Representations In My Music Video

  

Who?
The band I am creating, Electric Addiction, consist of a male vocalist/guitarist, a female drummer and a male lead guitarist.

What?
The band will be dressed to represent their genre of music, and so will take influences from grunge and alternative fashion. Alternative or 'Alt' fashion does not conform to style trends of the times that have widespread popularity, and may exhibit itself as a fringe style - extremely attention grabbing and more artistic than practical - but it can also develop from anti-fashion sentiments that focus on simplistic utilitarian drives e.g. grunge fashion, which was based around comfort and availability, as is the case in my music video. Alternative fashion has often been intentionally adopted by an individual or group to display a break from the beliefs or mores of popular culture and as a form of self-expression that challenged the boundaries of what was considered appropriate, practical (or in this case), fashionable. Clothing commonly worn by grunge musicians consisted of thrift store items and typical outdoor clothing (most notably flannel shirts), as well as a generally unkempt appearance. The style did not evolve out of a conscious attempt to create an appealing fashion.

Why?
I chose "Where Is My Mind" because it was the song I had the most creative reaction to. I like the genre of alternative rock and already had an idea of who I would ask to be in the video and how it would be styled before starting to work on it properly. I like the grunge, alternative style because it is, in my opinion, real, and also so hard to come across nowadays. Rather than obsessing over current fashions and creating a high-tech, over-stylised video, I wanted to create something which was a little more interesting and artistic in a different kind of way. The simplicity of the performance style means that I can be creative with camera work and effects, rather than focusing on the band's image. Due to the non-existent budget, a video so simple as this would be easily achievable and just as effective than if it had been shot in a studio with expensive clothing and props. I want my band to represent a moral  . Pop culture portrays women as sex objects and men as arrogant and obsessed with money. Electric Addiction, in my opinion, would be seen as better role models for young adolescents and even for young adults than a hip hop artist promoting sex and money. Although I have decided to include elements of psychedelia in the effects used in my music video, this is to reflect a sense of mental obscurity rather than a purposefully altered state of mind, and is done for artistic purposes rather than to promote drug abuse.

Where?
I am going to set up the band to play in a garage and also film along a country lane. These are not extravagant, stylised sets and so will not make for an extravagant, stylised video. The idea of shooting in a garage reflects a kind of band practice and sets the video up to be performance, creating a sort of noise rock atmosphere. The country lane allows for more freedom and experimenting when filming and illustrates a sense of isolation and surrounding the band, reflecting the context of the song. It is an open and natural setting and so draws more attention to the band itself, as well as creating movement as the band wander down the lane.

How?
The representations construed in my music video will be illustrated through the use of clothing, setting, camera work, added effects, colour scheme and the song itself. Pixies include a range of indie rock, psychedelia, noise rock and surf rock in their music, each of which feature somewhere on the track "Where Is My Mind". These genres will be reflected through grunge clothing styles, psychedelic effects and the setting of a grubby garage. The colour scheme will consist of black and white, and over-saturated colours. This is to contrast the two and to add a deeper level to the interesting camera work. The shaky camera effect will run throughout so as to convey the distorted effects of the guitar and the concept of the song, adding to the representation of the band as being socially alienated, apathetic and mentally unsure of themselves.