Main Influcences

We were influenced by a variety of different media texts  which are as follows:

• Jeff Buckley 'Hallelujah'
• Sundara Karma 'A young understanding' 
• Gorillaz 
• Rufus Wainwright 'Hallelujah' 
• Robbie Williams 'Angels'
• Banks 'This Is What It Feels Like'
• Lana Del Rey 'Lust For Life'
• Duke Dumont 'As Long I Got You'
• The Script 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved'
• The techniques that  have influenced us include editing, camera angles, mise-en-scene and sound. Most of the Indie music videos operate with low key or natural lighting which is a reoccurring theme within our videos. Additionally, there are a variation of  shot durations or quicker shot durations in order to communicate specific messages within our music video.
  
  
  Firstly, I chose Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah as the soundtrack for our music video  due to it using many conventions of the indie genre which inspired me to make my music video similar to. For example, the mise-en-scene used were natural lighting, which creates a realistic atmosphere as our music video is reflecting the relationship of two everyday people.  In relation to Barthes action code  our video opens with an older version of Will asleep in which  initially does not give a clear storyline therefore creating an element of tension which then makes the audience wonder how this scene relates to the music videos title of retrospect. however as the narrative unfolds and the flashbacks become integrated into the narrative this cohesion of the title will begin to make more sense. In my music video, I will include dim lighting by filming in daylight and using candles  for interior scenes in order to provide small amounts of  light and create a relaxed and romantic  atmosphere. Using Barthes enigma theory, my aim was to mainly use the symbolic and proairetic code to symbolise the relationship between this couple and how it breaks down across the narrative of the video.  
  
  In regards to the mise-en-scene of our music video we have taken influence from a fan made music video of Sundara Karma's 'A Young Understanding'. We have taken inspiration from this music video to inspire the costumes for our music video as we will be taking inspiration from the indie genre as it is known for being particularly diverse in its choice of clothing with their being multiple different subcultures and ways of dressing within the 'indie scene'. In our music video we are choosing to conform to traditional ideas in regards to costume as our narrative focuses on the relationship of a heterosexual couple. We have chosen to use costumes that are made up of casual clothing, this is due to the indie genres clothing style being focused on the expression of individuality and not conforming to traditional expectations on how to present yourself to society.
  
  Furthermore, the cinematography used were close up shots at 1:48 and 2;27 . Close-ups are used to emphasise the artists emotions and makes the audience sympathise with them as it portrays the experiences that they have wrote the song about.  In addition, we have chosen to include  an over the shoulder shot in our music video to demonstrate an argument between the two which is a key part of them breaking up. In our music video we have chosen to subvert the traditional representation of women, whom are stereotypically victims in pop music videos by having the female being unfaithful in the relationship after having their bank loan for a wedding is declined. I will be using two teenagers as my main characters as they will be demonstrating the younger version of the couple and how the older version of the male character is reflecting on their relationship after her death.
  
  In regards to editing we have chosen to take influence from Jeff Buckley, Lana Del Rey and Banks in regards to editing techniques through the use of black and white editing. We have chosen to do this as it relates to Barthes' cultural code as Black and White is something we associate with the past as this is how all recorded footage would appear before the use of colour video in the media.  The tint is black and white due to it being an old memory, therefore the tint links to the colour for old-fashioned films when black and white was used. Also, the black and white signifies the purity of the relationship between the main characters. Before applying the tint, our team used the three-way-colour corrector and used the colours orange and red to make the image have a warm effect, giving a little saturation to the black and white tint. This gives the actress a silhouette effect due to her wearing a dark coat, resulting in her looking nearly invisible, connoting her current situation of not being around. However, the white makes her hair and face stand out, connoting purity and innocence, making the audience focus on her more rather than the actor.  The overall colour treatment resulted in making the scene look old-fashioned with the camera focusing on the actress rather than the actor, connoting that she is the main character within this scene due to the narrative focusing on flashbacks of the couple, giving the retrospect. It is also a convention of the indie genre due to the indie subculture being old-fhasioned as well as many music videos such as Plain White T's video "Hey There Delilah". Therefore, this colour treatment will be the main one used for our flashbacks to signify the indie genre and give the flashback an old fashioned effect.
  
  In one of  the flashback scenes of our music  video  a medium shot of the male proposing to the female,  is used showing the traditional progression of a relationship. The colour treatment used was only the three-way-colour corrector, using the colours orange and blue. The faint orange tint made very little difference on the darker colours within the shots by making them slightly darker. Whereas the blue gave the image a summery look by saturating the sky and the colourful circles from the lens. This links to the indie genre due to bold saturated colours being used, giving a happy and joyful image towards the audience, which is a convention, especially in music videos such as Coldplay 'A Sky Full Of Stars'. However, this colour treatment will not be used within the flashbacks in the music video due to it looking modern, whereas flashbacks tend to look old-fashioned by having a black and white or sepia filter to make it look outdated.
  
  
  
  
   The audience questionnaire showed us that our target audience were mainly 16-25 year olds. Our music video is aimed towards the struggler, who, seeks escape and lives for today, with few plans for tomorrow. This is classed as the socio-economic class group E/D as the struggler is more likely to be in the working or under classes.
  

  Using the GEARS model, my film wouldn't be ideal for young children as they will lack an understanding in regards to the relationships portrayed in our music video, whereas elderly people  are unlikely to watch our  video as it the cast does not particularly target their demographic and may find it boring as it's unlikely to appeal to their experiences or to their age.Therefore my target audience will be aged 16-25 Plain White Tees 'Hey There Delilah'