How are music festivals changing? What does this reveal about the music industry, identity and target audiences?

Music festivals are becoming more and more specific as more specific and niche genres arise. Music festivals have become more corporate. Festivals like V festival now advertise specific drinks for festivals and have large companies selling their products. Ticket prices have risen and are now approaching £200. Such festivals are hence becoming more mainstream. The increase in price of festivals is considered to be due to increase in illegal file downloads and file sharing. Because of this reduction in profit, ticket prices have increased to compensate and the 'live experience' is promoted - for example the band Muse have a 360 degree video of some of their live performance to gain intrigue into live performance.

Festivals have also evolved to accomodate more specific genres and they have done this by having more stages over large areas and having many different styles playing at once giving the festival-goers more choice.
People also go to festivals because of the recognition that they get for going and the connotations that the festival may stand for, for example Latitude festival has green, hippy style, environmentally friendly connotations.

Similar artists on Prezi

CD cover analysis

This Cover most vividly relates to Queen because of their faces being the only things present on the cover, this is what it reminded me of anyway.

 This portrays an image of respect and admiration for musicians alike. The black background connotes a heavier rock/metal background making for a cover of a cultured style suggesting that the band have drawn great influence from these bands/areas. The red title connotes anger, passion and heart which reflect the band well. The faces of the band are clearly represented and therefore their image and identity is shown well as opposed to some CD covers which do not feature the band at all.

Band homepages on Prezi

What does 'White Girl' say about identity, youth, modernist concepts of identity and post-modernist concepts of identity?

White Girl challenges the modernist concept of identity by using a change of location to remove a child (Leah) from the identity that she knows which forces Leah to try on new identities, new cultures/beliefs. The identity given to them by where they lived, and her family. The concept of 'trying on' identities from Michel Maffesoli brings about a method whereby post-modernism is possible. Where we do not have to accept the identity that we 'inherit' or are 'given.

Leah is the oldest daughter of the family. She has a younger brother and sister who stay with their parents throughout the story, adopting their parents fragmented identities. Leah however resists her parents in their battle with morals by finding an alternative identity to escape to. This she uses instead of her parents fragmented relationship to build morals and to be a better person. This lends strongly to the ideas or Paul Ricoeur and Anthony Giddens who believe that we create a narrative of ourselves and that we are constantly creating and evloving our identities. Leah's head scarf is a clear metaphor for her own choice of identity over her parents 'inherited' identity.

Leah's mother eventually comes to accept the post modernist concept and accepts her own freedom as well as her daughters beliefs.

Shot list

• Long shot - power station
• ECUs - Solay
• CUs - Nick
• Panning shot
• Worms eye - Solay
• CU shot taped to guitar
• Long shot - track in
• Track out from ECU
• Silouhettes?
• CU - Equipment
• CU - Effects pedals
• Track across band
• Birds Eye

Costumes

For my music video the clothing that the band are to wear has to connote the correct genre, style, ideologies and interests. In this video the genre is heavy rock and so the band should wear Jeans and white or black clothes from a metal genre. Drawing from a more indie genre which the band also relates to would be skate shoes, check shirts, skinny jeans and bracelets.

I have chosen a mix of these styles for the band to wear. The lead vocalist and guitarist will wear a white T shirt and bright red jeans. These Jeans are not skinny which makes them less relative of the indie genre. The red Jeans make the vocalist stand out and they give him the superiour and impressive image that a lead member of a band needs. This brings appeal from the bright red. The red connotes anger, passion, energy and is used in this genre of music frequently. For example Foo Fighters - The Pretender. The track its self is extremely energetic which makes the red jeans even more appropriate.

The lead vocalist will wear skate style shoes. However, they will be black linking both indie and metal genre connotations. This suits the style of the track. The vocalists hair is dark and scruffy, adding to the frivelous style of the track and the black hair and stubble linking to a truely metal style.

The drummer will wear a check shirt, this of course linking directly to the indie genre that the band has also had influence from. His hair will be an indie mop style as well.

The bassist plays a minimal role in the music video, the screen time is largly dedicated to the vocalist/guitarist to give the band a strong face for its audience. This also links in with goodwins theory where the lead person in the band is shown the most for emphasis.

The bassist wears black jeans and a 'Lamb Of God' T shirt. This is a metal band. This is a blatent link to the metal genre. Other bands also do this to show their influences, to share interests in common with their fans and to relate to them bringing a more personal experience. The black jeans are also of a dark, metal style which is relative to a gothic and therefore potentially religiously orientated genre.

Target audience stuff

Storyboard

BNRF on Prezi

location shots

This is the location for my main shoot. The large gig venue with a full stage setup with a fantastic PA system which is a great help as getting my own from other sources would have been impossible and the performance equipment is integral to the genre style. The size of the venue is also perfect for the shots I have planned such as the empowering shots from 'The Pretender' as well as the birds eye concept shots.

I asked the band to bring this banner. This black and white image is a brilliantly clear logo/emblem of the bands name. I wanted it as a backdrop above the band but we had no means of fitting it.

The lighting that the arts centre has to offer is perfect as it is a real venue for live rock gigs.

The large pillars within the venue are reminiscent of a metal genre, connoting perhaps a church and therefore religion which is often portrayed very strongly within Metal. Although the genre of the song I am shooting the music video for are not of the Metal genre, they are a heavy rock genre with huge influences from Iron Maiden and other metal artists.

I specially got hold of a laser for the performance as well as smoke machines. These create an energetic atmosphere which such bands rely on massively in live performance. This is what sells the band in most videos or a similar genre.

Enter Shikari - Quelle Suprize analysis

This video is mostly performance. It begins with a shot of a keyboard, writing on a clear background then forms over the shot. This links technology to the electronic style of music immediately. Another mid shot of the vocalist is shown as if from behind some graphs and futuristic touch sensative screenless computer, this further links with the music genre and style. This mise en scene complies with Goodwins theory linking the music to the video. The lead vocalists face is beaten suggesting a fight or agression, this links the style of music strongly to the genre and music. Smoke and lights are in the following shots are reminiscent of the bands live performance but also the ropes also suggest that they are descending...

The band then enter a full live performance showing the whole band playing in a dark crypt which connotes evil, religion and opinion.

A shot at 2:16 is my favourite shot of the video because of the energy that the sudden movement brings to the video as well as the sharp movement which compliments the acute, sharp and electric sound.

Close ups of the members or the band (especially the Vocalist) and the screen time allocated to the lead Vocalist also coinside with Goodwins Theory. These close ups are also contrasted with the long isolating shots of the band in the crypt.

The narrative structure of the video is linear and at the end of the video the Vocalist walks into 'the light' to end the video as if the bands performance had saved him from the dark that they were decending into earlier in the song., however this is simply my interpretation.

The band members wear black, technical clothing. It is made of the sort of fabric that seems like gore tex or similar sports performance clothes. This connotes the technallity of the band. This shows clear influence from technology and techno/dubstep genres. They also wear jeans which links back to a rock style genre, jeans have been endorsed by punks, rockers and blues genres over the years and represent culture. The mixture of technology and culture is the esence of the band.

The lighting of the video is very black and white with lots of white light contrasted complately by darkness. This ccreates an industrial atmosphere which in turn relates to machinery and hence technology, further directly linking the music to the genre. Shooting the video in this light creates a contrast between the style of the connotations of the video and the location. The location is a crypt. This is very reminiscent of a classic metal video where religion connects strongly to the teack and lyrics and often the bands exaggerated views. Here the band are being therefore linked back to the roots of metal making the band appear much more cultural than the music may immediately sound.

The track has lyrics that are agressive and are very direct to the audience. The lyrics talk about the human race and the power within our species. The lyrics suggest a common enemy and the video portrays us, the audience as being on the same side as the band. This gives an invigourating feeling and a sense of power. This relates to technology in that they use power and the represent wealth and hence power. The concept of power is very much also remeniscent of the Metal genre. Bands such as Iron Maiden have lyrics that are directly about the human race, power and war. Enter Shikari use lyrics of a similar (if more modern) style for the same effect as Iron Maiden. This use of electronic sounds with this style of music creates a post modern style of agression and unity as a race. This contrasts entirely to the use of electronic sounds in other genres.

Close ups enhance the emotion and anger that the song presents giving a great impact to the viewer.
The song concludes with the vocalist of the band walking into a white light. This relates the video back the the religious location and the roots of the Metal genre that has influenced the band.

Deaf Havana – The World Or Nothing

Analysis.

This video is almost completely live performance with no substantial linear storyline. Shots are rarely if ever still and lights, instruments and smoke are elements acting throughout the video.


Coinsiding with Goodwin's theory, the genre of the music video matches the mise en scene and the lead singers tattoos. They connote a rock style of rebelliousness and individuality. Also linking to goodwins theory are the close up shots of the lead vocalist/guitarist emphasising, in this case the bands live performance and identifying the faces that are the band.

The locations of the video change between recording studio shots, shots of the group together in a reminiscent manner and live performance/live crowds plus one or two shots of a member of the band on a train. The live performance shots are in colour and others are in black and white. I believe that this represents clearly past and present. The shot on the train representing progression in the sense of moving connoting moving on to new things. This has been very much the image of the band since one of their members left. Since then they have been exploiting this and making songs with the connotations of moving on etc. previously.

Where the song slows down, the video goes into slow motion as well. This adds a timeless sense which fits with the song as it looks back on what we percive to be the past.

The narrative structure of the video is linear being mostly performance with what appears to be brief flashbacks showing the band members. These flashbacks we assume are flashbacks because they are in black and white. Flashbacks include members playing their songs - recording them. ....

 The lighting of the video is very atmospheric using many colours representing the band as lively, diverse and exciting the smoke and panning shots of the crowd create a warming sense of relationship between the band and its fans. The video makes this link even stronger by cutting between shots of the band and its audience. A slightly closer shot of some members of the audience relates them to the band as a similarly close shot of the arm of the lead vocalist (and guitarist) is shortly followed. This to me creates a relationship. Black and white shots of the band in friendly situations enhance this more as the members casually wave at the camera. This informallity also creates a social appeal creating a sense of endearment. The lyrics of the track state a situation and the lyrics are descriptive and very personal, saying where he sleeps for example. This connects the audience further. This makes the audience feel privileged to be part of the style of the band, to buy their songs, watch their videos and go to their gigs. This creates a social security of the viewer and an opportunity for them to embrace this identity.