Research Into Chosen Music Artist - Miss Georgiou

There are many ways in why Ellie Goulding (who is our chosen music artist) interested us. Firstly, the genre in which she performs is a mixture of both pop and indie music. This was inspirational to us as it shows her diversity as an artist and how she can perform two different genres, whilst also combining them into one music video. Another reason was the way she uses mis-en-scene costume to show her personality and how she uses her genre to show her style. She uses conventional clothing such as tight shorts, tights, with a bagging coat/jacket and this is all used through her choices of subtle/natural colour scheme. She typically uses colours such as brown, blue light pink which is what you would expect from a indie artist and by using the colours and the clothing it portrays Ellie to be kind and gentle also. Her music shows creativity, diversity and it also has a personal feel towards it for the audience to connect more with it. It gave us inspiration as the lyrics helped us to think of many ideas to do with narrative and concept, and ideas that could possibly relate to a real life scenario, and this was all just from her lyrics. Her lyrics connected with us as a group and we were able to decide on her due to all of the aspects of her as an artist. 

Ellie Goulding is also known from her true name 'Elena Jane Goulding ' is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actress from Lyonshall, Herefordshire, England. She was an insecure indie girl who used to wear baggy t-shirts and hoodies. 

She first came into the light In 2010, when she became the second artist to both top the BBC's annual Sound of (an annual BBC poll of music critics and industry figures to find the most promising new music talent ) poll and win the Critics' Choice Award at the Brit Awards in the same year. Goulding released her debut studio album, Lights, in 2010. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and has sold over 850,000 copies in the UK.

By the end of 2013, she has sold an estimated 4 million albums and 19 million singles worldwide. At the 2014 BRIT Awards she received the award for Best British Female. She plays a wide range of instruments including - guitar, mandolin,  keyboard, bass, drums,  percussion and clarinet. She has four main record labels - Neon Gold, Polydor, Cherrytree and Interscope. 

How Long Will I Love You    

This was one of the music videos that inspired us with Ellie Goulding. This was because she subverts the stereotypes of her pop/indie genre by toning down her image and showing just her voice and her instruments. She does follow the genre of indie and the conventions due to her subtle casual look.

There are many ways in which Dyer's Star theory is used within this music video. It firstly shows her the common values of music stardom, originality, creativity and talent. Richard Dyer says that a star is an image, and not a real person, they are constructed through the record label. Although this music video shows her stripped down to just her vocals, she has not always been able to control what she does in the music videos as the record labels have a certain image/criteria that they want her to follow, and in order to pursue her career in the music industry artists are made to follow their record label in order to succeed. We can tell that this music video follows this specific theory of Dyer's as from previous music videos we see her using mis-en-scene costume as something that shows her off, something that is quite provocative in all previous music videos and this is where the record label follows the codes and conventions of the pop/indie genre as they think that it relates more to their target audience rather than show her true style. Another way in which this music video follows Dyer's theory is through his theory of Paradox 2. This Paradox says that the star must be present and absent from the consumer. In this music video despite being present to the consumer, you see Goulding in her natural element, in the record studio making the song for the audience. The Record label are then able to show the audience that despite being absent from them, she is still working on bringing something new to the industry for them within her music but in the recording studio. Having this in her music video, lets her create a relationship with the audience as she is able to give the audience an insight of her profession and see what the audience aren't able to see typically.
Dyer says that the incoherence of the star image ensures that audiences continually strive to 'complete' or to 'make sense' of the stars image. This is usually achieved by continued performance which promises the completion of the image but it is always ultimately unsatisfying.  This is shown in this music video through the showing of her entire image with the use of long shot also showing her perform. This creates her star image as she is contastnly wearing modern clothing but her image always changes and this makes the audience want to copy her style of clothing but as she changes it frequently she isn't always in the same clothing, so therefore the audience constantly strive to be just like her and are not fully satisfied in the end.

Goowins theory is used throughout the entire music video. The first theory it follows is that the music video's demonstrate genre characteristics, this shows that she can follow the indie/pop genre characteristics, codes and conventions. For example, in this music video she shows performance which is a characteristic of both the pop and indie genre. We see her performing towards the camera whilst also performing with mis-en-scene iconography such as her guitar. This follows Goodwins theory as a performance in this particular genre is key to following the characteristics and also essential so that the audience are able to connect more with the artist, and see them in their own element. It creates a relationship with the audience as they are able to connect with the artists performance and feel like they are watching her in the flesh and this will let them feel more connected to her that way. Another way in which it follows Goodwin's theory of music video's demonstrate genre characteristics are through the use of mis-en-scene costume. She follows the generic conventions of a indie genre as she is wearing bagging jumpers, abnormal hats and tight bottom clothing throughout the entire music video. The cardigans/jumpers are oversized and this gives a relatable and realistic approach to the music video and this will connect and make a relationship with the audience as she is making her clothing relatable to the audience as it is your day-day clothing. The audience will relate to the artist more in this way as they will believe she is normal just like them despite having a career in the music industry, and shows the audience she isn't try to impress anybody with her look, she just wants to show them her music and not let the audience focus too much on her image.
Another way in which this music video follows his theory is the way in which there is a visual relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. This is shown through the cinematography camera angles, a variety of close-ups, long shots and mid-shots show a relationship between Ellie Goulding and a man who love each other and the connection they share as partners. This is essential within a music video as it gives a narrative to the music and the lyrics and it lets the audience
follow what they think/believe is a true relationship. It lets the audience connect with the lyrics of the song more as they are able to follow a story as well as listen to her music, and this also follows the conventions of the indie genre and another theory of Goodwin's as there is a balance between narrative and performance.

The artist is represented as somebody who doesn't push the boundaries of her music genre but still follows the codes and conventions of her typical music genre. Although she combines both pop and indie within her music she combines the two conventions and makes them her own in her own way. She is represented as quite innocently in love and innocent within her personality and this is seen through mis-en-scene body language/facial expressions and voyeristic shots. Her body language is relaxed when she is around people and her facial expressions are subtle and homely, something that she shows to the audience with the connection between her eye contact and the camera. It makes her look innocent as she doesn't show any other emotion apart from love and be wilderness. The use of voyeristic shots where she looks at her partner without him knowing shows how besotted she can possibly be with love, and how she thinks love can be a beautiful thing that makes you feel special. This makes a relationship with the audience as the other person/the person she is looking at is oblivious to the love she gives to him and this could relate to many of her fans lives.

She is also represented as realistic and relatable. This is shown through the use of mis-en-scene clothing, wearing bagging clothing, big cardigans , your day-day clothing in the normality of everyone else. These specifically connect with the audience as they are able to see that she is a relatable artist, that she isn't trying to impress anybody.

The target audience is very specific within this particular music video as it would be for a niche audience, this is because the songs lyrics are very heartfelt and possibly complicated for the younger generation. I believe that the audience is aimed for ages 13-35 as this is where people find love the most difficult and obvious to them. This will connect with this audience as they will be able to follow the narrative better and connect better with the artist as they can see how the relationship Is and how in love the pair are. In the music video it also shows both their mischievous sides of their relationship and where the target audience is based on young adults and teens usually that is a stereotype to go with their relationship so that is why they can relate to it better as they ave either the same problems or the same fun as Ellie Goulding and her partner do in this music video.


Mis-en-scene is represented in this music video as relatable and realistic. She follows the generic conventions of a indie genre as she is wearing bagging jumpers, abnormal hats and tight bottom clothing throughout the entire music video. The cardigans/jumpers are over sized and this gives a relatable and realistic approach to the music video and this will connect and make a relationship with the audience as she is making her clothing relatable to the audience as it is your day-day clothing. The audience will relate to the artist more in this way as they will believe she is normal just like them despite having a career in the music industry, and shows the audience she isn't try to impress anybody with her look, she just wants to show them her music and not let the audience focus too much on her image.
The location is very simplistic and this is very conventional to this particular music genre as it makes the audience feel that the music video isn't out to impress anybody it is to show that she is all about her singing and not just her image. The simplicity of the setting makes the song feel more relatable to the audience as you wouldn't expect to see an indie video in such a large, public place with lots of people. It's relatable to the artist in a sense it shows off her personality, by being in a natural environment it makes the artist more relatable and the setting being calm and relaxed in an everyday setting, shows she wants to be portrayed as someone who can be relatable to her audiences and somebody who can show be true to her personality.



Cinematography camera angles, a variety of close-ups, long shots and mid-shots show a relationship between Ellie Goulding and a man who love each other and the connection they share as partners. This is essential within a music video as it gives a narrative to the music and the lyrics and it lets the audience follow what they think/believe is a true relationship. It lets the audience connect with the lyrics of the song more as they are able to follow a story as well as listen to her music, and this also follows the conventions of the indie genre and another theory of Goodwin's as there is a balance between narrative and performance. The close ups particularly let the audience see more of the artist, for example their facial expressions and this will connect with the audience as they are able to see a real image of what the artist looks like and by giving eye contact towards the camera the audience are able to see that she is willing to connect with the audience more than some stereotypical  artists would be, and is more willing to show her personality through her music.

I Need Your Love - Ellie Goulding

This music video is varied between two different genres from Ellie Goulding, and these are both pop and indie. She combines the two genres together to collaborate a whole different type of genre, something that shows her performance side and one in which lets her also show her personality through two different genres.
There are many ways in which Dyer’s theory is used within this music video. Firstly it shows, like the first music video, the common values of music stardom, originality, creativity and talent. Richard Dyer says that a star is an image, and not a real person, they are constructed through the record label. Although this music video shows her in a narrative based video to not just her vocals, but a possible relationship or a story behind herself that she wants to show to her audiences, she has not always been able to control what she does in the music videos as the record labels have a certain image/criteria that they want her to follow, and in order to pursue her career in the music industry artists are made to follow their record label in order to succeed. This music video follows this specific theory of Dyer's as, from previous music videos we see her using not as much narrative within her video, but by including a narrative it makes the song more realistic for the audience as they are able to follow a storyline, believing it shows a relationship of their artist, something they may want to follow.

Dyer says that the incoherence of the star image ensures that audiences continually strive to 'complete' or to 'make sense' of the stars image. This is usually achieved by continued performance which promises the completion of the image but it is always ultimately unsatisfying.  This is shown in this music video through the showing of her entire image with the use of long shot and also close ups of her mis-en-scene elements make up and costume whilst also showing her perform. This creates her star image as she is constantly wearing modern clothing but her image always changes and this makes the audience want to copy her style of clothing but as she changes it frequently she isn't always in the same clothing, so therefore the audience constantly strive to be just like her and are not fully satisfied in the end. It also makes the audience want more than what they get, this constantly makes them want what they can’t have so therefore continue to like Ellie Goulding as an artist.

Goodwin’s theory is used in many ways. One in which it is used is through the use of balance between narrative and performance base. We see this through the use of cinematography and the wide range of camera angles used, specifically close-ups and long shots. This shows the narrative of the pair who are in love and the journey they take together whilst letting the artist connect with the camera through mis-en-scene body language and eye contact. This allows the audience to connect with the artist more as the balance between the two lets them follow the narrative whilst also seeing the artist in her element of performing; it lets the audience believe they are part of her music or that she is directing the song to them.

Another way in which she follows Goodwin’s theory is through the use of the visuals matching the lyrics of the song. This is evident through the use of the lyrics for example ‘I need your love’ this particular lyrics links with the visuals as we see the pair in bed together laughing and joking around, and this signifies they need each other to stay happy and strong as a united couple. This is essential in this music video as they are able to give a story to the audience to follow, and it also helps the audience to understand the lyrics in more detail. This theory lets the audience create a better relationship with the artist as they are able to connect with the narrative and also the artist in a more intense and personal way.

 Another way in which this follows part of Goodwin’s theory is that the music video follows the genre characteristics. This involves in the music video for example, she follows the pop genre more particularly than the indie genre as she uses generic mis-en-scene clothing. For example she uses rather revealing and sexy clothing which is stereotypical in a pop genre as it shows off the figure of the artist whilst also promoting her femininity. It incorporates some of the indie style with the clothing on the top half being fairly baggy showing she can be quite shabby and scruffy, which is stereotypically what all indie artists look like; however she has combined the two together to show both the indie and pop genre together to link to her song. This is essential within a music video as it shows the image of the artist to the audience and this image could inspire the image an style of many of her fans, as this could eventually build a relationship with the audience as they will want to see more of her and look more like her, which means they will not be fully satisfied as her image constantly changes.
The artist is represented as somebody who is very talented and diverse. She comes across through the use of her mis-en-scene clothing as somebody talented as she is challenging her genre by combining it with another. She uses many of the different conventions throughout showing off her skills as an artist. The use of performance and narrative base specifically shows her as being both an actor and a performer and this relates to the audience as they are able to follow a storyline and also see her in a different light when she is performing. Her body language is relaxed when she is around people and her facial expressions are subtle and homely and she looks besotted with her partner and this is something that she shows to the audience with the connection between her eye contact and the camera and her body language towards her partner which is always relaxed and shy. It makes her look innocent as she doesn't show any other emotion apart from love and bewilderness. The use of voyeuristic shots where she looks at her partner without him knowing shows how besotted she can possibly be with love, and how she thinks love can be a beautiful thing that makes you feel special. This makes a relationship with the audience as the other person/the person she is looking at is oblivious to the love she gives to him and this could relate to many of her fans lives. She also makes love look like a beautiful thing, something where two people connect with each other and that they do not need anybody else in their lives.

The target audience is very specific within this particular video as it would again like the video beforehand be to a niche audience. This is because the lyrics are about love, and a growing partnership and this could be seen as complicated for a younger audiences. 

I believe that the audience is aimed for ages 15-25 as this is where people find love the most difficult and obvious to their lives more than an older generation would or even a younger generation. This will connect with this audience as they will be able to follow the narrative better and connect better with the artist as they can see how relationships can be amazing and passionate and how in love the pair are in the music video. In the music video it also shows both their mischievous sides of their relationship and where the target audience is based on young adults and teens usually that is a stereotype to go with their relationship so that is why they can relate to it better as they have either the same problems or the same fun as Ellie Goulding and her partner do in this music video.

Mis-en-scene is represented in this music video as conventional and realistic. She follows the generic conventions of a indie genre and the pop genre combined, as she is wearing bagging jumpers (silk, long overalls which is conventional to a indie genre whilst also using pop conventions with more mis-en-scene elements with makeup and more revealing clothing on her legs and arms.) The cardigans/jumpers are over sized and this gives a relatable and realistic approach to the music video and this will connect and make a relationship with the audience as she is making her clothing relatable to the audience as it is your day-day clothing. By having the colours white on the top half it makes Ellie looks pure and innocent as the clothing is near to her heart, this could convey the meaning that she has a pure soul. The audience will relate to the artist more in this way as they will believe she is normal just like them despite having a career in the music industry, and shows the audience she isn't try to impress anybody with her look but yet does in some sense as she wants too look stylish but relatable to her audiences, she just wants to show them her music and not let the audience focus too much on her image.

The use of cinematography and the wide  range of camera angles used, specifically close-ups and long shots. This shows the narrative of the pair who are in love and the journey they take together whilst letting the artist connect with the camera through mis-en-scene body language and eye contact. This allows the audience to connect with the artist more as the balance between the two lets them follow the narrative whilst also seeing the artist in her element of performing; it lets the audience believe they are part of her music or that she is directing the song to them.

The close ups are used specifically so we can see the artist perform and direct her eye contact to us as the audience and this creates a relationship with the audience as they feel that the artist is singing to them and nobody else. This makes the audience feel connected as the eye contact connects with theirs  and this in a way creates a moment for both the audience and the artist and the fans will feel more comfortable and relaxed with her singing. The constant use of POV shows the point of view of the characters and this shows what the other characters can see. This is essential as it makes the audience connect more with the audience as they are able to see the relationship first hand and feel that they are themselves part of the on screen romance.

The natural setting is constantly in use throughout the music video and this conveys a very indie natural convention. It is so natural that it makes the music video more relatable to the audience. I want to use this within my music video as it shows a convention of a music genre as it shows just a natural persona of the artist and this is shown through the setting.

I have taken inspiration from all of the different micro elements such as cinematography and especially mise-en-scene  such as clothing as I believe it shows off the conventions of the indie genre in so much detail and makes it create a much better relationship with the audience as she can be seen as an artist that is very relatable to the everyday sort of life.