Amber's Media Blog: R+P Post 22: Planning my promo shots

Over the past week, I have been doing a lot of research and trying to find specific evidence for our promo shots. In preparation for our shoot, I have drawn up various different sketches for the key 4 types of shots as well as a list for potential shots, provided we have sufficient time.

Sleeping With Sirens Promo Shots

The first of our key shots is a wide of the four band members. The different facial expressions on each character represent the 4 different versions we are planning to take of this shot. We want to have one where they are serious and looking straight at the camera, one where they are looking at each other, another where they are all smiling and lastly where they are all laughing.

This style of promo shot is very conventional in the rock genre, more specifically in the alt. indie sub-genre. The image to the right is a promo shot for 'Sleeping With Sirens'. This was my primary reference as I really like the soft yet striking nature of the image, as well as the clever color combinations. Furthermore, each different sitting position individualizes and aids the audience in personalizing each band member. However, it was not the only one; many bands such as 'Nothing But Thieves' and Catfish And The Bottlemen' also use similar shots that have the same effect.

Neck Deep Promo Shots

Secondly, we decided to do various different standing shots as well. We will do some where the band members are in two staggered line, another where they are all in line and a final one where Luke (lead singer) is in front of the rest of us. We will also vary our facial expressions throughout the shots, from serious to happy. This will give us as much flexibility as possibility when choosing the usable promo shots for our website.

The image on the left is my main reference for this shot. This is Neck Deep, an alternative punk rock band. I really like their subtly staggered effect and by placing Ben Barlow (lead) in the front it really helps to give the band "a star" who will act as the primary representative of the band. I have found that this style of shot is very typical for most rock bands as it draws attention to the lead singer without completely ignoring the rest of the band. As a result, I think this type of image is crucial for our promo shots.

These images on either side are the final two key promo shots. The sketch on the left depicts Luke in profile, however I wrote (x4) to signify that we will do the same for each band member. Likewise on the right I have drawn him in a headshot that we will reproduce for each character.

I had two main inspiration for the profile shots. The first of which was the Gorillaz album cover for 'Demon Days' (below left) and the second was Darlia's promo shots (below right). I really like the edge nature of the profile shots and i think it would compliment our bands image well.

The headshot is quite conventional and important when selling an artist as it clearly represents the band member without over complication. Having said this I really liked 'Madness' by Sleeping With Sirens as it incorporates the idea of the headshot, but through the use of striking shadows they do not completely adhere to conventions. I would like to take a similar approach when taking my headshots.