V.V. Browns style

V.V. Browns image is iconic with her hair style and outfits. We want to incorporate her style but still adding our own element. She is fashion forward and usually wears iconic pieces such as above (the hat) and bright clothing. I wanted to incorporate her style so i decided to wear a hat like the one above, it isn't my usual style but as we have based everything around her i thought i should. I also wear a bright scarf which is noticeable to the viewer as it is not the convention of music video but it was suiting to her style and the feel and genre of the music video.

Target Audience

For our music video we are aiming at an audience of 15 years old and above, as my sister is 15 and so are her friends and i showed he video to them and they said they would watch it. However, it would be hard for it to compete over the latest craze of Justin Bieber. But the upbeat style and edits of the music video attract a young audience as well as being mature enough for an older audience. As the video follows a narrative it can attract and keep the focus of a varied audience.

The music video attracts both male and female viewers as it involves a narrative about a typical subject, but the fact that it is a girl band it may deter the viewer from buying it. It could attract materialists and followers as they may want to copy the style of the girl band. We have tried to keep the targeted audience neutral and open as this aids publicity.

Chosen Music Genre

Indie Pop is more of a mellow genre of music more than the rock style. It has recently become a fashionable and popular genre of music but it came around in the 80's. It appeals to a wide range of audience. It originated in the US but had a big impact in the UK in the mid eighties. It was a much more melodic and organised than traditional indie music. It's main features were smooth guitar with memorable chord progressions intertwined with soft innocent lyrics taking influence from sixties pop. It has actually come under much criticism in the UK recently due to its underachievement and ability to grow. Some of the biggest names in this industry are: The Pastels, The Shop Assistants and Primal Scream. They also started to develop a look as shown below. ... Smart, casual and all in uniform. They didn't however adapt the casual laid back image of indie music, they wanted to actually sell themselves through their looks. This look is now seen throughout many bands in modern indie and pop music such as Razorlight and Snow Patrol. It is clear to see that their influences have not only had an impact on their music but their image as well. It is a much toned version of the pop artists at the time but yet a more jazzed up version of raw indie rock bands.

V.V. Brown

V.V. Browns 'Shark In The Water' is being used in the trailer for the new film a Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures. This is great timing as V.V. Browns song is quite old in relation to the songs in today's charts and this is great publicity for her as well as our band.

"The title, “Shark in the Water” refers to anxiety. Brown explained to Digital Spy: “I guess I’m trying to create a new phrase. When something’s not quite right or there’s some kind of a problem, you might say, ‘Maybe there’s a shark in the water.’” (last.fm)

This is her third release of her debut album 'Traveling Like The Light'. The indie-pop artist has created an upbeat, quirky song which is catchy. V.V. Brown has appeared on many American tv shows such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show talking about her debut album. This is great publicity for breaking America as she is already known in Britain.

Music Video Choice and Idea

The element i would like to incorporate from the music video is the style of the artist switching from being in the narrative and still being the artist. I like that the narrative doesn't develop until a few seconds into the song therefore giving the viewer some time to listen to the song and establish who the artist is.

After analysing many music videos we have decided on an artist and a song. VV Brown is our chosen artist as her style is unique from her appearance to the style of music. After much deliberation we chose 'Shark In The Water' for our song as our record company is based around the indie style. VV Brown is an indie pop singer and the song suits our record label as it has a laid back style but is upbeat.

We have decided to film a narrative with our music video as it links in with the lyrics and also I feel it makes the video more appealing. We will construct this through camerawork, lighting and mise-en-scene. The lyrics also play a big role in constructing a music video narrative as they introduce the general feeling or mood, only key phrases or lines can be associated with the narrative of the video.

The singer will be the story teller and therefore uses first person mode of address which helps the music video stand out.

We plan to film our music video in London, Bond Street. We decided on this as VV Brown is a British artist and relies on this factor to promote herself in some of her videos.

This clip is from one of her music videos 'Game Over'. VV Brown is now well known in America and her unique style keeps her in the public eye and breaking boundaries, not only with her music but with her fashion. VV Brown and her eye-catching outfits have generated a new fashion and trend for others such as Lady Gaga to follow.

Following her British theme we have decide to use some ideas from her other music videos such as 'Game Over' to portray the artists style in some way in our music video. As we have decided to set the music video in London we want to film some shots of us outside Buckingham Palace to incorporate her British influence.

VV Brown's 'Shark In The Water' music video follows a narrative as well as having unrelated shots. We liked the idea of her walking down the street singing as if she was in her own thoughts. However we have decided to change it a bit by having one lead singer and 2 other female singers as they are a band but they would still be included in the narrative. To achieve this we will use a range of close-ups from different angles but also a long shot to establish the setting.

Our idea of a narrative has stemmed from the strong meaning we have interpreted from the lyrics and with her music video portraying a story as well. We are keeping with the theme of the male being the 'cheat' and the singer knowing about it. Long distance and point of view shots will be important for filming this as these certain shots will help us achieve the effect that the viewer feels involved and that they are seeing something that shouldn't be happening.

An over the shoulder shot helps the story evolve and develop as the viewer is able to see all what is happening. And unknowingly the reader sides with the singer in the narrative.

I like this idea of the guy being behind railings as it looks like he is in prison which is a code for that he is in the wrong. It is also a close-up so we are able to clearly see his face and we are thinking of using this shot and idea in our music video as we are doing a narrative so it would tie in nicely.

There are many shots of musical instruments in VV Brown's music videos and in her 'Shark In The Water' we are shown a man playing the guitar and another musician with his drum sticks This is a code and a typical convention in music videos for the artist showing their love and passion for music.

This side shot of VV Brown singing is effective as the viewer is able to see the artist and the setting. She isn't looking at the camera which i think helps as its different from the other shots of her.

V.V. Brown Analysis

Shark in the Water

VV Brown | Myspace Video

The opening shot of the video is of the artist so the audience can already establish that she is going to be the main focus. The next shot is of the man playing the guitar this makes the viewer aware that they are watching a music video and the sound of the guitar in the song becomes more apparent.

The shots are edited to the beat and switch from different locations of V.V. Brown in the cafe and outside. She tends to look away from the camera then faces it, she does this frequently throughout the video.

The narrative then begins and we see a shot of a man with a girl, as a viewer we seem to begin to know that she is singing about the two people as it switches to a shot of her from the shot of the two people sitting together. This is a typical convention of editing as to show the narrative in a music video.

The man looks over his shoulder indicating to viewer that he is doing something secretive. The artist switches in between the narrative.

It seems in the narrative that the artist has somewhat defeated the 'cheat' as she pins the evidence on his door. He comes out of his house and appears behind his railings which can be code for that he is in the wrong and has been found out, therefore maybe now being punished for his actions and she is the one better off.

CANUTE

Through my research i have decided to create the bands webpage on Facebook as it is the most popular networking site over Myspace.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Canute/196767997023008?sk=wall

By creating a webpage fans and people who accidently come across it are able to find out who they are and the dates of their song and album releases as well as tours/gigs. This is great publicity as 'Facebookers' are most likely to research them by searching them on Youtube. Youtube alslo helps in publicity as it is free and viewers are able to listen and watch artists/bands videos which will entice the viewer to download their song or want to watch them play.