Applying for Music Copyright - Miss Georgiou

Copyright is a type of intellectual property including a design or trademark. This property allows an artist to own media that they have created etc. This is done in a way that it is similar to somebody owning a physical item. The Copyright law prevents others from copying someone else's work and taking credit for it.  The Copyright is the name of the law that governs copyright in the UK. The law makes sure that if you do copy somebody's work and commit plagiarism you will receive a punishment or face consequences. The consequences vary and can be as small as being told to delete your  copied work or all content from your computer may be removed. Larger penalties include being fined up to and over $100,000 or facing a jail sentence. 

An example of copyright is the song 'Blurred Lines' by Robin Thicke, T.I and Pharrell Williams. The artists were fined $7.4 million because Marvin Gayes family believed that 'Blurred Lines' copied aspects of Gayes 1997 song 'Got to Give it Up'.
A similar situation is occurring with artists Justin Bieber and Usher as their collaboration 'Somebody to Love' was accused of copying parts of a song written by two Virginian writers. The artists must face jury and may be forced to pay a total of $10 million.

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For my coursework I am creating a music video but using a song that already belongs to a current artist. To avoid breaking the copyright law, I emailed the copyright holder in order to get permission to use the song. Applying for the right to use to song would mean I would avoid being sued by Aplin's record label. This was also compulsory as a part of my media course so I could show the exam board that I had applied for the right to use the song. If I did not apply for copyright then my video would have probably gotten flagged on YouTube and removed from the website or I could have received a fine from the artists record label. 

I searched for the record label that Gabrielle Aplin is signed to on the internet and from her Wikipedia page I found that her record label is called Parlophone. I followed the link to the companies website whereby I found an email address that I could send my permission letter to.  The email I sent stated that I would like to use the song and explained that it was for my A level coursework and then asked for permission to do so. 

I then received a reply email from my email provider stating that this email address no longer existed and so no one would receive it.Therefore I had to search for another email address to contact the label by. From this research, I discovered that Parlophone is now owned by Warner Bros so I had searched for the Warner Bros email and sent the same email to them.  I am still awaiting a response from Warner Bros.

I have not yet received a response from Warner Bros about creating this music video and will not attempt to contact them again.

Research Into Chosen Artist - Miss Miller

Aplin's style is unique yet simple

I have chosen to create a music video for the song 'Panic Chord' by Gabrielle Aplin. This artist interests me because her music videos and image is quirky and unique yet casual and simple. Furthermore, she appears unique as she is not stereotypical or conventional to the pop artists etc as she wears unique clothing and has a stripped back look. Also she appears ordinary as her songs and image is never over the top. This means she can relate easily to an audience as she teaches them to be themselves and not to be afraid of being slightly different while also wearing casual clothing or minimal makeup that some of her audience are likely to wear which makes her again relatable.



After choosing the indie genre I began to research and watch several music videos of artists from this genre. I specifically focused on female artist as my group member who is female is likely to be the subject of our music video. In doing this, I came across artists such as Nina Nesbitt, Birdy and Gabrielle Aplin. Compared to Birdy, both Nina Nesbitt and Gabrielle Aplin seemed more likely to be used asI found their narrative style videos would be more interesting to create compared to Birdy's mainly performance based ones. I also found the song 'Panic Chord' inspiring because it was a song about a breakup that a lot of people could relate to and the music video had an interesting narrative much like 'Boy' by Nina Nesbitt. However, i had more ideas for a narrative for 'Panic Chord' and so decided to choose it to create a music video for.

Gabrielle Aplin is a 23 year-old British singer and songwriter who belongs in the indie music genre. She started her singing career by posting covers of other artists songs onto the internet. She mostly sung songs from the indie-rock genre by artists such as Paramore and You Me At Six. Then in 2012 she got signed to the record label, Parlophone.  Parlophone has released many albums from artists as famous as The Beatles.  Current recognisable artists signed to this label include Conor Maynard, Coldplay and Gorillaz.



Aplin's first single released by this label was a 'Frankie Goes to Hollywood' cover, 'The Power of Love'.  This song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, was certified gold and became the theme song for one of the famous John Lewis christmas adverts in 2012. Following this success, Aplin has gone on to release further popular singles such as 'Please Don't Say You Love Me,' 'Salvation' and 'Home'. 'Panic Chord' is the third single on her album 'English Rain' (this album debuted at number 2 in the UK Albums Chart and has since been certified gold for selling 100,000 copies) and was released in May 2013. It reached number 19 in the UK Singles Chart. The music video was uploaded onto YouTube on May 10th 2013 at three minutes and twenty-seven seconds.



Please Don't Say You Love Me - Gabrielle Aplin

Richard Dyer's star theory states that some most common values of stars are that they are young and youthful, talented and role models. Each of these elements are found in this artist and her song 'Please Don't Say You Love Me' The artist was only 21 when it was released and wears minimal makeup to highlight her bare-faced and innocent look. She is shown as talented through her singing and ability to song write as she wrote the lyrics herself.  The song is based upon a breakup and shows Aplin looking at a couple and singing about them. This suggest she is reflecting back to her past and that hehe was a part of the couple. This suggest she is coming to terms with her past relationship and realising how she acted wrong. Therefore she teaches the audience that you do not realise what you have until you lose it and that everybody makes mistakes and so she is no different to them. The first paradox of Dyers theory states that the artist must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer. I believe this is the case for this artist and her song. This is because she is portrayed as extraordinary through her original talent yet ordinary through there casual image and the theme of the song which is a breakup that everyone can relate to. This means Aplin can relate to the audience and inspire them at the same time.  This makes her a good role model as she relates to her target audience and very day life events and problems yet is different in terms of her unique talent and fame and so is in a position where she can teach her audience positive messages through her songs.

genre characteriscs



The visuals and lyrics in this music video match on several occasions which supports Goodwin's theory. When the artist sings "When you look at me like that" there is a close up of the artist looking at the camera. On another occasion Aplin sings "just where we're at" and the makle actor goes from slumping to lifting his head and looking up as if he is seeing where they are "at" in their relationship as the lyrics suggest they are both unclear. This is because the lyrics suggest the girl does not think she loves the boy but appears to have a good time when she is with him.

"When you look at me like that"

"When you see just where we're at"

This theory suggests that the demands of an artists record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist. This is evident several times throughout the music video. The artist is not a part of the music videos story line and instead is just seen singing and acting as a narrator for the couple.

The artist

The actress

A motif is a visual style which helps the audience build a relationship with the artist and reoccur across the artists work. In this music video, the motif is the actor who plays the female part as she is made to look very similar to the artist. This acts as promotion of the artist and her week-known style. It also adds to the narrative as it suggests that the artist looks like Aplin because she is singing about a personal experience that happened to her in the past. This will help the audience to build a relationship with the artist as they will be able to relate to this situation and feel that they are closer to the artist having been through similar things. they may also believe that they have a stronger relationship with the artist through the fact that she is sharing personal experiences which proves that she trusts her audience.
Supporting the theory once again, this music video features frequent reference to notion of looking an particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. This is achieved in the shot whereby the female actor is dancing in the pub and making eye contact with a male stranger. He watches her dance as though he is attracted to her.



This music video is primarily narrative based as it tells the story of a couple who are driving somewhere but their car breaks down, it shows them having fun before arguing and then making up. Gabrielle Aplin does not play a part in the narrative as some artists to. Instead she focuses on the performance part of the video by being shot in several locations singing about the couples story. 

The artist is represented as talented through her voice and ability to sing and song write. She is also portrayed as honest as she is singing about personal experiences. This also allows her to have a closer relationship with the audience as she is trusting them and telling them about her past bad experiences in a relationship. This allows the audience to build a relationship with her as they can relate to her as most will have probably experienced similar situations as her and will be able to understand how she feels.



This music video has a target audience of young people from around the ages 15-25. This is because this is the age group that the artist herself is in and this is also the age group that would typically experience the most relationship problems and breakups as they are young and starting to get into relationships before settling down. This means that they will often relate to Aplins songs about relationships such as this one.

The locations in this music video are a dusty old road whereby the couples car breaks down and a small garden pub that they stumble across. Both locations have connotations of the couples relationship. The dusty road could suggest how they feel lost and unknowing in their relationship as they are unsure where they stand with each other. Yet the pub shows that they have fun when their together and has connotations of good times. So the overall message of the music video (the couple are uncertain or confused with their relationship but decide to not stress and just have fun with each other) is portrayed through the locations.

In the garden pub, iconography includes a candle and glass of red wine. These both suggest and represent the idea of romance which confuses the audience as the girl appears to be interested in someone else at the pub. This confusion is purposefully created to portray the feelings of the couple oin the relationship. "Please don't say you love me, because I might not say it back" is sung several times throughout the song which suggests a negative relationship but the visuals show a mostly happy couple which adds to the confusion.


The artist wears a baby blue dress with a black leather jacket. This quirky and unique style is conventional to the indie genre as artists often tend to portray their personality through their fashion sense to make them stand out. This helps the artist build a relationship with the audience because they believe they understand the personality of the artist through seeing her fashion sense and because she encourages them to be themselves and stand out making her a good role model.


The lighting in this music video is primarily natural up until it becomes night time and it gets darker. Then low-key lighting is used when the couple are at the pub. The lighting denotes the time of day but connotes the atmosphere surrounding the couples relationship. AT the start of the day and perhaps at the start of their relationship as a whole, the atmosphere was light-hearted and fun whereas as the day went on and possibly when the relationship went on, the atmosphere become more dark and serious as they began to argue with each other.


The artist is positioned in the centre of the screen in most of her performance shots. This makes her the main focus of attention so she can directly reach out to her audience to get the message across. This creates the effect that she is singing directly to the audience and in turn may make the audience feel more close to her.



    Home - Gabrielle Aplin

 In terms of Richard Dyers star theory, 'Home' by Gabrielle Aplin supports the first paradox. This is because the artist is portrayed as both ordinary and extraordinary so again she is able to relate to the audience at the same time as inspiring them. She is shown as ordinary through her bad luck as the video shows her being lost after having her car  stolen and wandering around cluelessly. She works in a small cafe or restaurant washing dishes and has to result to stealing and hitchhiking to get by.  

Supporting Goodwin's theory, there is a relationship between the lyrics and visuals in this video. This occurs when the artist sings "It's not just where you lay your head" and then lays her head down onto a pillow. The artist looks sad and alone in the cheap accommodation she is staying in which supports the songs meaning as she is singing about home not just being a place where you sleep. This is because you can still feel alone or lost in this place. Instead she believes home is wherever you feel most happy.


The artist is represented as young and naïve in this music video through the struggles she is facing and lonely because she is facing them alone. However she is also portrayed as driven and hardworking as she puts up with her situation and tries to better herself to get through it. This makes her a good role model as she is setting a good example for her young audience as well as showing them that she can relate to them and times that they feel lost or alone. Aplin herself projects the image of a typical teenager, with typical teenage emotions and so can relate to her young audience.




The target audience for this music video is similar to the previous music video as the artist has not particularly changed and has the same audience. Therefore the audience is still quite young, again from the same age group as Aplin (15-25). A reason for this in terms of this music video is that the artist is represented as a role model who is inspirational through the narrative of the video. She is shown fending for herself and learning how to make something of herself when she started from nothing.


 The style of this music video is narrative mostly with some elements of performance. The narrative shows her feeling lost and clueless as she tries to get her life together starting from scratch. She gets a low paid job, hitchhikes and steals while staying in cheap accommodation. This narrative engages and inspires the audience because it shows them that if you work hard you can get to where you want to be in life.


The video is set mainly in a desolate desert setting. This has connotaions of being lost and lonely as no one else is around. This portrays how the artist feels inside as she may feel confused with what she wants to do in life and lonley as she has no one. The artists thoughts are matched to her situation and location as she is both physically and mentally lost.



My research into Gabrielle Aplin will assist me in planning my own music video as I have annotated the artists style and will as a result be able to adopt aspects of it in my own video. It has also provided evidence for what editing styles, camera techniques and mise-en-scene elements work well and do not work well in the indie genre and what effect they have. Furthermore, I have learnt to consider both Dyer and Goodwins theories and if my music video will support or oppose them and in what ways.

M Miller7 October 2015 at 06:28

This is a minimal analysis of your artist as you have not covered all points necessary for each of the videos, and have made some very vague points about the Target audience and artist rep

You need to:
1) Follow a clear structure
2) Cover Goodwin's and Dyer's theory for EACH video (2nd video Dyer's theory only half explained)
3) Elaborate on how and why the artist is represented in each video
3) Elaborate on who the TA is for each video and why
4) Cover all FIVE AREAS of MES for each video
5) Cover TWO camera and TWO editing examples for EACH video
6) Screen shots and URL for both videos

Research into Chosen Music Genre - Miss Miller

I have chosen to create a music video in the inside music genre. Artisits such as Ed Sheeran, Nina Nesbitt and Gabrielle Aplin have inspired me to choose this genre as their styles are all fairly quirky and personal with interesting narratives. This means by creating a quirky artist we can make our coursework different and original and by using a song with personal lyrics we can build a relationship with our artist and the target audience more easily as the audience will feel they understand and know the artist more as they would be able to relate to the lyrics. Finally, an interesting narrative will again help us create an original and interesting music video as well as engaging the audience. 


It is important to establish a genre before you choose your artist because it allows you to consider all the codes and conventions of that genre that should be considered in your own work. It also means you can look at a number of different artists from that genre to get ideas and inspiration.  Analysing conventions and other similar artists will allow you to know what does and doesn't works well in this music genre, what is commonly found in these music videos and what the audience would want to see. This will make it easier to create your own music video as you can understand how to make it as successful as possible.  I have chosen to create a music video for the song 'Panic Chord' by Gabrielle Aplin and will annotate different artists in the same genre to give me inspiration and ideas.


Ed Sheeran - Give Me Love

'Give Me Love' by Ed Sheeran is conventional to the indie genre. One example of this is the use of feathers and wings in the video. Indie music videos are typically known for being quirky unique and these items prove this to be true. The blood on the feather creates an edgy and grungy effect which is also a conventional style to the indie genre. 

Iconography is seen in the use of a bow and arrow. This is typical of the indie genre as they hold connotations of love which is a common theme sung about in indie songs as it is relatable for the audience and personal for the artist. This will engage the audience because they will relate the lyrics and theme of love to their personal experiences and feel as though they are similar to the artist which will help them to build a relationship. 

The artist has a casual and edgy style through her costume; grungy outfit including a baggy grey top, messy hair and bare face. This sort of clothing is conventional to the indie genre as artists often want to appear quirky or different so they are unique and stand out. This is because they want to prove that you should be yourself even if that is different to the generic expectations.  The subject is also wearing the same clothes she is wearing at the start of the video where she appears dead and so when the audience see her alive in them clothes they know that this is the night she dies and dramatic irony is created. 

The lighting is primarily low key throughout this video which creates a dark and gloomy atmosphere. This is effective because it reflects the dark and gloomy feelings of the girl in the video. The girl is in an apparent dark place mentally as well as a dark place physical. This emphasises on her lonely and depressed emotions. 

Character positioning creates an atmosphere of the subject being invisible and alone. This is achieved through a camera shot that shows her peeking around a wall to look at a couple. It creates the idea that she is spying ans is always there in a situation but is never the main focus which emphasises on how she feels like a nobody. 

Mise-en-scene plays a large role in a lot of music videos, particularly in the indie genre.  Indie music videos are known to be quite low budget as the main settings are in easily accessed locations such as studios, cities and parks etc. Therefore this music video in conventional in that it is set in a run down area in London in underground parties, dark streets at night and in a shoddy apartment. The location fits in well with the costume of the main character as both portray her as not having much because she appears scruffy in appearance and her apartment is minimal and dingy. This shows the audience that the character has had a hard life which further explains the lyrics and highlights the theme of loneliness which is all conventional to the indie genre due to the serious and depressing theme. The stonewalls and emptiness off the room create feelings of coldness and lifelessness and suggest that the girl does not have the comfort of her own home which adds to the idea of loneliness.

Camera techniques are used to create certain effects throughout this music video. A long shot is used to introduce a full body shot of the girl and establish the apartment. The girl is shown sitting cross legged on her mattress. This increases the dramatic irony for the audience as this is the place where she appeared to have died at the start of the video. There is a high contrast in colours and lighting which is emphasised in this camera angle. The colour white comes across in her bedding, clothes, light hair and pale skin and is juxtaposed with the dark surroundings. The white connotes how she is innocent and pure yet the darkness suggests her bad times that may be corrupting her.
 Close-ups are often used in this video to portray the emotions of the actress who is the subject of the video. Her depressed and miserable expressions are highlighted using a close up so the audience focuses on her emotions and may remember a time they related to how she is feeling. This is conventional to the indie genre as artists of this genre are expected to sing about personal experiences that are often serious or sad. This is because they know their audiences can relate and it will help to build a relationship with them.

Ed Sheeran's target audience would typically be from around 16-25 as the artist himself is quite young and fits into that age range and also due to the subject areas of the songs and what they relate to. In 'Give Me Love', the artist romanticizes misery and so would appeal to and intrigue a rebellious teenage audience. Furthermore anyone who can relate to feeling lonely or depressed could engage to this song as they would relate to the lyrics. In this music video the artist is rarely seen. He appears shortly in a coffee shop, not noticing the girl or the camera and just minding his own business. This represents him as oblivious which fits in well with the theme of the song as the girl feels even lonelier because everyone is oblivious to her pain and misery. Sheeran is also portrayed as lonely himself due to the fact that he is sat alone in a coffee shop in the same position as the girl.

Sheeran's Appearance

The start of the video 

It has become increasingly popular in the indie genre to create music videos in the style of a narrative because it helps to tell a story that the audience can relate to. Indie songs are also often known as being about the artists personal experience and so a narrative will help an artist portray the events that inspired the lyrics etc.  In this music video the story opens with police men and investigators arriving to the scene of an apparent suicide. 

The video then backtracks to the victims life. She is seen sitting in the dingy room and then growing wings so she becomes a city dwelling cupid-like figure with a bow and arrow. She shoots the arrow at many people who fall in love. All except for her. This could mean the artist is trying to portray a story of loneliness. This is emphasised as the artist is seen in the background lonesomely sitting by himself stirring a drink. The girl has pictures on her wall of love which proves she understands love and is capable of it but cannot find anyone to love her back which is proved when she goes out at night to find love and shoot her arrow but it never results in someone falling in love with her but someone else.  When all her attempts fail, the story comes full circle at the end when the cupid figure is found back on her bed.

The meaning of this narrative is that loneliness drove her to the edge as she believed no one will love her but at the end when the police man arrived she woke up suggesting that she did finally find love. Therefore the narrative is trying to portray that love comes to those who wait and least expect it and you cannot go looking for it. This song could be based on some of Ed Sheerans' personal feelings or experiences which is conventional to the indie genre as indie artists often write lyrics that are personal to them and it also allows the audience to engage with the video more as most will relate to the feelings of loneliness and they will also feel closer to the artist after having heard about his personal experiences.

"Give me love like her" are the first lyrics of the song which portray the feelings of loneliness and jealousy as the girl is watching a couple and is envious of their relationship. This allows the viewer to understand that the girl who leads the narrative wants love and is envious of the girl she is watching who has it. This shows a direct correlation between the visuals and lyrics of the artist which is stated in Goodwin's theory.

     Arctic Monkeys - Arabella

The second indie music video I am going to analyse is 'Arabella by Arctic Monkeys. This band is more in the indie rock genre but still holds very similar codes and conventions to all other styles of indie. 'Arabella' is the name of the fictional female that the song is based on. The woman is a mixture between the lead singers girlfriend Arielle and Barbarella who is a film character from the 1960s. The song idolises this woman as though she is the 'perfect' girl who the band has created through mixing two girls together. 

Close up of artists lower face

A typical indie music video is largely about image. This is the same for most music videos but particularly in the indie genre where artists adapt particular looks and signature styles which run through the video as a whole. In this music video, the artists hair is jet black and gelled back which is his signature look. This is connected to the music video as the video uses a black and white filter throughout and it is common for the image of the artist and theme of the video to relate to one another as this enhances the overall product. Indie music videos often use filters in their videos to portray a certain idea or mood to the viewer about the video; such as a memory or certain time period or just a negative or positive theme to the song and video.  The overall atmosphere of the music video is very old fashioned as it has a black and white movies theme. The artists style os old fashioned with heavily gelled hair and a white shirt. He is also often seen in a leather jacket in other music videos as his signature style.  Also the music video is black and white and cinematic as it is edited to be flickering like an old film. The way the artist is introduced in the music video is also film-like as he is not introduced as a whole straight away. Instead close up shots show different parts of him which creates enigma and suspense for the audience who do not initially know what he looks like. This is conventional to the indie genre as it engages the audience with its interesting cinematic theme.

Close up of artists arm

The lead singer

Close-up of the drums

It is common for a live performance to feature in an indie rock music video. This is because it is a way of directing thew audiences focus onto the artist and their talent as well as promoting them like a brand.  Performances are a key element to most indie rock videos as  it allows the artist to show their energy and passion which will attract their audience to their live shows. The live performance shots in this video feature close ups of the instruments and lead singer to direct the focus on them at different points in the song. The lead singer uses different movements and gestures when he is singing which proves that he is enjoying what he is doing. This allows the audience to pick up on the passion the artist has for music.  Playing their own instruments gives off the impression that they are an independent band who don't need others to play their instruments or write their songs as they are playing music for themselves and not the industry.  The focus on the instruments also portray the artists as talented which is conventional because it makes them more admired by the audience and ultimately promotes the band.

Members of the band singing and playing guitar

Throughout the song, the band are seen playing their instruments. This is conventional to the genre as rock and indie songs often have artists playing their instruments because it provides them with credit and recondition for creating the song themselves and puts them in a powerful position whereby it appears the creation of the song was mostly down to the artists as they sing, song write and play their own instruments. This makes them appear more talented as well as more honest and open with the audience as they are not hiding anything and just singing about personal experiences and playing their own instruments without caring about exposing themselves to the audience. This builds a layer of trust between the audience and artist because the audience believes that through listening to the artists own written music and lyrics, they know them better and therefore if they relate to a song, they believe they relate directly to the artist.

Mise-en-scene reinforces the idea of the ideal girl 'Arabella' who the lead singer has created. One way this is done is through costumes. 'Arabella' is described as wearing a "cheetah print coat" and drinking "mexican coke" which Arielle has been pictured wearing and drinking. In terms of the artists, they are wearing loosely buttoned white shirts, chain jewellery and tight jeans. This rebellious style is like that of The Teddy Boys in the 1950s and 1960s which was around the time Barbarella was first released.

The performance scenes of this music video seem to take place in a small venue with not may people. This represents the artists as down to earth and reminiscent of their roots as this shows that they are able to still play smaller gigs like this and not only headlining shows with a larger audience. 

Bright stage lights

The lighting in this music video is used to further enhance the theme of the song. The main colours of the video are black and greys with harsh white lights like that of a stage performance or on a film set. This reinforces the indie rock genre with live stage performances as a convention.  This also links the indie image to the old movie theme of the music video. The contrast of the stage lights with the misty stage create a hard light which causes shadows to form. This creates a sense of enigma and mystery as the audience can not see all of the artists clearly and rarely even see the other band members other than the lead singer. This suggests that there is more to the band that is being revealed. This could mean that the band has a dark side of their personality which is conventional to the indie genre as the artists often sing about past dark times or memories such as addiction, alcohol abuse or relationship breakups. This intrigues and engages the audience as they want to know more about the band and are therefore more likely to invest in their other songs to find out more information. 

This aspect is emphasised through the use of character positioning. Again, the artists only reveal part of themselves at a time; there are a lot of quick snappy shots that zoom in close to the artist and do not show the artist completely. The artists is positioned looking away not at the camera or too close to the camera to be focused on for a long time. There are only a few shots whereby you can see the lead singers face as he sings but even then he is not singing directly facing the camera. As a result this reinforces the idea that the artist is not completely revealing themselves and that there is more that meets the eye. Also the rest of the bands faces are not shown which increases this effect. This is conventional to the genre because again it makes the audience want to see more as they get the idea that the artists are not revealing everything about themselves.

The artist singing in a different direction to the camera

Close-ups are commonly used in this music video. The purpose of this is to introduce the artist to the audience as it is the lead singers face that is mostly zoomed in on. There are also close-ups of the instruments or microphone which convey the artists musical talent. The close-ups aim to direct the audiences attention on one aspect of the video at a time. For example the audience will focus on the artist when he first sings so they are introduced to his appearance and style before they focus on the instruments and rest of the band during the chorus so the band can gain recognition and the artists get credit from their ability to play musical instruments. 

Close-up of artist

The lead singer appearing energetic

Fast paced editing is used throughout this music video which adds to the flickery old film effect and is exciting for the audience. Because the video is made up of mostly close-ups and mid shots there is less in each shot for the audience to establish and it therefore does not stay on the screen for long. A quick sequence of fast-paced short clips disorientate an audience as it is hard to keep up with fast-moving clips and quick cutting. This makes the audience believe that everything on the screen is being performed in the speed that they see it which creates a sense of urgency and energy. This makes it look like the artists are perfuming their song with haste which makes them appear energetic and passionate about the song because they enjoy what they are doing and their job in the music industry. This positive attitude of the artists rubs off on the audience who will then feel happy and upbeat watching the video. The fast paced editing also works well as it matches the time and beat of the song and fits in with the old flickery film theme by creating a stuttering effect.

Old film style filter

A black and white film filter is used for the entirety of this music video. This filter creates a seedy and voyeuristic feel through the ancient Hollywood movie style and makes the entire music video appear static and old fashioned. This is conventional to the indie music genre as indie artists and audiences tend to be quirky and unique  and would therefore be likely to watch old classic films and wear interesting and non-generic clothing which could possibly be old fashioned in some cases. This means the target audience can relate to the theme and atmosphere of this video and would therefore be more engaged. The filter reinforces the whole idea of the video being broken and distorted due to the singers regular flashbacks of Arabella that send him back whenever her is reminded of her. This sis why the shots are often switching to and from the band performing to Arabella. The flashes that often appear in this video are representative of the flash of a camera. This suggests that Arabella has a star quality and beauty about her as others want to take photographs of her.

Arctic Monkeys have a young teenage target audience in a rough age group of 14-21 year olds. This is because the teenage audience tend to enjoy alternative music and styles and it is interesting, quirky and unique. The lyrics of the bands songs are often based around the theme of relationships and alcohol which are both a part of most teenagers and young adults lives which means that they can relate to the songs and therefore build a relationship with the artists. 

There is evidence of intertextual reference in this music video. The film Barbarella plays in the background of the first shot when a woman who is presumably Arabella is taking off her shoes and coat. The shot is replayed and paused several times creating a flickery effect and emphasising the importance on the woman's appearance. This reinforces the idea that this is the artists ideal girl in terms of appearance.

This research into the indie music genre will assist me with planning my own music video for this genre because is has shown my the common codes and conventions found in music videos of this genre by noticing the similarities found in both videos. I will then consider including these conventions in my own music video to make it conventional to its own genre. I can also see what works well in these music videos in terms of mise-en-scene, editing and camera angles. As well, it has made me consider how I want my artist to be represented. 

Analysis of a Star and Dyer's Theory - Miss Miller

There are several different reasons that an artist may want to reinvent themselves and alter how they are perceived by the public. This includes the want to break away from their previous image and representation. For example, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez changed their music style and image  to differentiate themselves from the songs they released as Disney child stars. They wanted to portray  maturity as they grew up along with their target audience. Other reasons could be to gain more publicity, change their genre and attract a new audience, shock their audience to keep them engaged or after bad press to regain audiences who may have started to dislike them. Some artists who have had a bad past containing crime or drug abuse may want to reinvent themselves in order to achieve a new image that is easier idolised by fans. An example of this could be Justin Beiber who was seen in Court and punching a camera man etc. He altered his style of music and image and returned with a new album to distract the attention of his audience from his bad representation and to his new music.  Madonna is another example of an artist who has regularly reinvented herself. This is because she has been around for a long time and so she has had to keep up with the forever changing pop genre conventions to appeal to new audiences as her previous ones get older. I have chosen to analyse music from the artist Miley Cyrus as I know she has reinvented herself several times over her music career.  

Nobody's Perfect  (2007)

                                                 

In this music video, Miley adapts the character of Hannah Montana who is the character she played in her children's show. I have identified aspects of Goodwin's music video theory in this video. One is used throughout the entire video as the style of the video is performance. The video consists only of the artist performing on stage; dancing and singing. The purpose of this is to engage the audience. The artist has a younger audience (7-13 year olds) who would be amused by the artists song and dance routine and the overall presentation of the video including the flashing lights of her name. It also shows the artists personality as she is smiling and dancing energetically showing she is happy and bubbly.

Andrew Goodwin constructed a theory of music videos whereby he stated that there is often intertextual reference in music videos to films, television programmes or other music videos etc. This is evident in this video because the artist is dressed up as a character from a television show as she is wearing a wig and acting as if she is this person. She even has the characters name in lights rather than her own.  This brings the character and television programme to life as the artists audience (specifically the younger ones) will be excited to see their favourite television character in real life. It makes them believe that they know her more due to seeing her which allows the audience and artist to form a relationship on the basis that the fictional character has been brought to life to interact with the children.

Another element of Goodwin's theory that this video follows is the idea that the lyrics of the song match the visuals in the video. The artist has a structured choreographed dance routine for every line she sings that matches the lyrics or at least music in some way. For example, when she sings "nobody's perfect" she points to the audience signalling that this applies to everyone as we are all the same and everybody has flaws. This makes her a good role model for her young audience as she is teaching them to be themselves and not put too much pressure on themselves. A dance routine is a good way to get her messages across because children are more likely to engage with visual aspects rather than being told advice without any enjoyable interaction. The dance routines also emphasise on the lyrics and there meanings so the connotations of the song are more clear.

The genre of this music video is pop which would appeal mostly to children or teenagers as it is very bubbly and joyful with a positive message to help them when growing up ('Nobody's Perfect').  The song is upbeat and catchy meaning the audience would enjoy listening to it and are likely to remember it and sing along. The song is conventional to the pop genre because the artist is attractive and fashionable which is typical in this genre as artists like to be portrayed as desirable. Also dance routines are common in this genre which makes this video conventional due to the energetic and fun dance moves.

Richard Dyer also produced a theory on music videos and artists who he refers to as 'stars'. The term 'star' refers to the semi-mythological meanings around music. 'Star' is interpreted as a performers to a large and loyal audience. Dyer made note of common values of stardom such as being glamorous or youthful. This video represents the artist as youthful as she appears young and is outgoing and energetic. She is also portrayed as a role model as she is singing to people her age about not having to be perfect to be accepted. The artist can be viewed as a product in that her performance is very carefully choreographed and planned in a way that the artist and her managers may believe will be most enjoyable for the audience. This means they are structuring the artists image and performance around the needs of the audience in order to gain more publicity.

Dyer suggested that the star image is incoherent, incomplete and open due to key paradoxes. One paradox he  constructed states what an artist must be to be a star. He suggested that a star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary which I think is evident in this music video with this artist. The artist can be seen as both ordinary and extraordinary as she is portrayed as ordinary through the down to earth and happy nature of the singer as well as the inspiring lyrics that suggests nobody is better than another and that everybody is equal. This creates the effect that the artist is similar to the audience and therefore allows her to relate to them. However, she is extraordinary in that she is talented because she can sing and dance. She is famous and performing on stage which is not a common situation for every ordinary person to be in. This allows the audience to both relate to and inspire to be like the artist which makes them an ideal role model.

The incoherence created by the paradoxes mean that the audience continuously strive to 'complete' or make sense of the artists image. This is achieved by continuous consumption of the stars image throughout their products or media. The star image consumed has the ability to position the audience in relation to dominant and influential social values. This is hegemony. The video places fans against hegemony because the artists image can not be used to position the consumer in relation to dominant and influential social values. This is because the video is entirely performance based and aimed at a young audience so does not have any typical influential social values you would expect to see such as drug use or rebellious behaviour.

The target audience for this video is children or young teenagers (aged 13 and below) as this is the typical audience who would watch Disney Channel where her television programme 'Hannah Montana' was aired. Due to the young audience, the song portrays positive messages and values in order to inspire them to be themselves. It tells them that everyone makes mistakes and has flaws and that they should just be themselves.

This music video is conventional to it's genre through body language as the artist performs a consistently choreographed dance routine. The dance routine is very high energy which would appeal to the young energetic audience as they would want to learn the dance routine for the upbeat song.
Another convention of the pop genre that is evident in this video is shown through mis-en-scene The artist wears a patterned purple top. This clothing would appeal to the target audience of young girls because it is something that they would wear. The bright and bold nature of the costume also suggests that the artist is transparent in that she is not hiding anything from the audience. Furthermore this makes her a good role model as she inspires her audience to not hide who they are.

When I Look At You (2010)

Towards the end of 'Hannah Montana'  as a television show, Miley Cyrus began to release her own music and introduce her audience to the 'real her'. This song is called 'When I Look At You' and was part of the soundtrack to her movie 'The Last Song' which was one of her first projects that was completely unrelated to Hannah Montana. This song is different to the first as it is much less bouncy and fun as it is slow and ballad-like as she sings seriously and passionately about a relationship. Miley's image itself is much more natural as she is not wearing a wig or heavy makeup like before and is instead wearing subtle make up with her natural curly hair. She is also wearing a flowy white dress instead of eye catching costumes like she did when portraying Hannah Montana.

Goodwin's theory states that the demands of the record company often include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist. This is seen on several occasions when Miley Cyrus is singing into the camera. The shot is simple as she stands on a beach or by her piano so the whole focus is on her as she sings. This allows the audience to see more of the singer and her personality which will as a result make building a relationship with them easier. There are no distractions in the shot and so this forces the audience to focus solely on the artist.

Much like 'Nobody's Perfect', this song follows Goodwins theory as there is intertextual reference to a film starring the singer called 'The Last Song'. The male actor is seen in the music video and there is a feature of clips from the film. This advertises the film which will therefore encourage the audience to watch it. The artist was then seen in other projects besides Hannah Montana which helped her portray her real self and gain a wider audience.

Again the genre of this music video is pop. In different ways to 'Nobody's Perfect', it is conventional to this genre. This is due to the exotic locations that the music video is filmed in. This is typical of this genre as pop artists tend to be seen in exotic locations during their music videos to portray their wealthy lifestyles.  The theme of this song is romance based as the artist sings about her feelings towards someone. Love is very commonly sung about in the pop genre and therefore this makes the song conventional.  The style of this music video is primarily performance based. This is stereotypical to the genre as it is often the main style in pop songs. This is because it allows the artist to connect to the audience by singing into the camera and making the audience feel like they are being sung to.

The artist is presented as ordinary through her image as she is wearing very casual clothing with minimal makeup. This suggests that she does not live the glamorous famous lifestyle to a large amount and that she is actually quite similar to her target audience. This helps them relate to her. However she is seen as extraordinary through her talent as she is singing and playing the piano in this music video. This talent is also emphasized on due to the fact the other aspects of the music video are relatively simple and stripped back.

The artist is viewed as talented mostly in this music video due to the focus being on her performance. She is also seen as laid back and down to earth due to her image and romantic due to the theme of the song. The artist is not viewed as a product as much as she has been previously. This is because she is not changing herself to suit the wants of her audience like she did as Hanna Montana: wearing a wig, performing energetic dance routines etc. She is simply singing a song about her personal experiences. 


This music video places fans against hegemony because the artist is not focused on rebellious behaviour or breaking social conventions. Instead she focuses on sharing her thoughts about her relationship through her song. This is because Miley Cyrus was considered a role model who always had positive or personal messages to share through her songs.

The artist may have reached a larger target audience through changing her image as she would still have her young fans who she gained from performing as Hannah Montana although she may have gained some more due to portraying a slightly more grown up image and singing about love which most people can relate to. her target audience was still children and teenagers but a lot of older teenagers may now be interested in her when they was not before. 

The messages and values that come with this song and music video are that if you feel stressed or upset at a particular time in your life, someone you love will always be able to help you through it. This video was released three years after the first one and it still has a positive message about not worrying about mistakes or bad times you have.

We Can't Stop (2013)

Cyrus released 'We Can't Stop' in 2013 as the lead single from her upcoming album 'Bangerz'. The artist has clearly made drastic changes to her image. Her hair that was before long and brown had be cut short and died blonde. She also experienced a change in wardrobe as she now tends to wear much more controversial and revealing outfits to appear more edgy and capture the audiences attention to create publicity around herself.  The publicity was created because the change shocked the audience as it was so sudden and so different to her previous style. I believe she did this to prove she is not Hannah Montana, that she is her own person and to break away from the Disney image. She wanted to appear grown up and not childish so she could appear to a wider and older audience.

One point from Goodwin's theory that I have identified in this music video is the frequent voyeuristic treatment of the female body. One of the first shots of the artist is of her laying provocatively on a bed. There are several female dancers/actresses in revealing clothes such as hot pants or underwear in a swimming pool.The purpose of this is to portray the artist as attractive and desirable so male audiences would find her good looking and female fans may be jealous or want to copy her. This in turn gives the artist more publicity.

Goodwins theory also stated that there is a succinct relationship between lyrics and visuals. This is evident when the artist sings "dancing with Miley" and "shaking it" etc. As she sings this lyrics, her and other actors in the music video begin to dance. This would appeal to the audience and encourage them to dance also. Being able to interact with the music video will allow the audience to build a relationship with the artist.

The artists music style remains in the pop genre and is still conventional to it but is more controversial with reference of drugs in her lyrics and explicit dancing etc. It is conventional because the artist is being represented as attractive. She wears revealing clothes and makeup and dances to the camera to appear desirable.

Although, the genre of this song remains pop there are more dance and R&B undertones. The video is conventional to all aspects of its genre as it takes place in  a party setting which is conventional to dance music as this is often the case. Most dance music videos take part in club or party settings as they advertise the party lifestyle and try to promote it so that audiences will want to listen to their music and have fun at clubs or parties where this music is often played. R&B music videos are often flashy as it consists of artists portraying themselves as either attractive or wealthy. Miley Cyrus does both here by featuring money and several outfits in her video as well as dressing skimpily to show off her body.

The video represents the artist as wild and rebellious due to her party-animal image and crazy behaviour. It is representing how she is youthful and just focused on having fun. She is represented as almost the complete opposite to Hannah Montana who was seen as innocent and well behaved as a good role model for young children. Now, however, Miley Cyrus has been criticized for not being a suitable role model for the younger part of her audience who may want to copy her rebellious behaviour.  

The artist is intentionally aiming to not be viewed as a product by acting original and wild so she stands out from the other artists in the same genre as her. She is giving off the impression that she is doing only what she wants not what will be best for the audience. This comes across by the quirky aspects of the video that would not regularly be found in other pop music videos. These include kissing a doll version of herself and someone eating money. Cyrus is mostly portrayed as extraordinary due to her wild behaviour and unusual music video.

'We Can't Stop' places fans for hegemony as it is a very influential video as it shows rebellious behaviour and reference to drugs. The audience could copy this behaviour very easily. Miley Cyrus's target audience is now older, around 15-25 as she has portrayed herself as more grown up and  a bit of a party animal which is hard for a younger audience to relate to. The target audience  will consist of most of her previous fans but now also most are older. She has obtained a wider audience by changing her style because some older people may have not listened to her music before if they felt it was too childish but now they are able to enjoy it.  Most of Miley's target audience will be fans who had watched her as Hannah Montana when they were younger and then grown up to watch her as Miley as Miley also grows up with them. Miley Cyrus manages to still satisfy some of her younger fans at the same time though. She does this in 'We Can't Stop' when a former lyric was "dancing with molly" referring to the drug ecstasy. There was confusion on whether the artist was saying 'Miley' referencing herself or 'Molly' referencing the drug. Cyrus clarified that she was singing about drugs but also said that the younger audience can interpret it as Miley and so both audiences are happy: "if you’re aged ten it’s 'Miley', if you know what I'm talking about then you know."                                              
The main messages from this video is to have fun and do what you want. The artist is celebrating being young and free and trying to break away from her child star image and show the audience the real her. 

Overall, I think the main reason for this artist to reinvent herself is to break away from her image as a child star and Hannah Montana because that is not truly her and she does not want to be associated with a fictional character but wants to be known for herself. She achieved this in acting recklessly and completely changing her image to appear more edgy and grown up. I think this research will help me in choosing an artist for my music video. This is because it has taught me to look into all the songs they have created throughout their career and not just one I can think of because they may have reinvented themself a lot previously. It has also helped me to think about the messages, concepts and values I would want my video to portray. I have considered using a controversial artist after analysing Miley Cyrus as it is clear that by shocking her audience she has gained a lot of publicity and recognition.