Storyboard

Digipak Analysis

An Awesome Wave

alt-J’s album artwork on An Awesome Wave is a multi-layered radar image of the Ganges river delta in Bangladesh. The layers of multiple colours represent the background radiation occurring between the three acquisition times by the European Space Agency’s Encisat Earth-observing satellite. The psychedelic array of colours is suggestive of the musical content and could represent the moods it creates. It appears abstract initially and doesn’t present any text or titles to offer any information about the band or the genre. While most artists’ products are quick to recognise due to them including their names on the cover, alt-J leave only the artwork for the consumers to interpret what kind of band they are and the type of music they produce. When familiarised with the band, people can begin to associate this unique artwork with the album. 

The back cover also doesn't present the name of the band. However, the names of the tracks in the album are provided. The style and colour theme are quite minimalistic in comparison to the complex details and vibrancy on the front cover of the album. The track is presented with no definite order with only small hearts to separate some of the titles, coming away from the conventional layout of a number ordered track list. They seem to be placed somewhat thoughtlessly on the page seeing as they couldn't fit "Tesselate" on one line. At first glance, viewing this is uncomfortable but aesthetically everything sits in place. The back includes the name of the record label, along with their logo, credits of producers and a barcode, which is conventional of any album. 




For their deluxe version they used the same artwork and inverted the colours. For the loyal followers of the band, this will be quick to recognise as they have stayed true to the original artwork of their album.

The origami version of the album features a pop-up folded disk slot. As it opens, the pocket unfolds to reveal the disk which can then be removed. This version outsold the original standard casing.

Minimalism seems to be a conventional style within the indie rock genre. "Less is more" resonates from these album covers, letting the artwork themselves speak for the artists and their music. A noticeable trend in this genre is also the absence of any text or titles on the cover, leaving only artwork which is usually fairly minimal.

From left to right: The xx - xx, Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!, Arctic Monkeys, AM

Target Audience Outline

My target audience are most likely to be:
> teenagers - young adults
> in education, most likely taking a subject revolved around the arts
> likely to play an instrument like a guitar, drums etc
> style of clothing similar to the artists in their music videos, e.g. dark clothing, skinny jeans, checked flannels, Dr Martens, Converse etc
> has music on the go available on a portable media platform, e.g. iPod, phone 
> interest in minor body modifications

They will most likely look and dress like this:  

 

As indie rock bands and artists tend to start their careers by posting their content online and building their image through social medias, teenagers who largely make up the audience that uses these platforms, would be the first to encounter their music. 

Bands and artists who refer to themselves as 'indie' are typically different from the norm/mainstream music artists in the way they present themselves and the style of their music. I feel that teens and young adults are attracted to this type of unique sound and image thus making up a majority of the indie rock genre's demographic.

Their most likely occupations tend to be in retail, a music store or a small cafe. This genre of music would be likely to play at these sites.

Obtaining Rights

Here is the email I sent the manager of the band's record label requesting the rights to the music I want to use in my video.

The Male Gaze

The male gaze (by Laura Mulvey) is the theory that a concept of a production is specially structured for the pleasure of the heterosexual male viewer. This notion is enforced by which women are objectified and sexualised in almost all forms of media. We are exposed to this type of material to the excess that society has become desensitised to it and has developed to be a part of our culture. As the entertainment industry is male dominant, we as an audience typically experience a film from a heterosexual male’s perspective. 





Indie Rock is a male-dominated genre. However, the music videos are reasonably gender neutral; a refreshing contrast to rap/hip hop/RnB. For the most part, when nudity is present in indie rock music videos it portrays itself as a form of artistic expression. 




A good example of this is Alt-J’s track, Fitzpleasure, featuring Miley Cyrus with nothing but duct tape to conceal what is considered to be sexual parts of her body. Some people view this as art but this can be challenged by how she presents herself in this video. Her movements and positions are fairly suggestive, which proposes the idea that it is adapted to meet the male gaze.

Music Video Analysis: Daughter - Still

Mise En Scene

>Limited sources of lighting is used for the entirety of the video. The opening scene is illuminated with a streetlight, followed by a room dimly lit with a lamp and "natural lighting" from the moon coming in from the windows

>The moon creates an almost unnatural shade of blue which softly illuminates select furniture and people in the room. This could suggest that the highlighted subjects could hold some sentimental value/significance.

>The contrast in the colour themes is introduced to the viewers as the woman is first portrayed in a warm yellow, contradicting the cold blue hue the man is set in. It shows the polar opposites of their personalities, the colours and tones clash. The blue connotes depression, its unnatural shade could suggest confusion, representative of the state their relationship is in.

>The lighting creates a gloomy atmosphere, a visual reflection of the music

Editing

>The sharp cuts interrupt the flow of the video, occasionally cutting away to a shot of the band, Daughter, playing on the TV showing elements of a performance music video within a narrative.

>The video is slow paced but doesn't appear to be manipulated post-filming and rather the subjects appear to be moving with weight, suggesting that they could be heavy with guilt and/or sadness. 

Camera

>Close ups on the woman's face is frequent throughout the video, showing subtle changes to her expression as she enters the house.

>Extreme close ups lingered and sustained shots on the desirable parts of the woman's body as she undresses. This suggests that the video could be tailored for the male gaze. This supports Mulvey's theory

>CU shot on the picture frame of the couple, defocuses after a second possibly representing the way their relationship abruptly went downhill

Sound

>Diegetic and non-diegetic sounds: the diegetic sounds that overlaps with the music directly involves the audience (music plays over sound of keys in door), allowing them to also relate to the characters

>The video begins with the singular sound of the woman's footsteps on the stairs, suggests that she could be lonely. This idea is later enforced when the man is introduced

>The pace of the video remains consistently slow, matching the song's tempo.