at the artist and have an involvement with the performance and storyline.

Goodwin's theory is explored within the video also, as there are parallels between the lyrics and visuals which is exploited through line 'holds me in his big arms' is played joint with a clip of a male helping his girlfriend into a car after a suspected party or event. This provides the lyrics with a deeper meaning and can show links to the artist's life, possibly highlighting that events such as this have occurred in her life. It is conventional of the indie genre for artists portray past events and memories from their own life to the audience, creating a connection.

This video also contains elements of mise en scene as highlighted previously, Lana is dressed in vintage clothing such as collared dresses and is shown through various close ups as styling her hair in a back combed fashion and wearing make up looks from a previous era such as the 60s with big eyes and nude lips. This takes the audience back to a previous time, and reflects the look of famous models and stars such as Audrey Hepburn. This creates a simply yet vintage look, which targets her female audience as they would want to achieve this look as well as intriguing males within the fan base. This over highlights the idea of reflection and re-branding previous items, and adapting them to the artist, which is extremely conventional of the indie genre.

Another element of mise  en scene is including within the video as the use of setting reflects the genre as a couple and other characters are shown around the beach and around the town creating memories. This highlights the theme of the song and message within the lyrics and exploits the genre as the setting is cheaper and creates a sense of meaning. It isn't luxurious and expensive like in rap or hip hop videos for example, therefore this element is conventional to the music genre. The use of this also relates to teenagers and young adults and appeals to them due to the typical teenage lifestyle included within these clips.

Lastly, elements that are true to life such as memories are explored through the use of editing as the clips appear slower as past events are shown on camera. This highlights their importance and the idea of the indie genre creating a reminiscent mood. This is also in sync include with another editing style within the music video as vintage 'sepia'/black and white' are added, causing the clips to look more authentic to the audience, like home videos, making them bond with the artist as this creates a sense of reality.

Within another of Lana's most popular songs 'Born to Die', there are elements that represent both the artist and the indie genre. This is explained by Dyer's star theory as Lana can be described as being a mixture of extraordinary and extraordinary. This is explored through the use of mise en scene as within the video  continuous clips of Lana wearing expensive clothes are included and highlighting stars from the 60s therefore, she is viewed as being privileged and leading a grand lifestyle however, she shows elements of her life and the idea of falling in love with the wrong man, which many members of her audience could relate to, especially her target audience being females. For example, in clips where she is alone, she wears a pure white dress and flowers in her hair however, when she is seen on camera with the male, she wears leather. This delves into her life and provides the audience with more information about her. Lana can be viewed as connecting with the audience through past experiences and creating the idea of a concept.

Goodwin's theory is followed through the use of a narrative throughout the video, as well as a concept and Lana portrays a woman in love that ends negatively and provides the audience that relationships aren't always positive, which involves her younger audience members. Dyer's theory links into this narrative as the audience can relate to the artist and relate to the concept and narrative she portrays. The artists portrays her own attitudes and values concerning the themes of love/relationships/heartbreak. As a large proportion of the target audience are females, the idea appeals to them the most causing them to agree with their idol's values, therefore connecting and building a relationship with her.

Mise en scene appears deeply within this music video, as whenever Lana is alone she is placed in a church or place of historical/religious features. This shows an element of purity and innocence, exploiting her character. However, when she is ever seen with the male/love interest, they are in and old car together or distressed field. This highlights the idea of her character being ruined through love which links to the lyrics 'sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough' These settings connote Lana's feelings and the audience can easily detect this and learn more about her life story and possibly relate to these events and emotions.

Further highlighting this point, the lighting is high key in the church however low key lighting is used when the couple are together new the middle and ending as signs of bright lighting appeared in the in the beginning. This shows that she would have been happier alone and first, the idea of hope is explored however, soon fades to darker, low lighting. This again explores the idea of a negative relationship and Lana connecting with her audience (influential teenage girls) through this technique.

This video again contains elements of Goodwin's theory as there are constant views of the artist, mostly through cinematography as close ups are used to identify the artist. This introduces the artist to the audience as Lana appears throughout the video. She is represented a unique through presentation due to replicating style of an older time for example, famous Hollywood movie stars for example, a white satin gown and curls in her hair. The use of a diverse image is conventional to the indie genre and promotes the artist in a positive light.

This music video is in the style of a narrative as Lana is in a relationship with a man she knows she should be with. This can be seen through cinematography as he lights a cigarette and she almost looks anxiously yet with a look of appreciation and love. This ties in with the style of concept as this is applied too, as the audience are introduced with an element or emotion from Lana and the idea that love is meant to make you strong (as she is sat on a throne with lions surrounding her) however, actually causes a person to become week, as seen in the zooming out clip at the end of an horrific image of the male carrying her dead body.

Overall, the conventions used in these successful videos from my chosen artists will influence me in creating my own music video. With this information, I am now aware of the aspects that Lana Del Rey includes within her video and how elements such as editing and cinematography can be applied to show conventions of the genre and show the artist in a certain light. I will be using some of these elements within planning and producing my own music video as I have analysed what elements make an indie video conventional, for example, the vintage editing style has become my main inspiration, which I will take on board from these videos.

Research into chosen music genre- Miss Georgiou

For our music video, we have chosen to use the song 'Blue Jeans' by Lana Del Rey with an RAC remix. We chose to mix two styles together to appeal to a wider audience. The genre is indie pop mixed with a house music remix. Indie pop is extremely popular within this genre as more and more indie artists are in the charts for example Ed Sheeran and Paloma Faith. This kind of music is extremely lyrical, making the songs more meaningful and if we wanted to fulfill a narrative or concept structure, we can use the lyrics to influence us. We all also thought that if we added a house remix of the song, it reaches a wider audience and makes the songs more enjoyable as some would say the original song is slow and 'depressing'. Within this post, I will be analysing two songs of the two genres used within our songs; indie and house.

The first song I will be analysing is Ellie Goulding's "How long will I love you" as it is the same style as Lana Del Rey and possesses the love song vibe as well as containing a slow beat, expressing the same ghostly/'depressing' sound as our artist's music.

The codes and conventions that are evident in this indie video are usually low key, with no elements that are extraordinary/expensive. This can be seen through the use of mise en scene within the setting of the town and the studio. The local town is extremely low key and inexpensive, and an 'everyday/casual' location will cause fans to bond with artist further as she becomes more relatable.


The use of these two different settings also provides elements of Dyer's Star Theory to the music video as the artist appears ordinary due to the use of the conventional town setting as well as appearing extraordinary because of the the use of a recording studio which promotes another part of her lifestyle which causes her to have depth and devoted to different parts of her lifestyle and also puts forward the idea that she puts in a lot of hard work as well as showing her fans her talent.



Linking to this, the music video is also filmed with a nokia phone camera, which is evident as it is shown through the video and by the use of the POV/hand held camera work. These elements again cause the artist to become relatable to fans as she uses technology that they use in everyday life. The iconography of the phone cause the video to become more personal as she films the male/love interest with the camera phone. This links to indie videos being diverse and inexpensive and containing a 'home video' element. The camera angles used by this phone also seem more personal and authentic. Overall, this shows codes and conventions of a typical indie video as it highlights a sense of narrative and reflects authentic life experiences and creates something different to other music videos from this genre.

Mise en scene is expressed further, providing the video with a casual vibe that relates to the audience. This can be seen through the use of costume as Ellie Goulding is dressed in casual clothes (a cardigan/jacket  and a beanie). This promotes the indie genre further as she becomes more relatable and ordinary as an artist. This also conforms to the indie genre as artists within this usually wear casual clothes that do not take attention away from the music. The look appeals to the audience as they can relate to this and the artist's everyday attire causes her to possess a 'girl next door' vibe which gives off an effortless look, showing that she doesn't try too hard and that making music is the focal point.






The sceneries within the music video are also shown through the use of cinematography as mid shots are used to show the room at the beginning. The artist is shown sat at the piano which links together the paradox of the star theory as she both ordinary as she is sat in a normal room in a house and is extraordinary due to her talents as an artist. This causes the audience to respect her and look up to her due to the talents that she possesses.


Next, the artist is shown throughout the video due to the use of cinematography as close ups are used to highlight the appearance of the artist. They also show/sell the artist to the audience. This links to Goodwin's theory as the artist appears throughout, promoting herself and her music. This causes her to become the focal point of the music video, promoting her image and crediting herself for the song and the video. This is conventional of the indie genre as artists are usually shown acting within their own videos. The use of this element excites the audience as they get to see their idol throughout the music video.

The instruments within the music video act as pieces of iconography as a piano and a guitar are used within the video including a microphone that the artist uses. These elements are conventional to the indie genre as these types of instruments link to the music that the artist creates, for example an acoustic guitar being the main instrument used within these songs and overall, being a theme within indie music.

The editing style of cross cutting is used to juxtapose between the narrative and performance. This again highlights her ordinary/everyday life and relationships and then her performing and recording in a studio. This allows her fans to see every part of her life. The fans/target audience to this video would be mostly females as this is a love song with meaningful lyrics which is stereotypical. However an extremely small group of this audience would be males as they are typically interested in "attractive", young females. As highlighted, the artist is represented as ordinary/extraordinary and appeals to the target audience as the filmed clips with in the video are relatable as she exposes the idea that she's a 'girl next door' type, gaining a larger audience.


This video also contains a number of elements of Goodwin's theory. The first are the links between lyrics and visuals for example, the line 'how long will I love you? 'as long as stars are above you' in synchronisation with clips portraying memories of a happy and fun relationship. The artist is showing moments of her life to her fans, by using this element which causes a bond between them.


Lastly, this music video includes another aspect of Goodwin's theory as the promotion of brands such Nokia and VW Golf are included which highlights this theory as artists typically promote other products by the use of close ups or having the brand in view within the video for more promotion purposes due to converging with other companies.

The next music video I will be analysing is 'My Love' by Route 94 which is an upbeat house track that possess the same style as the remix I will be selecting.

The first convention of the house genre that is included within this music video is the use of a heat recognition style. The use of this shows the conventions of the genre as bright colours are used, making the video more entertaining to watch and reflecting the club scene. These colours also link to the style to the song as all the maroon colours represent love and all of the colours highlight people's different emotions of the night, which causes fans (ie teenagers/party goers) to relate to these aspects that appear within the song.



Linking to this, mise en scene is featured as the music video contains the conventional setting of a club containing  drinking and dancing and a DJ playing the song. This again reaches the artist's target audience as older teenagers and young adults will relate to this feeling and experience. This location/environment gives of a positive atmosphere that relates to the beat of the song.


Mise en scene is featured again through the use of neon lighting within the club, which is extremely conventional within the house genre. Not only does this reflect the setting, but these colours also add to the beat and sound of the music and causes the club and overall music video more enjoyable and visually pleasing to the audience due to the bright colours and liveliness.


Cinematography is evident further within this music video as panning is used around the club setting to highlight different identities and actions. This again shows the liveliness of the club and is fitted to the song as the camera pans around the populated club to the beat. This also sets the scene for the audience as it is relatable and appeals to teenagers/young adults.




This video also contains elements of Goodwin's theory due to the promotion of the artist. This is evident through the use of cinematography as there are many close ups of the artist and panning around him. This shows that he is the centre of the whole club which highlights his importance within the video and the music industry and further promotes him and familiarises the artist to the audience.


Next, editing styles such as fast editing is used when the music picks up and jump cuts to events that happen around the club. This makes the video look more interesting and changes up the pace and look of the video, so that the visuals are changed up, causing the audience to enjoy what they are watching. The use of this is also conventional of the indie genre. This overall causes the audience to relate to the video and enjoy the layout as the target audience for this video/genre are older teenagers to young adults as the beat/sound creates a 'club life' vibe that the audience that these age categories can relate to. The audience bond with the artist also as he is represented as a typical male, quite ordinary and relatable especially males within the audience.

Next, Goodwin's theory is again covered within this video as there are links to the visuals and music as when the music speeds up, the scenes/editing becomes faster to represent the idea of a party/what occurs in clubs. Linking to the last point, the video becomes easier to follow as well as becoming more enjoyable as the use of this conforms to the house genre as the video sequence fastens up like the music. Linking to this theory, females also wears shorts and vest tops, showing off their bodies and highlighting typical club wear. This allows the audience to relate to the club scene. This shows a clear representation of voyeuristic images of females as they show of their body/wear revealing/short clothing. This is what is typically seen in clubs and causes the video to become even more relatable to the audience.

To conclude, I have found that the research that I have carried out will be extremely beneficial as I am more aware of the elements used within both indie and house genres of music and how to mix them together. These elements will assist me in planning my final music video and what conventions to use during production. I will use these videos as inspirations as they show elements of the genres that I will be using and I now possess the knowledge of what a successful music video should contain.

Target audience results- Miss Miller

Within this post I will be discussing how I approached my target audience. A target audience is a group of people in which an item (such as a song or film) is aimed at. To do this, I created questionnaires and interviewed a number of people. The questionnaire constructed needed to include seven open questions three closed questions to collect specific quantitative/qualitative data and needed to be filled out by forty members of the public to get a variety of responses. I can use these results to identify certain elements that people think are positive or negative within a music video and then apply some of them to my final product. I applied questions within the questionnaire that would help me pin point the types of elements my audience would want to see incorporated and will help produce a popular and well constructed music video. Below is is a copy of the questionnaire questions followed by the gathered results in pie chart form.

This question was created to find the gender of most of our target audience. These results show that more females were asked which links to our chosen artist (Lana Del Rey) as her target audience are largely made up of females as her songs incorporate the element of love, which women stereotypically prefer, therefore this group would become our target audience too, therefore gaining their opinion would work out positively for us. Males are still involved, which shows unbiased results and still gains their perspective as young, good looking females can be a smaller part of Lana's target audience.

Our next question asked what the member of the public's ages were, to discover what age range our target audience would fall under which we found to be 17-22. We applied this question to pin point an age range for our target audience. It is also evident that 99% of the answers came from the 11-22 age range therefore, we should take these ages into account as well as possibly making the video enjoyable for the 23-28  age group (2%) age groups also, to entertain 100% of the target audience an overall appeals to a wider audience. From this, we can discuss this through the production of the music video as we would need to confer want we apply this to music video for example, the level of explicity as we can discuss the use of this within our indie video as a large amount of our target audience are of a more mature age.

This question was created to gain our target audience's opinion on our chosen artist and as a way of discovering whether or not they like them. I believe that a question like this is important to have added to the questionnaire as we can identify if people will bond with our artist and if there's any real evidence to use her music within our music video. The results clearly show that our chosen target audience would like our chosen artist from half of the results being answered 'yes' therefore we can take a larger inspiration from Lana Del Rey's videos as her style is appreciated by many therefore, we could possibly adapt to this, fulfilling what half of our target audience want to see. Only 10% of the answers were a strict no. From these results we gained confidence in our ideas and believed that if she is a well liked and established artist, we can deliver this within our music video, gaining more attention and appreciation. However, as a group, we could change the minds of people that prefer not to listen to this artist, as we will mix the chosen song with a house remix and by creating a successful music video, showing the artist in a positive light which can overall make these people warm to our artist more, therefore we will take these opinion into consideration. 

As a group we had a few ideas in mind for example the use of a love story and how it effects our artist's life and were in need of discovering if the public would appreciate them and find them positive aspects to include within a music video. We wanted to create a narrative, and from this evidence we have found that the public believe that this can be delivered well within music videos and create an artist/audience bond, which is a positive tool as there would be a lack of point to a music video of the audience cared very little about the artist. However, most of the audience thought that adding in the idea of a concept to this would be interesting and cause a connection with the artist, therefore the group will take this on board and discuss this. Other answers included the themes of performance and the idea of a mixture, therefore the music video can be a narrative and clips of the artist singing with an ideology throughout thus creating a concept. All of these answers will be discussed however a narrative will be incorporated as this can be a positive tool in providing the audience with deeper knowledge on the artist and creating a connection.

As discussed in the last question, the group wanted to incorporate a love story and we wanted to identify whether this aspect was something that our target audience would want to see . From choosing the song and analysing the lyrics, the group discussed that this idea may be a constructive element to incorporate however, we needed the answers from the questionnaire to prove this. As Lana's audience are mostly women, as are 68% of this group, they answered yes. Which validated our idea and highlighted successful tools such as love stories and themes within music videos. The group will also take on the constructive comments on board such as showing more of the artist and touching upon the artist's true emotions and experiences to show her past relationships, which will provide the audience will what they want to see and create a bond between them and the artist.

In one of our first group meetings, we discussed that we wanted to use Lana Del Rey's music however use a remix as it would provide the audience with a more upbeat and entertaining sound and visuals. However, the group needed to be satisfied that our choices were clear and that our target audience would enjoy the song for the music video if the remix was applied. As Lana Del Rey plays indie music, all of us didn't connect with the original song, as we thought that it was too slow and an enjoyable music video couldn't be made from this. Therefore, we found the RAC remix of the chosen song 'Blue Jeans', which mixes Indie and House genres together thus appealing to 73% therefore, the group will be more confident that our ideas are appreciated and appeal to our audience so that we can make a successful music video that they will enjoy.

Evidently from the last question, we found that a large amount of people enjoyed indie and house music however, the group needed to know if these could be mixed to fit our chosen remix. I thought that this would be a valuable question to use as we have chosen not to use the song alone but to use a remix. I think that it is important to see how an audience would respond to that. Luckily over half of the answers believed that mixing to genres (in our case indie and house) would be a positive idea. However, 30% of the answers were 'other' therefore they were not completely against the idea therefore, if we choose a successful remix and make a successful video for it, they may prefer this new product. Overall, the answers gathered provides the group with confidence and lets us know that our initial idea can be put forward. 

When creating a music video it is important to discover what your audience want to see incorporated and to gain direct ideas from your target audience on different types of elements they'd prefer to see added. Conventions that the audience prefer to see should be discussed within planning and included within the production of the final music video. I will look at including the three most popular answers to appeal to a wider audience. Luckily, a narrative of the artist's life and a love story are aspects that are enjoyed and are conventional within the indie genre. The use of a performance is also touched upon therefore we should look at including this however, should not make this the main aim as only 10% of the audience wanted this included. Saying this, 10% of the audience answered 'other' therefore wanting to see different conventions to these, providing us with the knowledge that we can add more conventions than this to create a stronger music video and appealing to even more audience members.

It is equally important to discover what elements the audience deem negative and what they wouldn't want to see in a music video. As we are creating a narrative, which reflects what the audience want to see, we have also found that it should not be confusing and difficult to follow therefore, we will make this interesting but not overly complicated. As well as this, dependent on the audience's age range and the idea of a love story, there should be a lack in explicit clips which I think is a positive aspect as personally, I dislike explicit actions within music videos. Linking to this, lack of alcohol and drug use will make the video more available to a wider audience as it would be less likely to be placed after the 9pm watershed. As a group, we will take all of these comments into consideration and apply them within production.

Lastly, the group needed to know answers to questions such as this to identify the characterisation that the audience would be interested in. It is conventional of both the indie and house genre to promote the artist and we gained the same response from the audience. Therefore, we will discuss making the artist thee main focus of the video through elements such as close ups and the narrative of the video so that the audience can follow the artist's journey, causing the audience to become more interested in her lifestyle thus creating a deeper bond. A majority of the answers also hinted at the use of male and female characters which implies the adaptation of a love story or relationship which the group wanted to create from the beginning. 

I then used this questionnaire to create vox pops, asking five people of mixed genders these questions. These were used to gain data and more evidence and allowed us to obtain opinions and in depth reasons for their decisions as they were given the option (mostly with open questions) to express their point of view concerning the questions asked. Overall, vox pops are necessary to have as I will gain a more in depth response as they aren't limited in their speech, and there is no time frame therefore, the can speak as detailed and for as long as they prefer. It can also be said that, questionnaires can be planned however, unstructured interviews such as these interviews reflect true answers as they are unpredictable and aren't planned therefore the participants are free to speak their mind which will make answers more reliable and useful. These interviews are included below.

Following this, the group researched into youth subcultures. Subcultures are a group of people who are integrated through a common item such as music. These can be considered groups that prefer to go against the mainstream and social norms. We then identified all of the sub cultures and their views and chose the one that applies to us the most which is Grant McCracken's theory. He believes that in the post-modernist society, it is full of diversity, creativity and dynamism. And by analysing the array of values, it cannot be said that all subcultures come from one big culture. Therefore all styles of music are different, and cannot be the same as the values within other genres.This appeals to us as we are analysing different genres and merging them, therefore we need to identify all subcultures within indie and house and although our results allow us to merge these genres, and this is something that our audience would like to see, we need to appreciate that the genres aren't the same therefore we need to discover the conventions of both and discuss how they can be inflicted within the final product. The indie and house genre add to this by raising the idea of a mainstream as it can be said that indie music can typically go against it however, Ed Sheeran, an indie artist is extremely popular and an artist that is high in the charts, linking to house music, a commercial genre. Therefore, it can be argued that a mainstream does not exist on some levels. I will use this overall theory within my music video as it should contain diverse and creative elements therefore, I will look at other diverse music video and analyse what makes the different and individual.

Overall, I believe that this research proved extremely helpful as we were able to view first hand, what our audience would want incorporated. The questionnaire is a positive way to gain data as we were able to ask our audience specific questions that linked to our ideas we had for our music video and if the audience agreed or disagreed. Then, the interviews provided us with greater detail and knowledge as members of the public were able to discuss their ideas thoroughly.

Initial group planning ideas- Miss Georgiou

For this project, my group members are Vasil Nikilov and Ayesha Bhatti. During our first group meeting, we discussed what song we wanted to create a music video for. We all agreed on choosing an artist from the indie genre, as well all enjoyed this style and believed that we could create a diverse and interesting video for this specific genre of music. We then created mind map containing a range of artists from that genre and then a range of songs that we'd like to create a music video for. Ayesha and I's first choice was the band The 1975, however all members play an instrument therefore, characters and artists would be more difficult to find and some songs are revolved around drugs therefore and we didn't want to portray explicit themes to our audience. Therefore, we researched other artists that provided music that linked to the ideas we already had. Our final choice was the artist Lana Del Rey, and after reading over many songs, we believed that 'Blue Jeans' possessed interesting lyrics that included hidden meanings. However, we believed that the song sounded to bleak, and that we couldn't create a successful music video from this original sound, therefore we found an RAC remix from 'BigReleases' a YouTube account. 

The group then printed out the lyrics of our chosen song which we annotated. We analysed each lyric to uncover hidden meanings. From these meanings, we noted down micro elements that could be incorporated into the music video for example we gathered from the lyrics 'caught up in the game that was the last I heard' linked to idea of money and that the male interest was obsessed with this more than the artist. We analysed like this until we gathered most ideas for our music video. 

In another group meeting, we discussed ideas to find what elements we wanted to apply to our music video and what style should be included for example performance, narrative or concept. The group decided that we should create a narrative as the lyrics tell a story of an event in the artist's life which we thought would be interesting to convey. This then unintentionally created the idea of a concept, as there is an underlying theme of negative relationships, especially teenagers in relationships which we found to be our target audience, especially females. The narrative we want to convey is the artist meeting a male for the first time, and a series of flashbacks to where the couple were happier and she lived life positively, including the couple at bars and on dates. Present day scenes will be added to show the artist upset and distraught, hinting at the idea of a break up. We then find through the lyrics 'caught up in the game' that her lover is obsessed with money, and he leaves her before is habit, after abusing her. At the end of the video, she realises that she is obsessed with him and can't forget about his therefore, with the lyrics 'I will love you till the end of time' she kills herself, showing that she will still love him after death. We then created a mind map, adding elements such as mise en scene, artist representation, artist representation, cinematography, editing and style of music video. From this, we made an outline of what we would like to be included.

Mise en scene-
We have decided to use high key lighting whenever she thinks about positive memories such as their dates, and low key lighting when she is alone in her room. This is conventional of the indie genre as well as creating a bond with the audience. The artist will be wearing vintage, romantic and feminine outfits through out, which appeals to her female audience and also brings back fashion from an earlier time. However, when the artist is upset and distraught she wears his old t shirt, which is upsetting and females can relate to this if they have ever been through the same event.

Artist representation-
The artist is represented as being very relatable and down to earth as portrays a negative time in her life to the audience, causing them to bond with her. The artist is also wearing 60s fashion throughout and the whole video is very relatable and true to the indie genre as she isn't seen in luxurious places or branded clothing, which highlights that she is both ordinary and extraordinary, much like Dyer's paradox.

Cinematography-
A large amount of POV/hand held camera work will be features through out, mostly within flash back sequences. This shows the video involves the audience which makes this more personal, which involves a bond with the artist and is conventional to the indie genre. However, in present day shots, she will be shown through high angles to portray her as powerless and weak after appearing strong in love in previous clips. This causes the female audience members to feel empathy for the artist as well as relate to her.

Editing-
Slow editing will be used through the more emotional scenes, to build a bond with the audience and is conventional of the indie genre as the editing can be used to reflect the artist's emotions and causing the audience to relate to what she's feeling. On the other hand, faster editing will be used during the poker scene, to build up tension before the abusive scene, which will be the scenes more exhilarating to the audience. After this, a shot reverse shot will be used to show her reaction to the memories that have taken place and she is sharing, this is to build an emotional relationship with the audience.

Goodwin's theory- 
The group have agreed that we will follow the elements used within a conventional indie music video and will follow a narrative and concept. There will also be a strong link between music and visuals within poker scene as fast editing of the scenes will fit the fast beat of the music, to build tension and excitement. The video will also feature link between the visuals and the lyrics, this will keep the audience interested in the narrative. Well the lyrics 'blue jeans why shirt, walked into the room you know you made my eyes burn' occur, the love interest will be identified wearing this costume and meeting the artist for the first time. An extreme close up follows of the artist's eye, which shows the male's importance as well as creating a bond with the audience as she looks into the camera lense. Close ups of the artist will follow, promoting her and causing her to become the main focus of the whole video. 

Target audience- 
The target audience for my music video will be aged between 16-28, to highlight the mature relationship to people in this age catergory that have probably gone through the same event. Females will take up a large proportion of the target audience due to the stereotypical theme of love and heart break.

Continuing on from this, we each interviewed members of the public and peers to discover their opinions on our ideas. From our questionnaire results we have found that a love story is a positive element to incorporate therefore, we can go forward with our idea. Also, we found that the audience would enjoy a mix of styles, which would make our indie remix a success. The group then began to pull all ideas together. We did this by watching music videos of songs we enjoy for example, I chose 'Robbers' by The 1975 and 'Goodnight Moon' by go Radio. We all agreed that a love story should be applied and we can do this by a series of flashbacks. To gain more inspiration, we looked over the lyrics of the song and attracted visuals to them for example the lyric 'but you were chasing, paper, caught up in the game that was the last I heard' we came up with a plan to make the love interest a gambler, who loves his girlfriend but is more so obsessed with money. From our ideas, we created a story board that we followed through filming. .

Meetings and discussions were important to carry out as the group were able to compare individual ideas to create our final idea for the music video. Each group member carried out their own research around our artist and genre. We then all created our own ideas before comparing them as group. This became a successful aspect as a mixture of ideas created a stronger narrative and final music video. In previous posts, we have all each analysed music videos from our chosen genre which meant all discovering different conventions and characteristics and how to appeal to our target audience. When each group member had their own idea, we combined them which was easier to do. This is because some ideas were similar and others could be adapted to fit the narrative.

After analysing lyrics and creating a final storyboard, the whole group agreed on a final idea. We wanted to created a conventional indie video in the style of a narrative to appeal to our diverse target audience and possibly a wider audience as indie videos are unique therefore, more people can gain interest. From analysing the lyrics, we all wanted to involve the idea a love story that included the artist and would revolve around the lyrics 'I will love you till the end of time' to show sadness due to the end of a relationship and foreshadowing the death of the artist, as she would love him after death. We evolved this idea by making the attatched grid containing elements such as mise en scene and editing that we wanted to include within the video. We then added our finalised ideas on to a storyboard that the group would follow when filming, causing this to run efficiently. 

Overall, I believe that the group worked well together, and all bought positive ideas in order to create and music video that would appeal to our chosen target audience. The group meetings overall made production run smoothly as we all communicated our ideas well and created our plans as clearly as possible.