Evaluation task 1 looking at conventions of music genre specifically music video. album artwork and websites

1. Evaluation Task 1
By Izella Oxenham

2. Introduction to
conventions
Conventions are stereotypical signs of something that is recognised. For
example technical conventions include camera work, editing and anything using
technology. Another type of convention is symbolicconventions. Symbolic
conventions use colours or any symbol that represents a certain thing. For
example the colour red symbolises love and passion and a knife symbolises
cruelty and death Genre however means a particular category of something eg
music, for example pop music usually includes a lot of colour however our
genre which is indie/ alternative uses less colour and design elements and
focuses more on the artist. Conventions are used to let an audience recognise
and consume something.

3. Music Video
Set Design
The Big Unknown – Elder
Island
The set design for my music video was extremely simple. Our set was a combination of
blue lighting and a plain black background. However we had silk and chiffon white fabric
hanging down to add something and link to the dream theme of our music video.

4. Music Video
You’ve got the love –
Florence and the machine
Youth – Daughter
The video for You’ve got the love is very similar to mine as the set is made up of a black
background with cold blue/white lighting. This shows that for my music video my group
and I chose to develop the conventions of an indie music video. The simpler the set the
more the audience can focus on the artist.
Again the set in the music video for Youth is very similar to the big unknown because there
is no set, it is just a black background that uses a lot of white light, particularly spot light to
promote Richard Dyers star theory that the audiences attention should be focused
completely on the artist and nothing else. The colour scheme is also very simple just black
and white this could connote that the artist has two sides to her music a dark and light
side.

5. Music Video
Performance
This screenshot was taken from my music video focusing on the element of
performance. Our artist is looking directly in to the camera showing Richard dyers star
theory that she involving and connecting with the audience.
The Big Unkown

6. Music Video
Performance
You’ve got the love – Florence
and the Machine
Youth – Daughter
In the music video youth, this screenshot shows a close up of the artists face and her
looking in to the camera to connect with the audience, this shows that our music video
is developing the conventions of an indie music video by involving this element.
In the music video You’ve got the love, it is almost exactly the same as my music video
because it is a close up of the artists face however on a slight angle. Both artists are
looking in to the camera which encourages dyers star theory as it creates a ‘synthetic’
image as the artist is not ignoring the audience but can acknowledge they are there.

7. Music Video
Make Up
The Big
Unkown
For the make up conventions in our music video, as the set was so simple we
wanted the make up to stand out a lot, so while keeping her face up relatively
simple we made her eyes stand out so that when she was incorporating the
performance element and staring directly in to the camera the audience would
recognise and engage.

8. Music Video
Make up
You’ve got Love –
Florence and the
machine
Youth –Daughter
For the video for you’ve got the love, the artist is wearing very basic face make up and then
to contrast this wearing sparkly/ silver eye shadow. This follows the colour scheme used in
the video as the lighting is white / silver as well as her sparkly costume. Our video therefore
develops the media conventions as although the set and dress were white, the blue/ green
lighting was replicated through her make up as well.
The make up for the video youth, is completely different to ours as they have continued
with there black and white theme therefore wearing nearly no make up. Our video
compared to youth is going against genre conventions for an indie music video because we
aren't keeping it strictly plain and simple but adding different colours and bolder colours
which are noticeable for the audience, where as youth want the audience to focus more on
the artist rather then the colours of her make up giving her a much more organic image.

9. Music VideoCostume
The Big Unknown
The costume for our music video was very plain and simple, a long white
flowy dress that related to the white fabric hanging from the ceiling in the
set. We chose this so that when she was performing amongst the fabric
they would work together and blend in making her stand out. This
promotes Richard Dyers star theory that we are concentrating more on the
artist and her performance rather then the costume.

10. Music Video
Costume
Youth – Daughter
You’ve got the love –
Florence and the
machine
The costume for you’ve got the love is similar to our white dress and white set as
the silvery / sparkly dress matches part of the set and the lighting. However the
costume in you’ve got the love is still bold therefore distracts the audience away
from the artists performance slightly going against typical genre conventions for an
indie music video
However the video for youth is developing the genre conventions for an indie music
genre. The costume is plain and simple using black and grey which matches there set
and there is no distraction what so ever therefore the audience can focus on nothing
but the artist as the performance is what is important.

11. Music Video
Camera Work
The Big Unknown
We used a variety of different shots to capture every angle of our
artist. Most of these included mid shots and close ups to show her
face to the audience as much as possible however this screenshot
shows a slow motion pan around her to capture every angle in
one shot. This makes sure that the majority on the artist making it
about there performance rather then having most of the
set/background in the shot.

12. Music Video
Youth- Daughter
You’ve got the love –
Florence and the
machine
Camera Work
In the music video for youth the same pan in our video reveals the drummer as if it is
a new emerging artist which fit the conventions for an indie band. This is similar to
our video as the panning shows every inch of the band and set.
Although the video for you’ve got the love is showing more of the set then the artist
it is still the same pan and shot as our video showing the detail of the performance
more then anything else. Once again this is promoting Richard Dyers star theory that
the artist is the most important thing by use of camera work.

13. Music Video
Editing
The Big
Unknown
In our video we used many effects in the editing process. This
screenshot of the end of our video shows a cross dissolve . We
chose this to add in post production to use a close up of our
artist and make her face fade away slowly leaving the image
of her face which has been promoted a lot in the video as the
last image in the audiences mind.

14. Music Video
You’ve got the Love –
Florence and the machine
Youth – Daughter
Editing
In the music video for you’ve got the the love there is a sparkly shimmer used as an after
effect added at the end of the video. This connects with the over all sparkly/ white colour
theme used throughout. This is going against genre conventions for an indie music video
as they are not ending the video on her face like our video to show how important she is
but instead focusing on a design element.
However in youth they use a cross fade to black which in the same way as our video leaves
the audience with an image of the band before it goes black which is developing the genre
convention of an indie/ alternative music video.

15. Album Artwork –THE BIG
UNKOWN
FRONT BACK
The album artwork for our artist is very plain and simple as we wanted to develop the
conventions of an indie music artist and make it more about the artist rather then the design
elements. We chose a black and white colour scheme, therefore taking the photos in black and
white. This adds contrast to the album artwork engaging the audience as soon as they look at it.
The photo shows our artist is young/ attractive /indie, enforcing the idea she is new and emerging
that will interest the audience. The pictures have a vintage feel as they were taken on a film
camera which gives our artist a rustic original image. The font is bold and clear revealing the
important information eg the title of the album and list of songs. The white writing on the front
contrasts well with the black/grey background. The artists name is more bigger then the title of
the album as we want her name to be the most important thing and what the audience see first.

16. Album Artwork –THE BIG
UNKOWN
The back cover links to the front as they both have a nature theme taken
outside in a forest area, which promotes the naturalism of our artist and
promotes Richard Dyers star theory of an organic image. The grey /black
colours contrast well to the front cover adding a slight edge in reference to
an indie artist. The font same as the front yet in black stands out but
doesn’t over rule the more important writing on the front as well as the list
of songs that aren’t numbered to keep it as simple as possible. We added a
barcode and legal information at the bottom of the back cover to make the
album look more professional yet also keeping the more independent indie
artist theme that looks natural.

17. Album Artwork – FLORENCE AND THE
MACHINEFRONT BACK
The album artwork promoting Florence and the machine is very similar to ours.
The colour scheme is the same simple black and white to show contrast
although for this album the background is white and the font is black. This could
suggest two sides to this artists music adding an extra interest for the audience.

18. Album Artwork – FLORENCE AND
THE MACHINE
Our two artists are in very similar positions, Esme rose is crossing her arms and is positioned on the right
side of the photo, and Florence has her arm resting under her chin slightly to the left of the photo, this
shows an organic image for both artists as they are not directly in front of the camera which looks referring
to Richard dyers star theory like a synthetic image that is fake and computerised. The font is slightly more
complex then ours as each letter is a different size and shape. It is a more personalised title that shows the
consumer Florence has a personality where as ours is simple and clear which goes against being
represented as an indie artist. The back cover is even simpler showing a photo in the same colour scheme
of Florence the artist in the same position just a tiny difference. This is completely different to ours as
although we wanted Esme looking natural on the front we wanted to add a nature theme to make the
genre conventions extremely clear. Our barcode is much bigger and clearer on our back cover compared to
Florence this could show that Florence's album back cover is less professional and more personalised like
she is completely connected to the album artwork linking with the font on the front. This shows the even
more minimalistic approach that this artists album portrays developing the genre conventions of an indie
album cover that the artist is involved in a simple yet effective way.

19. Album Artwork – BIRDY
FRONT BACK
Esme Rose and Birdy’s album artwork is also very similar to the previous. The colour
scheme for the front is also black and white showing versatility and also making certain
things stand out for the consumer. The back cover is a light cream, this is so the front
cover can stand out next to it.

20. Album Artwork – BIRDY
I have done the exact same thing for my artist by using a dull grey/ black to dull down the back cover so the
front can be bolder and more appealing. The photo of birdy on the front is very similar to ours as she is
wearing clothes that are of an indie genre like the fur coat esme rose is wearing. It is also a photo taken
outside in a field which is a natural environment just like the front of our album artwork that connotes the
artists as being natural and down to earth. The font is black and clear just like in our album artwork however
on birdy's there are no lines joing the letters but dots as this is something different it seems personalised and
different which work developing the conventions of indie genre music. The size of the photo also matches the
size of our album photo showing the artists are the most important thing. The back cover is different to our
album as there is no connection of nature on the back just a light colour which is plain and simple making the
audience focus on the songs rather then the theme. However both back covers develop the conventions of an
indie music genre because they are both symbolising an organic image for example the picture of the woods
is a natural environment and the plain colouring seems personalised and linked to the artist where it is not
trying to be over the top using lots of design elements.

21. My Website
HOME PAGE
The conventions for our homepage develop the conventions of an indie music
genre as they have the simple layout,font and colours however add something a
little bit different that no one else has. For example we have used a black and white
colour scheme, this holds contrast and intrigues the audience as it is simple yet
classic. The font is square and clear. However the main blue sparkly image is what
adds something different as it catches the audience attention straight away and
links to our music video using the same blues/ purples as the lighting. The picture
placement is the largest thing on the cover showing our artist is most important.
The photo of her shows her looking slightly away from the camera showing she is
down to earth and according to Richard Dyers star theory it is not a synthetic image
but capturing something natural which connects the audience to her in a perosnal
way.

22. My website
Tour Gallery Music
About
For the rest of the website we have used the same black and white colour scheme with simple
font that is clear and can easily guide the audience to the information they need about the
artist. The titles are placed in the centre to make it easier to see what you are looking at. The
black and white photos also link to the album artwork so that the audience can link the media
they are consuming to the artist. There is not much writing about the artist only one main
paragraph with a quote on the ‘about’ page to keep it personal and connect the audience to
the artist which again is promoting Dyers star theory that our artist is ‘organic’. We are also
not only following the conventions of an indie music artist but changing and making them
better. On every page of the website the placement of the photos is always in the middle and
the largest thing on the page to show she is the most important thing and nothing else. The
gallery of photos is going against the conventions of an indie artist as all the photos are
looking directly in to the camera making her look slightly synthetic however we felt it was
important to promote more then just her music so her modelling adds another layer of
interest for the audience and her as an artist is always more important then photos. Her new
song on her album is also dedicated to one whole page as well as a whole list of tour dates to
promote her as up and coming which follows the conventions of an indie music artist. The
social media links are in a bar at the top however they are in a faint grey colour to resemble
although she has them her music is more important and wants the audience to be more

23. Website – BIRDY
On Birdy’s website homepage in the same way as our website there is a huge photo of her as the
background and she is not looking in to the camera promoting the natural image and following
the genre conventions of an indie artist. There is also a gallery and not just of her showing she is
a down to earth artist and following indie genre conventions as there are photos of nature which
makes her seem natural and an ‘organic’ artist. (Richard Dyers star theory).The colours are
challenging indie genre conventions as usually black and white makes it simple like on our
website although birdy’s font is the same there is a huge amount of colour that is normally used
when promoting a pop artist. However the font for the layout flowery/ feminine which looks
personalised which adds to her natural image. In the same way as our website birdy follow
genre conventions for an indie artist as her social media tab is also small and on the right hand
side where it is less noticeable making her music and her the most important thing rather then
unreal social media accounts.

24. Website – BIRDY
MusicTour Videos
Birdy's tour dates, similar to our artist are bold and placed on the page as a
large image right in the middle symbolising important information. The black
and white theme that we use also adds a nice contrast however it is simple and
effective.
Her video of her recording a live acoustic session reinforces her natural/organic
image as it seems real for her audience that her music is real and not fake. She
also shows her songs on sound cloud, sound cloud is a popular website used for
up and coming artists this shows her audience she does not need to use the
most fancy looking website but one that really shows her music. This all
supports the conventions showing she is an indie music artist which holds
similar conventions to our artists website.

25. Website- FLORENCE AND THE
MACHINEHomepage
The homepage for Florence and the machines website follows indie conventions
because she uses a gallery of gifs that move with no sound this shows she is a real
person and her illusion is not fake, there is also no writing is all about the artist
which takes up the whole page reinforcing the importance This is similar to our
large blue photo on our website. The dark colours also support the indie genre

26. Website- FLORENCE AND
THE MACHINENew album
release Tour dates
Selection of
albums
Tours/festivals
On her main website aside from the homepage there is a huge picture of her new album
and lots of pictures cut up in to a photo collage. This has a very edgy theme, Her tour
dates are also in black and white and use the photo from her album artwork which is the
same as our website. It is plain and easy to see the information is bold and clear. This is
developing the conventions for an indie music artist. However her selection of albums
and festivals tour dates are very bold using lots of colour and it is all crammed together
on a page. This is completely challenging the conventions of an indie music artist as it is
more a pop style and completely contrasts to the rest of the website. It is almost like a
scroll of everything about her which in some ways is an interesting effect for the
audience as they feel like they are scrolling through her personal information like a
perosnal blog which connects them more to the artist.