Sundara Karma 'Flame' Music Video Deconstruction

Sundara Karma - 'Flame' Music Video Deconstruction:

Band Background Analysis:

Sundara Karma are signed to RCA Records. RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of SME's three flagship record labels, alongside Columbia Records and Epic Records.

Retrieved from Wikipedia, 19th September 2017: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_Records

Lyric Deconstruction: 

The song is based on Plato's Allegory of the Cave, whereby the allegorical meaning depicts that a dark cave suggests that the contemporary world is full of ignorance. Within the allegory, people are chained to the cave unable to see the light, these people are symbolic of people in an ignorant world. The raised wall is symbolic of the limitation of our thinking, as we do not think outside of the box, or metaphorically 'over the wall', in order to escape the ignorant life we lead in a consumer based material world. The lyrics and video depicts how we are brainwashed as a population to follow obscene values, believing they are of importance. In an interview lead singer Oscar stated: "It is the perfect visual representation and emphasises the real message of the song. We are basically commenting on the whole post-modern reality that we find ourselves living in... The Matrix. Where adverts, politicians, the war on drugs, terrorism, consumerism, mass production, celebrity culture, social networks etc are the shadows that permeate our walls - and we all buy into it. We have grown up being forced to believe that these things have true value and that it's the only reality accessible to us. The video reflects this idea in more of a day to day light, a way in which practically all of us can relate to."

Interview retrieved from http://www.clashmusic.com/videos/sundara-karma-flame on 20th September 2017

Deconstruction:

0:00 - 0:18: 

The video begins with the visuals of static (typical old-fashioned TV static) before a fade to black transition, which quickly cuts to a close-up pan shot from right to left. The angle of the camera frames only the shoulders of its actors. Other straight-cut displays a mid-shot of the family, revealing their identities, as they tilt their heads from side to side. The shot slowly zooms out to reveal a wider span of the room, as cups move their way through the living room on a conveyer belt. There is a straight cut to a vintage industrial looking clip of chimneys pumping out thick black clouds. 

0:18 - 0:40:

At 0:22, the viewer receives their first view of the band, through the use of a mid-shot of band's lead singer Oscar Pollock, in a new location surrounded by TV'S with static masks. A zoom in transition is used to switch between various old-fashioned, grainy shots of people dancing before a straight cut reveals the same shot of the family shaking their heads from side to side. A disorientating mid canted angle shot of one of the band members playing a 'prop' musical instrument (guitar) establishes the performance element of the video. Close-up shot of the lead singer before cutting to a wider mid-shot of the whole band. 

0:40 - 1:30:

Constant use of close-up shots which then straight cut transition to a wider angle shot of the same action occurring, but highlighting the mise-en-scene of the video, which prior wasn't within the frame or couldn't be seen due to a shallow depth of field. The mid/long-shot of the family shaking their heads is repeated multiple times, before one element of the shot is altered, for example at 1:19, 1:25 and 1:28 one of the band members joins the family replacing the family members, wearing identical clothing. This is followed by a straight cut to an old-fashioned video of women in no clothing; adhering to the view that women are often overly-sexualised in media artefacts. This sexualisation of women within music videos or media is known as Voyeurism. 

1:30 - 2:10: 

Various mid-shots of the family as household objects (e.g. toothbrushes are passed along the conveyor belt), with straight cuts between the media they are watching. 

2:10 - 3:48:

As the climax and pace of the song increases shot length decreases. A panning close-up shot from right to left has been used to mirror the first introductory shot of the family, however, instead the band members have taken their place (3:31). At 3:39, there is a mid-shot of the family, with the camera slowly zooming in before the shot's fade in a crossfade transition to a final long-shot of a multitude of TV's; whereby the family are watching the inserted vintage clips from the entirety of the music video. This is used as a metaphor for Plato's Cave Analogy, as they are simply consuming what propaganda is being fed to them.

The music video has a total of 133 shots, between two distinctive locations. 

Mise-en-scene:

Location: There are two locations within the music video: the living room and the simplistic warehouse where the band perform. The living room features natural lighting, to emphasise the natural lighting that shines into a living room during the day, which makes the set feel more homely in coherence with the warm-toned wallpaper and bright yellow sofa. The clock within the foreground of the living room is used to display passing time, and how the families monotonous life of actions continues in a cycle. The decor of the living room doesn't reflect the time period in which the video was filmed in, instead appearing similar to the decor from the early 70's, perhaps elucidating that the family are old-fashioned in their viewpoints. The layout of the room with the sofa and coffee table purposefully displays that the family are constantly consuming information from their TV, which feeds them biased propaganda. The viewpoint of the camera is positioned in the placement of where the TV would be, highlighting how transfixed they are. 

Oscar wearing skinny jeans and a striped long sleeve top

Costume: The costumes for the narrative element of the video are highly minimalistic, with each member of the family wearing jumpers with muted block colours. (Light blue, red, green and white) The costumes represent the plain lifestyle they are living, whilst also being very conservative. The bright red and white that the two women are wearing connote the difference between innocence and danger, which are connotations that are stereotypically attributed to women. In juxtaposition, the band are wearing items of clothing that are highly current mimicking what the youth of today would wear, which makes their band appear highly relatable to their target audience (Teenagers and young adults aged 17-25). The lead singer is also wearing black skinny jeans; which is a common costume for indie music videos. He is also wearing a black and white striped long sleeved t-shirt. The pattern of this t-shirt connotes the stereotypical exaggerated robber - which makes him appear daring and controversial as he is making a statement about society through the highly controversial meaning of the song and alluding that society has been metaphorically robbed of our individuality by the reality we live in. 

Digipak and Promotional Poster Deconstruction - Sundara Karma

Digipak Deconstruction, Sundara Karma - Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect:

Front Panel:

The dark blue monochrome themed casing of the CD again provides an indication to their indie rock style of music. Similarly, their choice to use a centred graphic design in prominence and small titles in either corner of the CD, displaying their band name, highlights the importance of the music over the self-indulgent artist. The design highlights, in particular, lead singer Oscar Pollock's, self-expression with the design seemingly abstract and open to interpretation. The holographic disk itself is highly visually appealing and appears a variety of colours in different lights. One could also assimilate that the holographic CD had been chosen to metaphorically represent the bands logo and name (which is a sun) by reflecting and creating beams of light not too dissimilar from the sun.

Inside Panel and CD:

It could be noted that the band have chosen to include photographs of themselves within the album cover booklet; as evidenced through the photograph of the bassist within a haze of cigarette smoke. The cover booklet stereotypically contains information about the band, therefore if a fan choses to buy the album they can listen and appreciate the music and then find out about the artist post listening to the album to avoid subjectivity; reaffirming the view that the indie genre is mostly about highlighting the importance of music. These images are highly colloquial, as if the artist was blissfully unaware that they were being captured, which creates an element of normalcy to the band and makes them more relatable to their audience, as they are simply just ordinary friends enjoying themselves and following their passions. The black leather jacket, as worn by the bassist in the photograph, could be seen as 'standard uniform' for members of indie bands, as this is a recurring stylistic choice that you can see in many indie bands from decades ago, up until now. The black jacket connotes the darker lyrics and slightly more rock and alternative threads of indie music, and the leather jacket connotes themes of rebellion and carelessness - linking to the independence which can be derived from the title of 'indie'.

Back Panel:

The back panel of the album adheres to the convention that albums contain a track-list for the album. It also features all of the record label and copyright information, along with the barcode and the bands logo.

Promotional Poster Deconstruction:

The promotional magazine advertisement cleverly mirrors the cover of the album, meaning if a reader of sed magazine went past the album, they would recognise the unique design and associate it with the advertisement they had seen; increasing the likelihood of them purchasing it after seeing the good reviews displayed on the poster. The reviews are carefully aligned around the circle in the middle creating a circular pattern, with each piece of critics text veering off in different directions like sunbeams, thus mirroring their sun logo. The purposeful choices of the best reviews possible, such as 8/10, infer to a viewer that the band have good critical reviews and therefore must be good. The albums title is aligned at the top of the poster in a capitalised serif title. The white typeface contrasts the navy blue background, with the choice of a serif typeface appearing 'vintage', which links to word 'retrospect' in the title and represents the bands indie vintage aesthetic.

Catfish and the Bottlemen 'Soundcheck' Music Video Deconstruction

Catfish and the Bottlemen - 'Soundcheck' Music Video Deconstruction:

Band Background Analysis: 

Catfish and the Bottlemen are a British rock band, formed in Llandudno Wales in 2007; the band consists of four members, Van McCann, Benji Blakeway, Robert Hall and Johnny Bond. The bands name was influenced by one of Van’s earliest childhood memories; of an Australian busker who was entitled ‘Catfish the Bottleman’, due to his unusual spiky hair that mirrored the ferocity of a catfish. The band signed to ‘Communion Records’ in 2013 and released their first three albums ‘Homesick’, ‘Rango’ and ‘Pacifier’, before being signed to Island Records in 2014. (The same record label as The Heydaze, who often sign indie bands) They also won the first ever BBC Music Awards in December in 2014. 

Soundcheck is the third song off 'The Ride' album and was eventually released as an individual single.

Deconstruction:

0:00 - 0:03: 
Fade from black, with overlay flashes to long-tracking shot that tracks forward to reveal a room with a dark mise-en-scene and several large LED lights that flicker on. As the lights flicker on Van McCann (the lead singer), who was before camouflaged due to his dark costume within the dark mise-en-scene, is revealed in prominence within the centre of the shot; playing a 'prop' guitar, which is a recurring convention within indie music video, which stands to highlight the sheer importance of the music. 

0:03 - 0:17:
On the beat change there is a straight cut to a close-up shot of Van's face, however, the visuals are limited due to the dark mise-en-scene and black and white colour grading, which conceals his face allowing him to appear as a black shadow. This greatly contrasts the white LED lights in the background of the shot. The close-up shot tracks out to a mid-profile shot of Van. The video has predominantly been filmed utilising handheld Steadicam shots to create a 'raw' and 'handmade' feel to the video, which could infer the notion that the music is of the highest importance to the artist, as they don't feel the need to create an elaborate video. The darkness cast over Van's face strips him of his identity as if metaphorically attempting to convey to the audience that they should initially listen to the music singularly, as often an artist's identity has a profound effect on whether or not a consumer enjoys the music. As the shot tracks, several beams of white reflected light appear around the lead singer, creating a haze of light. The other members of the band can be seen within the tracking shot in the background, however, there is a shallow depth of focus, whereas Van continues to be centralised throughout, extrapolating his importance within the band. 

0:17 - 0:50:
A mid-shot of Van reveals the setting of the video, as the lighting becomes brighter, (thus bringing the members themselves into prominence) to be in a simplistic warehouse set, another convention that is often adhered to in indie music videos. Close-up shots have been used to introduce each member of the band, with their faces and identity finally in focus. A close-up shot of Van pans around him as he is signing in a circular motion. At 0:38 there is a sudden guitar riff in the audio, and on this beat change the shot switches on a straight cut to a close-up of the chords being played on the guitar; creating an illusion of the music being played live in front of you and reinforcing that the music video is performance based. Dolly shot, moving backwards to reveal the whole band in a long-shot, juxtaposing the close-up shots that had been used previously.

0:50 - 1:00: 
A multitude, of disorientating shots moving around the band with vary foci and shot sizes ranging from close-ups to long-shots. Each shot utilises a vintage film grain. There are many shots with canted angles, with each shot changing angle. 

1:00 - 2:00:
Many shots appear on specific stings in the music, relating to the instrument that is being heard in the sting. Pan shot, moving forward into the room and displaying the entirety of the band.

2:00- 3:00:
At 2:55 there is a long low angle shot looking up towards Van McCann, the low angle of the shot illustrates that he is the most important band member, but it also could be seen to metaphorically represent a POV shot from the perspective of a fan in the crowd who is looking up at Van who is singing directly into the camera. The constant bright flashes of light and light leaks on the lens representative of the strobe lighting that is frequently incorporated into their sets when performing live as evident from the GIF below:

Catfish and the Bottlemen performing at Community Festival, Summer 2017 

3:00 - 4:00: 
As the tempo begins to increase towards the song's climax, the shots increase in speed, directly matching the beat of the music. At 3:13 there is a slightly low angled long-shot of the entire band playing their instruments. As Van moves his arm down in an over-exaggerated movement the visuals and the beat of the music directly link as the music reaches its peak and LED strobe lights extensivley flash. 

Mise-en-scene:

Location: The overall miss-en-scene of the music video is dark and simplistic, with predominantly low-ley lighting apart from the bright white LED lighting. The setting featured is a narrow warehouse space, which contains several strips of white LED industrial looking lighting, with white ruggedly painted walls. The juxtaposition between the bands dark costumes and lighting, in comparison to the harsh white walls and LED lighting mirrors mirrors the monochromatic black and white colour scheme that is utilised on all of the bands merchandise. However, a multitude of tracking shots have been framed in order to capture the bright lighting behind the lead singer, therefore appearing as high-key lighting on certain lyrics in the song. This creates a silhouette of Van and unique light glares that beam into the camera keeping the the viewers attention, and lighting his face as he passionately sings the lyrics; further evidencing the bands passion for their music.  

The commonly used indie convention of using a 
simplistic, bare, warehouse set is adhered to within the music video, which may be a purposeful attempt to allow the audience to make a visible connection with the band themselves. The title of the song may have also impacted the mise-en-scene of the video as 'Soundcheck' refers to the process artists go through before performing live, where they test out the instruments and backing track; this usually occurs either in the venue the band are performing in, or in a warehouse setting that mirrors the acoustics of the venue they are playing in. Therefore, the set could be seen as a visual interpretation of the lyrics. 
It could also be said, that the mise-en-scene of indie music videos (indie bands usually have a smaller audience and profit due to niche sound) tend to utilise basic sets (or not elaborate sets), as typically the production budget is considerably lower. 

Van McCann wearing black skinny jeans and leather jacket

Make-up and Costume: All of the band members are dressed in black clothing, which dramatically contrasts the white set, particularly in the shots that use high-key lighting. However, at the beginning of the video the black and white colour grading placed on the video enhances the black of their clothing, allowing them to blend into their dark surroundings, which allows the viewer to focus more on the music for the first half of the song - as the ethos of indie music centralises on the importance of the music, rather than the artist. Their costumes typically consist of black skinny jeans and a leather jacket. Leather jackets could be seen as a motif of the genre (the indie genre encroaches into the rock genre.) as they are typically are seen to connote danger, rebellion and juvenile behaviour which come with the perception of an indie band on tour; similarly indie music often includes lyrics that rebel against social norms, and include crude references to sexual innuendos or drug/alcohol use. These clothes also resonate with the adolescent fanbase that would stereotypically consume their media, as ripped skinny jeans are highly popular in today's fashion culture, with the leather jacket deemed 'vintage'. 

Digipak and Promotional Poster Deconstruction: Catfish and the Bottlemen

Catfish and the Bottlemen - Promotional Material Deconstruction:

Digipak Deconstruction, Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Ride:

Front Panel:

The simplistic back cover with its contrasting black background and white capitalised and bold text is highly striking yet subtle, perhaps a metaphor for the juxtaposition between their lyrics and their sound.The band's logo has been super-imposed in the top left-hand corner in order to encourage brand recognition, however, unlike many other albums from the indie genre the logo isn't aligned within the centre of the panel in prominence. Instead, the striking iconographic covers (graphic designed sketches of a crocodile and two people) of both of their albums make them easily recognisable, and in fact many of their fans take inflatable crocodiles to their concerts due to the album cover art. The album art for 'The Balcony' features a comical sketch of two people with their hands placed down the trousers of one another, which young people may find humourous; therefore making the album appear appealing to the band's target demographic of 17-25 year olds. The cover art is highly ambigious as neither of the figures have faces, leaving the it open to individual interpretation, making it more relatable to their audeince; as it divulges that they are free to form their own opinion and identitiy, an ethos embodied in indie music. The ride cover art features a crocodile biting its own tail (the image creating almost a semi-circle), which connotes danger and ferocity. The art has been digitally designed, using thick white brush strokes to outline the design which allows it to stand out and divert attention on a shelf from other albums, despite the monochrome colour scheme. The reoccurring black and white colours reflect the aesthetic of the band who constantly wear dark clothing. The album has followed conventions as it displays the barcode, serial code and record label information. However, in contradiction to the other two albums 'The Ride' contains explicit language, therefore as a legal requirement, the album has to display an 'explicit' sign in the bottom right-hand corner.

Inside Panel and CD:

The monochromatic colour scheme continues within the digipak, whereby the iconographic alligator motif is used once again, along with the conventional record label information (as seen by the Island Records logo underneath the image) and copyright information. The CD booklet includes the same track-list that is seen on the back of the album.

Back Panel:

The back panel has conformed to the convention that a CD is intended to inform the consumer of the songs featured on the album. One capitalised typeface has been used throughout the album, which has an unusual graphology as a slight space is left between each letter, spacing the song titles out. The spaced out text has an imapct on the speed at which the viewer reads the text, prolonging the time it takes to scan over the songs, keeping the viewers attention for longer. Similarly, the formation of text containing the song titles on the back cover is a highly lucrative metaphor, as the text mirrors an arrow pointing down luring you to open the album and listen to its contents which will take you on a 'Ride'.

Promotional Poster Deconstruction:

UK Tour Poster 

The main promotional poster for the bands tour adheres to their monochromatic colour scheme, with the use of the graphic image of the crocodile from their album a clever ploy to simultaneously boost album sales, whilst selling tickets to the tour. (Synergy) It features the band's logo capitalised in bold, making it easy to read and eye-catching to the viewer. The poster also features the bands website, and where fans can buy tickets to the concert. In this promotional poster, the band has chosen to focus on the emphasis on the music rather than the artist, as they have chosen not to include a photo of themselves; this could also be to do with the fact that the band have a British origin and are more well known in the UK than worldwide, meaning their iconographic cover could be recognised by a wider audience. Contrasting to the above poster, the band also released a promotional poster for their Australian tour, which notably did include a photo of the band (See below). The mise-en-scene of the photo shows the band seated on sofas, in what appears to be a dressing room. This makes the poster appear as if it were taken before a show, and creates a sense of intimacy with the fan. They are directly looking into the camera and are wearing black jackets, recurring motifs of the indie genre. In this poster the band's logo is centralised and takes up nearly half of the poster. The monochromatic colour scheme remains the same, as does the information about what tour dates are available, where you can buy tickets, the name of the record label they are signed to and the link to their website.

Australian Tour Poster

The XX 'Chained' Music Video Deconstruction

The XX - 'Chained' Music Video Deconstruction:

Band Background Analysis:

The XX are a band comprised of three members, Romy Croft, Jamie Smith and Oliver Sim. The indie pop band formed in 2005 in Wandsworth London, when Croft and Sim met in school. The band quickly began posting their demos on social media such as Myspace, attracting the attention of record label Young Turks, a subsidiary company of the Beggars Group. The band released their eponymous debut album in August 2009. The album was a commercial and critical success, winning the band the Mercury Prize in 2010. (The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland.)
Record Label Analysis:

"Young Turks is a British independent record label owned by Beggars Group, launched by Caius Pawson in 2006. It has grown from an imprint of XL Recordings into a successful and influential label now partnered with XL and operates across a range of genres. The label's current roster includes The xx, FKA twigs, Sampha, Jamie xx, Koreless and Kamasi Washington."

Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Turks_(record_label), Friday 22nd September

Music Video Deconstruction:

0:00 - 0:10: 

Mid-shot of a white flag flapping in the wind in slow-motion (optical flow), the white juxtaposing the dark stormy skies in the background of the shot. The flag doesn't fit the whole frame and is instead aligned at the right-hand corner of the frame, breaking the rule of thirds. Extreme close-up of ripples on grey water. Extreme long-shot of a castle in the foreground past the expanse of water and grey storm clouds. Short time lapse of the clouds moving in slow motion over the castle. Extreme Steadicam close-up of the profile of the lead singer in the left-hand corner of the frame, with reflections of the light from the sun through the clouds, evident on his face. The shot filmed in a handheld style and tracks behind his head, whilst focusing on the fine details of his face. 

0:10 - 0:30: 

Slow motion mid-shot from underwater of someone jumping into the water, with natural light leaks from the reflection of the sun on the lens. Tracking dolly long-shot, travelling over the expanse of water, with a boat in the foreground. Pan close-up shot from left to right focusing on the lead singer walking. Slow motion low-angle shot from underneath the person in the water, displaying the depth of the water. Close-up of the water rippling. Close-up of the lead singer walking, before switching with a quick cut transition on a beat change to a close-up of his hand swinging by his side, the water can be seen with a shallow depth of focus in the background of the shot, emphasising the importance of water in this music video, perhaps inferring that it is water that has metaphorically 'chained' him. 

0:30 - 1:00: 

Slow motion over the shoulder shot of the lead singer walking. The slow-motion shots make the music video appear almost like a dream sequence, providing the video with a cinematic quality, with the use of light reflections making the video appear almost magical, relating to the band's music definition 'indie dream pop'. Mid-shot of the person sinking deeper into the water, surrounded by a mass of bubbles. Long-shot of someone beginning a dive into the water from a profile angle, before switching on the beat change to a continuation of the shot from behind; making the audience feel as if they are experiencing the action from all angles. 

1:00 - 2:00:

Slow-motion close-up of a man swimming, water droplets splashing onto the lens. Quick cut to a close-up of the woman in the ocean in the left hand corner of the shot, making her appear smaller and insignificant to the water. The shots remain in slow-motion despite the rising tension in the shot and the action. Long-shot of another man walking past a wall towards the water. 

2:00 - 3:00: 

High angle shot of the water, with the person who has jumped into the water, seen just below the surface. The high-angle shot infers the power of the water and how the humans are at the mercy of the ocean. The dark colouration connoting potential danger. The shot then switches with a straight cut to the man swimming underneath the surface. At 2:17 there is a low-angle long-shot of a wall and the sky, whereby the grey dim mise-en-scene is contrasted by bright vivid colours, which is an allusion to their album cover for coexist; which contains an image of an iridescent oil spill. This motif reoccurs throughout the remainder of the music video in a montage like sequence of colour seen from e.g. 2:28, 2:31 up until 2:51. The last shot is a close-up of the mans head breaking the surface of the water, before a fade to black. 

Mise-en-scene: The overall mise-en-scene of the video consists of a lot of grey tones, as represented through the raging storm clouds and the water, which could perhaps be a metaphor for the glum grey feelings that have entrapped the women's mind (chaining her to her depressive thoughts), precipitating her attempt at what one could interpret at suicide. However, the omnipresent high-key light is a motif that appears in multiple shots, such as the light breaking through the storm clouds, and the light visible from under the water, 'light' being a metaphor for the hope that persists, even in the darkest of times. The set consists of a castle and a white wall that runs around the water. The white wall surrounding the water is decrepit, with its paint peeling, this could represent that the characters are struggling, not only to retrieve the woman from the water, but metaphorically. However, the fact that they run all the water around the water infers that they act as a support system or a barrier, like the members of the band are to one another. Stereotypically, a white flag infers a surrender, which could represent the woman's surrender. 

Costume: All of band members are wearing black clothing, with one member wearing a black denim jacket; which matches their overall aesthetic as they are often seen wearing black items of clothing. The connotations of black include danger. 

Digipak and Promotional Poster Deconstruction: The XX

Digipak Deconstruction, The XX (Self Entitled Album):

The album digipak is highly minimalistic, only adorned with the bands trademark 'X' which is placed on every piece of merchandising and despite having no form of text on the album cover, the band is evident. It can also be noted that the band have chosen to ostracise their own identity in their work through using graphic imagery to represent themselves (an X), rather than the stereotypical posed picture that artists use on their album covers. The 'X' is perhaps metaphorical of their choice to disassociate their image with their music as their philosophy highlights the importance of the music over the aesthetic; which in fact draws my attention more than a typical album as in a record or CD store it would stand out, juxtaposing all other album covers. An album that similarly uses abstract graphic imagery, to highlight the indie trope that the music is more important than the artist, is Sundara Karma's album 'Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect' and ALT-J's album 'This Is All Yours'. The reoccurrence of the 'X' on every aspect of their packaging will ensure that people recognise them easily.

The CD itself also utilises the 'X' logo, instead inverting the white background and black X as seen on the cover, to reveal a white X and black background. Inside the CD, one can see a sleeve with a cut out X inside of it. The lacking of any bright colours on the packaging is representative of their music, which some view as slow and calming indie dream pop. The lack of references to who the band are and no inclusion of a track list on the casing, makes the digipak feeling highly anonymous; which infers that the band will only reveal their identity to you if you buy the album and listen to its contents without prejudice from seeing the track names on the back panel of the digipak. The band typically wear black costumes when performing, with their monochrome aesthetic highly represented in their digipak.

Promotional Poster Deconstruction:

The poster for the bands second album 'Coexist' (as seen in the underground) again features the bands iconographic 'X', however, this time the X is filled in with a gradient like pattern that connotes the pattern you receive in puddles when light is refracted off of them, creating an almost multicoloured effect. The artwork is actually inspired by an iridescent oil spill, as stated by the band members, "The albums title was inspired by the colours visible in iridescent oil." The use of bright colours juxtapose the before black and white colour scheme, inferring to loyal fans that the new album stay's true to the bands roots and first album (with the X remaining the same) however, it has a new flare to it as the bands music develops; this may encourage brand loyalty as it makes the band unique and easily recognisable. The fact that only one edge of the X is predominantly covered in this colour is highly eye-catching.

What is the Purpose of a Digipak?

What is the Purpose of a Digipak?:

Digipak - A digipak is a type of packaging for CD's or DVD's, typically made from a form of cardboard with an internal plastic holder to encase either one or two CD's. They tend to include generic information on their covers, such as a logo to demonstrate and generate the artists own unique or visual identity, thus allowing a viewer to easily recognise them; along with an album title and promotional photography. Often inside the cover, you will have background information about the band (including their management and record label information), acknowledgements to companies or individuals, sometimes including small messages from the artists with colloquial language to seem more informal and personal to the reader. The spine will include the title of the album along with the artist, and the back panel will usually consist of a list of the tracks on the album. The overall colour scheme of the album can also indicate to the viewer the overall mood or genre of the tracks on the album, for example, Catfish and The Bottlemen's 'The Ride' and 'Balcony' albums are black and white, reflecting the indie rock mood of the album.

What is the Purpose of Magazine Advertisements?

What is the Purpose of Magazine Advertisements?:

Promotional album magazine featurettes are paid promotional advertisements between a magazine company and the record label, in order to promote an artists album. Magazine adverts are chosen carefully to fit a direct target audience, for example an advert for a pop music album is most likely to be found in a teen magazine, due to the mass appeal with teenagers for music of the 'pop' genre. In some instances, albums can be advertised in magazines that are devoted to specific music genres, for example the magazine 'Kerrang' (a rock magazine), is targeted for indie/rock/alternative music fans, therefore that would be the best place to advertise our track, which classifies as 'indie' music.

Bombay Bicycle Club:

Imagine Dragons:

'New Religion' - Lyric Deconstruction

'New Religion' - Heydaze, Lyric Deconstruction:
When deconstructing lyrics it is important to look for deeper underlying meaning, as this would be particularly helpful if we were to chose to produce a narrative based music video. I will also be exploring the concept of synaesthesia.

Synaesthesia:

A condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color. The description of one kind of sense impression by using words that normally describe another. The term synaesthesia can refer to the utilization of the five senses to produce or create an associated mental image, or sense of impression of another kind stemmed from a sense. This occurs from being exposed to a stimulus for example if a piece of media includes heavy breathing and a dark and dismal mise-en-scene, one may associate the heavy breathing (hearing) with fear and the darkness (sight) accentuating this sensation. Synaesthesia has the ability to challenge the classic views of perception. 

Overall Meaning:

The song captures the mesmerising and euphoric power that love possesses and its ability to wake you up in the morning, particularly when the troubles of everyday life might make it difficult to do so. It elucidates that love gives you an entirely new purpose, leaving you devoted, similar to the devotion one might feel about a religion. The songs meaningful lyrics are portrayed within a sanguine melody. In my opinion, the clever juxtaposition between the 'difficulties of life' and the constant upbeat and optimistic sound, was a purposeful attempt to infer to the listener the capability and aptitude of love to conquer and mask negativity; providing one with a 'rose tinted glass' effect. Meaning explanation aided by article retrieved on August 7th, 2017 from: https://www.campusvinyl.com/bucknellu/2017/5/15/hot-track-of-the-week-new-religion-by-the-heydaze

Lyric Deconstruction:

Artist and Record Label Analysis

Artist Analysis - 'The Heydaze':

The Heydaze are a four piece band (made up of members Jesse Fink, Andrew Spelman, Alexander Glantz, and Tyler Matte) formed in 2013; with their alternative musical influences stemmed from bands such as Tame Impala and Oasis. The self-described 'purveyors of windows down/stereo up jams' released their first major single 'Hurt Like Hell' in 2016 with record label Island/Universal (which is their first single to make it onto music streaming platform Spotify), after gaining eminence on social media platforms such as YouTube and Soundcloud with their infectious singles. Their eponymous debut album was released in 2015.

The band's Spotify page has 127,000 monthly listeners and their new single 'New Religion' has been streamed over 800,000 times.

Source used for information, retrieved August 10th, 2017: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-heydaze-mn0003426837

Record Label Analysis - Island/Universal Records:

"Island Records is a British record label that operates as a division of Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica in 1959. Blackwell sold the label to PolyGram in 1989. Both Island and another label recently acquired by PolyGram, A&M Records, were both at the time the largest independent record labels in history, with Island, in particular, having exerted a major influence on the progressive UK music scene in the early 1970s."

Information retrieved August 10th, 2017 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_Records

• Island Records is one of the biggest record labels in the world, with the likes of Shawn Mendes and many international superstars signed. 

• The record label has a multitude of noted 'indie' artists signed including, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Mumford and Sons, Sigrid, Bombay Bicycle Club and Hozier. Needless to say, 'The Heydaze' deserve their chance to rank among these top artists, and likely with the prominence of indie music increasing with interest from the adolescent target audience (which can be evidenced through the popularity of indie festivals this summer, such as 'Community Festival') their audience will continue to grow. 

• Owner, Chris Blackwell has maintained the view that when it came to marketing records, what went on the sleeve was a key factor in the Island game plan. As he put it: "If you felt that the artwork was intriguing, then there must be something going on inside." Therefore, I believe that the record label would have a likely preference for an artist with a unique visual appeal, that juxtaposes the 'stereotypical'; (for example generic album covers and artist personas/sounds that many artists bands have, in this era of music.) favouring an artist that has a unique selling point. As deciphered through my digipak deconstructions, many indie bands are representative of this unique notion, and therefore I am influencing my own digipak around this philosophy. 

Audience Research

Audience Research:

The audience is the assembled spectators and listeners of a media product. When beginning the planning stages of our music video, it is important to establish our target audience and take into consideration Audience Theory -how our audience will receive our final product.

Audience Theory: 

In particular, I will be considering 'The Effects Model' by Hoynes, which states that consuming media can have an effect or influence upon the audience, making the audience passive and powerless. I will also be looking at the Hypodermic Theory and the Gratifications and Reception Theory.