FIRST PITCH.

The eight conventions of a pop music video are the following:
• The explicit and unashamed promotion of the artist’s “image” (aesthetic/generic/ideological) as a specific product with a brand identity, ready for mass consumption

• The featuring of the artist (almost without exception)

• A wide and extensive use of shot types, camera angles and movement

• Repetition of reoccurring thematic elements and generically specific iconography (one key element often being dominant and providing the skeletal structure for the promo)

• A possible narrative structure

• A possible performance element

• The flexibility to disregard Realism!

• Shots cut tightly to the beat of the track

• Use of special effects (lighting, annimation, CGIs, in-camera effects)

• A carefully constructed Mise en Scene appropriate to the content and tone of the track

• High impact instantly! (Don’t forget that competition for airplay on the main music channel outlets is intense)

The idea was not to subvert, but imitate these conventions due to the similarity between the image we are creating and the image of the original band. In the pitch to Luke; I explained that we were going to give the band a rebellious image and explained the setting for performance and what the narrative would entail. We came to the conclusion that the performance must take place in the studio and not in London, in order to save time on the shoot day and in case the local council did not approve of our endeavours. We are going to recreate the urban setting in the studio to a (hopefully) maximum level of realism. It was also decided that for the performance; we would incorporate a “behind the scenes” feel to video and instead of shooting the bar scene, we would shoot similar activities in a dressing room, shot hand held, convincing the target audience that they are up close and personal with the band.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT-FIRST IDEAS.

I began looking for inspiration in various films and pop videos that related to the image I wanted to create in a band; rebellious. I found some of the styles incorporated through Guy Ritchie’s work
(http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005363/) were something that if simulated in the video; could add the necessary edge needed when creating that rebellious look. I also looked over a wide range of music videos that I felt successfully created that image, stemming from The Rolling Stones to The Insane Clown Posse (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnv1OKqxzaU). After this research I created three ideas that I would present to my group.

The first idea was a song called Another Girl Another Planet by a new wave band called The Only Ones. The video would switch between performance and narrative where in which the band (dressed as super heroines) would be pursued by two policemen through urban London streets. The performance would be shot in the studio, kept simple allowing the audience to focus on the apparent insane behaviour and mannerisms of the front man. My second idea was the song “Only When I’m Drunk by Crazy Town (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoroTFH6Iv4). The video would be completely narrative driven set in a London bar, where in which the two rappers would find themselves in various situations where they would need to escape. The reason this would not need to cut back from performance to narrative is that the two rappers, wouldn’t need to be accompanied by a band, just like the majority of other rap videos.

My third and final idea was to use the song “Satellite Of Love” by Lou Reed. This video would incorporate styles from certain David Bowie videos from the 1980’s, hopefully paying obvious homage. Unlike the first two ideas, this video would not create the image of the loud, dangerous front man, but the dark and “tortured soul” image, a type of rebelliousness that has worked with other such artists as Kurt Cobain.

THE FIVE STAGES OF PRODUCTION.

Film theorist Richard Maltby details that any film production has five key stages. These are:
-Research and develoment
-Pre-production
-Shoot
-Post-production
-Distribution


The first stage of the production of my pop video will entail carrying out much research and development. In the research stage; it is necessary to make a decision on what audience we are targeting based on their age, gender and social class. This choice will have a total impact on how a certain message is conveyed through the video and what decisions are made around the generic forms of entertainment we will be creating. I have viewed many music videos and films that I believe will lead to inspiration due to their relevance and similarities to the idea. The development of this research will consist of casting actors and applying camera tests to them all, creating an animatic story board and a detailed time line. The next stage is the pre-production process where in which we will create a call sheet which is often referred to as “the bible of the day” due to its immense importance when hoping to stay productive and organised. Locating props and an appropriate wardrobe for the cast is essential and once the cast is confirmed and we are given permission to use chosen locations, we are ready to commence the next stage: the shoot! Once the shoot is completed we instantly begin editing and adding after effects (if needed) to the video.

POP VIDEO AND MARKETING CAMPAIGN

THE BRIEF

You have to create:
- THREE MULTI MEDIA PRODUCTS
- TO ESTABLISH THE IMAGE AND BRAND OF YOUR SINGER AND GROUP and
- HELP SELL THE SONG FROM THEIR FIRST ALBUM.

The group or singer must be a NEW GROUP (even if they are doing a copy of an existing song).

The song is a SINGLE from their FIRST ALBUM.

The actual products to be produced are:
- THE POP VIDEO
- A DIGIPAK for the ALBUM
- A MAGAZINE ADVERT for the ALBUM.