Email to the management of De Staat

We emailed the management behind the band De Staat in order to ask for permission to use their song 'Firestarter' which was released in 2012. I left a link to my A2 Media blog as well as the song in question that I want to use. This in a necessity, due to the fact that otherwise we wouldn't be able to use the song, so these procedures have to be followed. 

After a day of waiting, the manager of De Staat replied, Arjo. He forwarded us to the company's copyright department, who told me that it would not be a problem to make the music video as long as there was no commercial link to The Prodigy. He wished us well and gave me the email of other members of the recording label's email for if i needed any more help along the way.

Chosen artist (Torre Florim)

Born October 1985, Torre Florim is a Dutch indie rock singer, producer and writer. He worked with his band 'De Staat' in order to remix the song 'Firestarter' which was originally sang by Prodigy. He is the lead vocals for his alternative band as well as lead guitarist. Formed in 2006, Torre himself created the group with childhood friends, their first album being released in January 2009. Since then, they have been a success in the Netherlands, winning best album release in the Netherlands of 2016 for their release of "O". So far in their alternative/indie rock career, they've released 18 singles and 6 albums from 2009-2016, this shows how successful that the band have been since their 2012 release of 'Firestarter'. Their songs have featured on such games as Fifa 14 and Just Cause 3. During live performances, Torre includes his audience and stands in the middle of the crowd during the song "Witch doctor" and they form a 'human tornado' around him. This shows his love for them and how he wants to show his appreciation for his fans as he becomes one of them during the song. I think that our band would have to have a somewhat similar kind of rapport with the audience in order to be a positive role model for them.

Artist representation out of the music

Indie rock bands tend to keep a positive image of themselves beyond the characters in their videos, this can be seen due to the fact that they have such a large influence over such a wide variety of target audience, that if they did anything that was seen as reckless or illegal, some of their more impressionable audience may follow in their footsteps and do something equally as reckless, as seen with Dyer's star theory, so they have to be a positive role model for their audience. This can be seen with Mancunian band 'The Courteeners' due to the fact that they re-opened the M.E.N arena after the bombing there and spread love and positivity through their music, proving that they are genuine people who wanted to step up for their home town. As a group, we will conform to these stereotypes by having our band/ artist being a positive role model for younger viewers as it follows the rest of the most successful indie rock bands, as spreading such a positive message plays a part as to why they're so successful, so we will mimic this. 

A lot of the press that surrounds these bands is that of promotional business for their tours as well as new releases of their albums and the artist will be received positively, due to the reception theory as their music talks of heartbreak and the audience is quite a thin demographic, so they, on the most part, have the same ideals and ideas surrounding the music. 

Target audience profile

Class: The main class that is targeted within the indie rock genre of music is working class and middle class people, due to the fact that it is mainly this class that have the problems that the artists sing of. So this links to Dyer's star theory as if a singer has the same  problems and speaks of a certain person's problems, then a person will enjoy their music. As a group, we will attempt to reach out to this audience in order to follow the stereotypical style of an indie rock band.

Age: Typically the main age range for this genre of music is 16-24 year olds, due to the fact that people who are in these bands are within this age range. Lyrically also, they speak of heartbreak and causing mischief, this can be seen within "Why'd you only call me when you're high?" which outlines the main singer (Alex Turner) getting annoyed at a girl who only wants to meet up with him when she is high. This outlines teenage problems within the social demographic. We will not try and target any certain age group due to the fact that it will widen our target audience and allow more people to listen to our music as a collective.


Gender: There is no gender specified within the indie rock genre, due to the fact that it doesn't specify about who's problems they are and it could go either way, due to the fact that the problems can be spread across both genders, yet many bands are male it doesn't discourage a female target audience, so i think that when it comes to making our own band, we won't attempt to make our group or artist hyper-masculine in order to appeal to both genders.

Ethnicity: There is no ethnicity targeted more than another, so we will reach out to all ethnicities as it will make our viewership larger as there are a lot of fans in eastern countries so we wouldn't want to exclude a certain demographic.

Psychographics/ profile:

.  

Reformers would be the most likely psychographic group to listen to this music as much of the indie rock genre talks of change and normally has a deeply rooted political opinion, generally that being of the group standing up for their disbelief in current political views. This music also talks of self help and bettering yourself, which is one of the ideals which is desired by reformers.

Name: Sam Smith
Age:18
Sam is a reformer, due to the fact that he has strong opinions on current political actions. He takes politics in school and seeks to widen his knowledge and perspective by choosing to do English and cultural studies at university. He is seen as responsible and caring by his friends and believes in giving to charity whenever he has money available. He likes to do sports, especially team activities and wants to better himself through exercise by going to the gym on the weekdays.On the right is Sam Smith, who is the key target audience to our music.

Narrative of Indie Rock Music videos

Indie rock music videos are similar to that of pop music, with there being shots and edits surrounding the main singer/ band which generally show off the talent of an artist. The reason that the narrative is different with indie rock music, is the fact that it switches from artist to story line in an even balance, continuing to tell an in depth story mainly of struggle or hardship all the while including snippets of the artist from multiple angles to show off their talent.

The majority of indie rock music videos are up for interpretation, due to the fact that many of them have different meanings as well as have rather unclear definitions so it is up to an audience to create that meaning whether it is through Dyer's star theory or other such methods. The hermeneutic code from Barthes theory is commonly used to create enigma, due to the fact that it doesn't reveal all of the facts at once, so this draws the audience in to watch the rest of the music video, gaining attention from the public. This can be seen by Imagine Dragons -It's time as there is a box towards the end which leaves the enigma as to what the item in the box is as it glows, so it is up to the audience to decide what the meaning of the box is.

These indie rock music videos typically have a Todorovian narrative which states that the story line goes from there being equilibrium to an action which causes disorder and or upset and then by the end of the whole video it is back where it was a the start with there being equilibrium.This can be seen in The Killer's music video- Human, due to the fact that it starts with cowboys walking in their neighborhood, to them being in a fight with a gang of women and then finally it goes to a peaceful death of the main character which shows a Todorovian narrative.I would like to as a group follow this theory, due to the fact that it could create a gripping story line, as well as this I think that it would be best to keep the narrative similar to that of the stereotypical indie rock video as it would appeal more to the key demographic of indie rock music. As well as this, I would also like to use the hermeneutic code.


Typically there is a lack of Levi strauss (binary opposition) within indie rock music, the plight that a protagonist must go is generally self induced and is the root of all the problems. Sometimes there can be binary opposition which is generally male vs female or vice versa. This can be the quest for love or a lost love of such. This is due to the fact that the main theme that indie rock music revolves around is heartbreak and lost love so this would have to be the focus of videos An example of this could be seen in 'Why'd you only call me when you're high.' by The Arctic Monkeys as Alex the main protagonist has binary opposition with the people that he meets on the way home. I think that with my group we will  include binary opposition due to the fact that it would be beneficial to link it to the overall indie rock genre through this and to show a deeper meaning to the music video with the binary opposition only being present due to the heartbreak.

Lyrical analysis for our chosen song (yet to be finalised)

'Firestarter'- Torre Florim

I'm the trouble starter, punkin' instigator
I'm the fear addicted, danger illustrated

I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter

I'm the bitch you hated, filth infatuated yeah
I'm the pain you tasted, well intoxicated

You're the firestarter, twisted firestarter

I'm the self inflicted, mind detonator yeah
I'm the one infected, twisted animator

I'm a firestarter, you're a firestarter

This song can be seen as unconventional, due to the fact that it has minimal lyrics and relies upon instrumentals quite a lot. This could provide quite a large struggle for my group, due to the fact that when analyzing lyrics and giving them a meaning within our actual video, we will have to not only use the lyrics, but also the different tempo changes and instruments used within the music.

Our song is called 'Firestarter' by Torre Florim and up to this point is most likely the song that we are doing, but our ideas may change. It is a cover of another song of the same name by The Prodigy. The widely accepted meaning of the lyrics is that of the lead singer of prodigy (Keith Flint) telling the audience about his personality as a fire starter. Another less known idea is that the main singer thinks too much and lets ideas get to him which is him starting a fire within his head, the fire being an idea.

The song could be seen to follow the uses and gratification theory as it could be seen to cause self understanding through the personal identity side of the theory. This means that we could have a wider target audience of youth, due to the fact that they are stereotypically the ones who are trying to find an identity so we could target them when it comes to our video as we could portray teenage problems, this links to Dyer's star theory as audiences may look up to our band because of the problems portrayed being in line with their ideals.

We could see a link with the lyrics as well as the reception theory, due to the fact that the lyrics are up for debate as to what they mean as some people believe the fire starter aspect of the song references to America and how they start wars in other countries. So the lyrics of what the 'fire starter' is are up for debate with audiences, which also ties in to Barthes theory on enigmas. The semiotic codes of the music is that of violence as fire has the connotations of danger, which shows off that the song as well as the band could be attempting to promote violence to the audience. The song was originally used as political propaganda, due to the fact that the "Fire Starter" referenced throughout is talking about George Bush and his invasions of the Middle East.
Through Barthes theory of symbolic codes, we can see from the lyrics "I'm the fear addicted, danger illustrated." and "I'm the bitch you hated." This could have the denotations of Torre Florim being a troublesome character within the video, making him the Proppian antagonist. This represents him negatively and goes against Dyer's star theory in the fact that the persona of a musician should be likable and more desirable, yet here we can see the breaking of conventions with him being seen as the bad guy throughout the entire song.

As well as this, we can read between the lines using Goodwin's theory to see that he isn't a likable character and that he believes himself, that he is of a lower level to everyone else, putting himself down. We can see through Barthes theory of action that he sings "You're the firestarter" in order to show that it is everyone and that everyone is very critical of themselves. It also shows that people are not alone in this self deprecation, which could show off Dyer's star theory as he is promoting that people aren't alone in their struggles and that there are always people who are feeling the same way.

Lyrics analysis

“I’ll make it up to you”- Imagine Dragons

Took your heart, took your hand

Promise you all that I have

Hoping that you understand

I'm far from a perfect man

'Cause honey it's been a hard year

It seemed like we're going nowhere

You're crying inside your bedroom

Baby I know it's not fair

Lay with me, for one more night

I promise you, I'll make it right

“Human”- The Killers

Pay my respects to grace and virtue

Send my condolences to good

Hear my regards to soul and romance

They always did the best they could

And so long to devotion

You taught me everything I know

Wave goodbye, wish me well

You've gotta let me go

“Wake up”- Arcade Fire

If the children don’t grow up,

our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up.

We’re just a million little gods causin' rain storms,

turnin’ every good thing to rust. 

I guess we’ll just have to adjust. 

With my lightnin’ bolts a glowin’,

I can see where I am goin’ to be

when the reaper he reaches and touches my hand.

I analysed three extracts from different songs which were within the indie rock genre.There was an underlying theme throughout i found and i think that it would be useful if I were to use a song within my own music video as it would work well with different visuals. Firstly I found an underlying theme of lost love, which is seen quite prominently throughout all three lyrical extracts. This could represent the teenage problems and experiences that artists may have gone through, which can instantly make it more relatable with a younger audience as they may be currently or have gone through those problems. This links to Dyer's star thoery as the artists will be more popular if audiences can relate to them and they have done it through their lyrics. We can see this loss of love or heartbroken style through the lines "took your heart" as well as "Hear my regards to love and virtue they did the best they could" this could show how the artists are portraying a sense of regret from falling in love as well as how they are reflecting upon the situation.

When I do choose the song from within the indie rock genre, I think that the lyrics will have to have a mellow style as well as convey a lost love position from the main lead singer's life as it will fit in well into the indie rock genre as so many other bands (as seen with the examples above) did the same with their lyrics and it has led to them being icons and popular within society.

All three link to Barthes enigma theory, due to the fact that in Imagine dragons song, there is no specific reference as to why it has been a hard year as well as in The killers it talks of the lead singer/ protagonist talking about giving up, so it shows off that there is some sort of reason that we as the audience have to piece together as to why he is giving up what he is doing. This also resonates with some audience members, due to the fact that they can be seen to have the same emotions and as it says "Cause honey it's been a hard year" which could be an emotion that can be paralleled with the target audience. As well as this, Arcade Fire are more subtle in their manner of doing so, showing that they have to learn to adapt and or change one way or another, this can be seen when they say "I guess we’ll just have to adjust." which shows off that there is always the need to change and this links to Dyer's star theory, due to the fact that it shows off that if someone is not in the best place, say it be emotionally or physically for example, it shows off that there is a way and that there are other people out there feeling the same, all three songs talk of changing times and difficult times and for some audience members that is what builds their rapport as they may be going through the same thing making them a positive role model that they can relate to. Goodwin's theory can also apply to the lyrics as there is the fact that as the audience we have to read between the lines and choose our self as to what the lyrics mean and interpret them differently. As the audience this is imperative due to the fact that different interpretations can cause these idolizations of such artists who sing of problems that we all have in order to prove to these younger audiences that they are not alone in thinking it, further proving the use of Dyer's star theory.
In all three songs, there is the reference of an outsider who is causing such problems within the singer's life, tis extended metaphor of lost love can somewhat seem to dampen the mood and can be juxtaposed with the style of the non-diegetic soundtrack. This could represent the inner clash of the lead singer which can be seen with the lyrics of the singer and we could use this in our music video, by showing some sort of binary opposition and or clash between two things which can be easily juxtaposed with eachother.

Artist analysis: The Killers

The Killers:

Formed in 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, The Killers are a well known and reputable indie rock band, being one of the largest of the 21st century. They are one of the best bands to have emerged from Las Vegas, selling 22 million records worldwide and touring all over the globe. The lyrics behind The Killers generally tell a tale of lost love and or teenage antics. An example of this could be seen with All these things that I've done as the lyrics go:

Another head aches, another heart breaks
I am so much older than I can take
And my affection, well it comes and goes
I need direction to perfection

The killers are a household name, releasing such hits as Mr Brightside as well as Somebody told me. These songs refer to youth culture as well as the loss of a love which is a topic that is heavily relied upon within the indie rock genre. The band was inspired by an Oasis gig in the hard rock hotel, Brandon Flowers realised that rock music was his calling. He then looked for other bands with the same style and emulated it, making a distinct style for his band.
When we are tasked with making our own band i think that as a group we should try and emulate the style of CD cover of the killers which is somewhat simplistic but sets a tone for what to expect in the album. This can be seen with their album titled 'HOT FUSS' due to the fact that the colour scheme is blue and red which are somewhat opposing colours, with red evoking danger as well as fear whereas blue is the binary opposition as it evokes calmness as well as a melancholy style. We see a fog throughout the entire cover and this adds a sense of mystery which we may want to try and emulate in our own work. I think that we could try and mimic the simplicity of the album cover as it work nicely with our band/ artist and has a cool colour scheme which could contrast to what our song tralks about, which is fire so this juxtaposition would seem quite ironic.

We can see from all of these covers that there is a sense of simplicity throughout the music style of this band, this can be seen within their album covers as there is nothing too complex seen throughout them, as well as this, their style can be seen as rather plain and simple, due to the fact that they wear black clothing and black jackets, it almost shows that they aren't that interested about style and rather it leads way to focus on the music rather than the artists within themselves. They use a lot of black and blue colours within their work as they have the typical connotation of coolness as well as emptiness and this is the overall vibe that they give to new listeners of the work that they do. Through Dyer's star theory we know that they don't break the rules due to them being an indie rock band and their constructed persona fits the expectations of the target audience that they should be desirable and their simplicity seems to do that for them as they are all relatively attractive for a female target audience and to follow the female gaze theory. Through Goodwin's theory we can see that there could be links to political views, due to 'Direct hit' being of a target with bullet holes, it could mean to address the current gun problem that has been plaguing America and this could be as an attempt to sway their audience's opinions as it is their job as an artist to educate and inform the audience of current events.

Arctic Monkeys music video analysis

https://prezi.com/view/YzqQlbBrdkekvCJOLp0h/

(It is set out as a link, due to the fact that in order to embed it, i would have to upgrade my prezi account for $5 a moth so i decided that it would be better to just upload the link instead)

Goodwin's theory

Goodwin's theory states that there are 5 key aspects to a music video:

 Thought through beat (seeing what they mean or represent in your head) The first step of this process is to analyse the music structure understanding the chorus and verses

1)A relationship between the lyrics and the visuals which illustrate amplify or contradict the lyrics. An example of this can be seen within Fire starer by Torre Florim, due to the fact that whenever it says "I am the Fire starter" it cuts to the main singer as well as to a flame, which shows off that there is amplification of who or what the fire starter actually is and shows that there is a relationship between the two visually and through the audio.We aren't set fully on a song yet, but I think that we have the idea of a Fire starter cover by Torre Florim and whenever it says 'I am the fire starter' I think that we will have some sort reference to a flame and or throughout an overall extended metaphor of fire.

2)Thought beats, seeing the sounds between the music and the visuals. This leaves space for the enigma code due to the fact that it is down to the audience to see the sound between the music and the visuals. The fact that within 'Firestarter' we are left with the enigma code to decipher what a fire starter actually is, there are many theories as to the fact that originally there is the meaning that within the U.S at the time there was problems in the middle east and that George Bush created a fire and thus was a fire starter.

3)Genre related style and iconography present.I think that we could attempt to mimic the style of that of the indie rock as it is quite an easy look to replicate. Within our music video it would be foolish not to use the main style of the genre as it would make it look more realistic. A lot of the modern indie rock music tends to have a darker and more grungy style to it, which can be seen with the Firestarter music video, due to the fact that it has a constant low key lighting style which shows off well which genre the song is within as it can be seen within multiple band's videos like: Imagine Dragons, The Killers and The Arctic Monkeys.

4) Multiple close ups of the main artist or vocalist. We could try and replicate this as it would be quite simple to do so and it would be quite good to have a differentiation of shot types as typically closeups in music videos are used to show off the skill of an artist and the style that we are doing our music video of (where we alternate from a story line to a singer/band playing) would fit in well with it as there will be a part where our main protagonist will be singing. Torre Florim is the main singer within the music video of Firestarter and he has multiple closeups with different styles of lighting in order to show off that he is the key protagonist/ antagonist (down to interpretation) and it can be used to show off the skill of the artist as he effortlessly sings along to the beat showing off how skilled he is as an artist. 

5)Voyeurism often plays a major part, especially in relation to females. I think through Dyer's star theory, we will attempt to not follow this aspect of the theory, due to the fact that we want to attract a female target audience as well as a male one, so objectifying females won't get us there and there will be other ways for us to get the audiences enjoyment so I think that seeing as the society we live in today it isn't appropriate at all to do so. There is an equal amount of male to female screen time, with there being an unnamed female swimming, this appeals to the male gaze theory as she is swimming in a bikini, which attracts a male audience to the video due to her having a lack of clothing on.

Its common in indie music for the video to include a live performance. This helps focus on them as a performer doing what they actually love to do. It also helps keep the focus on the music itself. If a narrative is used, a mixture of performance and narrative in the music videos They usually tell a story by using a sequence of images and videos related to the song. This is done in such a way that it makes sense to the audience so they can link the lyrics to the video. A good narrative leaves room for the imagination and leaves room for creative freedom

In our chosen song, Firestarter, whenever it says "I am the fire starter" the image of a flame comes on to the screen, which shows the matching of lyrics and visuals.

Indie Rock and Representation

The term indie rock was originally holding the meaning that a band or artist was signed to an independent label and was popularized in the 80's and 90's. It was only in the early 2000's with the success and formation of the internet band which came into the light.Conventions of indie rock music videos:

In typical pop music videos, the video tends to revolve around the singer/ band performing or a story being told. The two don't tend to mix and cross over with there being one camera used to focus on the artist or band. This can be seen with Beyoncé's Single ladies which uses a single camera to keep toe focus on the key image which is her. Indie rock bands on the other hand, they tend to use multiple cameras on the band or singer in order to show off their talent and as well as this, they flip between the artist as well as like a narrative which is being told. This can be seen with Demons by Imagine Dragons which flows from story to singer quite well and shows off both the struggles of the audience members through flashbacks as well as a live performance from Dan Reynolds. This could be used quite efficiently within our own music video due to the fact it would pay homage to the indie rock genre by keeping to it's conventions and within our music video it would flow better as well as telling a story without leaving the band out.

Indie rock bands stereotypically have a faster pace with more jump cuts being used than other genres due to the fact that the music is of a faster tempo so the video needs to be of the same speed and style in order to mirror the music. This is a contrast to many other genres like pop which tend to be slower due to their slower tempo of music, so with my band, I think that it would be beneficial for us to make the video of a faster pace, in order to be able to show off different shot types as well as editing techniques. This will prove difficult as we would have to collate a lot of shots and spend a long time sorting through which ones worked, but in the end it would look more professional if we did so, meaning that it is a necessity.

The lighting seen in an indie rock music video is generally more of a grungier and darker style in order to somewhat accompany the lyrics which are normally talking of heartbreak and or social problems which needs a somewhat darker style which casts shadows. This can be seen with Why'd you only call me when you're high as the lamp posts cast a shadow upon the main protagonist making the high key lighting cast a shadow on Alex Turner's face. Another use of this can be seen with imagine dragons' 'It's time' as the overall lighting is of a low key natural lighting, which makes the surrounding setting seem darker, which accompanies the music well. We could attempt to use a darker lighting or add it post production through different colour filters in order to make it seem more gloomy.

We can further see this representation of the indie rock genre through The Arctic Monkeys, due to the fact that their style is also that of black and white and that can be seen throughout the genre, with bands like The killers and Imagine dragons following such a trend. This breaks conventions of Dyer's star theory, due to the fact that they wear simple clothing which is simple colours and the theory states that they have to keep up to date with fashion trends but bands like The Arctic Monkeys dress like that of the 60s and 70s and this is used effectively in order to appeal to the target audience that is late teens to early 20s. The whole idea surrounding the indie rock genre is to attempt to make it look as simplistic as possible and as if the artist doesn't care and that is what some people would define as 'cool' and their idea of a role model, which in some senses is the exact opposite as Dyer's star theory states that a star should have ideologies similar to the audience, and if the artist has this sort of attitude of a bad boy group then it is going to have a negative effect upon an audience. Covers of CD are also rather simplistic in order to make the key focus that of the music rather than the clothing and artistry of the covers and the band. These singers are reformers and attempt through their music to talk about social and political problems, Imagine dragons- Demons is a good example of this as they talk of mental illness and it's problems because people cannot see them doesn't mean they don't exist.

When it comes down to making our band I think that it would be a better idea to keep things in cohesion, with a simple style of album due to that's the stereotypical style of the indie rock genre, as well as this, the clothing style is typically black as the colour association is pain and sadness which builds up the semiotics that they are going to be singing about sadness and their own personal problems. 

Dyer's star theory

This theory refers to how celebrities and stars are constructs of certain institutions with the main aim of which to be for financial gain by targeting a certain target audience and or age group. This theory can be broken down into three certain categories
-Audience and institution
-Constructions
-Cultural belief

Construction of personas:
Dyer's states that stars are constructed so that audiences can seemingly relate to them and it is generally not what you see being what you get, for most of them have certain 'personas' so that audiences may like them. Stars are there to be consumed and made money from. These stars are made to fit the expectations of an audience, one of these is that they should all be desirable. This can link to Mulvey's theory of the male gaze theory as being someone who is a musical star and or celebrity comes with the burden of having to keep up with the expectations of others. These stars have to keep up with the latest fashion trends and stay relevant on social media. I would like to, with my band, have the persona which is likable for audiences in order to make them more successful as an indie band. De staat are represented positively in the media, due to the fact that they have as younger target audience so need to stay as positive role models and don't have to uphold a so called 'bad boy' reputation. 

A star's beliefs may be similar to that of an audience member which can make them seem similar and draw comparisons to the two. This can be seen with The Jonas brothers who wore purity rings. The reason that many stars attempt to have a widespread ideology is due to the fact that they need to reach a wider audience and create a larger fan base. When we come to creating our band, we will then attempt to replicate Dyer's star theory as it will mean that the band that we create will be more popular and will overall be seen in  a more positive light. We can see this loyalty to their fans by De staat's song "With Doctor" as Torre Florim includes the audience and makes himself seem like one of them showing that they're equal as seen below.This can be seen within the indie rock style due to the fact that The Arctic Monkeys in their lyrics make it apparent through their portrayal of teenage mischief and adolescence that they are trying to make it different for a younger target audience so that they can relate. As a group I'd like to have my group portray teenage problems as well as mischief in order to target the main audience of indie rock which is teenagers. Last year I didn't look much at what target audiences want to see so that was my downfall, so this year I will look deeper into what they want to see in order to make my band more succesful.


We can further see how the band Imagine Dragons relate to their audience by showing off they're normal people too and that they care about their fans, being positive role models by taking photos with them as seen below:

Dyer stated:
"In these terms it can be argued that stars are representations of persons which reinforce, legitimate or occasionally alter the prevalent preconceptions of what it is to be a human being within society. There is a good deal at stake in such conceptions. On the other hand, society suggests that certain norms of behaviour 

Dyer says

. On the other hand society suggests that certain norms of behaviour are appropriate to given groups of people, which many people in such groups would now wish to contest (eg the struggles over representation of blacks, women and gays in recent years).

Our band De Staat act like normal people rather than living a lavish lifestyle which is commonly seen throughout the pop genre, while the indie rock genre tends to keep things more subtle, due to the fact that their target audience is that of a middle class to working class audience, and living a rock star lifestyle with a big house and flashy cars won't appeal to such a target audience. When it comes to making our band/ artist, I think that I would make them appeal to the lower classes of society due to the fact that having them appeal to this class fits in with the stereotypical style of the indie rock genre which is so commonly successful. Imagine dragons are a good example of an indie rock band that doesn't correspond with Dyer's statement above as they keep to themselves and are never in the negative press so keep to themselves and their respective families. Respectively, Imagine dragons are seen on twitter to spread positive messages as seen with Dan Reynolds tweet:

As Dan appeals to the smaller proportions of society by talking about mental health and promoting it, this fits into Dyer's star theory as many others have the same ideals as him and for him to speak out on it represents him as a role model as well as someone that audiences can sympathize with.

The tour poster in question can be seen to appeal to an Asian market, due to the fact that there is a Chinese dragon, with the water dragon being representative of Chinese culture as the water dragons were seen as the symbols of Asia, while the juxtaposing fire dragons moved to the western world. It still pays homage to a wide audience which is located in Asia, even though the tour was occurring in San Francisco. It appeals to their niche audience due to there being a link to inhabitants of the San Francisco area, creating a bond and out a link between the band and the audience through the use of the iconic bridge in the background. The colour scheme being of a light blue, connotes tranquility as well as something being soothing. This could be the ideology that they are attempting to introduce to their audience, which is linked to that of positive feelings and their links through Dyer's theory as to them being someone to look up to and share the same feelings towards certain ideas and topics.

Case study: Imagine Dragons

Imagine dragons are a indie rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada and have been together since 2008. Their fame has been solidified in the indie rock genre due to their specific style of music which sets them apart from many other bands. This could be due to the fact that their songs rely somewhat on pop lyrics with an indie rock style of beat. The chorus generally is the lead vocalist (Dan Reynolds) shouting lyrics and or adding his own style to the vocals making them iconic and paired with the group. The lyrics are generally there to convey a sense of pain and or teenage problem. This can be seen from their hit song 'Dream' which has the lyrics:

In the eyes 

of a teenage crystallized

Oh the prettiest of lights that hang the hallways of the home

and the cries from the strangers out at night

they don't keep us up at night 

we have the curtains drawn and closed

These lyrics are darker and have a more depressed undertone surrounding them. This is seen is nearly all of the songs that they have released and their talk of social problems is prominent within their work. This can be related to the indie rock genre where the lyrics generally telling of a story, with the work of Imagine dragons being of lost love as well as depression which can be linked to prominent indie rock styles of lyrics. 

The visual style of the band also fits with the indie rock style, which shows off an alternative look at clothing, with very few labels being used. There is a widespread use of leather jackets as well as patterned shirts which can be seen in the indie rock genre further with bands such as The Artic Monkeys and One Republic. I think that with our band we would try and replicate such a style due to it's popularity within the genre as it could prove successful as well as the fact that it would make it very clear from the very start that it was an indie rock band.

SWOT analysis

Brief 1: Music Video 

Strengths:
Gives us creative freedom to experiment and do whatever we want (within reason)
Allows us to practise our editing skills and develop them
We can use a variety of shot types in order to make it more like the desired genre of music
We are the target audience so know what audiences would want to see
We know potential actors and actresses that would like to be involved with the project

Weakness:
It is difficult to make a music video original so there might be stolen ideas
Copyrighted music may be an issue in the long run
difficulty linking the music to different shots

Opportunity:
Use of costumes that match the age of the target audience
todorovian narrative
chances to use different effects upon the shots

Threats:
not looking like a real music video
it doesn't come out the way that we want it to
not gathering enough shots for the video

These weaknesses have meant that we can learn and adapt our skills and be able to learn from our mistakes. As well as this, the strengths that we had last year can be further improved in order to attempt to bring up the marks for our final products.

I would like to do the indie rock genre, due to the fact that I think there is a lot of research to be done there, yet it would mean that we can do an original as well as creative music video, which is stereotypical of that in an indie rock video.

Plan for A2

Last year I didn't fully utilize the different aspects of Final Cut Pro, so I think that it would be beneficial for me to use a wide variety of techniques in order to further my editing, like filters as I didn't harness that skill fully last year. My opening sequence last year lacked the creativity from different editing techniques, which I thought brought it down in grade, so I think that if I were to focus upon it more, the grade that it would get would increase due to different styles of editing being used.