The Creative procces of the website

 On designing the website. 

Most indie bands and most music producers in general all have a similar convention of a simple landing page that directs you the the rest of the content on the website.

For indie specifically they like to have fancy graphical elements to them For example sam fender's site features a moving background that has pictures from his life. I will follow this convention in 2 ways, the background will be a graphic of flying dodge balls that i have made and the landing page will have a video box showing some sped up shots of the editing proccess outtakes and the video.

i opted for a black header and base as to put more emphasis on to the content in the middle and create a clear difference from the content and the navigation.  On the naviagtion you can access all the typical features of music websites Home,listen, watch and a store page. There is also social media links with most of the major ones with the exclusion of facebook ( because it's mainly populated by a much older audience) and i added discord as it's common for brands,people and just about anything with a fandom and it appeals to a younger audience

On the tital of the of website i chose to have the "tough" in a serif font to exentuate the idea of life being a struggle.

I created a dodgeball background for the website to go for that graphical element that Indie websites love. The blue body with the yellow balls match that seen in the music video and references it. This ties in the two together.

 

You can't see it here but i desided to include a highlight real on the home page to make it more interesting. Shows parts that aren't in the video which creates intriuge and makes the target audience want to find out what that new content is.

Some Contextual reasearch.

Indie websites

My website for the Back burner will follow the codes and conventions of other indie music

artist's websites so i need to do some research

Most of them have about 4-5 pages of content, i will make it look like there are 4 but only 2 of them will work,  

Sam's website follows most conventions of music sites, Has multiple linked pages, theme matches the album, 

My extra audio visual conent is going to be the dodgeball game that the band played to get the footage and a behind the scenes of what the album means.

giving insite into the band and their motivations

My photoshoot will be the dodgeball game with some staged images of the band getting hit with balls, These images will be on a 'meet' the band section of the home page.

PAGE HEADINGS: LISTEN Or some headphones, BUY STUFF or shopping icon, LEARN STUFF, TALK TO US phone , HOME or a home icon.

COLORS: BLUE WHITE, GREEN, YELLOW

HERE is the foo fighters website the other, a rock band who are very very popular. already we can see a convention of music websites by look at both examples, home pages are usually very simple and act as a junction to the other parts of the site rather than content filled. 

Here they have a news page which makes cence as fans of the band would want to know what's going on with the band.

 

Here is an example of more artistic website, thought as been put into the layout of the site in conjunction with the album cover.

Wetleg's website features a youtube player in the website which keeps you on their site and removes the need to program a video player into the website

Overall Indie music websites often have simple designs that mixes the style of the newest ablum or single into the design. Essential pages include a biography section to connect with fans, a tour dates/events page for live performances, and a merchandise store for revenue generation. Including a mailing list sign-up facilitates fan communication, while an electronic press kit aids in professional outreach. Social media integration, contact information, and multimedia content enhance connectivity and engagement. Responsive design and accessibility ensure usability across devices and user needs. Integration with streaming platforms and a blog/news section keeps fans informed. These conventions collectively create a comprehensive online presence for indie musicians, fostering fan interaction and support.

The Back Burner

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw4lISHQ6pg

My idea for this music video. A nerd that goes through an emotional rollercoaster in a game of dodgeball.

Rough plan

the kid gets hit by  dodge ball, On ball appears "backburner by Life's Tough"

We're on the backburner
But I won't stop 'til you take it away
We took a wrong turn there
And now I'm looking for a place to stay

I'm not what I used to be
I'm distant, lacking empathy
Drop your guard and I'll concede
Call me anything and I'll agree

Camerazoooms in on a kid on the out bench on his phone

and then shows his friend next to him.

Then cuts to the kid on the court moving into space

and then gets hit by a ball.

cut back to the kid rubbing his face staring at the guy who hit him, with anger

then someone catches a ball and he's back in

Oh won't you call it what it is?
I'm a mess but you still insist
It's a long time coming
I'm trapped between the lines of all the awful poetry I write
About you

3 fast cuts of the kid throwing dodge balls horribly.

camera looks that kid. he is mouthing "i.m so shit"

then a guy pats him on the back, camera turns to another guy giving him a thumbs up 

My whole outlook changes
With every passing hour
But I don't feel so fickle
Whenever you're around

The camera is back to main guy, he looks exulted,

then it moves to show the other nerds on the bench telling him to get out out on purpous

Camera goes back to our guy who disregards the other nerds and walks forwards leaving the shot and revealing the others who act confused

You're not what I thought you'd be
Delicate with words you weave
Carry yourself recklessly
With an air of northern mystery

Shot from behind the guy, he throws the ball, hits someone and then celebrates.

the guy gets cocky and has his backturned and talking to the others players when a ball hits his back and then the cameralooks at the guy who hit him. 

Band bio

This band is a group of 4 people that don't have much in common likes wise but are all similar in personality and beliefs  and all have had there own struggles thought their lives. Their songs represent this from having some that might be more serious and some, my song for example, go over the more light harted like being a geek in PE and feeling like you don't fit in.

They are an indie rock band that have a very distiinict style that is outlined by the heavy british accent of the main singer and the mix between both fast and up beat and slow and calm tunes in their music.

My chosen song is called the back-burner originally by the royston club and i don't really know what the songs' meaning is. 

My video is about a nerd who hates sports gets his opinions changed when a couple a nice guys support him despite him playing terribly

For the cast i think it would be funny to have the 4 band members play a range of characters like the old foo fighters music videos where they are obviously hyperrealistic representations of certain stereotypes.

The is only 1 location being a sports hall.

the props would be: dodge balls, chess board, yugioh cards, a muscle suit, sports jerseys, college pe tops, 

Codes & Conventions

A developing narrative, it's common in narrative music videos to have a narrative that changes over time for example in dead boys the hanging ropes start to burn signifying hope. In my video it will be the protagonists dodgeball skills and with every chorus he will get better and better.

Another is cutting to the beat which is a thing across all music genre's videos

In indie rock and indie in general, a big convention is having the band play characters in the video. My band plays all the characters. 

The video it's self is a parody of the lyrics as they are heartfelt but the video interprets them as completely different situation which is a convention of rocks music videos. for example learning to fly by the foo fighters is not about a plane flight however the video is.

 

 

songs and lyrics

 

https://shop.fikarecordings.com/track/baby-im-afraid

fortitude Vally

Someone who meets someone online who pretends to be someone they are not

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE5SQnvF2vE

Holiday in my head

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpx7X6QjocA

party tonight regular show

guy see's thing he wants and goes on an adventure to get it

7/6/23

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw4lISHQ6pg

The backburner

A nerd who goes through an emotional rollercoaster while doing really good and then really bad at dodgeball.  

Codes & Conventions Of music videos

Wh

Indie music videos embody a spirit of creativity and authenticity, often characterized by low-budget aesthetics and a do-it-yourself ethos. These videos frequently feature artistic expression through unique visual styles, experimentation with DIY filmmaking techniques, and a focus on capturing raw, intimate performances. Symbolism and metaphor are commonly used to convey deeper themes, while experimental editing techniques add visual dynamism. Narrative elements may be present, exploring themes that resonate with the song's lyrics or mood. Additionally, indie music videos often serve as a platform for self-promotion, shared through social media and indie music channels, enabling artists to connect directly with their audience. Overall, indie music videos celebrate individuality and originality, providing a canvas for artists to express themselves in unconventional and compelling ways.

 Sam Fender- dead boys

Dead boys is an example of a music video with a narrative that isn't obvious. The song itself was made when sam lost a friend to suicide and he didn't release it for ages as he didn't know wether it as appropriate, this mad him realise that the topic as a whole isn't talked about enough.

The video being more of an implied Narrative and it's never explicitly said but subtly communicated through mise-en-sene Does cut to the beat, with every verse or couple verses having their own scene.

This scene here is from the music video and the mise-en-sene of the hanging ropes represents people hanging themselves, not being able to take anymore.

Here the man having the bag over his head can represent someone killing themselve or looking closer we an see they are screaming so it could also represent that they can't voice their problems as talking about your issues is seen as un masculine.

This is common trend in music videos that have some sort of narrative, where scene changes overtime in the video to show that something has changed.

The ropes now being burnt shows that things are changing, and that hopefully more men will start to talk and stop committing suicide.

Sam Fender has a website. At the moment it is themed to the style of his newest album. This is juts a pop up when you open the site but it has lots of good aspects. It has multiple ways for the audience to interact, There is a link on the side that lets you join their mailing list and there are links you buy the new album.

The home page is unique, the centre has all the links to the other pages and is made to look like a beer label, In the background there are pictures from Sam's life, This gives who ever looks at this an idea of Sam Fenders personality and who he is which then creates one sided relationship where the audience member believes they know he is. 

The overall style of the website matches the video's as Seventeen going under's music videos all have an emphasis on old memories from Sam's life and the main home page of the website features old pictures of sam and his life.

 

This is one of the Linked pages, the store, It's very simple and yet the use of the Red,black and white colour pallet creates constancy between the sites, Theres not much here but a few products you can purchase

Sam fender's representation in Dead boys is as someone who is going through something. The mise-en-sene really shows this as in the scenes in the shower his eyes are read like he's been crying and later in video he is screaming to the camera. This can relate to people viewing the video if they are also going though something and they might find comfort watching him and feel validated in how they feel.  

As they follow the theme of the album, the websites contain lots more artistic graphical elements that are fun interesting to look at. 

This is a scene from the music video for Ur mum by wet leg. It has a narrative but it also has good intertextuality towards the band. The Guy is listening to other wet leg song which can be heard vaguely. The store is called angelica's which is a name shared by one of the songs in the LP

This beginning sequence also has references to 70s-80s Culture, We can see this in the mise-en-sene of the products in the store as the packaging is a lot older, Drinks are in glass bottles and the sweets have old branding.

Also In the beginning there is a very 70s style poster That talks about doctors smoking camels Cigarretts, Which clearly establishes what age we are in because societal views on smoking very different in the 70s.

 

The Video creates a representation of the 2 main members of the band  as having a dynamic where, Rhian (the one on the bike) is the Main one who does the talking and singing and Hester is the quiet one. 
 

Here we have wet legs' website, Now we see a Convention of the websites of artists, that is that the site usually matches the style of the newest album.

It has all the linked pages you would expect and a sign up page to keep the audience in touch.

Adore you- Harry styles 

Not indie but is a good example of a clear narrative 

Adore you by harry styles is a music video that has multiple narratives within it's video setting up and finishing them through out the video.

in this scene there is a close up on the fish from harry's perspective, it shows us that Harry is infatuated by this fish who has been cast out like him. It also sets up the first narrative of the fish and Harry's friendship.  

This is the second narrative in the video the waky hairstyles made by harry's shiny smile.

In this scene Harry and the Fish listen to the song of the video on a record player which is an intertextual reference to the song it's self, people could see this, think that it's cool and then buy a vinyl 

 


here we have the resolution to the second narrative where the accidental style becomes the new trend and everyone is getting it.

In this scene Harry's narrative finds a resolution as he is no longer the outcast as all the towns folk come to help him and move this fish, Which then leads to 

The Representations in the music video are

Small island town- the town believes in many different supersitions which is a stereotype of a 

cut of town that they believe in weird things and could be a reference to the wicker-man a film also about of a cut off town.

Harry styles- Harry is represented as being strange, One way this is communictaed is in the mise-en-sene his outfits, Harrys fits are flamboyant and unique while the rest of town are in 'normal clothes', his unique outfits communicates how he is different and by looking at the clothes they can make a connection to him and like him more.

 

This is harry styles currant website, Its advertising his new album harrys house. It uses a minimal colour pallet.

It doesn't have a sign up page probably due to how big Harry is as a star.

The only linked pages it has are a tour page and a shop page.

 

Institutional Research

 Beggars Group

Beggars group started out as a record in 1973 originally called beggars Banquet that specialised in 

new punk bands. In 1977 they started Beggars Group and signed one of their first artists Gary Numen. Some of their most popular artists are adele, Queens of the stone age, Radiohead, British sea power and many others, Beggars group currently has 4AD, Matador, Rough Trade, XL recordings under their wing.

As well as there established artists, Beggars group also takes on lots of new up and coming artists and under beggars they usually go on to accrue success and followers.

Beggars market their brands in many creative ways one example is from their subsidiarys young where they love to make really out there and interesting websites.

These are screenshots of the website for the artist Koreless, it features a moving mouth start page and the home page has a custom cursor and the back ground changes over time. This interactive and interesting website make you more interested with the artist.

It allows for their identity to reach the audience and then they get to identify with that artist.