Today we had our big group meeting before the pitch tomorrow (excited? scared? who knows). We had a really long discussion about the final treatment for our music video, now up on the main blog. Although there was much despair at how long this took from all with the whole group reduced to silence (a rare occurrence) by the end of the meeting, I thought it was a really successful meeting.
I can now clearly envision our music video in my mind how everyone sees it. Hopefully this meeting will help our pitch be a lot more fluent and united rather than 4 sets of ideas cluttered together. We also came up with loads of new ideas for the video and basically talked through the whole opening sequence in detail (an issue which had previously ailed us seeing as it's 40 seconds without singing or much going on!).
I'm really happy with our final pitch and I can't wait to get test shooting this weekend!
For all images if you want to look at them in more detail, click on the picture.
Here are some artwork ideas for our Project band. We all agreed that seeing as this genre of music seems to inspire a whole crazy load of nautical based band names, if we're meant to stick to stereotypes we should follow suit. One that I suggested is Tear Down The Flagship, that the others quite like, so we'll have to see if it sticks!
The pictures show my artwork design for the logo and how I made it. The first picture shows how I made the band title itself.
1. Started with plain text, three different fonts for each section of the title; "Tear Down" "The" "Flagship". These were plain black. 2. Grouped the text together so it was all one image. Added a scratch filter to the text to make it look worn out (typical hardcore band style thing to do). 3. Created a drop shadow to the bottom right of the image and changed the font to a turquoise like colour that I thought quite sea-like. 4. Combined the text and shadow for the final Band Font layout.
Next I created the images to go with the logo. I decided on an anchor and a squid/kraken. To make these I found black and white pencil drawings of both online. Next I added a full contrast and low brightness setting to each making it simply a black and white outline image, getting rid of all shading. I then individually coloured each section adding in shades and zooming in to get individual frames to make sure the colour was full and vibrant. However with the style of music in hand I went for a more low saturation style colour scheme. The red is meant to be a contrast to the logos colour. I then added the same Drop Shadow to each picture as on the logo.
After this I combined the two objects together. I cut the anchor in half and stuck one half in a layer above the logo, and one below. This allowed me to put the anchor through the "A" to make an individual and outstanding Logo.
I think the logo works quite well and fits the genre of music we are aiming to market with our project.
I thought after seeing Simon's blog post on Album Art I'd look in my vault of treasures at some of the artwork I've done in the past for my own bands/projects.
The first bit of artwork to talk about is my Acoustic Solo Project Discography made up of loads of random singles and EPs all with individual covers. They all have quite calming covers are are pretty simple, usually with lots of smooth patterns and just a title and small picture.
This then leads onto my album design, where I went for a bit more of an indie feel, but still sticking to the warm, glowing, colour scheme. The whole album art is based around an orange colour scheme and some pictures I took at Hyde Park. They are all of nature and scenery as it is quite natural music, trying to avoid digital and electric instruments. This is an example of making artwork that brands the artist and suits the mood of the genre. Also with the Projects name being "Eternal Sunshine" I thought the orange and yellow scheme appropriate along with the solar flare on each page of the in-sleeve.
Next is my old band I Breathe Fire, a Pop Punk/Screamo band. The image is a lot sharper and there are not so many smooth edges. We decided to stick with the bands name as the Artwork theme seeing as it was a self titled EP. The album art is all based around parchment and fire, and the effect round the edges makes it look like the fire is burning through the cover. We decided to use the same pattern and back drop for the in-sleeve using a simple plain font not to over complicate the graphics.
The last bit of Artwork is for my most recent band "Who Watches The Watchmen" (named after a quote from the 1980s Graphic Novel and recent Film). We didn't want to be associated too much with the original branded product but stuck to the red and yellow colour scheme of the comic book. Also the exploding clock was our own creation of the Doomsday Clock that appears throughout "Watchmen". The background is a simple red and white gradient with a scratch filter on it to make it look worn away. The Band name is organised in an odd pattern to make it memorable and stand out. There is also a slight shadow round the edges of the clock and the band logo to make them stand out from the layers below.
Just thought this could be a nice inspiration post on the sort of Artwork I like to create and later when we show our favourite Album Art, I can go back and compare how I've been inspired myself.
1. Summarising in your own words what the 4Ps of music marketing are. Use the following categories:
a) What band/artist related products can audiences buy? Other than the obvious of CDs, and Deluxe Editions of CDs, there are DVDs (often Live or documentary). band merch including t-shirts, bags, outerwear, shorts, hats, shoes, the like. Posters, some artists do biographies. Digital media like mp3 albums, music videos, podcasts.
b) Where can audiences buy/listen to music/merchandise/hardware? Audiences can buy in physical format (Disc) from music shops (e.g. HMV, the late Zavvi), online from sites (like Amazon.co.uk, Play.com), General Stores like W.H.Smith sell CDs. You can buy music in digital format from iTunes, also sites like Amazon sell MP3 albums. Merchandise can be bought at live shows (including CDs) or on the bands personal merch store, often linked to from their personal site (such as myspace/facebook).
c) Give 2 or 3 examples of paid-for/subscription based and free products. Free downloads off of the bands site. Mailing lists (such as Metallica's "Metal Militia" which shows the progression from physical mailing to digital mailing).
d) List between 5 and 10 examples of creative music marketing strategies (including at least 3 internet based examples).
Slipknot - Before world tour 2008, posted videos on their websites promoting the tour in their typical stage costume telling fans to "be scared", "be warned" and "don't come to this tour". Form of reverse psychology. Muse - New single "United States of Eurasia", put USB sticks in capital cities of the world with sections of the song in. Fans had to find the USB sticks and post the clip online so that eventually the whole song would be pieced together. Promotes them of album/song and also gets fans involved. Architects/Elliot Minor/Your Demise - Get fans in music video. 15 seconds of fame principle. Fans feel involved with the music and the band. Band can get away with not really showing anyone in it but the fans feel like they have a personal connection to the video, song, band. Fans will tell friends about the video, good promotion. Saosin - Send in text messages to a number, your name posted on the album artwork in the thankyous. Bit rubbish really, could hardly see your name as so many people texted in. Still feel part of the production and connected to the band. Radiohead - Album, In Rainbows. Sold online as an auction style thing. Fans pay what they want for the album (or free). Their best selling album of all time. Fans can relate to bands anti-establishment style attitude through their choice to sell independently.
2. Who is frukt uk and what is their mission statement/company ethos? "We’re all about music and are really very fond of it. Music colours people’s everyday lives. It’s found in the mundane and the exalted. It moves us all. And it’s thriving. We help brands access the passion and the communities, the lifestyle and the artists. Music is a vast cultural space - it's flexible, it's multi-channel, it's live and digital, it unites gender, race and age and it defines the spirit of generations.
You just need to know how to use it.
That’s where we come in."
Frukt come up with marketing strategies based around music and use them for bands or products and create case studies out of them.
I have been doing a bit of research looking into the advantages of shooting on a high speed camera. Most cameras that we will be using will be 25-29.7 fps. However, if we really do want to do some experimenting with speed and motion this will have to filmed at a much higher frame rate. For example;
If you film at 25fps, when you reduce it to 50% you will end up with a video that is 12.5fps, not particularly good quality and the slow mo will look not particularly good. However, if you were to film at 50fps, the slowed down footage would end up at 25fps, which is standard filming speed and look normal with the rest of your footage.
The picture above is of the Sony PMW-EX3, the camera used on Jasmine's music video shoot. Aside from being a particularly good camera, on the side there is a dial to change the frame rate so that you can film different frame rates depending on what you intend to do with it in post production.
If we were really serious about filming some slow-mo stuff we could look into hiring a camera like the one above.
So, I may be a rubbish editor/director/camera man but this is sometimes great for blogging. I know the horrid moment of getting to the edit suite, looking at a shot and going "Holy Guacamole that shot looks like ____", as it has occurred in my household more times than I care to count.
So here is a simple, bad example of what you can do with a really boring still shot to make it look good in post production. Yes it's very rough and I didn't spend that long on keyframing as I just wanted to do a rough example.
On the first clip, I have just a still Mid Shot I filmed of me playing along to the track. On its own it looks really boring. However, with just a bit of lighting and movement it immediately livens up. I did this by keyframing in zooms and pans while also adding brightness and contrast flashes to do lighting.
This video by Florida band UnderOath is a perfect example of weird use of speeds in videos. The main wide shot is done double speed. To achieve this UnderOath show in their documentary "777" that they played the song at half speed and then sped it up post production. This gives a really jolty effect but still has everyone playing in time to the song.
In contrast most of the individual band member shots are done the opposite way in slow motion to give a really weird overall effect, confusing the viewer. The constant changes between slow and fast motion really show the potential of music video to muck about with general film rules and restrictions.
Today we went to the Art Smart centre in Edmonton. It took us a long and rainy bus journey to get there and even longer to find the actual building but once inside we lit up immediately.
The location is perfect for what we want. It has two different rooms, one downstairs which is covered in paint and really messy with loads of odd things scattered around, and one upstairs which is plain and clean with carpet. This was brilliant as we want two contrasting locations for the different sections of the song (see treatment below and on group blog). Also there are lots of individual art studios which were perfect for our idea of individual band member shots as they have tight corners and are very claustrophobic, the exact thing we're looking for. The lift also looked a bit murky, thinking of sticking the drummer in there.
We found lots of amazing handy things to use, such as the mini portable lights that could possibly blind a man, and the push carts which can take ridiculous amounts of weight and look perfect for tracking/arcing/panning
YAY
But by far our favourite points were these; -There is a room with tea, biscuits and drinking water taps -We can use it evenings and weekends freely with no disturbance -The management are lovely and willing to help -There are already speakers there to play the song from -It's close to school so no horrible traveling -There's a spot to plug in a microwave so I can bring tagliatelle from home to eat! -We're allowed to film overnight and we would simply be given the keys to lock up
I'm very happy and this looks like a promising project. Makes a lovely change from last year. Bring on the planning
This a song that we have decided as a group we would really like to do. It also helps that Miss B loves it and thinks its punchy and edgy!
Lyrics:
Verse Start today, now show us how you feel. Make your way, it's time to choose. Have my say, I know, I know what I see. Have my say, they think you'll lose For all this to mean so much to me. For all this, you make a move Pass you by, it's all in this life you have Pass you by, goodbye to you.
Chorus 1234 Move If you don't stop there, you'll make it through. Stop dreaming, start something when it's in your hands to start anew
Verse It's ok to use your ability. You must know, it's hard to choose. Time will tell, it's hard 'cause the way you feel means you always seem to lose. Seize the day, the one that you left behind It seems so strange that you don't move Frozen still in front of your own lights Win or lose, its time to choose
Treatment:
After a reccy of our location this evening I have a clear vision of this video. The video will consist of three main sets of shots. One in a plain, clean space with the band all dressed in black, the next in a really messy workspace with very harsh lighting and strobes, and finally 5 individual claustrophobic band member shots. The video will be all performance and concept.
The locations will be flicked between to show the contrast in song sections. The verses have quite a pop-punky positive feel to them while the chorus is quite heavy and almost like a beatdown.
The plain location will be used for the verses (00:41, 01:40). The band will be performing in stage layout (drummer centre back, vocalist centre front, guitarists and bass in between). We will have a wide angle and individual band shots here that we will cut between to show a lively and energetic performance. It will be very brightly lit to emphasize the cleanliness and plainness of the room. The band will be wearing all black except maybe the vocalist wearing either a white top or a bright colour to stand out. The lead vocalist will do all singing and the guitarists will do the backing vocals and screaming. Our main focus will be on movement and quite normal camera angles but rarely ever still shots (apart from the wide angle).
The messy location will kick in on the "1,2,3,4 MOVE" (01:19, 02:18). This location is a lot darker and will be lit harshly. This will be partially helped by the powerful hand-held lights we found on the reccy which we will cluster together to make beacons of light facing upwards around the band. This scene will also use strobe lighting to create a really crazy mood and the band will be even more energetic than before. We will mimic the shots from the plain location but put odd cants and twists to them maybe involving focus to really mess with the viewers head.
The five individual band shots will be done in small rooms around the location, one of which is maybe the old lift we found on the reccy. These will be cut-aways used regularly throughout the entire video. My idea for them is to shoot the band members playing along to the song at half speed then in post production add a fish eye lens to the shot and put the song back up to normal speed. If we get the angles tight enough this will give a really claustrophobic feel to the shot and also make all of the band members movements really jolted and weird.
There are specific moments in the song where I also have very clear visions of particular shots. At the beginning before the vocals kick in there is a reverse cymbal (00:38) at which point I want to do a montage of reverse shots. I was thinking of tying this in with the ending of the video where there is a gong in the music (02:54). I wanted to have the vocalist throwing his mic on the floor at the end smashing it, and at 00:38 showing this clip in reverse and the mic flying back up into his hands before the singing starts. Also I wanted to show the drummer hitting his cymbals in reverse, again giving a really weird, crazy edge to the video to confuse the viewer and make them more interested in the concept of the song and video.
Another bit I've been thinking of is in the breakdown after the second chorus (02:35), the band can start playing in slow motion. To do this we can do the reverse of the individual cut-aways and film the song at 25-50% extra speed and slow it down. It will look really weird as everyone will be moving slowly but playing in time and will really fit in with the rest of the weird concepts in the video. This shot may be harder though as it will need to be a very high frame rate to slow down effectively.
This treatment does not really have anything to do with the lyrics but I don't think that particularly matters. The song is about stopping being lazy and doing something with your life and I think we can choose to show that by making a very energetic video that reflects the musical style rather than the lyrics.
1. Summarise the changing image of the band/artist as it has developed over time. It might also be useful to summarise the music genre also.
Dizzee has progressed from a grime genre, and is now seen as a garage/hip hop mix. He has incorporated more dance inspiration as seen in his collaborations with such artists as Calvin Harris, Arctic Monkeys and his support slot on his recent tour with The Prodigy. He has gone from being an independent to a more mainstream sound. This has expanded his fan base to more than just his original demographic of hip hop youths in London town. He has been quoted as saying he is “leaving his grime roots behind” in favour of more mainstream pop.
2. Who are the fans? Do you have any sense of how the music companies have segmented the audiences? To what extent has the branding of a band been linked to target audience?
The hip hop and grime genre has a history of a predominately black fan base. This is due to most of the artists being black themselves and that they come from similar social and class background, thus appealing to the demographic. They are like local heroes in a way. However, with the genres becoming increasingly more mainstream, the audience is becoming a much more mixed bag. This can be related to the more frequent appearance of rap artists in festivals, and the charts, thus making them more accessible for a larger, more mainstream audience.
In this case, the record company is Dizzee himself, as he produces and records his own songs and albums on his record label “Dirtee Stank”. This means that he is in complete control of how he brands himself and how he appeals to his audience, which he does through his genre and fashion.
By producing all his own music, Dizzee, or as I like to call him, Mr. Rascal, has stayed true to his independent roots by not relying on some fancy pants record company.
3. What marketing strategies can you identify? What kinds of stategies can you list? (above/below-the line? unexpected promo stunts? etc). List any examples of the use of synergy with other industries to promote other media/products in connection with a band/artist.
Dizzee’s first album, “Boy in da Corner”, was the first rap album to win a Mercury Prize. It has been voted one of the top albums of all time by MTV Base. This shows how Dizzee has embraced his grime culture and mixed it with mainstream to produce an album that was marketable to more than just the standard rap demographic. During his time in the Roll Deep crew Dizzee was stabbed six times in a live show due to a rivalry with the So Solid Crew (there was some bottom pinching involved). Although this is obviously bad it brought about a surge of press, getting Dizzee’s relatively unknown status brought in to the limelight. This is akin to the gang rivalries of the 90s seen in West Coast and East Coast rap in the US.
In 2004, Dizzee Rascal made an international endorsement deal with urban brand EckÅ and designed his own shoe with Nike in 2005.
4. Add any relevant links to your blog, especially Myspace page/music vids/official websites etc. A couple of illustrations (e.g key web design graphics/album cover photography) would also be useful to add to your blogs.
Carol Vernallis says the camera in music video seems to mimic the way we view sonic space... do you agree? Do you think we are conditioned by music video to read sonic space in particular ways?
Like everybody else on the year 13 media course this concept of sonic space is an utter mystery. If I were a detective I would know the answer but I am sadly not so will refer to Ms B!
She suggests that the jumping camera focus is like the camera in place of our eyes, doing what we do when we listen. However, this is predefined for us by the Director - we have even less choice to look away/outside of the Director's choice than we do in film - do you agree?
This is partly true in my opinion. Yes, it is hard to concentrate on shots as they're only there for a few seconds at a time and unless they are for example the vocalist beauty shot then you won't see it too often in the video. The director has to choose which shots best compliment the music and the feel of the song in a small amount of time, but I feel that they put the audience in mind when choosing these.
She says music video is more like listening than viewing - do you agree?
I disagree, music video is a promotion tool for a song. It adds a new element to the song which is the visuals. They add new dimensions and meanings to the songs lyrics and also to the bands brand image. I think that music video is very much based on the viewing over the music.
"We compensate imaginatively for what we do not see in the frame" - Agreed?
Yes, this is true in my opinion. This is very handy in the creation of music video as we don't have time to make a fully complete narrative so you can use suggestion to hurry on the story.
The constant motion in a music video and the variances it shows mean that a strong CU is a stable point. The music video "brings us towards these peaks, holds us against them, and then releases us" - do you agree?
Yes this is true as the point of a music video is to brand the artist and to constantly show shots of the artist makes us feel close to them, and helps to identify with them.
Is the viewer "sutured (stitched) into the diegesis of the film world through the editing"?
Yes, it is very close cut and fast cut aswell, meaning that we have to use our imaginations to fill in the rest of the space and story, involving us in the world of the music video.
Music video is freer in terms of viewer identification and perspective - agreed?
In a sense as the artist/director can do what they want with the track, putting their own meaning on the song. However in terms of audience, the demographics will pretty much match the fan base because people only really would listen/watch videos of the genre of music they are in to.
Carol Vernallis believes the image alone cannot tell the story - do you agree?
Yes this is true as music video is all about the synergy between music and image. Without the music the video is empty and the meaning can be misinterpreted. The genre of music helps to identify the pace and style of the story.
Vernallis has some very good concepts on music video and I look forward to looking into them in more depth later this term.
Excellent research and analysis posts so far Nick, such a great start to your background work for this project.
We need to get you using/applying advanced theory more explicitly when you analyse music videos this term, think Vernallis for now, although you will also need to get to grips with Goodwin in the new term.
You are just missing one area of work from last term, get this up to date asap and then you can crack on with the project!
For now, your short term targets are: 1. Post the work you have done for Miss T on Vernallis. See the main Music Video Blog for the specific details of what is needed here
All instructions are on the main blog if you are not sure what you should have done. There will be a lot happening when term starts so the sooner this outstanding work is completed, the better.
To move ahead with your project, you could start working with the rest of the group on your proposed track treatment, and get ready to pitch as soon as possible.
Great effort so far, keep up the good work and see you soon!
