STATEMENT OF INTENT

STATEMENT OF INTENT  

Brief: Music video and online website  

  

How do you intend to use the four areas of the media theoretical framework to communicate meaning and meet the requirements of your chosen brief? (approx. 400 words)  

  

I intend to create an engaging and ‘relatable’ music video for a pop artist, which will capture the 16-25-year-old mass-market demographic. I plan to create a succinct narrative to the song ‘Pink lemonade originally by James Bay, inspired by Richard Dyers theory to create ‘star image’. I plan to draw from the modern fascination with all things ‘retro’, as shown by the re-emergence in 80’s fashion and mass-media (series ‘Stranger Things’), to appeal to the target demographic. I aim to capture this in my fictional artist, representing him styled like a 50’s ‘Rockstar’, embodying the complete essence of vintage through overall mis-en-scene. I'll incorporate this influential retro theme using vinyl players, polaroid cameras and drawing from iconic media pieces like ‘Grease’ through intertextuality. 

  

In correlation to Goodwin's theory, Music videos are created with the intention of promoting an artist and generating more sales. This is the case for Sony artists. From my research, I've learnt that since this historic emergence in the media industry, music videos have grown to be one of the most prominent influences on artist representation and image. Therefore, I am taking inspiration from comparable artists like Hozier to recreate their success in achieving the mass-audience's attention so that my artist’s media may match the target demographic similarly.  

  

Intertextuality is a very important influence on my music video as I intend to create a sense of nostalgia for the audience who will recognise the references to ‘mass-market’, iconic media texts like ‘Grease’. I intend to recreate imagery like another of Sony’s artists, kings of Leon, who have used Diner style, retro images for their music video for the song ‘supersoaker’. These upbeat, ‘cheesy’ pieces of intertextuality will appeal to the ‘fun-loving’ side to the audience as mentioned in the brief.   

  

My narrative will surround the theme of ‘young love’ as I believe it will resonate with the target demographic of young, 16-25-year olds who will be able to identify within the video (Gauntlett). Within the video, my protagonist and star ‘Henry’ will fall in love at first sight with a young and shy girl as he performs his song indie-pop ‘Pink lemonade’ in a 50’s style diner, flashing into dreamlike sequences of their possible relationship; This is a clear intertextual connection to Sandy and Danny from ‘Grease’.  

  

Product 2:  

For the working website, I intend to hold interactivity at its core. Audience to artist Connectivity helps to strengthen a ‘fanbase’, playing into the new age of ‘participatory culture’ (Jenkins) 

I intend to create a sense of ‘house style’ across the page with waves/sea imagery contrasted by pink text which is in relation to the song title. I intend to have a looped video of Henry playing guitar also as a banner background near the head of the music video, taking inspiration from Sony artists such as Tom Odell who also feature this. 

Although I only intend to have two working pages, my home and BIO pages, I aim to include a plethora of ways audiences can interact, able to upload pictures and tweet to #HENRY their favourite song to be featured on the BIO page. This page also includes a personal biography which will tie in well with my main audio-visual content, an interview with Henry for his new EP release, which reveals his personality and therefore encourages the notion Henry is well connected with his audiences. 

In order to connect with the ‘fun-loving’ mass audience, I aim to create a ‘secret’ link/ ‘Easter egg’, via the home page, lemon wedge sticker, to a video of ‘bloopers’ showing a fun, playful side to my fictional artist. My intentions are to show authenticity to the audience to gain a more dedicated ‘fanbase’. Another main point of attraction to the ‘mass-audience’ will be the clear social media links and section showing an Instagram page of the artist to promote digital cross-convergence and the opportunity for fans to interact back with him as Shirky’s end of theory argues audiences are no longer passive.  

  

  

How do you intend to link your media products to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the digitally convergent nature of your media production? (approx. 100 words)  

   In relation to Jenkins theories on media ('These multiple forms of media convergence are leading us towards a digital renaissance’), I aim to take inspiration from the factor modern artists use a multitude of promotion techniques, including digital media, to increase followers. I think it’s increasingly important for artists to actively use digitally convergent methods to promote themselves.   

I intend my media products to work seamlessly together, with synergy that maximises potential audience reach and creates a dynamic audience experience. Multiple cross-references will endorse the convergent nature of my products, from the way I intend to add pink lemon icons to my second product’s home page to the use of bubble-gum pink font. The theme across both products will be ‘pink’ to promote the song itself.  

Another key feature will be the background behind the ‘merchandise’ and sections of the ‘home’ page which are looped videos of the sea to intentionally relate to my music video, which I will partially set at the beach. I intend to insinuate water imagery is iconic to the image of my artist alongside his vintage style, represented through the merchandising itself which will consist of a record player, a branded bowling shirt and vinyl of the ep to further relate across to his ‘retro’ imagery’. 

Furthermore, the main example how my products will be digital convergent is how I plan to show hashtags across social media, the music video and my artists home page. I intend to create a series of tweets to be displayed on the BIO page, reading with hashtags like #PINKLEMONADE in reference to product 1, which will be displayed at the end of the music video. This hashtag feature will identify with the way the 16-25-year-old ‘fun-loving’ mass-market now actively interacts with media (Jenkins Fandom theory) and can represent the way my artist encourages fans to become involved. These links show the digitally convergent nature of my product, as they complement each other in promoting both products to the audience, encouraging involvement from the target.