Genre Overview (Lucy)

We Are The Ocean fit into the genre of 'Post - hardcore' and, 'alternative rock'.

Alternative Rock

• It emerged in the 1980's and became popular with the 1990's
• It's formed from lots of sub-genres such as grunge , Britpop , gothrock , and also indie these genres were all very popular in the 1980's
• Alternative rock has before been used to class and group rock music produced by underground artists within the 1980's and also all music that descended from various punk rock genres
• Bands such as R.E.M and The Cure achieved commercial success and maintstream recognition during the 1980's and were cult acts that recorded on independent labels and received their exposure through college radio airplay and word of mouth
• Grunge and Britpop were becoming more popular in the 1990's with help and break through bands such as Nirvana alternative rock came into the mainstream which helped alternative bands to become more and more commercially successful
• Typical Instruments used within the genre
• Vocals, electric guitar, bass, drums and sometimes keyboards
• It originally developed from hardcore punk and the punk rock movement.
• The genre emerged in the mid to late 1980's from the Midwestern United States but came into mainstream recognition within the 2000's

Post - Hardcore

• Characterised by it's precise rhythms and loud guitar-based sounds with a combination of clean vocals and screams is generally cha
• Many of the bands have developed a good balance of dissonance and melody
• They channel the loud and fast hardcore elements into more measures, subtle forms of tension and release
• Typical Instruments used within the genre

Digipak Cover Research

In the photo above the the wolf signifies nature and power while the ocean signifies the title of the band and that the wolf is lost and depressed. This fits the title of the the track "Cutting Out Teeth". The lighting is verry low key which signifies the songs inside will be verry downbeat, serious and sad. The titles are in times new roman to signify the image is an acount as if from a book or diary.

The image above once again signifies the band and the track "What Seperates me from You". The colours are alot brighter which signifies that the images are a lot more comicle.   

In the Sum 41 cover it is for a generic album therefore more polysemic to create narrative enigma and get people to look on the back to see the tracks inside. The black and white photo signifies it is honest documentary style photo. The pink greatest hits appeals to young female audiences. However the parental advisory certificate shows that the intended audience is 16-34.   

In this Madina lake cover the image is very polysemic. With religious symbols and birds my opositional reading of this is that it could be an intertextual reference to the Indiana Jones films or some religious symbol of peace. However leaving it polysemic creates narrative enigma and draws its audiece in.

In this Finch cover the title is clearly signified by the image of the sunshine "Say hello to the sunshine" however they have used the intertextual reference of the wizard of Oz as a  twist on the title. The bright colours once again  signfiy happy music is inside.

In this All Time Low the man at the front in the yello shirt is signified as the protaganist. His blank face is to signify the title "Put up or Shut Up".
The use of black and white with yellow and green and large capital 3D lettering signifies that the title is news orientated. The image is a quistion of identity for the protaganist as is stereotypical among alternative rock concept videos.  

In this Kasabian cover the clinical tequoise matches the title "Processed Beats". However we see many contrasts for example the scared man in the veil would normally signify a thug however the white signifies innocence. The clinical green it being the green  used in hospitals where people get healed contrasts the word "Beats". In all this image is very polysemic not only to create narrative enigma and draw the audience in but to get it audience to think.  

As is also seen in this cover by 30 Seconds to Mars. The skulls and crying masks contrasting the title "A Beautiful Life". The japanes head bands and covered mouths mean that this cover is perhaps an intertextual reference to swime flu or communism. Either way no meaning in anchored.   

This cover is signifying the cover of a book. It uses a symbol once again to signify religion.

 

 In this My Chemical Romance cover the use of black signifies evil. The blood signifies the title "Life on the Murder Scene". The characters have their eyes closed which signifies they are dead. The typography is written in a sans font which signifies an acount. The overlayeing of the letter M and change in size of the letters is an intertextual reference to many murder mysyery titles.    

The general trend for Alternative Rock digipak covers is that they are graphic and brightly coloured if happy music is contained and darkly coloured if sadder music is contained. Each band has there own text which fits the image. The titles of the cover always have some reference to the image.

Digipack Reasearch

Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street

The front conatains the bands logo, the title and the logo of HMV the shop it was bought at

The back contains a bar code in the top right corner, there record label, the band logo, and all the tracks listed with their track numbers and timings and who sone them we see the image oif a man with 3 balls in his mouth and a film real of mic jagger in the 70's

One the side wee see the title in the same font as on the front and the HMV logo

Inside this pull out box is a similar digipack however this time all the images are in black and white and there are photographs on the front and instead of the HMV logo there is a sticker with the band logo in gold saying there are 10 exclusive tracks in side

The back is the same as the back on the cover although black and white

The side is also black and white although the fonts of the title are different and it includes the issue number

This then opens out to reveal 3 sides with similar images behind them 2 plastic CD cases at either end and an cardboard envelope in the centre

The CD's are covered in the same yellow the sticker was coveres in with the same font that was on the title page

At the tope is the issue number, then the title, then to the left hand side is the band logo, the record label logo and the compact disc logo, to the right is the words CD ONE or CD TWO with legal Promotone details beneath that of who its licenced to beneath that is a legal statment saying it is owned by Promotone then it says "Made in the EU" and adds a series of numbers.

Right at the bottom is the copyright symbol and that it is owned by Promotone and Universla Music International

In the centre is a booklet which just contains two black and white images of the band in there past on the back and front with the band logo and Doivdor there record company logo on the back left hand corner

Inside is a series of black and white images followed by in the centre a series of credits as well as the copyright statement again these are all in a list in white on a black background in a Sans Serif font in contrast to the titles of the digipack which look handwritten
  
Robbie Williams - In and Out of Consiousness Greatest Hits 1990- 2010
The front consists of the titles in a Sans font in white and grey and an image of him right framed talking by some rocks near the sea as it craches against them he has a serious look on his face and is wearing black trousers and a blue shirt

On the back is an abstract grey image with the bar code in the top left corner underneath that is the Virgin logo and the letters CDVD and a series of numbers

This then lists all the tracks on each disk

It then says the copyright statement in a small font about size 4

Underneath that in size 12 is Robbie Williams website and to the right of that is the Robbie Williams

On the side is the Artist followed by the title followed by the issue number

When opened out the digipack reveals a sky like image with all his ablbums in rows in sepia

In the centre is a booklet which has the same image as the front cover on the front

On the back it is black with the Robbie Williams logo and Robbie Williams website

Inside is a series of images followed at the end by credits on a double page spread in times new roman on ad white background

Also in the centre is a flier for a Nintendo Wii game With a series of images of him, logo's and puntual text on a grey background also including his website and the Wii websiter

The CD's are grey with white writing apart from the disc number writing which is sky blue the same colour as his shirt. Around the outside edge is the licencing agreement. In the centre is the title of the Album the Disk number and underneath that is Robbie William's logo, his website and Virgin's logo

Willful Missing - Vast Atlantic - Alternative Indie Rock

The titles are in Sans font to look like handwriting

The band logo is shown as a bear vector image in a boat ine the ocean this is all in black and white

On the back is the same image but in black with a yellow moon and blue lines for the sea ti signify nightime and listed is the tracks

Inside it states the members of the band on a grey background followed by a copyright statement

At the bottom includes there myspace page, where it was published to the right of this is the record label logo VT music

On the right is the CD which is the smae shades of yellow and grey as the moon on the back with the title written around the CD at the bottom is the copyright information

Casting

We allready have the central protaganist as a brunette girl in a white dress but we need to develop her storyline

Questions needed to be considered:

Why she is writing the confessions?
To say why she is running away

What the letter will say?
Mum

Why she is running away?
Her parents  have had an argument she goes out to remove herself from the distress

 What the other characters will be doing?
Walking along the street

Who the characters will be?
 A group of friends
Her parents
Her brother

What costumes, cast, mise en scene, we will need?
The friends wearing casual brightly coloured or black clothing in the street
Her parents and her brother will be pictured in photographs which will be overlaid the footage

The argument will be signified by the pictures burning, plates smashing and the letter  

Which locations the characters will appear in? 
The group of friends will appear in the street
The images of plates smashing will be overlayed or intercut when the voice of the music gets more screamy
The photos and the letter will be used in the rest of the video

Possible Music Video Company Names

We need to think of record label music video, production company and digipak design company.  Names we could use:

LMC

Hello Dave Records

Broken Elephant Records

Addingham Media

Crossbeck Media

In the end we decided on crossbeck media. Here are some logo design ideas:

I especially like the cross face.

Draft 3 Idea

Section 1 -  

• Over the shoulder shots of the girl writing a note, mise-en scene of a girls bedroom, band poster, desk with a mirror on and school books etc.
• Slow shots at the beginning. Nearer 1 or 2 seconds.
• The girl is dressed in white, with pale skin and lots of eye make-up.
• The girl packs her bag in a hurry
• Walks through the house, there are broken plates, turned over furniture etc in the background.
• Close up of the girls hand on the door handle as she is leaving.
• Close-ups of the girls face with watering eyes.
• Long shot of her running away from the house.
• Shots from a car. 
• Jumpy shots.

Section 2 - (guitar solo)

• Close-ups of instruments. Fret boards, strings, microphones, bass drum etc.
• Shots of her collapsing down - jump
• Girl reaches out to people.
• Backlit shots of the band playing.
• Flashing lights
• Urban night shots
• High angle shots of her isolation, exposure and vulnerability etc. 
• Low angle shot of the guitarist
• Flashbacks of an argument?

Section 3 -

• Have the ending of the girl sat on a wall, next shot is a train going past, then she is gone. Has she jumped into the tracks? Or has she walked off? Diagetic noise of the train.  Needs testing!
• Performance shots.

Mise En Scene and Setting

Possible Locations

A garage

A girls bedroom

A street

A bridge

A park

A field

train station

A wall

A wood

town/ city centre

Costumes

White dress with white tights and shoes

Jeans T Shirts or Shirts for band dependent on ownership

Instruments 
2 Guitars
1 Bass
1 Drum kit
2 Microphones
Amps
Wires
Lighting rig


Propps
Band Poster
Band logo on drum kit
Letter
Pen
Bag and clothes

We are the Ocean Existing Videos (Lucy)

All Of This Has To End [LINK]

• Entirely performnce based
• Lots of shot variation
• An ageing effect and also different colour filters are used
• Fast paced and quick moving camera work is also used.
• The video is set in a warehouse. Items such as ladders, wires and lights are also visible throughout the video. This gives the video a raw edge and feeling to it.

Look Alive

• A boy is in his bedroom laid on his bed, his mother then comes in and shouts at him. He then walks out of the house and she throws some pieces of paper at him.
• It then cuts to a performance setting with quite a lively crowd. The video cuts back to this scene/ location throughout the video.
• The same boy that was in the scene before appears walking through a park past a girl and a boy that are arguing. The attention then is taken off the boy and onto the couple and the girl eventually walks away. Slow motion is also used in this take.
• Then the girl that was featured in the previous scene is shown walking past a garage where a boy is sat on a chair. He then goes and gets told off by his boss and then he walks out of his job.
• During the performance aspect of the video very fast paced editing is used.
• Green and blue filters are also used at some points during the chorus along with slow motion.
• God Damn Good
• A girl walks into a room, put on a vinyl record. The band then appear performing in that room. The room is quite dark and dimly lit.
• The band are shown performing at several points throughout the video and sometimes it is just the lead singer on his own.
• Aspect of romance included between the girl that was seen before and another man.
• Fast paced editing which matches the genre of the band and song.
• The lady then spikes the mans drink. He then proposes to her (she then regrets spiking his drink) and she drinks from the glass that she spiked and collapses, but narrative enigma is created because she could be possibly dead.

Nothing Good Has Happened Yet [LINK]

• Performance in a warehouse and also with just 2 brick walls with graffiti.
• Special editing effects are used and have been layered onto the footage in the post production stage.
• Lots of close ups of the lead singer are used. Lots of shot variation is included as well, because it's an all performance video they need to grab and keep the attention of the audience.

These Days I Have Nothing [LINK]

• The video is performance with a little bit of narrative and concept.
• It starts with the lead singer picking up his mic then it fades out.
• Then it fades back in with the rest of the band. They are playing against a fence with some barbed wire across the top of it.
• It then cuts to a different setting, in the snow. Someone is walking along dressed in military uniform.
• Slow motion and blurring effects have been used within the video
• The military person walks into a house where he is greeted by a female (possibly his wife or girlfriend), they then embrace and other people go up to him to greet him.
• He then gets angry because he can't cope.
• Some other soldiers come into the house and take away the man, the female then falls to her knees and break's down.
• It then fades out to black.
• At the end of the video, quite a lot of narrative enigma is left for the audience for the audience because they don't know why the guy has been taken away etc.

Case Study On: Metallica (Lucy)

Metallica are from L.A. California.

Formed in 1986.

They have had lots of #1 albums.

Leit motifs such as blue filters and flashing effects were quite often used within most of their videos.

Wayne Isham directed quite a few of their videos.

Enter Sandman

Target Audience

The target Audience for Alternative rock is 15 - 24 this is our core audience. We intend on appealing to this audience by putting our band in casual fashionable emo clothing. Showing scenes depicting teenage struggle and therefore sympathizing with our audience. We have included a mixture of both boys and girls in our video idea to appeal to both genders with use of a dress and extreme close ups of the female protagonist to appeal to the male gaze.

Our secondary audience is either tweenagers 10-13 with the use of a girl in a dress walking around the street in a serial fairy tail setting. Another potential audience for this is 24-55 because we have appealed to the male gaze and the use of special effects makes a more interesting video.  It also appeals to this age groups because our researched bands we've taken intertextual references from have also taken intertextual references themselves from previous metal bands and other media. For example the video In Too Deep by Sum 41 is an intertextual reference to a 1986 film Back to School.

People that won't view our video our idea are the 55+ because our music and technology for exhibiting our product YouTube do not appeal to this audience. Also we use many adult themes such as suicide therefore it does not appeal to -10.