In our group we have a created a band consisting of a boy and a girl – they are a two piece band with the girl, Malena on vocals and the boy, Thor on guitar. They are under the working title of Faulkes. The pair have been friends since a very young age, as they went to school together. They are from Sweden and went to Art School over there. They have always shared a love for music, they decided one summer to try and make it in the music industry. They wanted to be recognizable and show the world their talent; however the felt staying in their small town in Sweden was not going to make their dream come true. The duo decided to hit the road and travel through Europe promoting their music in the hope for when they arrive in the UK they will have built up a fan base and have a strong star image which will give them the opportunity of being signed. Thor is 22, and Malena is 21 and they had been on the road about 8 months before reaching the UK, however they have been performing together for about 6 years in local venues around their hometown and then performed all across Europe in the hope of becoming a success. They have a strong star image in the sense that it is quite unlikely to change as they pair have been together a while, Malena is mainly vocals and she is more the front man in the band. Also, there is this whole mystery on whether the duo or an actual couple or not, this concept keeps them current.
The genre of music they play is Alternative Indie, this helps shape their star image as they are both quite individual characters with a real Art School feel about the two of them, they both seem quite dark characters yet their music represents something more vibrant and happy – yet this contrast works well and helps gives them a concrete star image. The style of Faulkes is something similar to Everything but the Girl from the 80s, using this whole image of the woman being the main icon somewhat in the pair. However their music ability is something far different, something more like the Ting Tings or the White Stripes. When looking at the pair for the first time they will be portrayed as unique individuals with a sense of mystery however their music abilities are far different making them appeal to a wider audience. However, this could be seen as a risk as it could be seen as having commercial implications, although the genre is popular there is a lot of competition in the market at the moment. Nevertheless their strong brand image and the uniqueness of being a male and female duo act is somewhat different to the norm and therefore the commercial implications should be minimized.
Faulkes would be under Polydor records which is a subsidiary of the Universal Music group. Polydor was originally set up as an independent record label before become part of Universal, so it has to ability to handle more of an independent style band but to make them a huge success allowing them to have bigger budget for music videos, performances etc. Other acts signed to Polydor are a huge success in the UK, with acts under their belt like Girls Aloud, The Kaiser Chiefs, Sophie Ellis Bextor and many more. And it also is the UK label for American acts such as Gwen Stefani and Lady GaGa. This choice of label I think would be beneficial to Faulkes as there more relaxed approach will be taken upon and they would become more celeb like making them fit more into the industry but still allowing them to keep their unique approach. Also being a subsidiary of Universal Music Group will allow them to become more a synthetic act but still keep their organic principles.
Faulkes would appeal to both a male and female audience between the ages of 15-25. The target audience I think will be quite a middle class, Caucasian audience all with a higher education, being a band that originates in Europe the target audience have to be able to understand and empathize that they are from a different culture etc. I think, typically fans would listen to chart music but also really enjoy unique acts they have found themselves from browsing on MySpace for example, I think there fans have a real mix in taste of music – seeing as the band have an Art School influence, many of their fans will also come from this background and are able to appreciate them more. Even though they are mainstream they have a real individual context to them.
The visual image for the band is quite different, both Malena and Thor are quite individual in their style and quite dark and mysterious yet their songs and the imagery used for posters and magazines etc. is quite vibrant. The contrast is effective and captures the eye of the target audience. Also the image of Malena being more the front man in the duo – with the careful placement and structure of the images makes their style very unique but work really effectively. Faulkes have not actually made a music video yet – although they have been performing for a while and have wrote more and more songs a video has not yet been created. So this video is the bands promotion, it will be somewhat of a similar quality to its competitors in the same genre. The video would be exhibited on popular music channels such as MTV2, BoxHits and NME TV. We want the music video to be a real representation of the band – really showing their unique quality of this contrast between dark and mysterious and vibrant.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Pop Promo Idea 2
This group is very different to our other idea. This is a band made up of a boy and a girl. The video is very much based on this idea of being this real scenario but in a fake setting. I very much feel that this juxtaposition of two idea will work very well together and help give the music video this real art school feel about it, which the band want, as they are themselves ex art school pupils. Although, this is their debut music video it is not primarily based on their performance as a group. There is a narrative behind the video focusing on their relationship and their journey - as this is personal to them. However, there is still a strong performance element allowing them to promote themselves as a band.
Pop Promo Idea 1
We decided to use a 4 piece boy band with this real London-centric feel about them. I feel they very much would fit into the genre of music which is becoming extremely popular today. Their target audience would be 16 to 25 year olds, allowing for both a male and a female target audience. However, they are a group that have a lot of competition in the current market, although I feel they will shine as they have a real British feel and identity about them, something more like Oasis. The video concept is very much based on the performance element of the band - the video is being created to promote them. Therefore, keeping the set very minimal and focusing more on them as a group and on their instruments.
Three Initial Ideas
IDEA 1
Name of Artist: Marla
Avril Lavigne – He Wasn’t
Star Image: Hailey is young and kooky, her style is rather punk like however her favourite colour is pink and she often incorporates this into every outfit. She likes to believe she is quite different and unique as a person and will do/wear whatever she wishes even if she may look a bit weird and wacky but that’s her style. Being a young female artist her target audience is young teenage girls, because of her style and her love for the colour pink her target audience is broader in terms of it reaches out to a number of different teenage girls, as Hailey’s music is more punk rock but she has a real pop twist to it making it more accessible to reach out to a wider target audience. Hailey would definitely be a Synthetic act, as she will be constructed to be able to sell lots of music based on her appearance and personality.
Treatment: 4 piece band in a white studio, all wearing black except really subtle parts of bright pink, for example, pink drum or a pink headband etc. The idea I had in mind, was trying to piece together a puzzle. It begins with the band all playing as if playing a gig but in a studio, ‘parts’ start to break away – it’s as if someone has drawn the puzzle pieces on and sections begin to break away. It then continually cuts between close ups of the individual puzzle pieces with the outline of the puzzle, I think that giving the pieces puzzle like shapes will really look effective. The video cuts between the puzzle pieces and close ups of Hailey and her band performing and just ‘goofing’ around as the puzzle is trying to be completed. I want the video to have a slight pop-art effect, using a colour palette of really only three colours; black, white and pink I feel should work really well together and give it this slightly futuristic feel, yet it will still feel young and be able to appeal to its target audience.
IDEA 2
Name of Artist: Liquid
The Prodigy – Warriors Dance
Star Image: Liquid would probably be more of a Synthetic star as the act would probably have been created to fit into the charts however her star image is based more on the music rather than the actual artist. Seeing as the music is more dance base the act is not solely based around the singing its more the act itself. This type of music will appeal more to an older teenage audience to a young adult audience, as this music would be commonly played in more club scenes making it only really available to this age group.
Treatment: All black to begin with flashes of white light flickering on and off, as the music begins you see the back of a girl only her hair but like swaying to the slow music. As she begins to sing close up of her face only, the flashes of light are still flickering – it will look as if she has just woke up and she is not really too sure as to where she is. She sings directly into the camera, as the dance break in the music occurs the lights come up and it’s her dancing, there are about 5 images of her doing this set routine to the music, it keeps cutting back to her looking in a daze but it’s all like inside her head e.g using swirls and her head spinning around to make it look like she is in a state of confusion. As the music progresses the girl begins to join in with the dancers that are too her but are ‘fake’ it’s as if she has become under a spell. However when singing solo it cuts back to her on her own in this state of confusion and in a trance. I would like to keep the cuts fast throughout the majority of the video to give it this state of confusion, however at the beginning and at the end keep the cuts very long and slow and keeping her very still as I want there to be a clear difference in her state of mind. The finishing shot will be the same as the beginning the flashes of white light flickering on and off seeing the back of her hair swaying to the music. At the end an alarm clock will ring – proving that this was all just a dream.
IDEA 3
Name of Artist: Layla Little
Star Image: Layla would fit into the more organic acts, as she is quite raw. She is a young female who sings and creates what she wants, she has performed in small pubs around her village for a few years and has now eventually broke out. However she writes all her own tracks and wants to keep this way making the most of her unique sounds.
Treatment: A white studio with a girl (Layla) sitting on the floor – with all Polaroid camera pictures on the floor surrounding her. The pictures match some of the lyrics, when she refers to ‘the guy I could never get ‘coz his girlfriend was pretty fit and everyone who knew her loved her so’ the picture that represents this comes to life a reenact of the scenario as if she was there, it’s her memory. However over the top of the actions some of the words are in a typed font just rolling over the top – as if it’s a dream and she is trapped, she wants to escape but can’t get out. This is there to reiterate her pain. As she becomes happier in the lyrics and realizes she is over this ‘man’ she begins to tear up the pictures as she realizes she can be just as happy.
Name of Artist: Marla
Avril Lavigne – He Wasn’t
Star Image: Hailey is young and kooky, her style is rather punk like however her favourite colour is pink and she often incorporates this into every outfit. She likes to believe she is quite different and unique as a person and will do/wear whatever she wishes even if she may look a bit weird and wacky but that’s her style. Being a young female artist her target audience is young teenage girls, because of her style and her love for the colour pink her target audience is broader in terms of it reaches out to a number of different teenage girls, as Hailey’s music is more punk rock but she has a real pop twist to it making it more accessible to reach out to a wider target audience. Hailey would definitely be a Synthetic act, as she will be constructed to be able to sell lots of music based on her appearance and personality.
Treatment: 4 piece band in a white studio, all wearing black except really subtle parts of bright pink, for example, pink drum or a pink headband etc. The idea I had in mind, was trying to piece together a puzzle. It begins with the band all playing as if playing a gig but in a studio, ‘parts’ start to break away – it’s as if someone has drawn the puzzle pieces on and sections begin to break away. It then continually cuts between close ups of the individual puzzle pieces with the outline of the puzzle, I think that giving the pieces puzzle like shapes will really look effective. The video cuts between the puzzle pieces and close ups of Hailey and her band performing and just ‘goofing’ around as the puzzle is trying to be completed. I want the video to have a slight pop-art effect, using a colour palette of really only three colours; black, white and pink I feel should work really well together and give it this slightly futuristic feel, yet it will still feel young and be able to appeal to its target audience.
IDEA 2
Name of Artist: Liquid
The Prodigy – Warriors Dance
Star Image: Liquid would probably be more of a Synthetic star as the act would probably have been created to fit into the charts however her star image is based more on the music rather than the actual artist. Seeing as the music is more dance base the act is not solely based around the singing its more the act itself. This type of music will appeal more to an older teenage audience to a young adult audience, as this music would be commonly played in more club scenes making it only really available to this age group.
Treatment: All black to begin with flashes of white light flickering on and off, as the music begins you see the back of a girl only her hair but like swaying to the slow music. As she begins to sing close up of her face only, the flashes of light are still flickering – it will look as if she has just woke up and she is not really too sure as to where she is. She sings directly into the camera, as the dance break in the music occurs the lights come up and it’s her dancing, there are about 5 images of her doing this set routine to the music, it keeps cutting back to her looking in a daze but it’s all like inside her head e.g using swirls and her head spinning around to make it look like she is in a state of confusion. As the music progresses the girl begins to join in with the dancers that are too her but are ‘fake’ it’s as if she has become under a spell. However when singing solo it cuts back to her on her own in this state of confusion and in a trance. I would like to keep the cuts fast throughout the majority of the video to give it this state of confusion, however at the beginning and at the end keep the cuts very long and slow and keeping her very still as I want there to be a clear difference in her state of mind. The finishing shot will be the same as the beginning the flashes of white light flickering on and off seeing the back of her hair swaying to the music. At the end an alarm clock will ring – proving that this was all just a dream.
IDEA 3
Name of Artist: Layla Little
Star Image: Layla would fit into the more organic acts, as she is quite raw. She is a young female who sings and creates what she wants, she has performed in small pubs around her village for a few years and has now eventually broke out. However she writes all her own tracks and wants to keep this way making the most of her unique sounds.
Treatment: A white studio with a girl (Layla) sitting on the floor – with all Polaroid camera pictures on the floor surrounding her. The pictures match some of the lyrics, when she refers to ‘the guy I could never get ‘coz his girlfriend was pretty fit and everyone who knew her loved her so’ the picture that represents this comes to life a reenact of the scenario as if she was there, it’s her memory. However over the top of the actions some of the words are in a typed font just rolling over the top – as if it’s a dream and she is trapped, she wants to escape but can’t get out. This is there to reiterate her pain. As she becomes happier in the lyrics and realizes she is over this ‘man’ she begins to tear up the pictures as she realizes she can be just as happy.
A2 PRODUCTION COURSEWORK
Brief:
A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options;
A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options;
- Website homepage for band
- A cover for its release on CD
- A magazine advertisement for the DVD/CD.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
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