Deconstruction of Our Chosen Song

The below image shows how we deconstructed the song, taking apart each verse to see where the lyrics started and began in relation to the music. By doing this it allows us to try and fit a narrative within certain sections of the song that relates to the music and lyrics. It will also be beneficial during the editing process because we can more efficiently cut to the beat.

Communication With the Artist

I first contacted the artist through email, asking for permission to use the song "Candles" in our music promo- the below screenshot is the email I sent to her.

After receiving no response from the email I decided that it would be better to try and contact her through Facebook, a platform that she uses more often to promote her music. This is the message that I sent to her on Facebook, asking if we could use "Candles"

After not receiving another response from this message we have decided to use the song anyway because we really like the style. If the artist does contact us in the meantime telling us we cannot use her song, we would have to change it.

After these messages were sent we decided to use another one of her songs called "Gem", but we felt it wasn't necessary to message her since she didn't respond to our earlier messages. I have bought the song on iTunes so we can later use it in our music video.

Production Roles

Vox Pop Analysis

Question 1: What basic qualities do you enjoy in a music video?

"I enjoy narrative and performance"
"Seeing what stories they come up with"
"I like to see a lot of performance, particularly if it's flamboyant"
"It has to be really good recording, and good equipment so there's a clear image"
"If it's entertaining and keeps me wanting to watch it"
"Something a bit different that I've not seen before"
"Something that grabs my attention and is memorable"
"Something that's eye-catching and keeps your attention all the way through"

From the responses from question one it is evident that people want a music video that draws their attention and keeps them watching. Most people want this to be achieved through a combination or both performance and narrative and it's important that the videos are clear and good quality. Many people like the creative nature of music videos and enjoy the stories along with the music. To address this, I will create a creative music video with a heavy narrative that fully explains the lyrics in an interesting visual way.

Question 2: What style of music video do you like, narrative or performance?

"Both"
"Both, but I prefer the narrative"
"More performance, I don't like talking at the front"
"Narrative because you can get more into the video when it tells the story of the lyrics"
"Narrative"
"Narrative, but possibly a mixture of both. A purely performance one wouldn't interest me"
"Performance"
"Narrative"

The majority of the people surveyed like music videos with a heavy narrative and a performance element. Some people preferred performance only or narrative only, but with the majority on including both I need to create a music video that has elements of both in, all tied together to make it seem sophisticated.

Question 3: When you think of the indie genre, what comes to mind?

"Acoustic guitars, countryside and homely locations"

"Laid back and relaxing"

"The Stone Roses"

"Small scale bands, like The Little Comets"

"Alternative rock, stuff that people don't normally listen to"

"Interesting visual style, something memorable that I haven't seen before"

"A lot of guitars, very bright and creative"

"More casual than most genres, lots of guitars"

The broad range of answers here shows how the indie genre is perceived differently to everyone, and that there are so many sub genres and hybrid genres within it, it's almost impossible to classify. To tackle this issue, I need to look at the answers people gave and try and incorporate as many of the conventions possible in order to fit people's perspectives on the genre.

Question 4: How do you usually discover your music, print or web?

"The web, on YouTube"

"Usually on YouTube"

"From music websites, and going to festivals"

"Mostly the web"

"Online"

"Definitely web"

"Web"

"Web"

Everyone said that they discover their music through the internet, so my digipack must be digitally based in order to appeal to most people. Some people went into specifics and said that they often discover their music through YouTube, so it makes sense to upload my music video to the site as it will gain more popularity and views.

Question 5: What's your favourite music genre?

"Indie or alternative"

"Mostly pop, bit of rock as well"

"Rock, and a bit of pop"

"Indie"

"Classic rock"

"Dance and electronic, indie a little bit"

"R&B"

"Indie"

Many people said that indie and rock were their favourite genres- this displays a move away from pop being the dominant mainstream genre and may suggest that the 'unconventional' music is in fact becoming standard. It also goes to show how radically tastes have changed and that more people want music with meaning rather than just a catchy tune. I believe that because I've chosen to do an indie song it will be quite popular with a lot of people.

Genre

Natalie Lungley

Genre is a term used to describe the typical conventions in a media or literature product. Genre is classified by these different conventions and the combinations from which they are arranged into. For example; Natalie Lungley is an indie/alternative artist, this is a genre that covers a wide range of different artists and concepts. Generally alternative artists derive their sound from folk or from singer/songwriter music, and they gather their inspiration from various different sources, such as Nirvana, the Beatles and Pink Floyd. The alternative genre is very broad, and it changes depending on who the artist is inspired by. Lana Del Rey is an alternative artist that is heavily inspired by names such as Amy Winehouse, Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. Her diverse range of inspirations and her fascination with old Hollywood has given her a very unique sound and style that many people inspire to. Lana Del Rey markets herself as the modern day Monroe, copying various performances of hers. Below there are two images taken from Monroe's and Del Rey's performances of "Happy Birthday Mr President".

Marilyn Monroe performing "Happy Birthday Mr President"

 

Lana Del Rey performing "Happy Birthday Mr President"

The alternative genre is so broad that it doesn't have much of a target audience. Natalie Lungley however is part of a sub genre of singer/songwriters who primarily target people in their mid teens to early thirties. On the socio-economic scale I believe the target audience would be in the range of E-C because many of her listeners are young, and may not have a job or are just starting out in their careers. The alternative genre overall is probably more appealing to western caucasians because a lot of the artists and lyrical content are aimed towards them, rather than other ethnic groups. The alternative genre can also be enjoyed by any gender, but it may become more specific depending on sub genre, for example alternative rock would be more appealing to males because of the aggression of the music and lyrics. The sound of the alternative genre is again dependant on the sub genre. Del Rey's music is very slow with muted vocals and dark lyrics often relating to drugs and Hollywood, on the other hand My Chemical Romance's songs are fast and upbeat, using a lot of rocks guitars and vocals that link into the rock genre. The lyrics of MCR's songs however are very typically alternative, talking about depression and self loathing.

Lana Del Rey

To be an alternative artist you have to have a unique quality to your content that no one else has created before and show a certain rebellion against the mainstream culture of the time. This becomes the selling point for the artist and every one of their songs would be recognisable as them because of the style they’re created in. The alternative genre has emerged fairly recently as an amalgamation of many different musical styles and in the past few years it has increased in popularity rapidly. Alternative artists tend to target a very specific audience who don’t want to listen to the usual mainstream music that a lot of artists create. The alternative genre tends to be very meaningful and every song has well thought out lyrics and concepts that usually reflect the artists feelings or emotions on a matter of personal subjects. The personal nature of the alternative genre appeals to many because it allows the audience to step into the artist’s shoes and understand what they are feeling, and it allows people to relate to the concepts that are suggested.

My Chemical Romance

One very popular alternative artist was the band My Chemical Romance. This band was very popular throughout the thousands and into the present, although they disbanded in 2013 to follow different musical paths. One of the successes of MCR was how their music could be related to by so many. A lot of their concepts were dark and talked about personal issues such as depression, self harming, loneliness and heartbreak. All of the songs were written, based on the experiences of the band members which made all of the lyrics believable. By writing songs with experiences and feelings they’ve gone through, it made it easier for them to talk about it in interviews and connect with fans on a more personal level. This is the key difference between alternative bands and mainstream ones, they always talk about things that matter to people, and the music they create is from the heart, so they come across as genuine people.

Nirvana's "Nevermind" album

Alternative songs don’t really garner much popularity on mainstream radio and TV because they’re not considered catchy or fun compared to pop or rap songs. One exception was Nirvana, who’s breakthrough album “Nevermind” soared to the top of the charts in the 90s with songs, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Come As You Are”. This was a turning point for the alternative genre that saw many more artists coming onto the mainstream scene and gathering more popularity. Nirvana was also the first band to bring together the alternative genre into a form that could be described and classified and it bridged the gap between various different forms of music that make up the genre. From that point onwards the alternative genre expanded from its rock inspired roots to cover a range of music from folk to dance, each artist having a unique element that separates them from the rest, but still falling under the same category of artists that didn't want to conform to the norms of the mainstream at the time.

Regina Spektor is another indie artist with a very individual sound and image. Coming from a mixed background of Russian and American heritage her musical inspirations are derived from classical roots, which she explored at a young age. Spektor's musical style has matured from her early years, leaning towards a more pop sound. She is often described as anti-folk and her songs have an iconic jazzy sound to them which is often overlooked in modern music. Spektor became a prominent figure in the alternative genre after a few breakthrough tracks for movies, such as "The Call" for 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian' and "You've Got Time" for 'Orange is the New Black'. Spektor's latest album "What We Saw from the Cheap Seats" is her most popular yet, and could possibly be described as her most adventurous. Many of the tracks are littered with interesting lyrical twists and violent pauses in the music which adds an immense sense of drama and personality. The album is also relatable on a personal level to many people, as the songs and even the title hint at a sense of normality. "What We Saw from the Cheap Seats" suggests that she doesn't have enough money to pay for the VIP seats or even that she doesn't want to, and she's comfortable with living like everybody else. This is an important factor of the alternative genre, making sure that it's relatable to everyone, and it gives a deeper connection to the audience no matter their background.

Regina Spektor's style

Spektor's latest album 

Natalie Lungley

Biography

Natalie Lungley is an unsigned English singer/songwriter who co produces covers and original music with her brother Matt Lungley. Lungley grew up in South London and garnered her musical influences from bands such as Nirvana and Pixies, this subsequently influenced her current music which is very alternative. Lungley developed a passion for photography at a very young age and became fascinated with creators of mythical and fantasy worlds, leading to her taking photos of nature and seeing a deep beauty all around her. Lungley is a very introspective and private person and the idea of uploading a video of her singing to the internet had never occurred to her. This changed when her brother, who is a singer-songwriter and producer heard her singing in her bedroom, and he persuaded her to upload a cover song to YouTube. She did so, not expecting much of a response, but the video gathered a lot of support and soon she was uploading regularly, building up a fanbase. Since then, Matt and Natalie have started writing and producing music together and she has released her debut EP, with a self produced music video for each track. Lungley's fanbase responded very well to the music videos, praising them for their general aesthetic and nature inspired themes. The success of "The Whitewall Sessions" has spurred Lungley to create more music and she's touching an even wider audience.

Artist/Song Choice

The song we chose is "Gem" which is an alternative ballad with very subtle dark undertones. The musical style is very similar to that of Lana Del Rey, another artist that our group is interested in. We actually stumbled across one of Lungley's cover videos whilst watching Del Rey's "Born to Die". We like the jazzy, gloomy theme of the music and the retro 60s, nature inspired themes. We were heavily inspired by Del Rey's music video style, which looks like old film footage from old Hollywood and we felt that Lungley's songs would go perfectly with this image. We could imagine a scene on a sunset beach, wind blowing through the actresses' hair whilst she performed the song and we felt that that the video style would intertwine with the sound of the music very well.

Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness"

Musical Genre and Artist Persona

Natalie Lungley is an indie artist, but she is unique within this diverse genre, with her songs sounding dark and dramatic as opposed to folky like much of the indie genre. Lungley's voice and lyrics echo in a haunting, but calm manner as opposed to the general upbeat and cheery sound of mainstream music. We interpret the lyrics to be about an abusive relationship, with the line "I can see too much hate in your eyes." It could represent a different element to a relationship though such as a breakup or an argument, with the line "And walk away 'cause you've done wrong." The vintage style of the video and the lonely setting emphasises the sombre nature of the song and hints to her introspective nature. Lungley's EP cover has a very simple design, but it pays homage to her interest in nature, with a typography that's woven with vines and leaves. Lungley has a very niche audience with an approximate age range of mid teens to early thirties. I believe that the music would appeal to both genders, as it's very unique in it's styling and lyrical content as opposed to boybands or rap. A lot  of the lyrics are relatable and can be interpreted in many different ways, meaning that the music could invoke different emotions on everyone.

Glogster talking about target audience