Final Statement of Intent

Product 1 – The Music Video

Using the song ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ by The Wombats, I hope to create a lively music video in order to effectively appeal to a 16-24 year old demographic.

I chose this song as its juxtaposing lyrics and sound symbolise the universal carelessness of people within this age range in combination with teenage angst.

With regard to the performative elements within the video, I am going to focus structurally on the narrative factor, in addition to aspects of lip-syncing in order to engage with the audience. In terms of the aesthetic structure of the music video, I am going to employ the conventions typically found in music videos of the genre it belongs to (pop/indie-pop); this includes bright colouring, lighting and costume, symbolic of the fun-loving nature of the targeted viewers. Moreover, I will cast predominantly young characters of both gender, of similar age to the audience, so that they can identify and actively engage with the plot and visuals and in order for the music video to be representative of this demographic. I am planning to include the band members in the music video, because although my music video relies on a largely narrative element, I want to highlight and strengthen the band's identity. In a teenage-slasher film parody style with a range of well known horror tropes, I took inspiration from the similarly chaotic narrative of Panic! At The Disco's music video for 'Say Amen (Saturday Night)' in order to present the events of travelling home after being ejected from a club.

Due to the fact that within indie-pop music videos, costume is not commonly the most predominant part of the visuals rather a more naturalistic approach, I intend to place my characters in more casual and familiar clothing to heighten the sense of verisimilitude in opposition with the supernaturalism of the narrative. Moreover, to promote the ‘effortlessness’ of the images we commonly see within pop media products, with the use of makeup and hair as part of the mise-en-scene, I aim to create less intense and more natural looks for the characters. As outlined in my storyboard, I will also be creating SFX-style makeup, mimicking bruising and injuries, achieved with makeup.

Though the music video will largely be shot in mid-late evening to create the specific ambiance I want, I aim to counterbalance the darkness with spots of light and colourful lighting, to not only highlight the characters and the events within the music video, but also create an upbeat atmosphere, typical of the pop-genre in order to nullify the potentially overly-gloomy visuals.

In regards to the locations, to meet the requirements of the brief, the first section of the music video is planned to be filmed in a benign town-alley setting followed by a more rural area to show the journey from outside the nightclub location, towards the final character's suburban home. Although contrasting filming locations, a constant between the two is that they are generally recognisable settings to the audience to increase the sense of verisimilitude, for the viewers to relate to and thus engage more effectively with the messages which are being conveyed.

Despite being presented in a jovial tongue-in-cheek way, given the thriller-like narrative and visually dark settings and background, I am going to amp the saturation of the shots to retain the fun-nature of the music video to appeal to the young and fun-loving targeted viewers.

Consequent of the high-energy sound of the song, fairly fast-paced editing will be used; I am adopting this editing technique to engage the audience as well as suitably matchthe feel of the music. I am considering also including brief sections of diegetic sound to bridge certain visuals and the song, as well as including a brief introductory sound clip to establish the setting and the image of being ejected from a club. After researching different approaches to the editing of my music video, I hope to emulate the retro-aesthetic shown by music video production company 'CANADÁ', particularly their work produced with Rosalía and Tame Impala which evoke a 70s/80s feel. In regards to shot transitions, I have researched techniques such as the 'walk-by' transition, for example, which, using Adobe Premiere Pro, can be achieved.

For intertextual purposes, the media product I have chosen to emulate is the iconic scene of the twins from 'The Shining'. I have chosen this as it is an image which is very easily recognised and accessible, not only to a 16-24 year old demographic. However, as opposed to using children, I am employing two 21 year olds in order to recreate it. Not only will this juxtaposition with the original create a comedic effect, but also introduce figures other than the central characters who are at the older end of the targeted demographic, allowing for more people to identify with the media product. Furthermore, the chiaroscuro lighting effect involved in this section of the music video will deepen the sense of eeriness I hope to evoke, as well as integrating well with the darkness of the rest of the shots.

Consistent throughout a large amount of other pop music videos, lip-syncing is an element that I will include within my own to interest the audience and cement the messages which are key within the lyrics and visuals which I want to promote successfully. In addition, another visual element I am going to include is brief subtitles during sections of inaudible dialogue to easily present the events within the narrative.

Product 2 – The Website

After research of a multitude of artists’ websites within the pop music industry, I have identified a number of features essential for the overall sense of credibility and professionalism for a made-up band.

In order to create synergy between both the music video and the website, I will include stills from the video-shoot within the image gallery - not only will this create aesthetic cohesion between the figures in both media products, but it will also be an 'easter egg' for 'fans', to form engagement. In addition, similar to the added colouring effects featured in the music video, I will include this same vibrant colour palette throughout the website.

I plan to structurally design the website around the music video, to focus the attention of the website visitors on this content as it's an element which I saw frequently throughout webpages including that of The 1975’s and Arctic Monkeys’.

Quality high-res photography is also essential to create a clear sense of branding for the band as seen on Rihanna's website; in order to achieve I will both take images from the set of the music video to identify the members of the band as well as extracting stills from the music video. With this I can ensure cohesion, a consistent brand image and aesthetic between both of the products (the music video and the website) which I am producing.

In regards to the factor of accessibility, a high-contrast colour scheme is necessary, such as a light-coloured background behind dark typography. This will ensure that all consumers including more visually-impaired users can enjoy the visual content.

Given the advanced technological landscape of day, methods for interactivity are very important; thus I will be including sharing and interactive opportunities, such as links to social media accounts and services as well as a newsletter signup option for the targeted audience to access.

To establish the band’s status, a current bio is another feature I wish to include in order to describe their story, history, influences and accomplishments. In addition to this I will also fabricate some contact information, such as a publicist contact for potential ‘journalists or bloggers’ to reach out to, similar to the well-established artists’ which I studied as part of my research. Moreover, I will employ the Wet Table logo on the home page, corner of the website's header and merchandise products in order to enforce the band's identity.

Lastly, I will promote a way to showcase both the music via either a music player, embedded track or MP3 download, as well as the merchandise including what is sold and where potential consumers can purchase it, e.g. via online store.