Analysis Of The Choosen Artist - Miss Georgiou

Gabrielle Aplin is my chosen artist as she is a popular indie artist that contributes greatly to the code and conventions of the particular indie genre. She has a very delicate look about her which is what our group admired about her, as we aim to stick with the more vulnerable look in our music video. Her voice is very gentle and she is able to create a certain atmosphere of elegance around her. She started out her career with Parlophone and found her claim to fame through her cover of 'The Power Of Love' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Which topped the UK charts in December  2012. 
The artist is being chosen is represented as someone who is a successful to the younger generation as being a role model, this enabled them to be able to feel like they know her well. This is what makes her target audience be around the 15-25 age bracket. This allows her to appeal to the generation that really enjoys music and not only listens to this but uses it to boast the social status as well as actually using music videos themselves as a way to start conversations in the particular community they leave in. 

Sweet Nothing is a song from Gabrielle Aplin that presents her in a new light soley from watching the music video. It is very unconventional to the indie genre as it allows people to be able to witness her in a different location and costume that they usually associate Gabrielle Aplin with. In this particular music video we are able to see her as being rather unique and different in the way that she as an artist is presented. Her attitude is very upbeat and excitable, compared to the usual sad narrative based song that exists in the indie genre.

As the music video begins a long shot is one of the first things introduced in the music video. It shows us how we are able to see the artist and some of the background. It produces an idea of whats to come with the whole of the shot bringing a sort of introduction to the atmosphere.  This relates to Dyers theory of audiences and institutions as it displays her in a way that presents her as a product this is due to the fact that we can display her as being inviting through her body language. This overall supports the fact that she is a product because they use her body and her overall presentation as a way of promoting her further and making more money. The effect of this continues to be the fact that the audience will become a lot more excited for watching the rest of the music video as they feel like they are apart of it.

In following on from cinematography we are able to see how the mise-en-scene of the music video is going to represent the music video. The costume is unconventional to the indie genre as we normally see indie artists in old fashioned outfits. Here Gabrielle is in a very glittery jumpsuit that seems a lot more modern then other stereotypical outfits used in her other videos. This relates to Goodwins theory of the notion of looking as it enables her to be able to show off her figure to make a bigger profit and intise the audience. This is a very different aspect that the audience may like when thinking about  Gabrielle as an artist, we are able to see her being a lot more 'trendy' and influential on the particular music genre that normally sticks to old fashioned looks. Her original audience will relate to her bravery of stepping out of her comfort zone. They may feel influenced to go even further and follow in her footsteps by stepping out of there comfort zone also. This will overall impact the audience in a positive way and they will relate this emotion and feeling of bravery to Gabriella Aplin. 

In addition to this we are able to see how the cinematography, in particular the panning shot which displays how much moving closer to the artist can create a more inviting atmosphere and overall make the audience feel as though they are friends with Gabrielle Aplin. This is a different way to represent the indie artist as usually the majority of their music videos are narrative based having a direct story line to them as an artist through the use of a storyline. In this case Gabrielle is able to create and present herself as an object and product Dyer's theory consists here as we know she is trying to appeal to the audience through performance, this represents Goodwins theory of how is able to adapt 3 different styles into music videos. In this particular shot we are able to see how Gabrielle Aplin's 'Sweet Nothing' is all performance based, this will be less personal to the audience which will make them feel differently to the artist. Normally through the narrative they are able to view her as being 'normal.' Here her image is completely distorted to what her audience normally expect, this is because the audience are viewing her as a performer not someone with real feelings and emotions. This could work out positively for Gabrielle as an artist though, because her audience may being to look up to her as something more then just an ordinary girl. They may begin to see her in a more superior light. 

A conventional aspect of the indie genre, that has been seen very commonly in a lot of the indie music videos I have analysed recently is the use of interments being seen played in the visual aspect on the music video. Through the use of mise-en-scene, in particular the iconography in particular we are able to see the many drum kits Gabrielle has used in her video. This is not only a common convention of the indie genre, but it gives the audience an insight into how intellectual she is and creative she is as using. This links to good wins theory of the relationship between music and visual effects, this is due to the fact the drum kit can be hit multiple times to hit the sound of the music and create an effective visual and musical rhythm. Gabrielle has been successful to manipulate the drum into the indie genre as although the fact that you can use instruments in the indie genre and make it conventional fits but the use of the drum kit is stereotypically found in the rock or punk genre. This relates to Goodwins theory of the beat matching the visual effects as the artist has people banging the drum along to the beat. This overall allows the atmosphere to be seen as lot more put together and this results in it having more of an organised feel to it. Allowing the whole music video to flow better.

In continuation from the cinematography we are able to see how she uses unconventional shots in the music video 'Sweet Nothing.' It allows her to be seen from a birds eye shot. Which is just directly above her and looks down onto her. This relates to Dyer's theory of hegemony as the audience are able to display Gabrielle as being lower down then them. This is a unique aspect that may relate to the audience in a positive way as it involves them even further into the music video as the audience feel like they have a lot of power. This overall creates the effect of being directly involved with the music video as they do actually feel in control over her in this particular shot. The audience are looking down on her which almost implies how much of an influence they have on her. She is being quite unconventional to the indie genre throughout this music video. This means that she's relying solely on the audience to carry her through this change and they are in control and judging this new style of hers. This will overall persuade the audience to feel very relieved that they do have control over her look and will hopefully choose to support her, solely because Gabrielle Aplin has given them the power to. 

In addition to this, we are able to see how the lighting has also been effected and changed into something that is unconventional to this particular artist. They repetition of the coloured neon lights allows us to be able to view Gabrielle Aplin in a different way. We are able to relate this to a clubbing scene which is ultimately very unconventional to the indie genre as they are usually set in locations that are very open and vintage, for example either being a countryside setting or an old historical building. For the audience this may be shocking to them as they are not used to this sort of mise-en-scene being used, but ultimately as an audience they might be able to link it to Dyer's theory that Gabrielle wants to create herself a new image and may even be willing to create a more 'pop' genre instead of indie. This will work well in her favour as she will be introducing herself to a new brand of genre. Which also means a new audience. This means that as a result the audience will expand and she will be able to earn more money from her music as it appears to more tastes from different people. 

Her facial expressions in the music video remain to her rather happy, this particular type of mise-en-scene can be displayed from the image on the left. We are able to see a close up of Gabrielle and how much she is able to manipulate the audience into them believing she is extraordinary as well as ordinary. This is due to the fact that she remains very happy and upbeat and normally in the indie genre there are sadder aspects and other narrative parts that can't always guarantee a happy atmosphere which normally would be a part of the narrative, for example the sad departure of a couple or something similar to do with relationships. Overall this may invite the audience and intrigue them further into Gabrielle as it is not only different but may be quite refreshing to see a funner and more joy able side to her.    

The final aspect of the mise-en-scene is the setting and location. We are able to see how Gabrielle Aplin's choice of location is very different to the usual countryside or quaint little town filled with culture. This again can be seen to the audience as being rather unique and different compared to her usual setting as her we are able to see a big empty 'stage/set' scene. Overall this allows the audience to view her as being unique and differencing her to other indie artists as she is experimenting with this particular genre and others at the same time, including pop and dance. Dyers theory can be seen in this particular part of the image through the use of her location. This is because this particular location is not necessarily unique and glamorous, but it is still different and very isolated. This relates to his extraordinary but ordinary observation of the artists. This is due to the fact that she is in a average looking building. She is not in some glamorous setting, although it still has elements of being extraordinary as it contributes to the fact that it is very isolated and she has it all to herself and many audience members would not be able to obtain this type of thing for themselves. 

One very unique aspect of the 'Sweet Nothing' video is that is continuously displays one shot with no editing used as all. We are able to see how this one take style of music video really gives the impression that she is starting a fresh and has one shot and one chance to really reinvent themselves. The continuous shot is used to create a very elongated scene. There are no jump cuts or changes in speed of the editing as there is none. This may be very intriguing to the audience as they are able to view her in a different light, as before her music videos have been structured and constructed to be very neat and planned out. Whereas here it makes her appear as being very carefree and wild. Which supports her attitude throughout the whole music video.

The comparison to 'sweet nothing' and 'a case of you' is extreme. 'A Case Of You' is a particular music video that displays plenty of conventional aspects of the indie genre. Whereas 'Sweet Nothing' was a particular music video that went against it and tried to fit in with other conventions of the pop and dance genre. 

In the image opposite we are able to see how editing is used to portray the indie genre. The flashing effect in the music video is seen to be able to create a heavenly effect. This overall portrays the artist as being someone who is angelic. The audience are then able to see a different perspective of the artist viewing them as extraordinary something that Dyer said was common in performers such as Gabrielle Aplin. This is due to the fact that the audience want to relate to her but also see her as superior which relates to the particular editing effect as it gives off the impression that she is special and ultimately is able to portray herself in this particular way. 

The cinematography in the music video is also displayed as very simplistic and beautiful. The shallow focus shot displayed int he image right supports this. The audience are able to see the artist through blurred vision and this almost implies that she is able to be blurred, because the the audience she in unreachable. This differs to how blurred images would be in different artists. Gabrielle is an artist that appreciates beauty and wants to make and create an impact on her audience through the particular use of blurred shots, that would often represents drugs and alcohol and the effects of using them. Here she uses this particular effect not to display drugs and alcohol, but to show her audience that she is above them in a particular way that also involves them as they have to really study the image to be able to know its her.

The iconography used her displays how the particular mise-en-scene in the shot fits the conventions of the indie genre, but also displays Gabrielle as an artist to be able to be seen as creative. The old fashioned camera and film along side it fits the atmosphere of this vintage video, using older products and models of a camera is almost authentic and shows personality in the way an indie genre stereotypical would. This ultimately displays Gabrielle Aplin as someone who really enjoys the outside and doesn't stick the to typical trends and value consensus of the modern day women. As she likes to be unique and stick to the old fashioned way of things.

This low angle shot really displays how Dyer's theory relates to artists as they perform and act in the music videos. This is a crucial part of the music video as it incorporates the performance element of the music industry and gives the audience something to watch and be amazed by. It also portrays how the audience can manipulate the artist into seeing them as talented and then liking them even more. The cinematography used here manipulates the audience into looking up to Gabrielle not only does this represent her as extraordinary as the audience feel as though she is above them by having her tower over them, but she is also seen as ordinary as she is able to be displayed as someone who is charge and leading her 'friends' up the steps to an adventure. For an audience this will enable them to feel very much involved and excited to be able to be apart of Gabrielle's journey.

Carrying on from mise-en-scene. I am able to study Gabrielle's costume in this particular indie conventional music video. Compared to 'Sweet Nothing' we are able to contrast the two costumes. This one is alot more laid back as she wears a waist coat, large sunglasses and loafer looking shoes. This is partnered with a brown saddle bag which all together displays her as being rather fashionable in her own element. She wears clothes that would normally be classed as unique and indie in the modern world. This relates to Dyers theory of stars appearing as extraordinary and ordinary this is due to the fact that she is seen as someone who wears unique clothes but not necessarily very expensive and hard for the audience to copy. This means that if the audience wanted to they could easily adapt to her style and go ahead and wear similar clothes without going overboard on the price. They would then feel as an audience a lot more connected to her as they will feel as though they are building a much stronger bond with her. This will allow them to feel as though they are more like her and the audience themselves will feel involved with her music. As an audience they are able to represent her as being rather edgy and quirky with what particular clothes she wears, this separates her form the mainstream artists and inspires her audience to be more like this adventuring out into other outfits. This ultimately displays her as a role model to her audience.

The mise-en-scene includes everything that is taken into consideration when creating a specific atmosphere. The setting used in 'A Case Of You' is something that is very delicate and peaceful. The audience are able to see in the distant trees that are flowing as Gabrielle Aplin walks through the park. This particular location is very conventional to her genre as it is very natural and peaceful. In addition to this these particular types of location are able to be accessed by a lot of people and are seen as very 'normal' which again relates to Dyers theory of artists sometimes portraying themselves as 'normal' to appeal to there target audience as it will result in the audience being able to see Gabrielle Aplin as more of a friend then a favourite artist. The green, earthy background against her connotes well with the indie genre as we are able to see her in a different light. The audience now associate her with being someone who enjoys the countryside and this is in continuation with the fact that she is presented as being very delicate and very connected to the earth and everything that is beautiful. The audience will then appreciate the fact that she is using more natural elements in her music videos and like the difference and unique aspects that she adds instead of the usual mainstream music that may be filled with more artificial things. 

This theme is continued through the help of the particular lighting that falls upon the artists face, this not only helps maintain the beautiful atmosphere, but it represents the artist in a way that shows her as being angelic. This enables the audience to see her in a particular light that allows her to be looked up to by her audience. Dyers theory is seen here as the music video has purposely made her appear as someone who is very angelic and innocent and this allows them to be able to see her in an extraordinary way. This is due to the fact that as an audience they want to be able to look up to someone that is relatable and overall Gabrielle appeals to her target audience as she is able to be seen as successful without getting so personal physically with her audience like other mainstream artists such as Rhianna. She is able to manipulate the mise-en-scene to make herself look better and this is a very interesting aspect to the music video. The audience are overall building a relationship with an artist whom they think is very 'good' as they are able to see her in a particular way that portrays her innocently. This may be a nice change to the other artists in the industry who may focus there music on drugs and alcohol.

In conclusion to this video we are able to see how Gabrielle Aplin present herself as someone who is intellectual and appreciates art and history through the particular effects that are present in the music video 'A Case Of You.' The editing effect is actually a filter that has been placed over the top to almost create a very distinct effect that almost indicates an old fashioned video, The cracking effect was often a side effect of old cameras and damaged film. This implies that she wants to be able to be seen as vintage and quirky to her audience, which overall makes them see her as someone who is unique by going against the typical expectations of the mainstream music industry. This allows audience members who like the history of things to take a liking to her as they are able to see her as someone who is very down to earth and uses very little vintage touches to add conventional aspects of the indie genre to her music videos.

In conclusion to this we are able to see how much of a difference it makes to me as a group member performing Gabrielle Aplin's song by analysing her music videos that are two completely different styles. 'Sweet Nothing' is a song and music video that is unconventional to the indie genre which inspires our group to have courage in going out the box. It allows us to not stick with the conventions of an indie genre entirely as we are using Gabrielle as inspiration. Although I really did like that the particular use of the micro element, mise-en-scene. This is because in the more conventional music video they stuck to using the very plain yet beautiful and green settings and location and this makes it alot easier to create something that has the same effect on the music video. This is why I wish to incorporate the very natural settings into my own music video. However, she is recreating herself which allows us as a group to consider what type of style we want to include within our music video. For example do we want to stick with the typical indie music video like 'A Case Of You' or do we want to change it up and invite different and non-stereotypical aspects to our music video. Overall through the help of this post we are able to be consider in detail different elements that we may want to include within the music video.