Assignment 2 - Analysis

The artist I am analysing is called Lindsey Stirling, she is signed to multiple record labels, but this alum was released by Lindseystomp Music. She is most commonly advertised through the use of YouTube where she has exceeded 8 million subscribers as of July 2016. YouTube allows Lindsey to directly connect with her fans and sell her albums. I am analysing the music video for The Arena and the album it is from called Brave Enough, both originals by Lindsey Stirling.

The Arena by Lindsey Stirling

The genre of her music is very unique as not many people put out this type of music. Her songs are a mix of classical and pop and some, like this one, are purely instrumental.

As her style of music is so unique it is hard to name conventions for it. She breaks many conventions of classical and pop alike by combining the two clashing genres.  There is a lot of dancing in the music video which occurs a lot in this genre and her portrayal of this fusion of classical and pop sounds very cool and shown accurately through the style of her music videos. She is also shown for the majority of the music video.

Although, this music video is tailored more towards a demographic of teens and young adults as her music is upbeat and fun to listen to for this target audience. A secondary demographic may be fans of the classical genre and they may like this refreshing take on their preferred genre. The pace of the dancing constantly holds the attention of the target demographic because they normally have a short attention span.

Throughout the video, the artist constantly has a confident NVC which is indirect. This shows that she is completely focused in her actions. The lightning is bright which connotes purity, empowerment and courage in this specific narrative. She has two different costumes in the video. The audience first sees her in dark clothing which represents her a rebellious but serious about what she believes in. Her second costume is bright and the complete opposite of her previous costume. She is seen in this costume whilst she is playing the violin. This connotes angelic, hope and purity, and since she was playing the violin it makes the demographic understand that this song is about hope and courage.

The video starts with a historical and inspirational quote by Winston Churchill and this immediately catches the eye of the audience as they start to wonder how this can be related to the artist's music. Then, the quote shortens to a single sentence and then a phrase. The phrase is the title. This makes the audience intrigued. There are quite a few slow motion shots to create drama and there are many long takes with wide shots for the audience to perceive the setting and mise en scene. They are clearly in a arena being watched by a surrounding audience and the two main characters are dancing, which is very unusual. But, this shows that they are "brave enough" to dance in front of an audience that can potentially mock them. This is followed by other characters to become "brave enough" because they are inspired to do whatever they want to do, by the music in the music video. This gives an overall empowering feeling. 

Overall, the artist is represented as inspirational and courageous through her costume choices and actions in the music video. She is constantly represented as a mentor/ revolutionary figure as she consistently inspires others to believe in themselves, offering them hope when they appear to have none. She is also represented as a fighter, it is shown that she views herself as her biggest critic, but even when she is upset, she never gives up - which also shows the extent of her hopeful nature. 
               

The title of the album is portrayed clearly through the pose of the artist. It connotes breaking free, rebellion, courage and gracefulness. It could suggest that she is brave enough to break free from conventional stereotypes of anything.

The colour scheme is dark which contrasts against the artist which makes her stand out. She is also in the direct centre of the album cover which connotes being the center of attention and importance.

Her costume is dark which connotes rebellion, her costume also looks very classy as it has a nice sheen to it. She is surrounded by a piece of fabric which could have been her skirt because the object around her waist is left exposed. It seems that she has restrictions placed on her and all she wants to do is to break free. The light white upper half of her costume also gives the outfit a more sophisticated portrayal.

Lighting used is low-key around her but very high-key when placed on her, this could suggest how hopeful she is and how she stands out from others. Her NVC uses indirect address but is confident, which attracts the audience as it looks a bit more realistic and personal.

The title looks modern which attracts the attention of the audience as they begin to ask questions about the artists work. As the title is modern, any new members of the demographic would be confused at the relationship between the violin, portrayed elegantly, and the modern, futuristic title.

The synergy between the two products is quite subtle but it can be seen through the relevant narrative in the music video to the album. Since it is subtle, it is also effective as the audience would be intrigued by the cover and see a music video that would persuade them to buy her album, since they liked the music video they would be interested in her other songs in the album. On the other hand, if they saw the music video and then the cover they would most likely detect a recurring message through her songs and cover: to be 'brave enough'.

In Conclusion, I feel the artist is represented as inspirational and courageous, through mise en scene, lighting and various production techniques. It is also advertised well throughout several forms of media (music video and album cover) on different platforms(such as YouTube). The synergy between the two forms of media is quite evident and doesn't seem that there is a repeat in a narrative from the other form in another.

Terminology
Media production
Representation