White Girl

What does 'White Girl' say about identity, youth, modernist and post modernist cocepts of identity?

'White Girl' shows how concepts of identity have changed over time. Whilst the main character, Leah, has a post modernist concept of identity, the older generations have a more modernist concept of identity and believe that Leah should inherit her identity from them. Michel Maffesoli's view that people 'try on' different identity's is demonstrated in 'White Girl' when Leah turns to religion and becomes a muslim, showing her identity through her head scarf that she wears. The rest of her family disagree with what she is doing and believe she is embarrassing them because she is different to what they believe she should be like. This shows that youth's identity fits with Mikhail Baklin's view that identity is never finalised. We are forever changing and it is a journey that we go through.

'White Girl' shows that identity is a narrative of the self. It demonstrates both Paul Ricoeur and Anthony Giddens, showing that we create a narrative for our lives and follow this is find our identity, trying on others in the mean time. Giddens said that we keep evolving our identity, this is demonstrated throughout 'White Girl' in the way Leah changes from being forced to be a drug dealer, becoming a muslim and then being with her family in the end. Her identity changes throughout the film and she shows this through the ways she dresses and behaves, which takes on a post modernist concept of identity. Leah's identity is a reflexive project which she works on through out the film to find her identity.

Lighting and performance

I decided to use a spotlight in a black dark room to emphasise the use of instruments in my music for the video.  This is because the use of instruments is a key element in the ska/indie genres.

Album cover analyses

The album cover for The Wombats is very strange. Although it doesn't involve the band, it has a lot of characters on the front hiding their identity. This suggests that this album is for young people who haven’t yet found their identity and they are searching for it and finding it through pop culture. It demonstrates how important pop culture is to young people these days. This is what our eyes are drawn to when we first look at the album because it is so unusual. The album cover is pictured on a beach, which connotes young people as being fun and care free, which contrasts with the real world because young people have a lot of stress with school etc., the music is an escape for them which means that it targets it audience. It also contrasts with other views of young people, hanging around of street corners and causing trouble. The cover is very natural, shown by the pastel colours and also creates a sense of unity with the people as they are all in the same boat, also targeting the audience because they then feel they are not alone so they are united. On the cover, the band name is written in a very playful font which suggests that the band is fun and light hearted, which targets its audience. It reflects the band members as they aren't shown on the cover. The picture looks like an old photograph and is very inviting for the audience because it is mysterious because you can't see anyone’s faces so the audience are intrigued by the album cover.




The album cover for Vampire Weekend is a blurred out photo of the band on a boat in the middle of the calm sea. This suggests that this album is an escape for young people to a calm environment which is represented by the sea. However, the blurred out effect creates a feeling of discomfort as the audience are unsure whether it is the actual band targeting the indie genre. But it could also demonstrate how youth’s lack identity and therefore gain their identity through pop culture, also demonstrating how important pop culture is to youth’s at present. It also gives the photo a feel that it has been painted by an artist, this could target the indie audience that the band will appeal to. When we first see the album our eyes are drawn to the band members stood on the boat, this is important so that the audience feel united with the band as we assume that it is them. The sail on the boat is down, suggesting there is no wind. The weather is calm, also shown by the sea which means there is a chilled out feel to the album. This is contrasted by the photo being blurred out. The cover is very natural, shown by the use of the sea and sky, and the colours reflect this which then targets the very mellow audience that this album will appeal to.

Mumford and sons music video analysis

This music video is a mixture of narrative and band performance. There is a circular narrative, both the beginning and end of the video is the singers taking the instruments to the Mexican style band and then taking them from them at the end.

The target audience for this music video is young adults between the ages of 18-24. It sets focus into the indie genre. The video begins with a wide shot of the actual band on mopeds. This is important because it establishes who the real band is. The surroundings are very isolated, however they also connote a care free environment as nobody is around to tell them what to do. The use of subtitles allows the band to introduce the mimic band who is dressed in Spanish uniform to the audience, creating a comedy care free feel to the music video. This is yet another wide shot which contrasts the real band from the mimic band.

Mumford and sons wear a typical suit in the video for ‘The Cave’, this contrast with the mimic band wearing their typical Spanish uniform. Mumford and sons also play instruments. This targets its audience because they are also likely to play instruments as they are aspirational. There are close ups throughout the video to establish the musical instruments that they are playing in the video and to also create a feeling of unity between the band and their audience as it is something they are familiar with.

For alot of the video there is close ups of the singers on their mopeds, followed by a tracking shot of the camera following them. This makes the audience feel like they are a part of the band and feel involved with them. This is continued throughout the video. There is also a jump of close ups between the real band and the mimic band. This shows the contrast between the two bands. The unsteady camera makes the audience feel part of the video because they feel like they are there watching them.

Throughout the music video, the band tries to make its audience feel as though they are united with them and a part of them. This is shown through the use of close ups because the audience are getting up close and personal with the band.

The mise en scene of the isolated cliff edge, and the isolated roads creates a sense of calmness to the video. This makes the audience feel comfortable to watch it which is important so that it will suit its target audience making them want to watch it over and over again.

Story board

This is my first couple of sequences. As it was  very hard to find someone to mime the song, I decided that I would put in instruments for the performance part of my music video. I have decised on three key instruments, drums, guitar and the instrument that will help define the ska genre the trumpet. I have decided to have them playing on a beach and chose a variety of shots that represent the calmness and the care free side to my music video.

To acknowledge what is happening in my video I decided to start by showing a couple in love on the beach, also representing the calm environment that these two people are in. It gives the audience knowledge that these two are a couple which will help with understanding the rest of the music video. The girl running down the beach also creates a sense of young people being care free. She doesn't mind what she looks like because she is happy. She doesn't care that she is being judged.

During my video, the couple have a fight and break up. I decided to use this idea because it shows that young people do have problems, which links to the lyrics, but it shows that they can get through them. It also references a lot of other music videos. I have decided to shoot this in a dark enclosed room causing a sense of chaos. This contrasts with the wide open space of the beach.

The last few scenes show the couple making up and getting back together. It is then shot outside, this also contrasts with the enclosed room as it is open and calm. There is also no body other than the couple in the shot which also creates a sense of young people being care free and they are laughing. They are happy with who they are which is what my video is all about.

Musical Profile

Analysis of similar artists

View more presentations from charlotte_bennett11.

What festivals would your audience go to?
Indie Scenesters would most likely go to Latitude festival. This is because it is a small festival which is a diverse festival which features alternative bands and artists. The audience that are likely to attend a festival like this are care free, which is shown by the website for the Latitude festival and links with the calm website for 'The Wombats'.

Due to the tabs at the top of the home page for Latitude festival, we can see that the target audience for this festival is young people and also young adults. People who use social networking sites such as facebook are often

16 - 21, however, because of the tag for twitter as well, it is obvious that this music festival is aimed at a larger audience. This also shows that it is aimed at families, which is shown by the twitter account, young adults with their children. This festival is aimed at middle class people, we can tell this because it is at Southwold, usually a place used as an urban escape for people who live in rural areas such as London. The people who go there are often middle class families with their children, therefore it is a very middle class festival.

The page gives a fairytale feel towards the festival, this is demonstrated through the font used for the word 'Latitude'. It is very similar to the font at the start of a fairytale when it says 'Once upon a time'. This gives the feel of a happily ever after, which shows that the festival is all happy and wonderful which persuades it's audience's to go to it. Along with this, the pictures/plants up the side of the page also suggest a fairytale feel, this is because on the front of fairytale books and around the pages it is likely that you will see pictures like these. Along with the fairytale likeness of the homepage, it also has a fairground feel. This is demonstrated by the quote 'more than just a music festival'. The words are in the shape of a flag, something that is regularly found at a fairground. This also connotes fun and laughter which is why the festival has linked it with these two particular memorable places and stories.

The homepage for Latitude festival is very creative, it is almost as if it has come from the 1960's arts and crafts, hippie era. We can tell this because of the pictures, but also from the colours used in the homepage. It is all very natural colours, blue and green which suggest at one with nature and harmony.

What can you learn from this information that will be useful in designing your music video/digipak/planning the marketing of the music video?
I learnt from the analyses smiilar artists that my music video needs to be fairly calm and care free, representing the target audience as this. I can construct this image by having my digipak and music video in an isolated place, such as the beach which is also calm. This can be shown by the sea being clam and the person on my digipak, or in my music video being alone. This relates to my video because I have the trumpet player sat alone on the beach, the sea is calm and he is happily playing. It creates the care free and calm attitudes of the target audience because there is no restrictions. This would develop the feeling of calmness and care free because there would be nobody else around, suggesting that there is no restrictions. I also learnt that a performance element to my music video is important for the genre.

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