Ancillary Task

I have a choice of three different things to produce for my ancillary task.

• Digipack
• Website
• Magazine Advertisement

I have to do two of these things alongside my music video, but before I do this I will research what examples there are in shops and on the internet which should inspire me as to what I will do with my song. There may be a case where it is more appropriate to choose a certain combination in order to relate to my song which is what the research will hopefully help with.

Record Label

My song would be ditributed by an independent record label due to the genre of it (Alternative rock, Indie). Independent record labels are labels that are operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. I have done some research into independent record labels and have been trying to find some labels that distribute the same type of music as mine.This is what I came up with:

1. Big Scary Monsters- Kevin Devine- Indie rock, folk rock, alternative rock, acoustic
2. Fat Cat Records- Frightened Rabbit (indie rock, indie folk), The twilight sad (indie rock)
3. Heaven Records- Fat Tulips (indie pop, indie rock)
4. Independiente- many different bands (Blackbud, Crashland, Embrace, David Ford, Roddy Frame, Gomez, Howling Bells, Kinesis)

Without listening to the music produced by these artists and distributed by these record labels, I cannot confirm whether these are suitable record labels. My next step will be to listen to these pieces of music when I am home to acess my computer.

Here are two songs that are simlar to my song which I will do some further research into. They are Post Rock songs, therefore I will look into this genre more to see if I can find the record labels taht distribute these songs:
- This will destroy you
- Shipping news

Collecting photos for inspiration

In order to gain inspiration for my music video, it has been important to find photos that match what I am thinking in order to put across my ideas to other people. To do this, I have been using 'flikr' which is a really useful website created to enable people to share photos.
I thought I would include this on my blog because it has been really useful to me in my research and planning!

 

Latest Ideas

I was not able to go into school today due to illness and therefore decided to listen to my music choice as many times as it took in order to think of a possible story. From this, I came up with quite a few ideas! Whilst listening to my song, I had a notepad in front of me so I was able to jot down any ideas that came into my head and this is what I got:

• The opening of my song choice makes me think of slow-motion walking in the dark. This fits with the idea that came from the feedback of my audience which has been growing on me over the past few days.
• Slow motion walking, camera on feet, slowly moving up the body as the music progresses while he is still walking, night time.
• Narrative of different things going wrong in his life (lost his love-he sees her with someone else in the video, children are scared of his as he walks past, people give him bad looks as he walks by etc)
• See his face when drums start (22 secs)
• Slow-mo until he starts to sing & cut to him singing
• 2 different story lines throughout the video: one with the problems he faces and his difficulties and one with him singing and sharing his pain through his lyrics.

These images show the kind of idea I have in mind for the opening of my music video. I am not set on where I will film this yet but I am keen on filming him alone with nobody else around so it is only his legs in the shot. The train track in the top photo relates quite nicely to what I might include in my video as it shows loneliness and also portrays the feeling of giving up.

Character Research

I thought it best if I did some research into what alternative bands look like so I could search for someone appropriate to appear in my music video. Although my video will not be performance based, I wanted to include an actor who fits the scene and makes the video work as an alternative rock singer.

I googled alternative rock band images to get an idea of what the appearance of the members is and this is what I got:

This selection of images shows that there is a similarity between the bands. The often wear black clothes and sometimes wear eye make-up. The middle photo of mumford and sons differs from the other photos. They are a more modern alternative rock band than the other ones as well as a lot more indie.

From this research, I have found out what typical alternative rock bands look like which has given me inspiration as to what I will look for in the person(s) that appears in my video.

Audience Feedback

During class time, my classmates and I shared the ideas we had come up with regarding our different song choices and what we were thinking of including in our music videos.
I used my blog to explain and show the mental processes that I had thought of to include in my video (or at least the general theme). I explained in as much detail as possible, stating what colour choices I was going for and the general feel I wanted my music video to give.
Many of my classmates agreed with the route I was taking, however I didn't have a set story line in my head that I was able to share and therefore, my peers suggested a couple of things to me. These were very closely linked with the hazy thoughts I had which included the nightmare shots and the slow, glum shots to suit the music almost portraying the unhappiness in someone's life (initially a man).
The idea my audience came up with was a story line including a troubled man who had lost his way in life or lost the one he loves etc. This has inspired me and I now have another thread into my coursework to research and include in my planning and ideas.
I found sharing my ideas with others was very helpful as I was able to get the opinions from fresh eyes of what their immediate thoughts were when listening to the music. Therefore, I will continue to collect audience feedback throughout my planning and producing of my music video.

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Inspiration

I researched black and white images and chose a selection that inspired me. I am planning on creating the same mood as these photos do in my video although I'm still not 100% sure on whether I will include the idea of death/loss as the beat through the drums is faster than I would associate with the death/loss idea.

I saw this photos and thought it fitted in well as it is abstract which relates to the piece of music I am using.

This is very insiprational to me. The red lips in the black and white image is what I have in mind when I come to deciding the colours in my video. The black and white theme throughout the video that I have in mind creates the mood that I think the song creates. My idea on top of the initial connoted mood is to add colour for a more interesting approach. This photo is the perfect way to put across my idea.

The above photos are inspirational photos for the narrative part of the video. I'm still to decide whether I will include band shots, but here are some images of the type of thing I would include.

The above photos are what I would use in my video if I were to include band shots. However, I would experiment more into sets and have the band seperate in obscure places such as in the forest and other places that viewers would not usually expect.

Genre

The genre of 'Track 21' is Alternative Rock. Therefore, I thought it best that I do some research into it.

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980's and became popular in the 1990's. It consists of various subgenres that have emerged from the independent music scene since the 1980s, such as grunge, Britpop, gothic rock, indie pop, and indie rock.

Indie

Below are some indie videos. I noticed that they all share the same style of faded out colours or black and white.







I wasn't able to embed the official video of 'Sweet Disposition' so here are some screen shots to demonstrate what is used in it:

MORE TO COME...

My Ideas

So far, I have a few ideas that I need to narrow down on:
-narrative
-a widower remembering his lost wife
-black and white colours as well as vivid colours in some places
-black and white with pastel colours
-footage of a bad dream
-walking through woodland/forestry paths
-slow motion
-guitarist playing on his own
-whole band playing together (cut from narrative to band playing)
-stormy, dark weather
-love&despair

Some videos that influence me:



This music video influences me with the black and white effect as well as the feeling of loss.
The black and white colours connote that there are no bright/good feelings within the song which relates to my song choice. This video also cuts to the band which is another thing I had in mind to include in my music video.

My Song

This is the song that I have chosen to produce a music video to.

            

The Lyrics:

When you sleep

Do you see an angel in dying light

Or can you see someone standing outside
Trying to set you alight
Or maybe you've seen someone somewhere before That I might have loved if i'd never loved you But you only see me in...
Bad dreams

Personally, these lyrics make me think of an outer world experience with bright lights as well as the opposite of black and white creating a mellow mood. I also get the disturbing vibe from the lyrics. "Or can you see someone standing outside, Trying to set you alight"
It also has the aspect of love as well as desperation towards the end as though 'his love' doesn't want to be with him as she sees him in "bad dreams".
I will be following the lyrics to a certain extent, however, through the idea of a storyline on the basis of losing a loved one, I will deviate from the lyrics to be able to expand on and include my narrative ideas.

My Decision

I am a huge fan of the popular 'hip-hop' music of today, however I have decided to take a very different route and go for a much slower song. I feel that this is the right decision to make as I will be able to use my imagination and create a video that I feel directly relates to the piece of music. 

I made this decision after listening to the pieces of music provided for us to choose from as I felt a small connection to the song and immediately imagined what I would put in the video. When listening to the given pieces, I also chose a second best if my first choice was not to work. Ironically, it is an up beat piece of music much like the 'hip-hop' songs of today that I enjoy listening to. After comparing the two songs, I decided track 21 (the slower song) would be my first choice as it is more of a challenge for me and I would have to put a lot of thought into it in order to achieve well. If I were to go with the other, faster song, it would be boring and I would not have to use as much imagination as it would be much more in my comfort zone.

A2 Project

In our second year of media studies at A2 level, we are planning and producing our own music videos. We have been given a list of different songs to listen to and choose from which we will then go on to make our music videos to.

I'm looking forwards to this year as I have a passion for music and I have become inspired by a lot of songs. For me, every song tells a story and I think this approach to music will help me come up with ideas on what I will include in my music video.