RESEARCH OF THE ARTIST

OLIVVER THE KID

"There's definitely a selfish aspect to being an entertainer. I think the selfish aspect for me is that I'm not religious, so I want to leave behind something tangible."

BIOGRAPHY

Olivver the kid is a 24 year old artist from Los Angeles. He has delved into the world of songwriting and has branched out into his own unique style of music. He was first in the band called ‘The Neighborhood’, but now after he left the band, he has gone solo and released some amazing new singles over the past 12 months. He is a new upcoming artist but one that is rising quickly in the industry and is growing his fan base, not only in LA but Russia and United kingdom. He has got over 7 thousand subscribers on YouTube, 47,089 views on his release ‘Bbblue’, still expanding, and has been noticed and recommended to the public in numerous articles online which is furthering his success.

The reason as to why we wanted to design our music video and advertisement around his music is because his songs have variation. They tend to start of very beautifully and calm then eventually the elements build up to create an upbeat rhythm with amazing melodies running through it. We also really liked the overall style of his videos and branding because it’s very simplistic but has such meaning and narrative behind it, which makes it very effective. I think that taking aspects from his videos and creating a music video for his song ‘In the woods’, would lead to a really good outcome and has already made us think of lots of ways to represent the songs lyrics through visuals.

HIS INFLUENCES & INSPIRATIONIts important to understand what Olivver the kids influences where and why he makes the music he does so that we can this and use it to create a video that’s representative of his style. In an interview I found that he grew up listening and playing to hard-core and punk bands which may have been a partial influence to the sort of music he makes today. His genre is indie pop, however aspects like meaningful lyrics that connect the artist or band with their songs is something that is associated with both of these genres. When asked about what the album ‘the boy who cried wolf’ and what it means he said that he doesn’t want to tell the audience exactly what it means but instead want his audience to infer from what the lyrics in each song on the album mean. ‘In the woods’ gives the impression of the incapability to escape from something and having the will to keep away from it.

From analysing the lyrics it could be about a few different things, one may be addiction or possibly being in a toxic relationship. He said in an interview, shown on the right, that its not about a literal addiction in relation to him but more so him getting out of something that overruled him , but watching his friends be controlled by it. We assume he means drug addiction, but he also states that its not a drug addiction but something else.

http://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/interviews/interview-2016-must-know-olivver-kid

This leaves the viewers wondering whether it could possibly be mental health disorders, a situation or any other form of addiction. It lets his audience see into his lifer and the album obviously is telling a story of an aspect of his life that he wanted to share.

He then goes on to talk about he wanted ‘In the woods’ as well as every song within the album ‘the boy who cried wolf’ to be interpretive. The album is about “these woods and these two people in the woods”, in a literal sense but he then goes on and says “it’s a metaphor for whatever your fear is, or your addiction”. His whole album is telling a story and how it progresses which is a interesting concept and really give his audience an insight to him and his state of mind. Although ‘in the woods doesn’t have a music video, this interview, identifying what influenced him or what experiences he has had that have led him making this album and analysing songs from the same album that do have a music video will give me a clear idea of what things I need to include in my music video.

GENRE CHARACTERISTICS

The genre of Olivver the kids music is indie pop, through watching some of Olivver the kids music videos, as well as other artists that are similar to his style of music, I have identified characteristics that are used within this genre.

1) The Settings within the music video are of low budget and are usually filmed in woods, urban districts, rural areas or other places that don’t need to be hired for use. This is a good way to save their budget so that they can use it on other aspects of the video but also an effective way of creating mystery within the video. By shooting in open rural areas, it can create the idea of loneliness or emptiness or possibly the illusion of been free with no one to impress and simply being with yourself alone. shooting in a forest can give a mystic, eaary or quite a beautiful twist of how forests can make you aware of how small you are relative to the rest of the world and can be used to emphasise the feeling of been watched or shadowed. Filming in an urban environment can be used to show how a person fits in with society, whether they fit in with the flow of people or stand out. However When people are filmed in an urban district with no one around it can look isolating or possibly could be used to make it seem as if its been imaged or wished by the person that it was empty. It could be used to emphasis their thought are or what environment they desire in contrast to the situation they’re actually in.

2) Live performances tend to also be included in indie pop music videos because they show the artists or bands passion for music and creates atmosphere so that the audience can connect with them. It also brings the music video back to reality because in a lot of indie pop music they have a plot and by intertwining this, with live performance shots, it brings the viewer back to the actual band and the music rather than just watching a story.

3) In a lot of music videos they use editing techniques and filters to create the style they want. For example, Haze filters that are used a lot in indie pop videos, can create the impression of the past and looks as if it was shot using film. In a few of Olivver the kid’s music videos, they have either shot or edited the film so that it looks a grainy which again makes it look as if it was shot using film rolls and adds a retro feel. These filters can make it look as if its films in the past but can also be used to create a sense of make believe or imagination to the video and are effective to make sections of film look as if their a persons imagination.

4) Use of artificial as well as natural lighting in the music video s another technique that is used in indie pop videos. Natural lighting is used in shots that are filmed outside like woodland or urban environments, and artificial lighting is used in studio shots or live performance scenes. They also use a mixture in some scenes where they might be filming a close up outside and therefore use artificial lighting to make their face have good lighting to get the most flattering outcome, and natural lighting to keep it look as if they’re in a natural setting.

5) The key thing that the majority of indie pop artists do in their music videos is tie their lyrics to a story line or plot. Olivver the kid does this in most of his videos and does it very effectively to give the viewers a connection to his music because they will follow the plot of his videos as if it’s a real story and can infer things from the way the lyrics, visuals and music all metamorph as the song goes on. The song we have chosen ‘In the woods’ by Olivver the kid was never made with a music video, along with the other 4 tracks on that album, however I’m going to analyse a selection of his other music videos so that I can get the over all feel and identify specific characteristics he does in his videos.

6) One thing that I have noticed in most of Olivver the Kids music videos is that he likes to use masks in his music videos. This isn’t something that tends to be used or perhaps an abstract idea that isn’t used commonly in other artists music videos who are similar to Olivver the kid. I think that its something he liked to do or likes the concept of not giving the viewers an idea who the song is talking about. By this, I don’t mean a literal person that his songs could be about, but more what that person represents. For example the use of a mask in our production of ‘In the woods’, would be relevant because the song and the whole album are about escaping; the mystery is what from. The mask adds to the mystery and means that narrative is told through other ways that their expression or reaction. This is an aspect of Olivver the kids videos that is very distinctive to his style and therefore to make a music video in his style, this is something that we need to take forward.

LIVE PERFORMANCES Olivver the kid usually performs in smaller venues with a smaller audience so that his performances are more intricate and personal. Artists that are smaller and upcoming usually have to set up their own equipment and organise there own sets. Therefore for smaller bands this is a better option for their budget and means that they don’t have to use expensive equipment to amplify there music to fill large stadiums or arenas.

The lighting he uses in his live performances tend to be different colours and change depending on the feel and rhythm of music. He also makes the flashing of the lights the same speeds and rate at the beat in the music. As a viewer this effect at live performances can make you feel more of an atmosphere and can enhance the beat of a song. If the rhythm or melody of a song is slightly irregular, the flashing lights can give the audience a regular beat that’s hidden within the music to jump too or dance too.