Creative Critical Reflection

CCR Q-1 How do your products represent social groups or issues?

 "Nutshell" was written by the late Layne Staley when he was dealing with a fatal heroin addiction. The song muses on his sufferings during the time, including loneliness, despair, and the burden of fame. Keeping that same ideology in mind, I intended to represent a general problem among most men in the world. The message can be taken generally but my music video specifically targets all those men who suffer in silence as a result of the pressures that society puts on them. Men are mostly raised to not understand and discuss their feelings seriously which makes them feel insecure about their own thoughts and feelings and it becomes really difficult for them to open up about it. In the modern world, men are expected to be strong and independent, which can be very forceful for some as some men are just too weak to handle the pressure of living in a society that expects the most out of them. They just need that consolidation, encouragement, love, and importance from such a society, but apparently fail to receive it. "Nutshell's" lyrics are few yet so powerful in describing the pain of keeping it all in instead of opening up and trusting someone with your feelings. I intended to present a music video reflecting on this situation's frustration.

In my video, a character is introduced who happens to be a teenager seeking solace and exploring the environment with no one by his side. This already sets the mood of the aloneness of the character, but then another person is introduced who is in dreamy lighting, almost as if not part of the real world. I wanted to show me (the artist) as the voice inside of the teenage boy's head singing all that he wants to say to the world for him, but I am still inside his head. The boy stays quiet and less expressive throughout the video, symbolizing the hopelessness and despair he has for the world. The birds and cars etc. are the only other things reflecting life in the video, but even with those there and around him, he is still alone. The artist, being the voice in his head is far more expressive and even screams in pain for him, letting out tears etc. all that the boy wants to express, but is just keeping locked inside of him. The shots of the boy fooling around and smiling are made to look like memories, and how men will smile on the outside, despite all disturbance that is happening inside their heads. My monologue in the starts brings life to the idea of his life being like a nutshell, and how he is not letting it crack, hence not strong enough to open up to someone, in fear of being seen as a weakling. The line repeated twice about where the "nutcracker" is, just reflects the desperate need for someone to gain his trust and have him talk about it.

 The social group representation is supported by the symbolism used in the video, some of which are the moth wings symbolising transformation and change, and the comet symbolising success and freedom, which are things that the boy craves and are present in his mind, but never finds the strength to achieve. The cross pose portrays sacrifice, reminiscent of the crucifixion of the Biblical Jesus, reflecting on how it feels like a sacrifice to hold all of your pain within and keep it to yourself. These symbols, like the comet and the moth, are repeated on the Digipak and the social media page. and the moth, and even the stars. Along with that, the colour scheme of turquoise and orange show the conflict between his positive and negative feelings, since the warm orange tones thrive throughout the video, while the cooler turquoise appears as hints and parts. The projector lighting really made the artist's scenes more dynamic and vivid, emphasizing them. The video goes together to show a subtle narrative about a teenage boy who just decides to keep his suffering to himself. 

CCR Q-2 How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of branding?

I already had an aesthetic in mind for this project that I wanted to stay true to throughout the process. Of course, it enhanced as I progressed, but by the end, all the products, the music video, Digipak, and the social media page, are connected as one. For the digital part, being the social media page and the Digipak, I kept a cosmic aesthetic, that includes starry backgrounds and nebulae, which is a very futuristic take considering the way I use vintage elements simultaneously. Lana Del Rey's music video for "Love" inspired me to attempt a retro-futuristic aesthetic that was popular during the 50s and 60s. The entire music video is made to look like it was shot on an outdated camera, with all the film burn transitions, dust and scratches. The seemingly low quality and low fps shots give the video a nostalgic effect and make it more relatable as it seems like an old memory that was filmed. The social media page and digipak had common elements that appeared in the video too, such as the moth and the green comet. Those were included in the video for symbolic purposes and later served as an aesthetic of their own, hence bringing together the whole project. These symbols help create images the audience can relate to the music video too after they have viewed it, and helps develop successful branding. The most important part of all the products was the recurring colour scheme, orange and turquoise. These colours complement each other and carry through the entire video, along with being used in the digital aspects of the project. This makes the audience relate the two colours with the music video if they see them somewhere else. Such elements create a world of their own for the music video and give it life. Moreover, there is a sense of isolation and melancholy throughout the visuals of the music video as most of the shots of the characters are individual and lost in a dark open space. That can be seen in the poster and banner work for the project too. 

Having all the elements of the products work well together is very beneficial for promoting and branding such a product, as it creates a sense of imagery for the audience to recognize when the music video is in question.

CCR Q-3 How do your products engage with the audience?

My music video has no certain target audience but is meant to reach young men more. Since it depicts the restraint that most men have on their feelings, confined in a "Nutshell", the video is expected to be watched more by teenagers to young adults, as that is the age group where such feelings become relatable. Regardless, the video can be viewed by anyone for entertainment purposes as I took it as more of an artwork than a conventional music video. The visuals are meant to mesmerize the eyes of anyone who likes to listen to the song. The video was made to give the song a vision so that when the audience listens to the song, they can envision the music video in their minds. The melancholic tone and mood of the video are meant to evoke loneliness and isolation in the viewer in the sense that how important it is to be there for someone suffering from it. The video's introduction and monologue grasp the audience's attention and sets a theme for the song before it even starts, and throughout the video, the audience could get lost in thought in the dreamy visuals and have an isolated contemplation of their own as they view this music video. The lack of narrative and use of symbolism instead create a mystery behind the visuals, which might possibly make some viewers want to watch the video more than once. The editing is done in a way where the shots are mixed and go by quickly, further aiding the attention of the audience as they wouldn't want to miss anything. A vintage aesthetic makes the project seem nostalgic too. 

Additionally, the digipak stays true to the overall theme and the vivid colours are meant to be pleasing to the eye, plus, I attempted to use complimentary colours on the front cover so that it stands out among other albums. The cosmic theme adds a dreamy vibe to the CD pack, and the CD itself is bright red and eye-catching, with the title of the song so that it is instantly recognizable. Also, the comet and the moth make an appearance, making it directly relevant to the music video, hence allowing the audience to instantly relate to the music video. The digipak itself has an overall theme of fading swirls, which appear in the video during the artist's shots. The digital aspects of the projects' priority were visual appeal so that if the posters and digipak were physically available, they can be bought as collections for the audience, which is seen among many fans of music. The unique colour scheme and aesthetic will make the "Nutshell" products distinguishable from others.

As for the social media page, I kept it active and interactive, using question boxes for the audience to answer in, and comments for expressing excitement, even before the video was released. I kept the theme the same throughout and would share progress snippets and teasers/trailers to keep them engaged, hinting at some symbols that will eventually appear in the music video. They would share the posts online which would give the product more reach, hence more people would follow and expect a good project. Once the video was released, overwhelming feedback was received and it was successful in living up to the expectations, based on the comments. Some viewers even noticed the tribute and inspirations that were used in the video, like Wong Kar Wai's lighting and low FPS shots, and Lana Del Rey's style and aesthetic. The product in its entirety was successful and the promotion paid off, as the audience itself was a huge part of spreading the word.

CCR Q-4 How did your research inform your products and the way they use and challenge conventions?  

Based on my research, the music videos to such songs, by such rock bands are often recorded as performances in the studio, or a concert, where the band members perform their parts. That was not how I envisioned "Nutshell" specifically as it stands out among other Alice in Chains songs. The song falls into acoustic and alternative rock, I decided to go for a dreamy vibe throughout, that compliments the slow pace of the song. I wanted my music video to feel like a painting, that has all its hidden meanings and symbolism. I had some symbols that were relevant in mind, such as moths that represent change and mystery, while the green comet was a nod to Comet ZTF which made its closest approach to Earth after 50,000 years, and I got inspired to add it to my music video as it will make it dated to this special event. These elements were used in the digipak and social media page too, to create a connection throughout the project.  

From all the conventional types of music videos, I chose to compose a conceptual music video as it has no retrains to creativity and can be executed in any way possible. Hence, I didn't give a lot of attention to the narrative because I want every viewer to have their own perception of the video. The intro to the music video is done in the style of "Chemtrails Over The Country Club" by Lana Del Rey, which is often used to introduce and prepare the audience for the world they are about to enter in. A brief monologue, inspired by Lana's narration in her short film/music video for "Ride", is a way to grab the audience's attention to the words being spoken, and then eventually, the song. Some artists use monologues to give some context or direction to the music video, even when those monologues aren't in the studio versions of the song. Moreover, Lana Del Rey's influence is carried throughout the video, using her elements of vintage footage stitched together to seem nostalgic and memorable, as if it was a glance into the past. Alongside Lana, another heavy inspiration was Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai, who is known for achieving a dreamy aesthetic with saturated colours in his movies. He even makes use of low FPS shots that make his scenes distorted and disoriented, which makes the footage seem to lack connection and organisation. That is exactly what I wanted to achieve with "Nutshell". Another one of Kar Wai's elements was the use of neon and saturated colouring at night. Most of his famous movies' scenes are set at night, such as "Fallen Angels" from 1995. Finally, for the directing style, I used the editing techniques of the famous music video director duo called BRTHR, who are famous for making the messiest videos in the best way possible, with different transitions and layering of the shots, which results in a very immersive and appealing look to the video. There are constant transitions which keep the audience glued to the video. Combining these inspiring elements resulted in a balanced video which lived up to its visual potential for me. 

The sound design played an essential part in the video as it makes it feel more "real" and physical. The sounds of the old film burn and cuts and scratches added to the vintage vibe, along with the ambience of the birds and plane, and the rest of the environment in the inro. The monologue was made to sound like it was recorded on an old telephone, read in a poetic and emotional way. The SFX(sound effects) of the transitions slowly fade as the song starts as I didn't want it interrupting the song constantly, however, some SFX of the environment are put in, like the car passing by and the ones on the road, even the slight "whoosh" of the comet. This is why the video sounds better on headphones as the sound becomes more 3 dimensional and part of your world. The end also cuts the song with film burn sound and scratches, while the sound of the plane passing by can be heard faintly. This makes my video challenge the convention of music videos often only being a video with the song over it. Adding a little SFX throughout the video brings more life to it. About the song, since I had sung it myself, I improvised as I was recording by adding additional background vocals and adlibs, and also lyrics! This gave the song more depth and made it personal to me, but I tried my best to channel the essence of the original masterpiece. 

All the research I had put into this project paid off as I learnt many new techniques to implement in all of its aspects, and that resulted in a successful music video. My priority for the products was visual pleasure, which I was dedicated to achieving as an artist with experience and exercise. I tried to create an entire aesthetic for this song as each song has a world of its own, and I loved expressing how I see it through my music video.