The videos all contain a similar use of iconography, many props were similar such as guitars,cigarettes and alcohol. These props mean that the audience can easily identify the attitudes of the people on screen. The male dominance is very common within the indie genre music videos i looked at, most of the people on screen are male. The females are only appearing in the videos as the girlfriends, there are all attractive and well dressed, in the stereotypically indie style clothing. All of the videos contain the band members, or a person we could assume is the band member, this allows the audience to identify with those on screen and this means the fans can relate to the band, increasing the bands popularity. Similar settings such as the city, gigs and parties seemed to appear several times, these places were probably used as they are associated with this type of music, band members and the fans. This again helps the audience to relate as well as enjoy and be entertained.
-How is youth/gender/ethnicity represented?
The youth are represented as rebellious and uncontrollable through most of the music videos. The use of alcohol and cigarettes means that there are presented as anti-Christian etc. These things are often associated with violence, trouble and relationship problems, all these (because of the use of the certain props, micro elements etc.) mean that the negative connotations are anchored to the youth of today. Due to the stereotypes given to people such as hooded teens the society we live in creates their own assumptions as to how social groups and individuals are. This is not in all of the videos I have looked at, as in the ‘Maccabees - Toothpaste Kisses’ video, the youth are in fact hardly represented as negative and are given positive imagery such as the peaceful birds etc, however this video is almost an anomaly in comparison to the conventional attitudes of the other indie videos.
As I have said earlier, the male dominance within the videos was clear, most of the videos seemed to be shown from the male perspective, reinforcing the idea of a patriarchal society. The women that appeared in the videos seemed to come across as attractive, almost an item for males to look at. This could influence the way in which the female audience are affected by the video, for example the care of appearance that the females seem to show could mean that female fans of the band want to take care of their appearances as well, they are influenced by the clothing style, the attitudes and the relationships portrayed.
Throughout the videos I looked at there was a particular dominance within the white ethnicity, all of the band members/actors were white males, or white females. This white dominance was particularly notable within ’The Kooks - Naïve’ video, as the male singer walks through the gig he is at, the other party-goers all seem to be white. The dominance suggests a strong preference to the demographic audience for this genre being white. However I did notice one reference to another gender, this was in the ’Maccabees - Toothpaste Kisses’ video, as well as contradicting the youth representation, the video contradicts the white dominance and includes pictures of an asian family.
-How is narrative theory used within the videos?
Throughout the videos that I looked at, narrative theory was not always obviously used. For example, ‘The Maccabees – Toothpaste Kisses’ video, the onscreen action did not follow a story at all, the different images (although symbolizing certain things) did not specifically need to be put into a certain chronological order. However when looking at other videos, it was clear there was a following of Todorov’s narrative theory, equilibrium etc. This immediately creates an enigma, as the audience want to see how the narrative turns out. The lack of conventional narrative suggests that the genre is perhaps unconventional and shows a lack of conventional structure within the videos.
-How do the CD covers make good use of the enigma code of narrative?
In most cases the CD covers we analyzed the narrative theory wasn't always obvious, e.g. The Maccabees - First Love
-How is font/colour etc used generically?
When analyzing the CD covers we found the font and colour used were very genetic, the vast majority of the bands/artists used the colours black or white. Both colours are ones which stand out and make a statement, white which connotes something new and original and as Indie bands are known for their original material it could be referring to that and black connoting mystery, this creates an enigma for the audience therefore enticing them to purchase the album. The font which Indie bands use is often unique to each band but most of their fonts are in bold and in capital letter, again this makes them stand out from other artists of this genre.
-How is youth/gender/ethnicity represented on the CD covers?
On a lot of the Covers we looked at youth is being represented very stereotypically through alcohol, cigarettes, partying, causing a bit of trouble, partying etc. By representing youth this way on their covers it reinforces the stereotype of all negative connotations of youth. But by representing youth this way it appeals to their target audience. By representing youth this way on their cover the audience can instantly relate to the band and it gives them an idea what their music will be like. Although it’s like this in many cases, the Jack Penate and The Cribs CD covers don’t represent youth in this way. The Cribs represent woman and men as equal, as they're both have a similar stance etc. And on the Jack Penate it’s just him and a guitar which represents him as an individual and anchoring that his music is the most important factor.
All the covers we analyzed represented gender very stereotypical again with the men being dominate as the vast majority of the covers just had males on it. The reason for this could be the target audience for Indie is manly men therefore they will appeal and relate to them more. All the men on the covers had all the typical connotations of an Indie band; good looking front man, fashionable and the un-maintained look.
The dominate ethnicity we found when analysing the CD covers was white, all the band members where white males. Because of this it could suggests that the large majority of the audience for this genre are white.
-How do they appeal to the target audience?
The use of colour within the CD is an important tool for appealing to the target audience as it attracts the eye and makes the audience more likely to pick up and therefore buy the album. Furthermore, the use of costume and colour also allows the bands to look iconic and become easily recognised by their target audiences. Most of the CD covers with the band-members on connect to a more youthful target demographic as they themselves are youthful and become 'role-models' for the audience. Their costume may also influence the target audience who aspire to be like the band-members themselves. The fact that most of the band members are young also would have an affect on the target demographic of the band, therefore targeting a younger audience of teenagers and young adults. This is true of most of the CD covers as their target audience is likely to be around the ages of 16-26. However, in one of the CD covers, Jamie T's Panic Prevention, there is iconography of vinyl records. This could expand his target audience as it is associated with an older generation so could widen his demographic to an older generation also. Alot of the band members are also male which could connote that the indie genre is more targeted at a male audience. Many of the CD covers also make use of the enigma code which further pulls in the audience making them want to find out what the band and music on the album is about.
-How is font/colour etc used generically?
When analyzing the CD covers we found the font and colour used were very genetic, the vast majority of the bands/artists used the colours black or white. Both colours are ones which stand out and make a statement, white which connotes something new and original and as Indie bands are known for their original material it could be referring to that and black connoting mystery, this creates an enigma for the audience therefore enticing them to purchase the album. The font which Indie bands use is often unique to each band but most of their fonts are in bold and in capital letter, again this makes them stand out from other artists of this genre.
-How is youth/gender/ethnicity represented on the CD covers?
On a lot of the Covers we looked at youth is being represented very stereotypically through alcohol, cigarettes, partying, causing a bit of trouble, partying etc. By representing youth this way on their covers it reinforces the stereotype of all negative connotations of youth. But by representing youth this way it appeals to their target audience. By representing youth this way on their cover the audience can instantly relate to the band and it gives them an idea what their music will be like. Although it’s like this in many cases, the Jack Penate and The Cribs CD covers don’t represent youth in this way. The Cribs represent woman and men as equal, as they're both have a similar stance etc. And on the Jack Penate it’s just him and a guitar which represents him as an individual and anchoring that his music is the most important factor.
All the covers we analyzed represented gender very stereotypical again with the men being dominate as the vast majority of the covers just had males on it. The reason for this could be the target audience for Indie is manly men therefore they will appeal and relate to them more. All the men on the covers had all the typical connotations of an Indie band; good looking front man, fashionable and the un-maintained look.
The dominate ethnicity we found when analysing the CD covers was white, all the band members where white males. Because of this it could suggests that the large majority of the audience for this genre are white.
-How do they appeal to the target audience?
The use of colour within the CD is an important tool for appealing to the target audience as it attracts the eye and makes the audience more likely to pick up and therefore buy the album. Furthermore, the use of costume and colour also allows the bands to look iconic and become easily recognised by their target audiences. Most of the CD covers with the band-members on connect to a more youthful target demographic as they themselves are youthful and become 'role-models' for the audience. Their costume may also influence the target audience who aspire to be like the band-members themselves. The fact that most of the band members are young also would have an affect on the target demographic of the band, therefore targeting a younger audience of teenagers and young adults. This is true of most of the CD covers as their target audience is likely to be around the ages of 16-26. However, in one of the CD covers, Jamie T's Panic Prevention, there is iconography of vinyl records. This could expand his target audience as it is associated with an older generation so could widen his demographic to an older generation also. Alot of the band members are also male which could connote that the indie genre is more targeted at a male audience. Many of the CD covers also make use of the enigma code which further pulls in the audience making them want to find out what the band and music on the album is about.
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