R&P Post 14: My Target Audience

We have decided that we would like to keep our audience as wide as possible, especially as it is a debut artist that we are creating. However, we have pinned down our main focal audience groups that we will be specifically targeting.

Primary Target Audience:

-Fans of the rock genre (more specifically the alt. rock sub-genre)
-Aged 16-24

NOTE: Our primary target audience is not gender specific. This is because we aim to connote gender equality representations through having a band with two girls and two boys.

Secondary Target Audience:

- Older, nostalgic rock fans, that are still interested and avid followers of the genre.

Tertiary Target Audience:

- Fans of pop music, who are searching for more than just the mainstream.

R&P Post 13: Influences and inspiration from art, fashion and culture

Over the past few weeks I have been doing some research and building up a wide range of influences and inspiration from a variety of different place. Below I have denoted my key influences from art, fashion and culture as well the development I have made as a result.

Wes Anderson Films

 'The Royal Tenenbaums' (top and bottom left), Moonrise Kingdom (middle left), The Grand Budapest Hotel (top right), The Darjeeling Limited (bottom right)

I am very interested in the cinematography of my music video and I feel it is important to create an atmosphere through the way the camera is being used and the footage is being captured. My inspiration for this comes predominately from Wes Anderson's cinematic masterpieces and the way in which he creates mood through the symmetry of his shots. As you can see in the image above, he works hard with the mise-en-scene to create an exact equilibrium in each frame and as a result presents the audience with a slightly distorted and surrealist view of reality.

La Haine - Mathieu Kassovitz

There are three main reasons why this french film has inspired me for my music video project. 

Firstly, as can be seen in the image to the left, Kassovitz experiments with very dynamic and intrusive camerawork in order to help reveal the setting, atmosphere and emotion of each scene through only one shot. This has influenced my ideas quite significantly as it as led to me wanting a very dynamic performance scene in which the actors really exploit their spacial relationship with the camera.

Secondly, I have become extremely interested in the use of black and white through watching this film and I love that by losing color, the director has enhanced and enriched the mood and message of the piece. Overall, I am very keen to adapt this idea of black and white for my music video as I believe, if it is done well, it will give us a very defining U.S.P (unique selling point) to market.

Finally, the last key inspiration is the use of the shots where Said (one of the main characters) opens and closes eyes. These shots connote his various realizations throughout the film and they create very powerful dramatic effect. I would really like to do something similar in my music video, however I do expect it to be challenging to to introduce something with a similar effect in just a 3 minute video.


60's Mods & Rockers

I think that this period of British culture will be the most influential to my project. I have researched in great depth about the relationship between the Mods and The Rockers and how fashion and music completely split the generation. I am really interested in bringing those two groups together, combining their looks and styles and then mix that with modern day culture. I think that this will create quite an interesting and unique band who's image is based on many prior success artists from both sides of the spectrum, but still wants to offer something new.



Skaters

This is the final societal group that I am very keen to incorporate into my artists image. Skate apparel and accessories in very much in fashion and is wore by a lot of young people internationally. In addition to this, for decades, the skater community has represented a marginalized group of youths that skate for a sense of personal identity as well as diversion, especially in places such as Southbank. As a result, I think that it would be quite an interesting audience to target and would help incorporate equality and cultural values into our bands image as well as aiding our edge and quirky representations.

R&P Post 12: Artists/bands that have influenced my ideas

Catfish And The Bottlemen

This band is my primary inspiration for the decisions upon the representations and overall image of our band. I really like the marketing of this band and there are many influences I have drawn from them. Firstly, I think that their alternative-indie genre is connoted very clearly and carried out in synergy across all platforms, through careful manipulation of their style and look. They use a variety of different tools to do so, one of which is their constant black and white colour scheme throughout their logo, album cover and gallery pictures. The idea of a colour stylisation is something I am very keen to adapt for our band as I feel that it strengths the bands synergy as well helping the audiences to differentiate the band from other, less unique indie bands.


Secondly, I will take inspiration from their performance style. The first thing I like is the way Van McCan (Lead Singer) conveys his emotions. As can be seen in the images to the left, he really sings into the mic, he squeezes his eyes shut very often and he is constantly dynamic and moving. Through these subtle techniques he manages to connect to the audience and involve them, making the performance more engaging. I am extremely influenced by this purposefully created dramatic effect and the affect it has audience.

In addition, I have also been inspired by the guitarist's performance. I am very keen to adapt some of his more dynamic and conventional rock dance moves that really aid the anchorage of the genre. As well as this, his own natural gesturing has really inspired me as I had not yet realised that individualised movement could be just as effective when trying to connote character.

Cage The Elephant

This band has mostly inspired me in terms of performance. Brad Shultz (the lead singer) is very clever in the way that he interprets his lyrics and adapts his performance to every line. In the music video for 'In One Ear' he interchanges between 3 different personas throughout different lines in the song.


One side of his character is quite serious and passionate and through his sporadic movement and constant straining he appears to be overtaken by the music. This results in an intensification of the emotion in the video, which helps to engross the audience an gratify the need of diversion.



In addition, he has also created a very sarcastic persona that acts as comic relief throughout the video. As a consequence of these shots, the constant intensity is softened in specific areas and a more dynamic and diverse video is further developed. In my opinion, this personality    characterizes and visualizes the ironic nature of the lyrics "in one ear and straight out the other".


The last stylization of Brad is possibly the most significant and affecting to the viewer. He is depicted dancing around crazily and just letting go. Due to the culture of dancing that surrounds rock music, for fans of this genre, this representation with satisfy personal identity gratifications. In addition, it improves the overall enjoyment of the video. It will encourage the audience to dance along and at best, encourage them to act and buy concert tickets.

This band has greatly influenced my ideas as they show a strong example of how clever acting can be used as an effective tool for more intense storytelling. Furthermore, having seen this music video I would definitely like to create a performance aspect to my video and use detailed acting in order to enhance the meaning of the lyrics.

Haim

The third band that has greatly developed my thought process is Haim. They are an American pop rock girl band that reached fame in 2013. There are many inspirational aspects of this band, however I think that the single most significant influence is the representation of females. All of their marketing, most crucially their sound and style, works in symbiosis to promote the presence of women in rock music, which is typically unconventional.

The music video for 'The Wire' is a clear example of sound and styling converging and being used to twist stereotypical gender roles to create a funny yet meaningful storyline. As can be seen in the video below the melodramatic males in the break-up juxtapose the traditional conventions of the over emotional and obsessive girlfriend.

This is not the only example of irony in gender roles and strong feminist expression, instead it something carried across their whole campaign to offer girls and women, that are fans of rock music, some aspirational figures that portray personal identity gratifications.

Finally, their look and style has been really important to my ideas and I have created the spider diagram below in order to graphically depict they different, more specific nuances that have influenced me.

{SPIDER DIAGRAM}

To conclude, I am really interested in their post-modernist and feminist values and I really like the fact they are not presented as 'one of the guys' nor 'girly girls'; they are just normal women.  These connotations and values that are highlighted most clearly through their sound, their style and look are things that I am very keen to develop and replicate.

Arctic Monkeys

As a big fan of the Arctic Monkey I decided to explore what attracted me to the band and why I like them. I found that this technique has been very effective in bettering my understanding of target audiences and developing my own ideas.

The first area I investigated was their sound and I found that their songs are highly dynamic, exciting and upbeat without being demanding to listen to and too overpowering. In addition they use a range of instruments and tones to create a complex overlay that is appealing to a wide audience. The sound cloud track below is just one of their many songs that follow this same formula.

Through breaking down the effect of the sound, I have been able to greatly develop my ideas surround the translation and emphasis of the music through the visuals in the video.
In addition, Arctic Monkey has inspired the genre I would like to choose and  I am very keen to find a  song that has a similarly strong dynamic range.

Secondly, their look and style have greatly inspired my ideas. Their 'star' image has been constructed to appear quirky and cool, but also slightly cocky. Initially it seemed odd to me that a band would be purposefully represented as a little arrogant. However, I have come to the conclusion that through this persona, Alex Turner excites and entices the audience to enjoy his rebellious and typically rock n roll antics that also offer the audience a sense of nostalgia.

In addition, their edgy characterization is anchored further by the way they dress. As can be seen through the picture on the right, they wear quite stereotypical clothing for the rock genre; leather jackets, aviators, denim shirts and jeans, however due to the nature of the genre and their image, they still appear alternative and counter-culture. In addition, one can see that Alex Turner (lead) has be cleverly styled to mimic and modernize very typical Elvis Presley signifiers, the most evident example being his hair style. This has hugely developed my thinking, as I am beginning to understand that star representations are often re-rendered and
used on many different artists with only slight
alteration being made.

R&P Post 11: Artist websites that have inspired and influenced my ideas.

There were many websites that I found extremely valuable to look at, in order to get a strong idea of the conventions of a artist/ band website. There are a few I find particularly inspirational and below, I will explain the reasons for each one.

Firstly, the most impactful website to me was the 'Arctic Monkeys' page. This is primarily because of its clean and uncomplicated nature that is layered with a predominately black and white theme, in order to create a clear and concise webpage. In addition, I also really like the magnitude of videos and photos that are available to watch. This help sells the simplistic brand identity, as the saturated gallery helps share personality connotations; of friendship and funny moments, that are extremely relatable for the whole audience. Furthermore, all of the critical conventions of an artist website have been adhered to, resulting in easy navigation and a clear structure to the site. 

I also really liked the 'Nine Inch Nails' website for their low-key, gritty color scheme. I am inspired by the vertical layout for this page and its effective and easy navigation. Furthermore, it cleverly promotes the symbiotic relationship with the film 'Gone Girl' in order to boost sales for both parties.

Despite my interest in these pages I also really like the 'MGMT' homepage. Unlike the first two, this page is bright and colorful and very interactive. It uses playful colors and only uses a small side panel for navigation, leaving the background images predominately exposed. I really enjoy this site as I feel that the interactive color background is very reflective of the light-hearted group vibes and the edgy, slightly vintage styling they like to promote

R & P post 10: Album covers that have inspired and influenced my ideas

After having done some research I have realized that generally, album cover can be group together in a number of ways. Firstly, I learnt that covers in the rock genre, tend to be edgier, more layered and more conceptual. There are several examples of this:

Secondly, I also noticed that the main convention of a debut album is that the band is normally depicted on the cover. The most important reason for this is to be able to sell the band as a brand and help the audience identify with the members.

These genre specific covers have inspired me immensely, but I felt that I needed to do some broader research in order to fully understand the conventions and techniques of a good cover. It was for this reason that I made a photo page of my favorite albums from across a range of different genres and eras.

My Photo Page

Through all of this research I feel as though I much better understand the role of a cover and how they can be designed well. Below I have chosen my three most influential album cover and I have explained why they have made such an impact on my ideas.

1 - The Ramones - The Ramones

I love this album cover for its simplicity and the effectiveness of how it represents the band. Every little detail in this cover has been considered, even the order in which they are standing. I like how the cover clearly presents all of the band members and through the use of black and white, manages to create a strong brand and identity for the band.

2 - The White Stripes - Elephant

There are many reasons, for why I like this album cover and they are very different for the reasons I like The Ramones cover. Firstly, I find the magnitude of layers and the complexed nature very inspirational. I am interested in the way they have managed to develop the various different meanings of the image. The image initially seems fairly simple, but as you look closer you see the less obvious, but more impactful,  representations. One example of this is the string attached to the women's foot. At first it is quite hard to notice, but this suggests strong connotations of being trapped or attached. This meaning is then made more significant when you see the skull just behind her. I really like this textured approach to a cover photo and I think the image coding is very unique. It is for these reason that I would like to adapt this approach for my album cover.

3 - Nirvana - Nevermind

Nevermind by Nirvana is arguably the most iconic album cover in the rock genre; for this reason I have decided to decode the connations and use it as inspiration for my own project. The use of a baby is juxtaposed by the greed for money that is suggested, and therefore eludes to a bigger issue in society. By targeting the natural instinct of humans to be greedy, the branding of the band is immediately strengthened and it is for this reason that the band are seen as counter-culture and anti-establishment. I am inspired by the power of this image and its ability to create a strong brand for the band, without using their faces, especially as this was their debut album. 

R&P Post 9: Music videos that have inspired and influenced my ideas.

There are many music videos that have inspired my ideas. I have looked at countless videos from within the rock genre and below are the main few that I have drawn the most inspiration from.

Buddy Holly - Weezer

The Beatles; the look
Weezer are mimicking.

This video uses intertextual references from 'Happy Days' and it depicts Weezer dressed up as a typical American teenage boy band, which is juxtaposed with the rock music they are playing. It is structured as a chronological narrative with slow cuts and still framing, in order to give it an amateur look and more of a  TV show style. It is for this reason that the video is not cut to the music either. The music is made to sound joyful, which is connoted through the theatrical and positive dancing around by the fans, in conjunction with the bopping and cheesy smiles from the band. This representation is made stronger by the constant reactionary shots from the audience, creating a relationship between them and the group; Weezer. The very stereotypical boy band atmosphere is also created through the misc-en-scene. For example, the smart shirts and ties with beige cardigans and the gelled back hair cuts suggest they are satirizing  and Americanizing the look of The Beatles. In my opinion this conceptual performance works very well and helped affirm the branding of the band. The stark contrast of the 90's rock band and the 60's TV programme creates layers of irony within this intertextual reference and as a result creates a very cool and effective satirical tone. Therefore, this video has inspired me to look within stereotypes and try to break them down using irony, instead of avoiding these formulaic connotations altogether.

The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

I have been developing my ideas and I think that I would like a heavily conceptual music video that has a key theme running the whole way through. My primary reference for this is The Suburbs by Arcade Fire. The jarring juxtapositions between the carefree cheeky teens and living in a military state is very complex and very interesting and as a result makes the video captivating and layered enough to be able to watch it more than once. I am really keen to reuse these techniques used by Spike Jonze, in order to create my own interesting and textured plot.

100% - Sonic Youth

This music video was also directed by Spike Jonze and is regarded as one of his classics. It was shot in Los Angeles and much of the footage was filmed by Jonze while riding a skateboard, following other skaters around the streets of the city. Furthermore, the song was dedicated to Joe Cole and throughout the video it alludes to his death, however the predominate story line is about a friendship between two skaters. The main reason I chose to closely analyse this song is because of the great camerawork and graphics that work in symbiosis with the juxtaposing black and white and color saturated scenes. This video has influenced my ideas massively as I started to develop my concepts based on colours and their roles in videos. '100%' is a great example of how colour contrasts can work effectively together and that the absence of colour (black and white) can bring out more from  layered concepts.

R&P Post 8: Possible tracks for the single

I have found this task particularly enjoyable as I have a very similar music taste to other members in my group meaning that agreeing on a song shouldn't be very difficult. In addition to this, I have also been trying to pick my possible song choices through my thoughts and the ideas I have when listening the the various different songs and reading through the lyrics.

To start finding tracks, I looked at my own music album, this is because I felt looking at songs I know and like would help me build a strong and realistic target audience. As well as, I have been using sites such as Spotify to look at smaller related artists.

Track no.1: Mountain At My Gates - FOALS

This is the first track I suggested to my other group members. I like this song for its clear genre signifiers and conventional representations of a rock band. My group are also fond of the the guitar based rhythms and like the upbeat tempo of the song.

On the other hand, we all agree that the lyrics are slightly repetitive and ambitious, meaning they do not inspire our creativity, in a practical way.

Track no.2: Be Somebody - Kings Of Leon

This is the second possible track for the single. It was Shayam's choice initially, but I know the song  very well, and was immediately keen to use it. The whole group really liked the meaningful nature of the song and thought that a conceptual video would compliment it well. Having said that, after listening to the lyrics several times, we have decided that it may be too slow, and potentially over repetitive.

Track no.3: Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood

The third potential track is this, there are many reasons for why we like it, just one being that the lyrics hold great imagery and ideas are not difficult to create. On the other hand, none of us are satisfied with the constant tempo, as we felt it lacks dynamic or a range of moods we could play with. It was for this reason that we have decided to keep on looking for new tracks.

Track no.4: Trip Switch - Nothing But Thieves

This is the final track that we have chosen as a possibility and I decided to pitch this song to my group for various reason. Firstly, unlike the last few songs, it is very dynamic, exciting and interesting to listen to. Secondly, we all love the lyrics and feel that there are limitless interpretations of the song, therefore there could be limitless layers and concepts within our music video. At the moment we would all like to develop the ideas of power relations in the song; specifically between people and technology. Finally, we think that the singers voice, though quite different, wouldn't be too difficult to find a suitable actor for. It is for this reason that Trip Switch is the most suitable track for our video, and at this moment the most probable.