Initial Idea For Pop Promo: 2

Initial Idea for Pop Promo – 2

SONG: Fireflies by Ron Pope

This song is very calm, with a building melody and focuses mainly on the lyrics. There is not a lot of instruments used, the key one being the piano, and thus the lyrics are pushed into the forefront. Therefore, when thinking of an idea for a pop promo, I read the lyrics through carefully in order to try and understand them and piece together a narrative story that would fit with the tone of the song.

In this pop promo, I would include two elements, a narrative and performance element. The camera would cut between the two elements as the song builds. The performance element would include one person (a boy; aged around 17/18) sitting at the piano and playing the song. He would be in complete darkness except for large numbers of fairy lights flickering all around him. The lights would surround the piano, hang from the ceiling and the walls in order to create a sensual atmosphere as well as imply the idea of actual ‘fireflies’. The camera would follow the boys hand movements on the piano keys, and would trail the lights in smooth sweeping shots in order to produce the idea that the room is slightly spinning.

The narrative section would include the same boy, and a girl. There would be a main set, including a sofa and a TV and then just general bits and pieces that coincide with a boy’s bedroom (posters/rug/clothes on the floor/full ashtray/beer bottle). The boy would be leaning with his back against the sofa, and the lighting in the room would be soft and minimal. Around the boy would be photos of the girl, photos of them together, as well as numerous sketches of her. Some of them should be crinkled, to give the idea that he has spent a long time looking at them. In front of the boy is the TV, and he should place a video in the player. The images on screen should be of a faded quality in order to suggest a home video. The footage should be shot on a hand held camera, so that the images are less fluid and thus more realistic. The camera will seem to go into the TV so that the audience seem to be living in this past moment. The footage will include the girl playing hide and seek with the person holding the camera in a park – running around trees and peeking out. The main essence to catch through this footage is happiness and an ease with which the two people interact. The second set of footage should be the girl lying on the sofa the boy is now sitting on, and making faces into the camera. Again the tone and atmosphere should be a relaxed one, and the girls face should express her love for the boy.

As the song reaches the crescendo, and the lines “love and lost, truth it cost”, the camera will cut to a scene on a street where the boy and girl are facing each other. As the momentum of the song builds, the camera will show the two having a fight and the boy walking away leaving her standing there. This is the climax of the piece and should represent the idea that what he thought was right, actually is not what he wanted. As the song draws to a close, the boy should rip up all the photos and sketches and pull the recording tape out of the video. Leaving it strewn all over the floor, the boy should walk out and the camera should do a sweeping close up pan of all the mess in order to suggest that what was once beautiful is now broken.

This image of Ron Pope expresses the kind of style I would dress the boy and the muted colours I would use. 

Initial Idea for Pop Promo : 1

Initial Idea for Pop Promo : 1

SONG: Garland by Dirty Heads

This song has soul and emotion, whilst also combining rap and good lyrics. The band are unique, as their image would not insinuate rap music, but their soft tones actually work well with the rap lyrics. 

My idea for this song is to show a girl and boy who are not completely sane, as well as a performance element. The theme behind this links to the fact that the song is all about reaching some sort of paradise but failing to get there at the last moment. However, these two people cannot convey their desire to enter this paradise in conventional ways, thus the must result to the ways only they understand. 

The young girl on the outside appears ordinary with a normal appearance. However, her eyes are slightly deranged and she cannot seem to stop moving. The set would involve 4 glass screens, that form a box shape. The top would be open and above and around the box would be thousands of multicoloured balloons. The girl would begin scribbling furiously on the glass with a black marker pen as the song begins; these would include numerous drawings of a paradise type destinations and long complicated maths equations. There would also be random names scattered in amongst the drawings and equations. The camera would film various extreme close ups of the drawings and the girls face which will show no emotion except crazy eyes, but the camera would also spin around the glass box and film from above. This would show the girl from numerous angles as well as highlighting the scribblings on the walls. 

The set for the boy would involve a clinical type area, in order to give the idea that he is in some sort of doctors waiting room. There would be matching chairs along one wall, a pile of old faded magazines as well as a box full of children's toys. The lighting would be very harsh and bright white thus intensifying the idea that he is in a hospital. As the song begins, the boy would be shown to move from seat to seat in the waiting area, but never seem to settle down or be comfy. The camera would cut to each different location and position sharply in order to emphasise the idea of jagged movement.  The boy would then see the box of children's toys, and begin by tipping the whole box upside down. It is filled with toy bricks, model trains, cuddle toys and masks. He begins, with fierce determination to form a detailed map on the waiting room floor. The audience is not supposed to know what it is at the beginning, but as the song builds the map become more and more recognisable for what it is. The centre of the map, seems to be a train station which has numerous routes leading off it. At the end of the song, a doctor walks into the waiting room, sees the map on the floor and the boy wearing a mask and drops his clipboard on the floor. The sound would be exaggerated and the camera would focus on the boy who remains completely still.  

The performance element of this piece would take place in a wooded clearing, and the band would be dressed causally in jeans, t-shirts and hats. The camera would focus on each instrument, as well as the band members playing and singing. As the song progresses, the lead singer would get a piece of red tape from his pocket, and begin attaching it to different trees, so that a pathway is created. The camera would follow this red tape as it moves from tree to tree, until it shows that it is a circle and leads back to the same place the band already is. The lighting here would be softer and more natural. 

The idea is that every utopian setting is different from one individual to the next, and that we should not discriminate others because there's is different to ours. Moreover, the idea that it is hard to enter paradise, especially when we are not understood by the world around us; we just end up going in circles. 

Advanced Portfolio Brief

 Advanced Portfolio Brief 

This year, instead of creating a thriller video, we will be creating a music video. 

We will have to produce a promotional package for the release of an album - this will include a pop promo video, along with two of the following three options:

• A website homepage for the band
• A cover for its release on CD
• A magazine advertisement for the CD

We have chosen to complete the first two options. 

Background to the Music Industry

Background to the Music Industry 

Genre:

Genre is how different styles and content are classified into different sub sections. The pop industry relies heavily on genre, as it includes a large variety of styles that change all the time. New genres are continuously being invented or altered, thus genre is important for producers and fans as it allows them to focus in on their particular taste of music. Some genres are just formalities, whereas others are rigidly enforced with specific definitions that the artist must follow. Some of the main genres in the music industry are;

These all have variations as well, for example, Indie Rock, Folk Rock and Punk Rock.  These numerous sub genres all still have unique characteristics, such as the rhythm, melody, lyric and vocal style but it can also be defined in the artists clothing or lifestyle. Genre can also be defined in where the artist performs, as this is linked to the type of music they are showcasing.

Genre and Artist Image:

An artist’s image is key, as it categorises them before they even start playing or singing. This makes the artists image a focus point for their management team, as it promotes the artist just as much as their music does. In order for an artist to completely fit into a genre category, they must alter their image to coincide with this genre in every commercial thing they do, as only then will fans recognise that they are part of that specific genre. As music, especially in the genres of pop and hip-hop, can sound quite similar, artists need to differentiate themselves from others and they do this through image. Their image makes them unique in a genre that is fixed on stereotypes. This is something I will need to focus on when I come to make my pop promo for my A Level Coursework. An artist’s image has to represent the genre whilst also conveying a new and fresh look, and this is a hard balance to find.

Genre and Sales:

Genre is also key when looking at music retail, as artists are divided into genre categories in order to calculate overall sales figures and the success of one artist compared to another. For example, the Billboard chart is subdivided into 43 different genres. As well as this, music stores, such as HMV, divide organise their shelves according to genre as it makes it far easier for customers to make their buying choices. Similarly, on-line streaming services, such as Spotify, rely on their consumers past genre choices in order to suggest new music. This ensures that their customers are being satisfied as they are already familiar with that specific genre.

Studying Pop Stars:

There is a lot of controversy surrounding pop stars and the youth-obsessed medium in which they work. Many of the agreed greatest singers of all time, come from a much older generation and have been dead and buried for a long time, but their music still continues to sell and inspire new generations. Why is that? This is because their style has been adopted by new generations, so that their persona's, fans, lifestyle are continued into today’s music industry. This goes against the argument that pop music is ‘of its time’ and is shaped by current historical and cultural context. Some argue that pop music has its moment and value, until something new comes along and changes the dynamic of the genre again. But there are many recurring themes in pop music, so that it does not matter if you are on the ‘Greatest Singers List’ and from 1951 or from today’s society. Pop music still embodies these same set of values:

Youthfulness, Rebellion, Sexual Magnetism, An anti-authoritarian attitude, Originality, Creativity, Talent, Aggression/anger, Disregard for social values in relation to drugs/alcohol/sex/polite behaviour, Large consumption of sex/drugs/material goods, Success against the odds

However, although these values are easy to use at the beginning of one’s career, they quickly burn out and originality and creativity are lost. This is why the pop industry is a young person’s game, as the rock n roll lifestyle soon erodes the youthful look of the star and there is always a new up and coming youngster ready to take the older generations place. This is why prematurely dead artists fit the image of the perfect pop star; they die before their image is altered by old age or unattractive doings. Fans find them easier to follow, as they are still viewed as ‘cool’ and do not succumb to embarrassing middle aged lapses of taste. This why we are so familiar with the members of the ’27 Club’, as those who die early seem to leave their dignity as well as their appeal still intact.  Management teams to equally well if their star dies early, as it causes a sudden boom in sales as the artists name is being broadcast hugely. For example, Michael Jackson sold more music in the week after his death than he had been years previously, and his music is still being played. This occurs, because the star can be marketed, not as a talent but as an obituary and this draws in fans on a huge scale.

This links to Richard Dyer’s Theory of Star Image, as the ‘pop performer’ is quickly replaced by the ‘pop star’. The two are not the same thing, but artists today are being presented as ‘pop stars’, as it easy to gain fame through exposes in magazines or some lovers scandal instead of through music. Dyer argues that a star is an image, not a real person and that they are constructed out of a range of materials. Numerous pop stars fit into this classification, as they are a brand that will quickly be forgotten as another person steps into the limelight. 

Testcard Album Cover Analysis

Testcard and Roja Album Cover Analysis

Testcard - 'Lines' - Debut album



This is the album cover for Testcard's debut album, and therefore has to convey the bands character in order to attract new potential consumers. The cover is very plain, with a grey background and dark black lines. The image is a sketch that does not seem to convey an image, but rather a fractured structure of different lines and squares. This gives the cover an ambiguous feel, and hints that the music is disjointed with varying tones and patterns. The simplicity of the colour scheme and font choice contrasts with the image and therefore suggests that the music will not be what the audience expects, but will constantly vary. This links with the name of the band, as 'Testcard' implies a degree of uncertainty and that it is not the real thing.  The album is presented as very organic and draws the audience in through its ambiguity. The music, I think, will be more acoustic with the focus being on lyrics. As a debut album it does not tell a lot about the band, but this seems to be the idea, and thus indicates that the band will show their character through music, not the commercial that surrounds it.

Roja -'Promise's I Should Have Kept' - Debut album

This is the bands debut album, thus again has to convey key characteristics of the band in order to engage a new potential audience.  The title of the album is very personal, and invokes a sense of pathos in the consumer and makes them link their own personal emotions and memories with the bands. The bands name is in a red bold font, and therefore stands out visibly against the white background. This is all about promoting the band name and addressing new audiences. The albums title is in a swirling smaller black font and this creates an older and more organic feel, and this coincides with the image on the cover. The image is slightly obscure as the woman looks formidable whilst the horse seems shocked or frightened. This generates a feeling of uncertainty and movement, which implies that the music will be more rock orientated but with softer tones as well.