Songs- Video Killed the Radio Star

After spending time focusing on the idea for Sit Down by James, we decided that we're not hugely keen on the song because it's too slow and 80s style for our target audience. We looked for an updated version and found a remix but we still didn't think it was right and decided to consider other songs.
We came up with the song Video Killed the Radio Star and were all really keen on the idea as there's a modern version, in which the bass is emphasised and the overall sound is more modern and synthetic. Furthermore, after reading the articles about Music in the Online Age and how technology is making it ever harder for artists to establish themselves, we thought the song could communicate this modern interpretation. Whereas before video killed the radio star, now, technology is killing the music artist. We also thought about communicating the idea of the 27s Club and thought this could be an interesting section of the video as it explores glamour and the theme of stars being killed by the consumers. Here, we could incorporate old footage of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Amy Winehouse and other stars that died as a result of a "live fast, die young" attitude.

Our concept for the video is to have a pile of old TVs and band is displayed on them. This is an example I made on Photoshop.
Then people will come in and take the TVs away as the band are still singing and replace them with new TVs that are better quality however they put the TVs in the wrong order, carelessly, and so the band is all in the wrong order. Something like this...

This process will take the length of the video and would be the performance section of the video.

Bohemian Rhapsody

My third idea is one which I like but I think the song is too iconic and well known to do a music video to. The song Bohemian Rhapsody is by the world-famous band Queen and is a sad song about a man having to leave, perhaps ending his own life, after murdering someone.
The lyrics are the man telling his mother he's just murdered someone and now he's got to go and so I think it would be interesting to show the man's (singer's) life in flashbacks- just key moments- to illustrate that his life is flashing before his eyes. At the end we see the singer leave or commit suicide, however we choose to interpret the lyrics, so it's obvious that the rest of the video has been his life flashing before his eyes before he "leaves it all behind".
The concept would be hard to do because we'd have to find people who look the same but at different ages and we'd also have to recreate lots of scenarios or use footage we already have.
I have an image in my head of James Blunt's You're Beautiful video, where he's lining up all his possessions before falling into the freezing water in order to be with the "angel he saw on the subway".

I really like this idea of sorting out his possessions and so I thought this could be an alternative to the flashbacks which still shows the singer's state of mind.
We could have him sat at a chair and the whole narrative section of the video will be a medium wide shot from the front. Firstly, we see him pick up a pen and start writing a letter to his mother - writing the lyrics we hear- and then people in blacks, like stage hands, will quickly move the table and chair and put something like a chest of drawers in front of him so that he can take his possessions out, perhaps old photos and other sentimental things and line them up on top of the chest. By doing this, movement, it's as if the scene changes and he's now in a different place sorting out his possessions but we don't cut the camera so the whole narrative is one long shot. This could continue until the end where we just see him step up on to a stool so that his head is out of the shot and then the song ends, connoting that he ended his life and then the camera does its only movement to the table where we see the note and all his possessions lined up.

These ideas might be too complex for our video but I will discuss them with the group anyway and see what their thoughts are.

Mardy Bum

My second idea for a music video is to the song Mardy Bum by the indie rock band The Arctic Monkeys.
They seem to be 'normal people' and in their songs and music videos portray the lives of everyday working class, young people in urban areas. Their songs communicate realism and the band doesn't sugar coat the message they're trying to convey as they seem to want to communicate the gritty lifestyle some people lead. For example, in the original video for When The Sun Goes Down, the saturation of the images is low which makes the scenes look dull and grey, suggesting that's the way of city life. We clearly see the connotations of prostitution and abuse and the video appears quite violent.
For Mardy Bum, I would have a couple as the main focal point of the music video as it's narrative storyline and would cut between when they're happy and getting on and when they're arguing. I would highlight a number of specific scenarios where he's late home and she's had a whole evening planned, perhaps with a table laid for a meal or he's late to meet her at a restaurant and she's humiliated.  This corroborates with the lyrics "yes I'm sorry I was late, but I missed the train and then the traffic was a state." Throughout the video we could portray the man as genuine and that his excuses for letting her down 3 or 4 times are true. However, at the end we'll cut to moments before each of the scenarios where we see him with another girl and we see that actually he's cheating and so there's a twist in the plot.
An interesting idea would be to keep the concept of the video but have a female singing and try reversing the roles to subvert the stereotype of the 'cheating man'. Another idea would be to change the class of the couple, so instead of being a working class couple, perhaps they're upper class, again a change from the usual angle that the Arctic Monkeys show.

Sit Down

An idea I had for a music video is to create the scene of a psychiatrist's waiting room, similar to Eminem's Slim Shady music video and have about 8 people stood up doing contemporary movement.
This idea stemmed from 'chair duets'- a theatrical device used by the company Frantic Assembly to show inner thoughts or relationships through movement.
My concept is that all the characters are stood individually doing movements which require other people to interact in order to continue. For example, they need someone to catch them but no one is there so they fall or other people's movements will seem incomplete and fragmented. Then, in the bridge of the song, the lead singer collects all the characters and they all sit in a row- similar to the original video. The singer tries to configure them into an order where they all fit together and in the end, all the characters' movements fit together, for example, people who were once falling are now being caught. This communicates the message of the song which is that we can all help each other and people can solve each other's problems without going out of their way.

When filming the beginning, when the solos don't fit together, I would vary the shot types and speed of the filming in order to show the disjointed nature of their thoughts and how they don't fit together.

The band could be characters in the scene- for example the lead singer could be behind the counter and the drummer, guitarist and bassist could be characters in the scene.
As well as this, we could cut to the band playing the song in a different location, perhaps a shopping mall before it opens and as the song goes on, the location gets busier and busier and the band interact with the audience until they're singing along. This reiterates the message of coming together and helping eachother.

Pop Music Genre

"Image is a key paradigm for music genre, with an artist's look categorising them before they start singing or playing."

This is the main point I gleaned from this article and is something which I'm very aware of.
It's true that when I look at an artist who I've never seen before, I'll make assumptions about their music, messages and whole image before I've even heard their music and will judge whether I listen to their music dependent on my opinion of their image. This means that, without creating an image which is the same as every other popstar, when making my artist's image I have to research into the target audience for the genre of music and make sure the image is spot on.
A signature element is also something which I would like to create. For example, Elvis' flares, Micheal Jackson's glove and Amy Winehouse's beehive are all things you could look at in isolation and would remind you of that artist- perfect examples of good marketing of their images.

In the music video, the clothes they're wearing make a big impact on the seriousness of their work so this is something I'll pay attention to- if their message is of non-conformity and rebellion then I'd dress them in wacky clothes to signify this, whereas if they sing ballads and love songs, I'd put them in more normal or slightly dressed up clothing to look romantic but relatable.

We can see these ideas are often applied in the music industry, with 70s punk rockers The Ramones wearing leather, ripped clothes and long hair in order to show their disregard for social norms whereas we see Adele often wearing romantic black dresses with demure makeup and her bigger size helps with her likability for her target audience.

The Formula for Future Music Business Models

The main point of the 15 minute presentation by Mike Masnick is that there is a simple business model which artists can follow in order to achieve success in the music industry and this doesn't mean that the artist has to become a "cookiecutter popstar" but actually, you can execute this formula in an "infinite variety of creative ways".

Connect with Fans (CwF) + Reason to Buy (RtB) = The Business Model (££££)

NMTs mean that there is a tremendous amount of new ways for artists to connect with their target audience and fans and to offer real reasons to buy, which can only aid their overall success. "Those that complain about what's been lost in the past need to turn around and look at the vast open fields of opportunity in front of them."

Using new technologies seems to be the best way for any artist to apply this business model and we see artists doing this every day.

Twitter is a perfect way for artists to talk to and follow back fans in order to keep interest and make them feel valued as fans and is also a perfect way to advertise tours, singles and albums through both their own tweets and pictures on their profile- as we can see above.
Apps such as Instagram also give the audience the feeling of insight into their chosen artist's life and makes them feel personally connected with the artist; again, helping the business model.

I'll apply this to my artist's business model and create a Twitter and Instagram account in order to connect with fans and promote their work and the messages behind their music, giving fans a real reason to buy.

Why Piracy is Perpetuating Plastic Pop

Piracy means that, especially for younger artists who haven't had chance to "make money from the music industry before the advent of digital piracy", music is being cheapened and it's harder for artists to get their money back on the music they're creating.
It also compromises the image of certain artists and can defy their whole reason for making the style of music they make and the messages they convey through their music. For example, Billy Corgan, of Smashing Pumpkins, emanates a rebellious attitude and says that showing this attitude in his music and then "begging for attention" is "completely counter intuitive to why he became a musician in the first place."
So not only does piracy deplete the number of new artists, it can also destroy the images of others.

If applying this ideas to my own music video, I would focus this idea into the artwork for the CD cover. Instead of making something generic and pleasing to the eye, perhaps something more thought-provoking, controversial and individual would gain the audience's attention without "begging for it" and would mean that the artist's individuality is kept.

An example is The Sex Pistols, who created a controversial album cover for their single "God Save the Queen" which is relevant to their views; rebellion against social conformity to monarchy and which changed the face of music and grabbed everyone's attention whilst sticking to their own morals and the messages they convey in their music. They didn't conform to the popstar norm in order to achieve demand for their music and fame.