Visual Style and Image - Bronwyn Stevens

As Jenny and Johnny is a newest band they don’t have any official music videos. They do of them when they were in previous bands and solo artists. But when looking at their photo’s to promote the band we can see in the mise en scene, elements to signify them as a band. Their image is very important to signify them as they have an iconic vintage 50’s rock and roll style. I feel that they show this in the setting of the photos by using an urban element as they use an outside/street and a vintage old car in quite a few shots. The photos are natural looking as there not shot in a studio. Their whole visual element is very American with their image and mise en scene.      

We also see they have a recurring theme of them using colours scheme of black, blue and red. And they have a logo of a blue snake in a circle with ‘Jenny and Johnny written in red. We see this logo on the back of their jackets in photo’s, and it’s on their website as well. 

When looking back in their previous music video, Rilo Kiley (Jenny’s old band) and Johnathan Rice solo career, their music video’s show they mix’s performance with narrative. In the song ‘Silver Lining ‘ by Rilo Kiley the narrative is of Jenny on her wedding day, getting ready to get married to one of her band mates, then leaving him at the allure. They mix it with them playing as a band together with their quirky image standing out. I feel that when Jenny and Johnny do a music video they will mix the two together as because them as band members are in a relationship they would have a story about relationships in the song.  

Artist Research Assignment - Post 1 Image and Genre - Bronwyn Stevens

Jenny and Johnny is an American band, made up of a duo of a girl (Jenny Lewis) and boy (Johnahan Rice). Their genre of music is indie folk/rock and alternative. Their image works with their style of music as they’ve based their image on having a casual laid back vintage element with some 5o’s rock and roll. I like their style, as their music is quite old school and so is there look, which makes them unique.

These images show their vintage look as you can identity their individual style as they will go for patterned material, have leather or denim jacket or wear sunglasses. Their song ‘Big Wave’ demonstrates their genre of working with their image.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwtV7L5bxtk

Their image has slightly evolved from when they started off in the music business. Jenny Lewis started off in a band called ‘Rilo Kiley’ which is an indie rock band. She has still kept the vintage image but I think it was more quirky and contrivers as we see in this image she is wearing a sparkly bra and pants with a see though night gown on. Her band mate image is slightly quirkier to other bands as they have a bit more detail to their clothing but it’s still got that casual relaxed feeling to it.

Where as Johnathan Rice when he had started off as a soloist (doing indie and folk genre of music) had this relaxed casual scruffy image. As you would see him in jeans just a T-shirt and his hair was quite long.

When they became Jenny and Johnny we see their image become one as Jenny’s image becomes more casual and grown up but still has a bit of quirkiness to it and Johnny’s image is pretty much the same but it’s a bit more vintage. 

Compared with a band called ‘Best Coast’ which are similar to genre to Jenny and Johnny, are an indie rock band made up three-band members main singer female and instrumented by a male and female. Their image is quirky and vintage too, as the girls wear patterned clothing and have the long hair with block fringe. And the guy has the scruffy look with long hair.