Masks

Hey guys, I found some really good sites for all things costumey. I think we could incorporate the use of these cool masks in our video:

http://www.escapade.co.uk/Masks-sale.asp
http://www.carnivalstore.co.uk/catlist.php?cat=765&stpos=20

-Selina-

Group Meeting - 28/09/09

Okay, so on Monday morning, we had a meeting to reflect on the pitch, potential locations, etc.
Mary was taking notes, but disappeared halfway through to have a talk with Miss B about universities, so anything discussed afterwards needs to be blogged by someone else!

Concept
During the pitch, the teachers seemed to get the impression that the messy performers were on the messy stage, and the clean performers on the clean stage. We actually meant to contrast this by having the messy performers on the clean stage and vice versa, but now we're reconsidering.

Costumes
We may want to use the boiler suits that Miss B mentioned...
Mia and Selina also suggested some awesome Halloween masks that they found in ASDA.
And Selina has a ringmaster's hat. It has a logo on top, but so long as we don't crane, that shouldn't matter.

Locations
Tunnel on Oakley Rd, Southgate - really good lighting; white, but dirty; no electricity.
Studio - we need to talk to Miss B about this one!
Abandoned house - on the same road as the tunnel; need to phone Barnet Council to enquire

ALSO: Off-topic riiiight now, but Mary downloaded a program called CeltX for easy script formatting, and it does storyboarding, production schedules, etc. as well. So basically, we have a program to help with pretty much ALL our pre-production. =D

Hurrah for organisation!

Locations

Some brighter pics of those bits in Grovelands Park:

Online Marketing Analysis

Lily Allen's Myspace
Blog posts - informative rather than personal
BIG banner - buy her new album
Tour dates
Example videos, inc. HQ
Pictures - sexualised imagery, attracting male audience

Lily Allen's Website
Promoting new album, but smaller - in corner
"Lily News" - press updates, etc.
Interactivity - games, remix your own album, etc.
Tour dates
Audio/video
Link to Twitter updates and Bebo
Banners, icons, wallpapers, skins (MySpace)
Links to various social networking sites, Wiki, etc. - informative
"Lily's official forum"
Lyrics
Store - buy her music

Arctic Monkeys' Myspace
Personalised font and skin - silhouettes of the bands
Example videos
Gig venues/tour dates
Link to official site
Blog entries

Arctic Monkeys' Official Site
Matching skin to MySpace - helps develop brand image
"The View From" - behind the scenes, vlogs of background activity
News
Gigs
LOTS of photos, videos, etc.
Releases - track listings for albums, lyrics, related pictures
Fan uploads - videos, etc.
Need to be a member to post comments
Store - can buy music, t-shirts, tote bags, badges and songbooks
Links to social networking sites (bebo, Facebook, MySpace) and YouTube.

Epic Journeys' Launch

We've decided to go with more of an online release for Epic Journeys, though they will release their album in shops at a later point [which will be discussed later on]. The online release will consist of a few stages:

• Firstly, the new single will be available to download as part of iTunes' Free Download of the Week [similar to Lenka] - raising band awareness, plus, everyone loves a freebie!
• This is likely to be followed by the release of a digital EP with a few tracks off the upcoming album and a few B-sides, available to download from their MySpace/website/iTunes [free/relatively cheap price?]
• Lastly, their album will be available to buy/download online concurrent to its release in shops [May/June-the summer's hot new band!]

Also, while coming up with a band image, we came up with a super-cool marketing strategy for the band. Because the Dr. Martens are part of their signature look, we thought we could have the band design their own Docs, and with each purchase fans are given a special promo code which entitles them to a free download [it could be a song, a ringtone, wallpaper etc]

On the release of the band's album, Epic Journeys will be attending a special signing at HMV's flagship store [Oxford Street], where they will get to meet fans etc. Fans can also get wristbands from behind the counter which admits them to an extra-special acoustic performance session by the band. This is a great way of marketing the band because not only do fans get to meet them, they get to hear them perform, all under one roof, how awesome!

From this it is clear that their third-party affiliates would include:
HMV
Dr. Martens
iTunes

Epic Journeys' Launch - Band Style/Image

LILY ALLEN

ARCTIC MONKEYS

THE BAND
We wanted to go for a trendy, high-fashion look for the boys so we thought they could wear smart jackets and blazers, while still keeping it casual with hoodies and jeans. The outfit fourth from the left is quite typical of the indie genre, so we added it in for good measure.


Similarly, we think the girl should be wearing quite catwalk-esque dresses, sexy and fashionable, with a twist; Dr. Marten boots and a trilby. We feel this gives the band more of an edgier, unique look, making them easily distinguishable from all the other indie/alternative bands in the industry today.

The intended audience for this band are predominantly [female] 16-25 year olds, as we agreed that this is the typical age group which is interested in this genre of music. Furthermore, dedicated followers of fashion will also be hooked by the band's sense of style, as they are always dressed in all the latest trends. By styling the band in this particular way, we are able to widen our audience demographic, which is always a good thing!

Recce Recording!

Location Recce!

Yesterday we went on a bit of a hunt for locations, so we decided to record us discussing the day's findings while we looked through some photos we took. It's in the above post. This is a selection of the photos showing the key things. Might want to listen to the recording at the same time to have them explained :)

Mia xx

Pitch Feedback!!

SO, we got some fabulous feedback[alack?] from our teachers and the rest of the class yesterday after our pitch (which, as mentioned previously, went pretty well!)
The main feedback we got was:

• working out the exact structure and getting it really tight
• some of the specific shots sound quite difficult - make sure we test them out loads in advance
• make sure everyone's 100% clear about what we're doing within the group - simplify rather than overcomplicate
• make sure it's all planned properly

...and ideas like:

• if we can't find a white room, maybe cover a room with dust sheets
• we could use the Seward building? (new gallery under construction at school atm)
• make it very constructed for the 'perfect' setting, maybe break the fourth wall - have lighting in the shots etc. - to show how it's all constructed...
• try things with the frame rate on the camera - put it to about 20 to make the image juddery
• for the bridge, keep camera still on a tripod and don't move the camera between shots - the two versions can then be layered over each other

That's all [for now] folks!

Outline of Group Presentation Wednesday 23rd September

Yesterday we pitched our treatment as a group to the rest of our class. We got a lot of really good feedback and are planning on having lots of meeetings now that we know there are some problems with our idea.

The Presentation
Firstly we played our intended track. Mia then talked about the genre of the song which is pop rock and usually signifiers in the music and visually in the videos. Selina went on to talk about the track itself including her research on the band Paramore. I talked about our intended target audience and how we would make our video appeal to them along with possible marketing strategies. Finally Mary and Selina explained the treatment itself. We handed out copies of the treatment for everyone to see so that they could visually see our idea.

Our presentation lasted about 10 minutes after which we got lots of feedback and discussed our idea further with everyone. One of the main points in the feedback we got was that the idea was confusing but there will be more on our feedback in another post. Our treatment will therefore be adapting over the next few weeks.

Our Treatment for the Pitch

So we pitched to the rest of the group and the teachers last night - needless to say, it went really well! Everyone seemed to like our idea and track choice, so that's all good! We did get quite a bit of feedback, which will be posted up soon, but for now here's our treatment for 'Fences' [bear in mind this will probably change now]

'Fences' Treatment - Selina, Mia, Bhavika and Mary

-Selina-

Genre

Paramore's genre: pop/punk/alternative rock

The signifiers:

• videos tend to be performance-based with some conceptual elements
• general style/image of the band - tend to be jeans & t-shirts
• very strong vocals in songs, quite emotional
• tendency to have big guitar solos
• excitement in video comes from interesting camerawork and editing
• less scopophilic than other genres, but lots of CUs on faces

Paramore

Seeing as we're doing a track by Paramore, I've decided to do a little bit of research into them!

Paramore is a Grammy-nominated American rock band that formed in Franklin, Tennessee in 2004 consisting of Hayley Williams (lead vocals), Josh Farro (lead guitar/backing vocals), Jeremy Davis (bass guitar), Zac Farro (drums), and Taylor York (rhythm guitar). I think it's important to know that all of their songs are written an produced by themselves - who they are comes out through their lyrics.

Paramore's music has generally been regarded as "emo", "pop punk", and "alternative rock". Lead singer, Hayley Williams explains how "the band isn't just a short pop-punk girl with red hair and a spunky attitude. The music is like us, it's aged differently." Williams has gone on to comment about the female aspect of the band saying that Paramore is not "this girl-fronted band" and it makes "music for people to enjoy music, not so people can talk about my sexuality."

Their target audience is predominantly teenage males and females, who listen to this certain genre of music. Paramore tend to market themselves on the internet the most, with Twitter, Myspace and Facebook accounts, which helps them reach this younger, tech-savvy generation of consumers.

Their videos are usually performanced-based and always contain CUs of the members during instrumentals/key musical points. Their song 'Fences' is from their second album Riot! (2007). While trying to find a meaning for what the song is about, I stumbled upon this answer:
'It means that when you're famous, everyone is watching you and looking up to you. and that once you are famous, you can't turn back because every one knows you, and you can't let fame get to you.'

-Selina-

Target Audience

Our primary target audience are in their late teens (about 15 to 21 years old).

Our secondary audience are in their early teens (about 12 to 15 years old) and also older than our primary target audience (about 21 to 25 years old).

Our band image would appeal to both genders but our music would appeal mostly to females as we have a female lead vocalist.

Our target audience is made up of tech savy teenagers as our target audience enjoy the easy accessibility to music and their favourite bands that is brought to them online.

Therefore we are going to market the band heavily online through, for instance, the band website. The band will use myspace and twitter to widen their appeal. The band may also have an online journal so that their fans feel more connected to the band.

OUR TRACK!!

I think a celebration is in order because....

...WE'VE GOT OUR TRACK-A-LACK!!!

Yes, FINALLY, we have chosen a song to make a music vid to: 'Fences' by Paramore!

VERSE ONE:
i'm sitting in a room made up of only big white walls and in the hall there are
people looking through the window in the door they know exactly what we're here for
don't look up just let them think there's no place else you'd rather be
you're always on display for everyone to watch and learn from don't you know by now
you can't turn back. cause this road is all you'll ever have.

CHORUS:
it's obvious that you're dying dying
just living proof that the camera's lying
and oh oh open wide this is your night so smile
cause you'll go out in style, you’ll go out in style

VERSE TWO:
if you let me i could. i'll show you how to build your fences, set restrictions
separate from the world. a constant battle that you hate to fight
just blame the limelight.
Don’t look up just let them think there's no place else you'd rather be.
and now you can't turn back. cause this road is all you'll ever have.

CHORUS:
it's obvious that you're dying dying
just living proof that the camera's lying
and oh oh open wide this is your night so smile
cause you'll go out in style.

BRIDGE:
yeah yeah you're askin’ for it
with every breath that you breathe in
just breathe it in...
yeah yeah well you're just a mess
you do all this big talkin’
so now let's see you walk
i said let's see you walk it!
yeah yeah well you're just a mess
you do all this big talkin’
so now let's see you walk
i said let's see you walk it!

CHORUS:
it's obvious that you're dying dying
just living proof that the camera's lying
and oh oh open wide
yeah oh oh open wide...
oh oh open wide
this is your night.
so smile
cause you'll go out in style!

Although we weren't jumping for joy at first, I told the rest of the group about an idea I had dreamt up the night before [cool, huh?!] and that seemed to set them off; soon we were all bursting at the seams with ideas and it all fell into place rather nicely. We haven't come up with a concrete plan, but we scribbled down a few basic themes/elements we'd like to consider:

• The video would be predominantly performance/concept-based

• The lyrics are about putting on a show for the world around you - we thought we'd play on this idea by having contrasting performances of the band rehearsing in an immaculate room, all made-up, and them 'on stage' with battered, torn clothes.

• We started thinking about the audience they would be performing to - we want something abstract: Mary liked my idea of balloons with different expressions [but it was only a dream!], but we also looked at the dancers and 'audience' in Panic at the Disco's 'I write Sins, Not Tragedies' - the whole clowns and circus theme

• Because the word 'camera' comes up in the chorus, we thought about having cameras flashing during the scenes on stage

• We'd also like to include shots of the lead performer reciting the lyrics to herself in the mirror [in particular, on the lines ''This is your night, so smile...''

• During the rehearsal, we could also include shots of the band members getting ready for the actual performance, by messing up their hair/make-up or ripping their clothes etc.

• The bridge ''Yeah yeah, you're asking for it...'' could have both versions of the girl on screes, shouting at one another

• Jumpy, fast-paced editing... slower in some parts [just before the chorus etc]

• Someone in a room, lying really still -maybe for the beginning instrumental bit?

[Feel free to add to this list if I've missed anything out, guys!]

As you can see, we've still got a lot of work to do, but at least we have something to run with! We've decided to each come up with a mini-treatment of our own, in preparation for Wednesday's pitch.

Let the games begin!

-Selina-

Third Group Meeting

We had another meeting today to discuss our findings from the research task we had each been assigned to during our last meeting. Going into this meeting, we already knew that Garbage's track 'I Think I'm Paranoid' wouldn't really work for us, and we couldn't find anything else from them that really made us go 'wow', so we decided to scrap them from the list.

We also agreed upon not choosing an Avril track, as she's already quite a well-established artist and the only songs we liked didn't really cater to our music video needs. So we were left with Paramore and Hey Monday; the tracks being 'Fences' and 'For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic' by Paramore, and 'Obvious' by Hey Monday.

However, we still felt that none of them were the song for us, and some of us, particularly one person who will remain nameless, started getting a little stressed out! Mia also suggested 'The Boys Are Too Refined' by The Hush Sound which, let's be honest, after all the Paramore/Hey Monday-ness was SO refreshing! But then that sort of pushed us one step backward, as we began searching for artists again!

So we left our meeting, a little disappointed and frustrated I think, still trying to find the killer song for our group - but at least we had narrowed it down to a handful of tracks...we think!

THE SEARCH CONTINUES....

-Selina-

Group meeting

Today we had another group meeting at lunch to discuss progress we'd made with track research... and despite all the searching we've all done, we still don't feel anyone's found The Song yet, as although there are quite a lot of songs we think might make quite a good video, the voices of the lead singers don't really suit either Selina or myself.

However, we've settled on a few bands to look into further to find good tracks, and we've all assigned ourselves with one of the bands; our aim is to find the best suitable songs from that band before our next meeting.

Who's researching which artist?

Bhavika: Garbage

Mary: Paramore

Mia: Avril Lavigne

Selina: Hey Monday

Potential Tracks (First Group Meeting)

Firstly - woo, group blog!

We had our first group meeting at break today, during which we discussed the sorts of tracks we had been looking at, and what type of music we thought would suit our image. We decided that a punk/indie image would probably be easiest, as most of us were comfortable with that music, and so we could already suggest bands, if not tracks, that we knew of.

We ran into slight difficulties because Mia and I in particular tended to listen to male-led bands, and we had already decided that it was easiest to use members of our group as actors where possible. Which obviously meant a female lead.

So we sat and discussed various options - Avril Lavigne and Paramore were suggested by Selina as potentials, but debatably had too strong and definitive a style already. Mia suggested The Hush Sound. I suggested Rilo Kiley as well, and let the others listen to one of their tracks - though it was a little slower-paced, the lyrics lent it towards easy narrative.

The two main decisions that we made were that we wanted our music video to be largely performance-based, and that we were looking for a fast-paced track (though we weren't going to completely dimiss a slow-paced track if it had enough potential).

So we've decided to meet up again on Friday with two or three potential tracks to pitch to the group already on Blogger for easy access. I'm putting mine up now, if the rest of you guys want to come see. ^___-

Mary

Welcome!

Welcome to our group blog!!

We hope you enjoy the musical treat we have in store for you :)

The group

xoxo