Grunge Prep

To make sure we knew exactly what we were trying to achieve with the grunge genre, we did some research into set, hair, make-up and costume. This is explained below.

Set

We had struggled throughout the planning process to brainstorm a set for grunge that would not only signify the genre but would be able to fit with our other genres by being in the studio. As we researched, we quickly established that most grunge videos were set outdoors. Another limitation we found were that the running theme throughout the grunge genre was it's associations with horror and disturbing imagery. Not only would this have been difficult to recreate, but we didn't want our target audience of young girls becoming distressed by unsuitable content (nor alienate their parents). Eventually we found an example we could recreate:

We were inspired by the projection and thought we could go for the moodier 'emo' genre rather than the crazy heavy metal band.

However, disaster struck on the day and we were forced to go with plan B. We had tested the projection in the past, but not with the actual video we were going to use. The difference in colour between the two clips meant that one worked and one didn't. We decided to settle with almost creating a stage environment, the positioning of the instruments being stereotypical of a rock band (i.e. drums at the back, singer at the front). We used black curtains for the background. In hindsight, this was probably the better option anyway as we were able to put the full-on energy into the performance that a rock band would. The genre would not have been successful otherwise.

Hair, Make-Up and Costume

Due to such present stereotypes in teenage culture, we had grown up knowing what an 'emo' or 'grunger' was and were able to use this knowledge when designing our look for this genre. However, we also found some specific examples.

Marilyn Manson

Taylor Momsen

Stereotype Hair and Make-up Tutorial

Using these resources, we feel confident that we can construct the genre stereotypically and comically.