My name is Monica Aghadiuno and my candidate number is 9365. I am in Group 3 with Godgift Emesi (9044), Angela Chen (9025) and Thakshana Yogeswaran (9179). To see my work please use the following three labels on the right: 'A2 Research and Planning,' 'A2 Construction' and 'A2 Evaluation.'
Group 3 - Music Video
Group 3 - Digipak
Our Digipack, top left - back, top right - front, bottom left - inside panel, bottom right - inside panel (CD)
This is a link to our website, click the image above to enter our site
Our ideas would be more realistic, as they would have been timed for the first time and timing will really help us to visualise ideas
It would be easier to create documents further up the line e.g. storyboard, shot list
We could start to see the flow of our video, and what things worked or didn't work
Our timeline is very simple - it consists of a brief description of each scene/set up by the relevant timing. This is because we wanted it to be as concise as possible so that it serves its purpose of being the core layout for our idea. Below is the first section of our timeline (the other sections follow the same idea):
The video below is a visual, moving pitch of our idea for our music video. It is a minute long and contains video clips as reference points for our idea.
In this video, you can see the key features are prominent lighting, edgy editing, female domination and abstract images. We liked the idea of beginning the video as silhouettes, to conceal our identity for a moment. This connotes suspense, intrigue and mystery, which the general tone of the song seems to convey. Throughout we also want spotlight shots to give each member a chance to (literally) shine. We want to play with various lighting colour arrangements to make it bold and add to the futuristic themes. Red is going to be a central colour. We used references of artists interacting with male actors as we wish to get across the theme of female domination as well as desire. The flickery editing that can be seen reflects our idea of having a dark, mysterious feel to the video. Finally, we want to have abstract images, such as shapes to add to the out-of-this-world theme.
Producing this video has benefited us in many ways. We are able to visualise and plan the shots that we want which will really help us with the timeline and storyboard. Also we have an initial, basic idea of the different elements and scenes we want at certain parts of the song, so it has helped us to start thinking about the flow of our video and its narrative progression. Finally, many of the references are major sources of inspiration that we can refer to when lighting for instance - as a guideline.
When I first heard the song, the themes which seemed to be portrayed were: lust, passion, desire, fascination and power. I have interpreted the song title (and lyrics) 'red planet' as being a play on the literal meaning. 'Red planet' describes Mars and so the guy is like Mars to the girl - out of this world. He's so amazing that she wants to enter into his world. It is also important to portray the slight contradiction in the lyrics: we want to be presented as strong powerful females, who seem to dominate and seduce the man in the relationship but at the same time, we are praising the guy and so also giving him power.
Red Planet - Little Mix (lyrics)
Analysis of lyrics
Analysis of lyrics
Analysis of lyrics
Analysing lyrics in this way was really important and helpful, It will help us to visualise our video and group the key things into one overall concept. There was lots of repetition in terms of the message of the lyrics e.g. desire and most significantly 'red planet.' This means that we should focus on portraying these ideas well and clearly. For instance, because of the main themes - passion, desire, lust - there will be a lot of red. Equally, because there are a lot of references to the guy being so amazing, we will incorporate male actors to objectify/glorify.
I am very happy with our chosen song. I've liked Little Mix since they first came out, and I was familiar with their song as I'd bought their first two albums.
Red Planet by Little Mix
'Red Planet' is a song from Little Mix's first album, DNA. This did very well in the charts: it charted in the top five in eight countries, including number three in the UK and number four on the US Billboard 200. This made Little Mix break the record of the highest debut Billboard chart position by a British girl group, which had been previously held by the Spice Girls' album Spice.
Pros
It's very energetic and fun
The song is divided among the group so we can all have a role and a sing a section individually as well as together
There are live instrument type sounds so we could incorporate band shots if we wanted
It's modern and has a youth feel to it; it's cool
The lyrics and theme of the song is quite general so we can do practically anything with it
It's captivating all the way through - there are exciting parts throughout and a good bridge
The beat is really interesting - so dance moves and choreography could work really well
Cons
It is likely that the song would only really work as a performance based video - so it may be a challenge to come up with different, interesting set ups
We want choreography for the song but dance scenes are complicated/time consuming to shoot
There are five voices in the song but we are a four piece girl band
Copyright:
It was essential to ask Syco Music, the record label's permission to use the song for non-profit educational use. If we did not do this, this could cause future problems when it comes to uploading our video online. We sent an email to the label, which can be seen below.
We are a London, street-based girl band. We are strong independent females and each have our own individual personalities and identities but we are all brought together by our passion for music.
Members: Monigal, Gigi, Shaana, Anj
We are a street band and proud of where we come from, despite it not being the nicest area. We are "prestige street"- it's 2015 and we want to break those stereotypes e.g. we all have qualifications and had good upbringings; it's not been a hard knock life. We want to make that clear so we're not hypocrites. We've known each other since secondary school and we formed the group when we all realised how much we love singing and rapping. Initially there was a bit of sexism in our school, because we liked to rap but this only made us stronger and more determined to be successful.
References Style
We have a hip hop style but we are a pop/r&b girl band. Furthermore, we all have slightly different styles within the style. E.g. I'm more tom boy.
M.O. are the closest modern day female band to have a similar style to us - urban and street
Lady Leshurr in a music video - this is very current as a street/
hip hop style and the snapback/shorts with a checked shirt
tied round is a look that will be present in our video
Aaliyah baggy outfit style. Even though it's not modern, it is still cool and modern and we
can take inspiration from it e.g. crop top and baggy track suits
Unpretty Rapstar season 2 episode 1 - all of their
styles are urban and current. Sweaters and baseball shirts are styles we like
We're like a modern day 3lw
References Dance
As we want to incorporate choreography into our music video, it was essential to look at existing music videos to look at both the moves and how it fitted into the song. We thought it would be particularly useful to research female artists who produced similar music/did similar dancing to what we are aiming for. Overall our research made us even more confident and determined to have dance scenes as it will give our video a fun, cool effect, as well as making us (the artist) more interesting and talented.
Are You That Somebody - Aaliyah
One Two Step - Ciara
Lush Life - Zara Larsson
Some dance choreography we looked at on YouTube for inspiration. We focused on selecting simple hip hop dance steps to tie in with our urban, street image. Doing this was extremely helpful as we were able to find tutorials to help us learn and practice any moves that we liked.
References Character/Identity
The Spice Girls each had an individual characteristic: Ginger, Sporty, Scary, Posh, Baby Spice. Our members each take on their own personalities too (sassy,sporty,princess,chilled) in order to make each one relatable in some way to our audience. It also makes the band more interesting.
2. Fifth Harmony promote female empowerment through many of their songs and in their music videos, they are normally quite dominant, especially in their sexuality. Examples of titles from their songs are 'BOSS,' 'Me and My Girls' and 'Worth It' which have female-dominating lyrics and meanings. Many of our songs have this theme of female power within them as we want to spread the message of gender equality and inspire young women. Some singles on our debut album are 'Deal With It,' 'Leave It Alone' and 'Contageous' highlighting this powerful image we hope to portray.
3. Neon Jungle seem to embrace their home town and be proud Londoners. We can see this through their urban look. At the same time, they acknowledge each other's different cultural origins; it is an ethnically diverse girl group. This is a great way of representing where they come from as London is very much a multi-cultural society. In our group, we all have different backgrounds which we are each proud of but we are also happy to celebrate the different cultures we all have. It makes us more interesting and more relatable, as their are so many different races in London.
We are a subsidiary of Universal Music Group based in Soho, London and we own new and upcoming British artists who are primarily in the mainstream music scene.
The main genres that our artists cover are pop, R&B and electronica/dance - mainstream genres.
The majority of our artists are young (typically young adults) as we specifically seek out new talent and aim to build their careers from an early age.
We are a fairly new label as we were formed in 2012 but we have 12, strong artists who continue to do well in the charts.
Previous and current success demonstrates that we know our market and we know what they like to hear, so we aim to continue finding new artists and bringing out their music to the world!
D4MES is our latest signing and our first ever girl group. We hope their debut single will kick start their career, which could potentially be very successful.
Reference Points
PMR Records
Many of their artists are current and reach mainstream audiences. The music that their artists make are often fun and upbeat, which appeal to young audiences as party/dance music. A few in particular are doing extremely well at the moment and are on the verge of international success:
Jessie Ware
Jessie Ware is an English singer and songwriter. Her debut studio album Devotion (2012) peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart. She's worked with the likes of SBTRKT and Nicki Minaj and Kid Harpoon, Dave Okumu, Miguel, James Ford, Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran all worked on her latest album, 'Tough Love.'
Disclosure
Disclosure are an English electronic music duo consisting of brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence. Their main genres are house and deep house. Their first UK hit was in October 2012 with "Latch"featuring vocals from Sam Smith which peaked at number 11 in the UK Singles Chart. In 2013 they gained two consecutive top 10 hit singles in "White Noise"and "You & Me." Their first full debut album, Settle was released in June 2013 and was met with commercial and critical success, debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart. In 2013, Disclosure embarked on a worldwide tour of more than 40 European, American, and Canadian cities including high-profile music festivals such as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Sasquatch Festival in Washington State. The same year they established the record label Method Records; its roster includes Friend Within, Karen Harding and Tourist.
Soho Records hopes the same level of success for our artists and we believe that some are already on this path. It's important for our artist to be popular but nothing is more important than the music that our artists produce. PMR records are influential in a sense that their artists, such as the two above, produce good quality, critically acclaimed music that appeal to people across their home country and the world. We want our artists to equally be acknowledged for their music across the world. Furthermore, we want people to enjoy the music they consume and so we aim to make fun music by specialising in these genres.
We promote female empowerment and girl power which is more likely to influence young women and teenage girls. It may be inspiring for them to see this current girl band who they can relate to in the sense that we, like them are normal people, who have had an ordinary upbringing and have normal interests. At the same time, we are representing women in a positive light - there is more to being a woman than having a pretty face. Our band members can dance, play instruments, speak other languages; and all these things will hopefully help to remind young women that they can do absolutely anything they want in life. The recent trends in the music chart can justify our desire to appeal to this audience:
According to Forbes, 2014 was 'the year of the woman'
Artist such as Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Charli XCX, Iggy Azalea and Meghan Trainor all did very well and are all well known for promoting female equality and power.
Secondary Audience: R&B and Pop Fans
As R&B and pop are the genres we perform, we hope that our music will attract fans of this genre. As they are quite mainstream genres and we do not particularly break the conventions of them, it will hopefully not be too hard to build up a fan base. For example pop videos often involve the artist wearing fashionable, mainstream clothes and the songs are about love. R&B songs are often about love and the videos may involve girls wearing minimal clothing. So in a way, we break this convention in order to give females more power. Furthermore, these genres constantly do well in the charts so its likely ours would get noticed on mainstream music chart sites/video channels:
From the Officials Singles Chart 23rd-29th October
The top 5 are either pop or R&B
Other Audience: Street
This is a minor audience but still an audience. This is due to our hip-hop image and style and some of the songs we have which share a slight likeness to grime and female urban rappers such as Lady Leshurr.
Fashion
Here some examples of what is fashionable to wear nowadays as an Indie artist or an Indie fan.
1. Stripes
2. Retro
3. Denim
Culture
Indie genres such as indie rock and indie pop evolved from 1970s punk rock and post punk and these genres were seen as experimental and breaking the old rules when they first came out. Indie rock songs would feature ragged guitar riffs, ferocious decibel levels and unpredictable song structures whereas indie pop's conventions included jangling guitars, a love of 60's pop and melodic power pop song structures.
EXAMPLES
Early indie rock - Shakespeare's Sister by The Smiths
Key artist/band influences on 1980s indie culture 1. Robert Hampson of Loop
Sam Knee (indie rock aficionado): "The bowl cut barnet helped a lot back then blocking out mundane reality....the boots went with pretty much anything" This style was influential as it was expressed the bands ideas and personality. Furthermore, it enabled fans to copy the style as it was fairly easy to recreate and did not require much effort e.g. the boots.
2. The Jesus and Mary Chain
Sam Knee: "The JAMC pioneered the lether trouser look synoymous with the Creation records roster. They were threateningly cool: grotty black leather box jackets, shades and chest shirts..." This style influenced young fans because it was cool, fun and new.
3. The Sea Urchins
Sam Knee: "(Their) image optiminsed the mid -80s 'indie anorak' look - it's a factual document that captures a brief moment in UK youth fashion history. The band (had) a more militant pop art mod fashion direction not long after this." This was another new phase that indie fans went through, inspired by the likes of this band, and interestingly enough, this style has come back into fashion now.
Overall, previous movements and fashion are still relevant as it started trends which still occur today. For example many fashion styles that the above indie bands made popular are still worn by people today.
Art
I have noticed that the logos of many indie rock artists revolve around a pattern, or have a pattern within in it. Moreover, black and white is the most common colour. This suggests that patterns and black and white are key features of an indie rock brand.
According to Richard Dyer's Star Theory, music artists are primarily manufactured for money purposes; for the record label to benefit from them financially. The artist is essentially a construct representing a real person. Key parts of his theory include the ideas of hegemony and character and personality. He claims that the artist will often have a cultural attitude that is shared with fans or inspires fans. Also their personalities may come across in the lyrics or in a music video, which would then be admired by fans. Essentially, there is something about an artist that makes fans relate to them. This theory is relevant to my ideas below as it justifies why the following artists were able to appeal to me through their image and music.
Awolnation
Awolnation
Who are they?
Awolnation is an electronic rock band signed to Red Bull Records which also produces alternative rock and dance music. It is fronted by Aaron Bruno and the other members are Kenny Carkeet, Zach Irons, Isaac Carpenter
and Marc Walloch. They released their first studio album, Megalithic Symphony, in March 2011, which featured "Sail"- their most notable hit, peaking at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, #4 on the Billboard Rock Songs chart, and #5 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
Sail - Awolnation
Appeal & Sound
I admire the energy and excitement that their songs contain, they are perfect to listen to when you are angry or as music to dance to. The lead singer's vocals always sound passionate and meaningful which allows you to connect more to the lyrics, which often carry deep meanings. They are also relatable, which is something we should consider when picking our song. They also have a similar fan base to the ones I have been thinking about:
From a video on Awolnation's Facebook Page - the fans
at this concert are of young ages
Their songs are often energetic
Style
I like the general, cool feel that this band seem to have. They are all young and this can be seen in the images below. They seem to do lots of interesting things and make the most of their lives, and this relaxed, down to earth attitude can have a positive affect on fans.
Screenshots of images on Awolnation's website
They also have a contemporary style, in terms of clothing. They have the typical rock look but with an edge of uniqueness. This reinforces the idea that they are a relatable band; nothing they wear is out of the ordinary and so fans can dress like them, if they want to.
Skinny jeans/black clothing = typical rock dress
Ripped shorts/checked shirt is typical but colours and jewellery are not
MØ
Who is she?
Her real name is Karen Marie Ørsted but MØ. She is a Danish singer/songwriter signed to Sony Music Entertainment. She fits the electronic/alternative dance/indie pop/R&B genres. Her debut album 'No Mythologies to Follow' was released in March 2014. Her first entry on the chart was with her 2014 Iggy Azalea collaboration single 'Beg For It,' which peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2015 she featured on Major Lazer and DJ Snake's hit 'Lean On' which peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart.
Appeal & Sound
I love the unique sound of her voice and her tone. I also enjoy the upbeat feel to her songs, which usually have a fast-tempo backing track and beat. They are normally feel good songs that evoke happiness or make you want to dance. There is an indie feel to her voice which also makes the songs relaxing. Most importantly, her songs have the effect of reminding to embrace your youth and enjoy life. It makes a change to have an artist that writes happy, positive songs about life.
Her songs are upbeat but soothing
Style
She sums her style up perfectly: 'grunge meets street.'She has a fun style that's simultaneously quirky and trendy. However, her fashion also has a sexy feel to it. I think young girls and women like her style as many of the clothes in fashion can fit under these categories. In terms of her hairstyles, they are normally quite bold and crazy, but in a cool way.
She has a vibrant, grunge/street style, often consisting of baggy jumpers,
vintage jackets, cropped vests and mini shorts/skirts
If we choose 'Green Card,' we will have a female artist. I particularly like the theme of nature, and so would like to incorporate it into the album cover. I especially think a cover with the artist surrounded by nature would suit our indie artist.
Ellie Goulding - Bright Lights (2010)
I like the positioning of the artist and her simple expression. The image of her spread out hair stands out and suggests that her songs are quite fun and upbeat. I also like the sharp focus of the artist with the soft focus of the scenery around her. Our album cover should represent what our artist is about.
Florence and The Machine - Lungs (2009)
I love the colours used for this cover. It is a unique depiction of nature, almost fantastical. The lungs on the artist make it seem slightly eccentric which is interesting and makes the cover stand out, which is important. The pose of the artist gives the impression that she is in touch with nature and that she perhaps feels at peace around it. This could also represent the music of the artist - peaceful.
First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar (2012)
I like the imitation of older style photographs; it makes it interesting. The scenery is beautiful and I like how they are in the middle of it. Their clothes really stand out, they are different, which also represents them in a way, as they are quite unique artists. Furthermore, I like the spontaneous effect of the pose, it seems like it was just taken without them preparing for it. Ours would also need to look quite natural.
The following album inspirations are what I would like if we were to go for a male indie artist.
Imagine Dragons - Continued Silence EP 2012
This image may look simple, apart from the special effects required but it could be interpreted in a thousand ways. I think it is important to have one powerful image that makes the audience think. I also like the mystery portrayed here, and the nature in its misty, foggy state plays a key role in this.
The Script - Science&Faith (2010)
The action of the two hands together is powerful and has many connotations - teamwork, friendship, strength, love, courage - the list is endless. We need to remember that simple poses like this can symbolise so much, especially in what the artist represents.
Aquilo - Human (2014)
The architecture here makes the album look really interesting; we are drawn to it, particularly to the sheer size of it in comparison to the artists beside it. The colour also makes the image look more intriguing and the lighter and darker colours compliment each other well. The key thing to take from this is visual appeal, it needs to have something attractive about it.
