Mise En Scene
Costume, Hair & Makeup: The lead singer being a female slightly challenges stereotypes for this genre as most bands are all-male (Coldplay, Foo Fighters, R.E.M). However, there are some bands and artist that have females in them such as Paramore and Blondie. There are a few outfit changes in my music video which again may challenge conventions, even though these outfits are all quite laid-back as this is an expectation. The lead singer wears pink, black and white colours which is more or less normal for the genre as black and white are bland colours that match the unbothered attitude of the alternative rock genre. Fishnet tights are worn too as these are a popular accessory for the genre due to them being seen as different and not in line with the norm. The black ripped jeans and black and white checked shirt are clothes that are worn regularly by both males and females who listen to alternative rock music as they're items of clothing that are deemed unusual and not smart enough. The male guitarist also wears ripped jeans, a nude hoodie and a white t-shirt. The plain colouring represents him as having a simplistic and care-free attitude. Finally, the male drummer wears denim jeans, a black top and a black hoodie. All of the casual clothes represent the band as being unbothered by social norms and not feeling the need to conform to societies expectations which fits in with the genre.
Lighting/Colour: Throughout the majority of the performance part of my music video, the lighting is high-key in order to showcase everything involved and not miss any detail. However, at certain points in the video -when it fits in with the context- the lighting becomes more low-key but, only to a certain extent as scenes need to be clear and visible. The main colour themes are block colours as these suggest a care-free and relaxed attitude to life; following the expectation of the alternative rock genre. Black and white are the colours used most frequently, especially when it's a scene of the band. This is because these are simple colours that can convey lots of different meanings, such as black signifying dark, depressing times and no emotions. Whereas white signifies tranquillity and purity.
Band Representation:
My band consists of three members; a female lead singer, a male guitarist and a male drummer. Whilst filming, I attempted to follow the typical codes and conventions of an alternative rock music video through the use of costume, hair & makeup, lighting/colour, positioning, setting/props and facial expression/body language.
Positioning of the Characters on Screen: The band members are positioned on screen as most bands would be in music videos. The main singer is placed at the front, closest to the camera which makes sense as she is the one singing and who the audience can hear the most therefore, they can see her the most as well. The guitarist is behind her on the right and the drummer is next to him but across the room on the left. This uses up all of the given space that is in the camera shot and gives the illusion of filling up the space. Due to the band's position following conventions of an alternative rock video, this would help the audience identify which genre it is. The representation is that the band are like any other alternative rock band and want to be the seriously.
Settings/Props: For the performance part of my music video, I used two different locations. One was a drama room that looks like a stage as it has beige laminate flooring and black curtains. And the other was a place with rough black walls. Both of these locations fit in with the setting conventions for my genre as bands perform in stage-like locations and the backgrounds are both black. Also, in the second setting, the wall has marks and imperfections on it which fits in with the alternative rock stereotype as it is messy and all over the place. Props that were used definitely fit in with my genre's conventions; drum kit, guitarist, microphone stand and microphone. All of these props show the band as playing their instruments and singing the song therefore, it makes it appear realistic. It also represents them as being professional and like they know what they're doing.
Facial Expression/ Body Language: The bands facial expressions suggest that they are serious artists. This fits in with my song 'Hard Times' as it indirectly addresses the serious matter of depression. As well as being serious, some scenes show the band as having fun which also follows the typical conventions of my genre. This is normal for a band as they're teenagers who want to have fun. The body language that is shown in the performance part of my music video implies that they're a serious band too as their bodies ae positioned normally for people who are playing their specific instruments. Whilst playing, the drummer and guitarist are mostly looking down at their instruments in order to know what they're playing and ensuring that they're doing it right. They also represent themselves as being carefree and having an unbothered attitude which is a typical stereotype for the alternative rock genre.
Character Representation:
The other aspect of my music video is narrative therefore, not only do I have band members, but I also have different characters who partake in my storyline. Whilst filming this, I tried to follow stereotypical conventions of the alternative rock genre in order to fit in with them and allow the audience to identify what genre my video is. I did this by thinking what representations were being made through the use of costume, hair & makeup, lighting/colour, positioning, settings/props and facial expressions/body language.
Costume, Hair & Makeup: The main character is a teenage girl, this is represented through the use of her normal, natural-looking makeup and straight, brown hair. The plot to the storyline is that this female character is depressed- linking to the lyrics of the song- therefore, she doesn't make an overt amount of effort with her presentation and wears minimal makeup, with slightly messy hair and normal, bland clothing. Throughout the narrative part of my music video, she is wearing black denim jeans, white shoes, a grey top and a black denim coat. The dark clothing symbolises her feeling empty due to the depression, whilst the grey coloured top suggests that the depression is trying to pull her over to the "dark side" because white suggest purity and innocence, whereas grey is half way between white and black. The mix of the light and dark colours represents the character as being troubled. Another character used in the video is once again a teenage girl who wears minimal makeup and has long, brown hair. I chose her as I wanted someone who had a resemblance to the main character acting as her depression. As black clothing has connotations of evil and mystery, this a suitable colour for the depression character to wear as it would help the audience make inferences about what part she is playing. Any extra characters wear mostly dark, block colours as this follows the typical conventions for the alternative rock genre and was the most popular answer in regards to my audience survey.
Lighting/Colour: The lighting is mostly high-key lighting in order for the audience to be able to see each detail and understand what is going on. A representation of this is that each detail needs to be seen by the audience as the issue that is being confronted is serious and perhaps relevant to people that listen to the genre of music. The first part of the narrative starts with the main character waking up therefore, the lighting has to be light enough to see the scene but also, dark enough that it looks like she's just woken up. Whereas, later on when the characters are outside the lighting is high-key based on the weather so, the amount of lighting is contextually based. However, to represent the main character being depressed and the other character being the metaphorical depression, there could be an effect used to make the lighting low-key and dull. The main colours in the narrative part of my music video are black, white and grey which are all typical block, bland colours. This is a suitable representation for the storyline of someone being depressed as these types of colours are stereotypical and expected.
Positioning of Characters on the Screen: As the main character is being followed by her depression, the depression character is behind her which makes sense as she play a metaphorical character. The audience may be able to make this assumption as they can see that the depression is always placed behind the main character. A representation of this is that the depression never goes away - not even when the female runs and thinks its gone therefore, this could also link in with viewer's beliefs and experiences with mental health issues. Throughout the narrative part of my music video, the main character is also mostly placed in the centre of the shot as she is the main focus within it. This will help make the audience pay attention to what is happening in the scene in order for them to understand the storyline as much as possible.
Settings/Props: Numerous amount of props have been used in the narrative part of my music video as the storyline is based upon the characters daily life. Therefore, a hairbrush, makeup, shoes and other things people use daily are included. A scene with a particular prop is when the main character is getting ready using her mirror and makeup brush. The mirror is an important prop in this part of the video as an over-the-shoulder camera shot is being used in order to show both the main character getting ready and the depression character being with her. This creates the representation that the depression is always with the female and would be another indicator to the audience as to who that character is and what the storyline is too.
Facial Expression/Body Language: Throughout the narrative section of my music video, the facial expressions and body language used represent the main character as being depressed and glum. This fits in with what meanings and representations I was trying to create, and it links in with the lyrics of the song. In many of the scenes, the main character has slumped body language which suggests she is wanting to give up. The majority of the main character's facial expressions are sombre, again following the codes and conventions for the alternative rock genre and the lyrics of my song. The metaphorical depression character has neutral facial expressions as she is only a metaphor and not a real person. However, when she succeeds in "taking down" the main character, she looks pleased with herself. This makes sense as she is representing depression which is a horrible mental health illness and when it becomes personified, it would be seen as smug and evil. The second character's body language is mostly upright and she stands tall, this represents her as being in charge and dominant which makes sense as she is the main character's depression and therefore, rules her life and prevents her doing things. Any other extra characters have normal body language and facial expressions as they're not affected by depression and are seen laughing and looking happy/content.