Planning Catchup

I will be going away now for a week trip on behalf of my Geography A2 course, so its essential I plan what is needed to be done when I get back to make sure I can catch up and keep to my deadline. When I return I need to start analysing 3 digipak front covers and along with 3 album posters so I can gain influence and understanding of conventions and elements so I can make too, a successful Digipak and Poster. I will hopefully be able to finish my analysis of Digipak's by the first week i return and the poster analysis's the following week, this will allow me time to mock up and create those products ready for the draft internal deadline.

Draft Animatic

  This is my first attempt at storyboarding my music video, I think I may make some changes, introducing different camera angles being the main, but allot of my ideas of shots and such I can't quite create, so I will produce a voiceover (much like a directors cut) of my main ideas.

Getting Ready To Storyboard

Before storyboarding its essential that I know what camera angles and different scenes I'm interested in doing. As I want to do a purely performance based video I won't have any scene changes, but the use of many different camera shot, angles and movements are essential. Therefore I've started listing all the different shots (of different objects/people etc) which I could use throughout my video, these being rough ideas so when storyboarding I have a main idea of what the shot needs to look like.

Close up of microphone
Close up of lead singer (microphone in shot)
Close up of guitar neck
Close up of guitar body
Close up of base neck
Close up of base body
Close up of amplifier (straight on)
Close up of drum pedal (from side)
Close up of drum symbol
Close up of guitarist foot on pedal (side shot)
Mid shot of drummer (straight on/side, behind)
Mid shot of lead singer/guitarist (straight on/side)
Mid shot of bassist (straight on/from side, high angle (from floor))
Wide shot (showing all of the band from front)
Wide shot (showing all of the band from side)

Risk Assesment

Lyrics

This post shows the lyrics throughout the song and the timing of each line, this is important when starting to storyboard as I can therefore see the moments in which new lines start/end, the seperation from verse and chorus etc. I've also made some brief annotations about different instumental parts e.g. guitar and drums and they may therfore need visual emphasis.

Location Moodboard



Clothing Moodboard

Social Network

Through my research I have tried to find out everything I need to know to make my music video successful, but another convention used to make video's effective are the promotions and advertisements via social networks towards target audiences. Social networking is now a very large advertisement base for all different bands and artists of different genre's to connect to fans and find ones, to gain a larger audience. I thought it was critical to research into the importance of social networks when advertising the production of a music video because of the increasing importance they are becoming to bands in the present. Young Guns (an alternative rock band from England) had a large marketing campaign up to the release of their new album, and through social networking raised anticipation for the release of their new music video "Learn My Lesson". To begin with the band announced the release of the MP3 version of the song on Radio 1 and simultaneously announced the current preparation of the creation of a music video, this was important information to the fans, so this was the first step to gain a large audience interest. The band then released several pictures of each member (of the band), these pictures showing them cut, bruised, bleeding and dirty which gave the indication of what the music video was going to be like, possibly outside location, dark meaning etc. This process built hype among the facebook and twitter pages of the band, subsequently working as an advertisement for the band, with fans activity being shared amongst their friends. The band then went further to post a location photo along with a date, which suggested the date of release, this small marketing of the video (within the large album marketing) was critical in the making of a successfully viewed video and therefore (even though I will not be able to re-create a marketing campaign) I have created a twitter feed and facebook page for "The Sparrows" so the band still have the availability of (and I have explored) the important social networking websites which keep bands and artists intact with their audience.    

https://twitter.com/TheSparrows_TS
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Sparrows/350706431681093

Performance Video

I have recently taken inspiration from a new video uploaded by Green Day. This video of their song "Nuclear Family" is a full performance video, much like the one I want to create. They also used the main 3 members pacifically positioned to create a variety of shots. They have them positioned like a triangle so over the shoulder shots and other close ups contain different members and give the impretion and feeling of looking through a point of view shot. This is something I could use within my music video if there is enough space at my location and this could help create the tight, fast pace video i want to produce

.

Pitch Feedback

Pitch Feedback on Prezi

Pitch

Pitch Preperation

When preparing for my pitch I needed to decide on how my product would connect to the target audience and which elements of existing products I needed to take forward into mine. One of the possible elements is the use of a black and white or sepia colour scheme which fits the usual style of similar genre music video's, also deciding on what style of editing would be appropriate and what effect this will have on my overall product.

Colour Scheme

Looking at similar genre music video's I've found that the black and white film is used often, these are some of the examples from other bands:









This example of Oasis - Supersonic shows how the black and white theme can also be changed throughout the video to colour at parts. This can be used to show important parts or can be done on certain changes in the song such as solo's or breakdowns, this is something I could possibly use in my music video.

Editing Techniques - Slow Motion

1:42 onwards shows the use of slow motion whilst the music seemingly gets quicker, this technique is something I could replicate in my music video to create a more emotional piece but this may however not be suitable for my bands song or image. 



Arcane Roots use this slow motion technique but whilst the song has slowed down, however they still use an opposite effect of having what shown on the camera different to the music, for example at 2:07 the slow motion effect shows the band members playing to the quick, heavy part of the song instead of the part which playing.

Music Video Analaysis

The genre characteristics of the video are very stereotypical. The instruments and guitar solo representation links to the alternative rock genre - "2:40" to "2:52" whilst the jumping and fast paced movements also co-present the music genre. The video is very illustrated between lyrics and visuals - "0:46" to "0:58" and "2:18" and "2:28". There are also the use of metaphorical meanings between the lyrics and actions - "1:12 to "1:20". The video also uses disjuncture with no relationships between the lyrics and flag baring, but this has another meaning with the album, therefore intended for the already known fan base or used to interest other people watching. The only relationship between the music and visuals is the consistent lip syncing throughout and with the instruments, in which the guitar solo is well represented through the lead singer - "2:37" to "2:50" & "2:01" to "2:11". There are no star image motifs but the continous close up of the lead singer throughout would indicate he is identified as a much more key member to the audience.

The genre characteristics are predomontaly around the artist and the performance live gig video also relates well with the stereotypes of the indie rock genre. The iconic Gibsojn 86 guitar is consistantly related through bands like Oasis, Artic Monkeys and Miles Kane and therefore has significant meaning within the genre and for this reason its an important genre characteristic - "0:15" to "0:16". His dress wear also relates to the genre, for example he has the retro-indie styles shoes, bright red skinny styled jeans which are also associated with that genre (influenced from the white stripes). The relationship between lyrics and visuals islimited with the video type beinglive performance but some lyrics relate to the visuals of women but most are irrelevant - "1:26" to "1:31". The video also lacks in the relationship between visuals and music apart from the obvious lip, instument syncing and dancing of the audience. The video does however use star image motifs, which the consistant closeups of Miles Kane throughout, they are used to convey the type of person he is, which in this case shows him as happy, go free, showing him in a positive light, this sunsequesntly giving the audience the impretion he is this type of person - "0:50" to "0:52".

This video has some key genre characterstics from the punk/rock genre the band are ossociated with. The procative way the women are represented throughout the video assocites with the rock idea of having extra's with fame and success, whilst the location is also associated with the anarchy idea of punk rock, this being the walls covered in graffiti and a lack of respect shown by the women for the way in which they dress. The song has many metaphorical lyrics about love and women which relates to the visuals but the video has no easily observed narritive. The video is very similar to the others with its lip syncing and instrument syncing, but the director uses the music to determine the entrance of different band members. Billie Joe the lead singer is used in the video to promote the band, he is seen as a much more famous figure compared to the other two members and therefore used as a star figure, and therefore the director introduces him from the start.

The Sparrows Biography

FORMATION

The Sparrows formed in early 2008 after being an incarnation between broken up bands Chasing Her & The Rumours. Lead singer Dominic Jackson & bass guitarist Ashley  Read left the band Chasing Her in 2007 after a supposed bust up with other members. They decided to hold auditions for a drummer and second guitarist when trying to re-form under the name KIA and ex-members of The Rumours Harry Yard & Jeffrey Burkard fitted their spec. The band then changed their name again to The Sparrows later that year.

DOWN 'N DIRTY EP  

In the summer of 2009 the band self released a three track EP that subsequently became available on iTunes and from the band at shows (a fourth track entitled ‘Boy’ became available as a b-side on the iTunes release). The band also played across much of the south of England in the latter half of 2009 and recieved recognition from their touring by NME magazine. The band recieved good recognition for their attempts at landing a large record label but with rejection from numerous record companies subsequently made guitrarist Harry Yard leave and try his hand at a solo career.

DEBUT ALBUM
The band announced in late 2011 about the intial recording taking place in Cornwall for album demo's and then in Janurary 2012 announced they'd be releasing their album end of 2012 to early  2013. Rumours are suggesting the band are currently producing a music video for there first single release from the album called "Out Of Dreams".

Band Name

Looking at possible band names, I originally came up with ideas such as The Rumours, The Sparrows and The Swarrows. I thought the first name met the style of music I was after as did the second, but the thrids band name lacked any punch and sounded partiucarly boring and typical so it wouldn't be remembered very well. The Rumoursi beleive is a good name, but was very stereotypical and could have been used numerously compared The Sparrows, so I've deicded this will be my bands name.

Audience Profile

Researching into my chosen audience I used the programme UkTribes to find which possible groups of people would be interested into "The Sparrows" and from this find out their interests. I found that the UKTribes most apprpriate to my song were "Indie Scenesters (IS)" and "Young Alts (YA)". Indie Scenesters and Young Alts have very similar music tastes, but YA's listen to a much bigger variety of music whereas IS's are much more confined into their own genre, Indie and Indie/Rock. Looking more into typical intersts they both share interests inmusics magazines like NME but IS's also like Q wheras YA's prefer Kerrang!. Looking at different varietys of music video's I've found that the most common with this genre and enjoyed by this audience are performance or half narritive and performance video's, therefore my original idea of producing a full performance video would be ideal.

Band Genre

The song choice I have decided on is "Out Of Dreams " because of these particular reasons. To begin with the genre relates to me well, with my interests in rock and indie and the similarities between the type of sound with successful bands all ready in this genre. The song also has many variations in sound and single instrument parts which will allow me to create a music video with a relationship between the editing and sound.

The band is very similar to that of Arctic Monkeys which has a very wide audience, meeting with many mainstream audiences and those influenced by rock artists. This may be a positive and a negative when researching my target audience as this means there is more options for the bands image but this could influence part of the audience to show disinterest.

A2 Media Studies Schedule 2012-13 Lutterworth College

Hello and welcome to my blog. This is were I'll be showing all my research and preperation ofmy music video. In the following week I will be deciding on the Song and genre of my music video and will show my influence through mood boards and other posts.