New shot idea: graveyard visitation

Very recently the idea of additional locations in my video have arisen, most notably a graveyard.  The shots will be taken in the gloomy autumnal weather during the day. The location of the graveyard plays upon themes such as mortality, loss and longing, as well as adding a secondary reason for the protagonist's melancholy state. The Elm Hill shots in turn can be interpreted as some kind of spirit world.

What Michel Maffesoli might think of UkTribes/FindYourTribe

“The site highlights my theories accurately enough. The segments in which the youths are categorised support my theory of the disintegration of mass culture into fragmented tribal groups. The test subjects associate themselves with certain aspects of pop culture, brands and icons in the media and are then categorised into a fragment of a tribe. The members of the tribes do indeed aspire to be like a celebrity or role model. Each tribe is united by their shared experiences in certain fields. The divide between Gamers and Geeks supports my theory of dividing groups, as well as the list of possible new tribes of the future as members of groups disagree on lifestyle aspects. The site also supports my theory of a proliferation in lifestyle cultures. Members of the tribes aspire to lead a certain type of lifestyle, as seen in the longing to be upper class the ‘Rahs’ have. Finding your identity in contemporary Britain appears to have changed hugely in the last 20 years, as supported by the diversity of these new tribes. Identity politics also seems to feature heavily, with groups changing their outlook on the world with the opinions of certain figures in society.”

- Written in the viewpoint of Michel Maffesoli commenting on the Find Your Tribe survey 

Musical Profile: Festivals and Other Bands

If the Jubilees were to be placed in any broad musical genre, I believe that they would be classified as Indie, specifically a more traditional, rock-like section, though featuring possible influences from New Wave in their use of the synthesizer. Eighteen to twenty five year old males would be the optimal group in this tribe/niche, as the lack of valid female representation in the band itself and the male-oriented history of the parent genre could alienate members of the opposite gender (this may not necessarily be true, as the sex appeal of the band is a valid factor to appeal to heterosexual females).

Music Videos

Similar contemporary British artists include Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys. Such bands share the use of the now generic set of guitar(s), bass, percussion and vocals with my chosen band. An example of the use of this set of instruments can be seen/heard in the Arctic Monkeys' music video for the single 'Brianstorm.' The video contains blatant voyeuristic imagery in the gyrating female dancers, partially alienating female audiences. Although the talent and male sex appeal of front man Alex Turner has been known to draw in a female audience, the connotations of Brianstorm build a predominately male audience. The absence of consistent female figures in my music video, coupled with the exclusive focus on the live of a teenage/young adult male, makes Insomniac a single very much aimed at male consumers, which further reinforces the assumption of indie/rock being a mostly male genre.



Where the Jubilees differ in style from this particular performance is in their use of the synthesizer for the electronic segments of Insomniac. Bands such as Kasabian are known for their use of diverse instruments and effects to compliment the Rock aspects. In the video for 'Shoot the Runner' a synth-like sound can be heard approximately two thirds into the song, as well as clapping effects and a haunting chorus of a strangely artificial choir. The Jubilees are therefore similar to both Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian in their use of traditional rock 'n' roll instruments, though they share more similarities in instrumental choice to Kasabian, as they incorporate the unconventional synthesizer into the composition. Other Indie groups which use synth in their compositions include the Klaxons, who appeared on the description of my audience on Find Your Tribe. Shoot the Runner also supports the male aspect of my audience with an all-male group of 'cool' band members, possible male role models/idols and derogatory language used in reference to a woman. The imagery in the video consists not of the female body but of the iconic representation of the band. I have made the choice to focus on the male protagonist in my video to promote sympathy, but iconography may also be an important aspect.



Vocally The Jubilees seem to try to distinguish themselves from more mainstream methods of singing. Internationally popular mainstream bands often adopt a clear American-English accent whilst singing regardless of their own background, such as Cheryl Cole, speaking with a thick Geordie accent but singing in radio-friendly American. The Jubilees still may alter their accents during singing though their pronunciations of some words ('remember,' etc.) differ from those of an American/faux-American act. Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian use their unique methods of singing with to create a vocal style few manufactured bands can adopt. Although my target audience would be much more likely to associate with indie-rock groups like Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys, The Jubilees' vocal tone is similar to some songs in Oasis' back catalogue.



The Jubilees, unlike Oasis, adopt quite a fast tempo in Insomniac compared to the relaxed tone of Don't Look Back In Anger. The short, frantic duration of the song allows for a much more exciting video.

Websites

The websites of similar artists vary hugely in design, though they all share the characteristic of promoting the band with their own unique imagery and media technology.

The website of Arctic Monkeys has changed drastically between the release of their last two studio albums, 'Humbug' and 'Suck It and See'. The previous design advertises the band using dark, swirling tendrils and extravagant fonts. The format of the display is uniform and easy to digest, although the presentation of the upper half attempts to distinguish itself from generic website layouts. Important information for fans such as gigs and general news are displayed in hyperlinks underneath the band's logo. The tendency for Indie bands' websites to use imagery which is both unusual in design and typical in layout shows that the audience seeks out the subtly alternative in the websites & artwork of favoured bands, but not to an extent that the information cannot be understood due to eccentricity of design.

The latest layout has been created to promote Suck It and See. The extremely minimal design of the album is reflected in the bland, sepia colouration of the website. The layout is the same, yet it is much more rectangular and slick. The logo of the band has been redesigned in homage to the style and font of the logo of heavy metal legends Black Sabbath around the time of the release of their third album, Master of Reality. Fans with wide musical tastes or knowledge of pre-2000s rock are treated to a minor intertextual reference in the use of a font which is already iconic in the industry.I can infer from this that my target audience may appreciate references to sources predating their birth, such as cult films. The use of in-jokes and lesser known intertextual references can help my audience distinguish themselves from mainstream social groups.

Kasabian's site features the band's logo and a rotating animation of the disc art from their new album, 'Velociraptor!', in the header. This successfully advertises the band by use of somewhat interactive artwork and technology only available on the web. I can infer that my target audience digests adverts and information through a variety of modern technological outlets, then design my digipak and advertisements for the Jubilees with this in mind. The symbol of a feather features in the hyperlinks and is also used in the album/single artwork, which links back to the recent discovery of Velociraptors having feathers, thus the website uses intelligent intertextual references to prior sources, as does ArcticMonkeys.com. The design of the website is, again, a new layout to advertise the latest album from the band. The site also features a video from the band and links to a merchandise site, as with the Arctic Monkeys.

The website for Klaxons differs in layout and size to Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys' home pages. The band's logo is placed roughly underneath the album cover art of their latest work 'Surfing The Void'. The links to other parts of the site are displayed in a column, next to which is a white space where the information is displayed; the home page itself features a news feed of posted photos and tweets by the band members. The feeds can alert fans as to what the band have been up to and give them a feeling of connectivity between themselves and the band. My target audience is similarly likely to engage with details of The Jubilees through technology. A digipak could include social networking and band site URLs in small print to provide further information.

CD Artwork

Kasabian

Empire

West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Velociraptor!

Kasabian's album artwork varies hugely between each release. As with several other bands, such as Iron Maiden, the recurring image is of the band's logo in a variety of sizes and colourations. The font of the logo has become associated with the band and it is used to connect the albums to the creators. The debut album uses a simple yet iconic image of the stencil of a bandana-wearing member of an unspecified resistance. The simplicity of some indie-rock album covers creates a memorable symbol for the band, giving the audience something to identify the band with. The themes presented on the cover also resonate with the rebellious younger generation of the alternative segment. The use of simple or minimal artwork has been taken to an extreme by Arctic Monkeys on their new album Suck It and See. The quality of the music itself often dictates whether an album is successful, but the artwork is crucial to appeal to the desired audience.

Their second album, 'Empire', is an example of the other end of the spectrum on drawn album covers; a high-concept, highly detailed illustration. The image is of a playing card, specifically the King of Clubs. The themes of the album are presented through the name, art and songs of the album, most notably the title track Empire, Shoot The Runner and British Legion. The lexical field of the single is one of Britain and war, proving that a political message or opinion can be pushed by a band in the chosen themes of an album. This is yet another example of subtly politically charged content aimed toward an alternative audience who feel a need to rebel against what they perceive as wrong in the world. Outside of the Indie Rock genre there have been several notable albums with album art which presents strong political messages, such as the acclaimed rap metal group Rage Against The Machine's debut album, which consists of the iconic photograph of the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duch, during his protest and self-immolation in Saigon, June 11th 1963, against the persecution of Buddhists by the then Roman Catholic leaders of Vietnam. Iconic album artwork often becomes part of popular culture, being displayed on merchandise and in intertexual references, and the use of pop culture itself in album art can attract potential consumers.

West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum is Kasabian's third studio album and their first to use a photo shoot of the band members as the artwork. The presence of the band advertises their image and provides more material for the audience to project their own identities onto. Arctic Monkeys have also been known to feature photographs as their album and single covers, specifically on their debut album 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.' The presence of a real human figure on an album cover supports any concepts or mythology presented in the album. The audience is also given a simple concept to associate with; complex illustrations may put some fans off an indie-rock album if the band's image discourages the pompous or pretentious image of an unintentionally self-parodying virtuoso musician. An unintentionally hilarious or ridiculous album cover an ruin the reputation of a band, therefore an indie-rock audience would be pleased by a cover that is considered cool and/or witty. Photographs have a great potential to be remembered because whatever iconic image is presented in the photograph the event is genuine. There is little difference between a specifically organised photo shoot or a spontaneous event, as both types of image have the potential to become iconic.

The latest Kasabian album is 'Velociraptor!'. As with their previous album, the album cover features images of the four band members, Tom Meighan, Chris Edwards, Sergio Pizzorno and Ian Matthews, but the photographic image has been edited. The members of the band all face in different directions, each at right angles. The faces do not bear any facial hair, instead being feathered, much like the small, predatory dinosaur the album shares its name with. The inclusion of the feathers is an intelligent and rewarding correction of popular culture, as the famous Velociraptors seen in Jurassic Park are in fact shockingly inaccurate. Editing a photograph in such a way allows for the band and their connotations to still be clearly marketed to the audience, but it also opens up opportunities to interweave the high concept, artistic illustrations seen on countless other album covers. The digitally edited cover of Velociraptor utilises new media technologies such as computer-generated imagery to sell the band to the audience, therefore my target audience may be appeased by use of an album cover created with photo editing software.

Merchandise

Each of the three previously analysed band websites has a section for selling merchandise, in which apparel and accessories are sold alongside digital or limited edition albums. The clothing sections adhere to the popularity of the t-shirt in the fashion of an indie rock fan. The latest products display art from the most recent albums and the revised versions of the bands' logos. T-shirts are a favoured generic clothing choice for my audience and are used in my music video in the costume of my protagonist. Shirts that are white, black or somewhat drained of colour are mostly favoured over bright primary colours, as simplicity and casualness are important aspects of the masculine section of my audience. For reasons regarding possible copyright issues my protagonist wears a plain t-shirt, but t-shirts with artwork are equally as common as plain designs. Wearing a band's motif, album art or media on the design of a t-shirt publicly displays the wearer's choice in musical tastes and markets the band to other possible consumers wherever the wearer travels. Brandishing the motif of a band or product on a t-shirt, much like wearing a certain uniform or dressing in a particular fashion for the wider alternative tribe, immediately distinguishes the wearer as a member of their peers' chosen tribe.

Festivals

Examples of live venues at which a band similar to The Jubilees would perform include Reading Festival and its sister festival in Leeds, which are both affiliated with the venue co-owners and organisers Festival Republic. The most prominent genres of music in the selection of attending acts are Rock, Indie and Alternative, all of which feature in the online lineup poster for the festival in 2011 (seen below).

All of the headlining acts, including My Chemical Romance, The Strokes and Muse, can be loosely classified as popular rock bands. The Strokes can be described as a long-standing Indie/Indie Rock band, and Liam Gallagher's post-Oasis group Beady Eye also attended on the NME Magazine/BBC Radio 1 stage, thus it can be argued that the demand for Indie groups at the festival is high. Festival goers in Reading and Leeds are likely to be fans of the Indie genre and may give a warm reception to The Jubilees if they were to play at either venue.

The website design for Reading 2011 uses the same motif from the posters and the stage at the festival itself (seen in the animated panel on the home page), promoting Reading as somewhat of a brand. The bright, fiery colours moving from yellow to red are a visually loud design choice, clearly displayed on the black background. The radiating red light behind the site design is sun-like, connoting the importance and iconic history of the festival. The block capital lettering and use of imperatives, such as 'get your tickets for 2012,' encourages the consumer to delve further into the eye-catching material being sold to them through the site.
The site offers an email-based newsletter and connectivity with social networking sites, such as a Twitter feed and Facebook sharing capabilities. The 18 to 25 demographic is a lot more engaged with current communicative technologies than in previous generations, as the last 20 years have seen the rise of the Internet and affordable home computing. Festival Republic have therefore catered the advertisement and promotion of Reading & Leeds to an Internet-based audience.  The Jubilees themselves have promoted their unsigned content on social networks such as MySpace to reach a wider, more tech-savvy audience. With the shift in the music industry from physical copies of CDs to digital downloads, using the Internet to advertise a festival has become a far more lucrative practice.

Prior to the revealing of this year's lineup, the Reading Festival website showcases the highlights of the previous year via an embedded YouTube video, promising a new website as the preparations for the venue begin. The anticipation of up to date information on the year's festivals builds excitement in the audience. The bright motif is still being used to represent the Reading & Leeds, as with brand names and logos, to familiarise the audience with the product. The shapes used within the design could be linked to the atmosphere of a carnival: multiple festivities and attractions under one bright, umbrella-like tent, mirroring the selection of artists at Reading & Leeds performing on the main and sponsored stages to the 87000+ audience. The pointed, angular shapes of the website are more aggressive and masculine, which links back to the festival's history of hosting performances from Rock, Alternative and Heavy Metal acts. Though the acts have a clear potential to attract a considerable female audience, the primary genre of Rock is one of predominantly male fans. As The Jubilees can also appeal to a mostly male audience, attending Reading & Leeds are amongst the most appropriate venues for the band to widen their fanbase.

Useful Information

The genre of music and presentation of a band like The Jubilees may not appeal to a female audience, yet has a substantial audience of males already established, therefore the representation of the male gender will grossly outweigh the female in the advertisement of the band. The music video for Insomniac focuses on a solitary male actor, with no further representation for females or alternative age groups to the 18-25 demographic; because target audience is of a specific age and gender, the video has some representational issues from a female perspective. The digipak will follow the format of the music video by focusing on a single figure. Parts of the digipak will be created from potentially iconic photographs of the actor, edited with photo editing software to contain motifs such as the handgun, dark streets and tired eyes. I should avoid making the design too complex, but an overly simplistic or minimal design could hinder the sales of a semi-unknown debut album. A simple yet eye-catching font will be used to establish a motif or logo for the band. Reccomendations and star-based reviews will be written as if the band has been featured in music magazines such as Q, NME and Rolling Stone, newspapers such as The Independent, or magazines aimed toward young men such as FHM (although this prevents any blatant representation for a homosexual audience) "Lad's" magazines may offer raving reviews for an album purely on its appeal to men and commercial aptitude, whilst music magazines may be biased toward certain pre-defined formats or long-standing acts. Using a newspaper like The Independent allows for a more critical or high-brow review, and a mixture of these sources will improve the appeal of the album both commercially (generating appeal in the 18-25 male demographic) and critically (hightening the notoriety of the band in the genre of Indie Rock).

Actors and costumes in Insomniac

Insomniac focuses solely on the activities of a technically nameless and troubled young male aged roughly between 16-25 (placed more or less on the lesser end of the scale) of white English nationality, middle to middle-working class background and secluded in nature. For reasons involving convenience and seizing full artistic freedom in the video, along with the protagonist being planned as the only active character in the video, I will be playing my central role. The appearance of the protagonist is consistent with my target audience: a young person, visibly within the 16-25 demographic, who is of mostly average build and passable physical health, wearing their hair down in a relaxed, unconditioned yet clean fashion at a length still widely socially acceptable on males. Because The Jubilees are an all-male band and far from a manufactured vocal group, their audience will statistically contain a higher ratio of males, therefore this section can relate easily to the protagonist. Females can still be appeased by the video, possibly in sex appeal, but most likely in sympathy or even concern for the protagonist. Both genders in the audience can relate to the protagonist's Indie/rock style and thus focus in on the primary product of the band.

The protagonist

               Name: Unspecified
               Age: 17 (born in 1994)
               Gender: Male
               Nationality: White British
               Place of Birth: Norwich, England
               Profession: Unemployed/student

The protagonist of the video is a primarily middle class, white British male who lives with his parents in a Norwich suburb. His daily routine, in his opinion, is monotonous, boring and repetitive. He often has trouble sleeping due to this overbearing feeling of dissatisfaction with his life, as well as the stresses of the adult world. He takes a variety of pills to get up in the morning, get to sleep at night and generally cope, though not all of these pills are prescribed or taken in the correct doses. Though he leaves the house for walks into town or to the graveyard his lifestyle is a solitary one. He has a history with underage drinking and has used alcohol with his pills on more than one occasion. His sleeping problems have recently worsened: for him the boundaries between dream and reality have blurred and he is standing on the brink, sleepless and erratic.


Costume consists of:

Mid-range, unbranded slim-fit Primark t-shirt, black
Pair of North Coast (M&S) regular straight-legged jeans, slightly worn, darker end of blue
(image of jacket to be added)





The dark lack of colouration in the shirt mirrors the general negative mood of the video and the protagonist's emotional state. The absence of brand labels eliminates any copyright issues. The slim style of the shirt is fairlu contemporary, being a common item of clothing in the fashion of the last decade and the casual feel of a t-shirt  fits in with the up-to-date and relaxed style of the Indie/young alternative demographic. The jeans are similarly linked to the audience in their immense popularity for use in everyday life. The choice was made not to use skinny jeans so as to allow access for the less die-hard fans of the Indie fashion. The coat is practically designed for use in Winter, which reflects the somewhat careless choice of clothing that the protagonist makes, wanting clothes that are as cheap and practical as possible. The weather in the morning shots is deceptively mild, with bitterly cold air, reflecting the protagonist's grim state of mind, whilst the night shots have no coat, distancing them from reality. The plausibility of the protagonist owning such clothes is high as both the shirt and trouser pieces were bought locally and cheaply, the coat being slightly more expensive (roughly £30). The protagonist's hairstyle is of a typical length for boys and young men who are fans of the Indie niche, a style popularised in the current generation by bands such as the Strokes. Make-up will be minimal, mostly to cover up blemishes as they arise during filming. For some of the night scenes I have planned to darken the area underneath the eyes subtly to give the impression of shadows or bags under the protagonist's tired eyes. The shape of my eye sockets allows for very accentuated lines and shadows, giving the impression that the protagonist has been awake for an unhealthy amount of time, or is in a general state or ill health.

Intertextual references to other sources in 'Insomniac'

My music video is planned to contain a handful of references to the Anton Corbjin film 'Control'. The film charts the short life of Joy Division front man Ian Curtis, from prior to the formation of the band and his marriage to Deborah Woodruff to his suicide in 1980.

The subject of alcohol is blatant in the film, with Ian going to the pub to drink on various occasions. The alcohol may be contributed to the violence of his depression-induced mood swings and the loss of control in his life. The protagonist of my video is also hinted to be dabbling with alcohol and prescription drugs. The film also contains many memorable shots using the rule of thirds, with characters filling one section to the side of the shot. I plan on incorporating the rule of thirds into my video on various shots, and the specific shot of Ian sitting in front of the bed to the side has inspired me to use a similar shot.

The opening scene of Danny Boyle's 'Shallow Grave' has also inspired me to experiment with certain shots, specifically the spinning bird's eye view/close up of Chris Eccleston's character.

Though I am currently unsure whether or not the shot will work or even be used in the final cut, I plan to attempt it or a similar shot focusing on my protagonist in his bed. A shot in this format will connote the confusion the protagonist is feeling and the ambiguous dream-like composition of the closing half of the video. A similar rotating shot is used in Sam Raimi's 'Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn', though on a much larger scale and nauseatingly quick. The format seen in Shallow Grave will be my favoured method.

The use of the cobbled streets of Elm Hill in the dream sequence directly links back to a lyric from 'The Sound of Silence' by Simon and Garfunkel:

The imagery in the line 'In restless dreams I walked alone, narrow streets of cobblestone' has inspired the outdoor section of the dream sequence in my production. The reference is quite literal in the inclusion of Elm Hill and its narrow cobblestone roads during what is hinted to be one of the protagonist's dreams. The lonely old streets of 1940s Vienna as seen in The Third Man have also served as inspiration for this segment. The Sound of Silence was also featured most recently in the 2009 film adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel Watchmen, playing partially during The Comedian's funeral. The themes of civil unrest in Watchmen and specifically The Sound of Silence may be appealing to the general demographic of 16/18-25 year old young alternatives in my audience wanting to rebel against the social norms. Similar appeal could be found in the protagonist of Insomniac, who himself is of a similar age group to my target audience.

The autumnal graveyard location, added as a source of the character's melancholy (either due to a deceased loved one or the contemplation of his own encroaching death) and change of scene, promotes an almost horror-like atmosphere of dread which the protagonist feels. The daylight cemetary references the opening scene of Night of the Living Dead, in which Barbra visits a grave with her brother before the situation dawns on them. The autumn setting also echoes John Carpenter's Halloween, specifically the near opening shot of the falling leaves.

Narrative Structure and editing of my video

The narrative structure of 'Insomniac' is intended to be mostly chronological as the events of the video happen in succession and in order. Parts of the video will be presented as flashbacks to events prior to the beginning of the video, such as the protagonist's substance abuse. As in the Foo Fighters' video for 'Long Road to Ruin' these flashbacks will tell some elements of the story as the main narrative moves chronologically.

In the first half of the music video the protagonist's average day speeds by from waking up in the morning to coming home & going to bed in little detail, therefore the video may contain elements of montage, shifting into a slower, more flashback-centric phase in the second half, charting the rest of the night for the protagonist. The video will not be featuring a performance from any band, focusing purely on the storyline. A similar approach can be witnessed in the Arctic Monkeys video for 'Fluorescent Adolescent.' Both videos are potentially humorous, though the latter is somewhat of a perverse slapstick instead of a parody. The fast-paced editing and physicality of the video has inspired me to attempt something similar with my video, possibly by speeding up sequences or focusing on exaggerated body movement.

Props for use in 'Insomniac'

Semi-realistic toy gun

This prop was first bought when I was very young on a visit to Disneyland Paris. I recently found the prop again and decided it would be appropriate to use in the video. The gun is not entirely to scale, but the handle is easily concealed when held by an actor. The labels are small enough not to be noticed on a glancing shot and the prop itself is far more realistic than any cheaply purchased toy guns on sale in the UK today. Due to changes in regulations toy guns must be brightly coloured so as not to cause panic in the streets. Having bought the prop in the 1990s in Europe the toy itself is much more realistic, crafted mostly out of metal and coloured correctly, with a working trigger and rotating barrel.

Selection of pills (multivitamin & foreign generic pills x2)

As part of the substance abuse theme I chose to use a variety of pills. The small, grey container is a selection of multivitamins and the two generic pill containers were taken by my father on a business trip to Asia. The purpose of the pills is ambiguous; they could be sleeping pills, pills for getting up in the morning, a terminal or chronic illness, or merely a variety of over-used prescription medicines (chiming in with the destructive lifestyle and tiresome life of the protagonist).

Bottle of beer (branded)


Keeping with the destructive substance abuse theme, a bottle of alcohol will also be featured, touching on the themes of alcoholism and under age drinking. The protagonist will either hold the bottle over the label to conceal the brand or display it in full if I decide that the label should be removed. A paper bag may also be used to cover the label.

Find Your Tribe/UK Tribes Profile

Find Your Tribe/UK Tribes is an Internet-based survey split between two websites; findyourtribe.co.uk, a questionnaire/survey for young people living in the UK to determine which social clique or 'tribe' they belong to; uktribes.com, which displays information on the tribes and subcultures young people associate themselves with, the results of the survey and youth-related news. The information was gathered by Channel 4 by use of the survey site and interviews with young people on the street. The information was gathered to identify and classify groups of youths in Channel 4's audience to cater their content to the largest demographic, thus opening up a larger youth audience. Channel 4 finds a large fraction of their audience in young people and the information taken from the survey can show them which youngsters to target with specially catered content.

My target audience's tribe on Prezi

Marketers may find this information extremely useful for targeting specific audiences with their products. Knowing the social norms and material preferences of the demographic allows for companies to cater their products to the chosen audience, attracting the preferred consumers with aspects that are uniquely appealing to them. If a tribe is recorded in the survey to be using the Internet more often than other technologies and sources of media the company can focus their advertising campaigns on websites.

In the lesson we were asked to go to findyourtribe.co.uk and fill out the questionnaire in both our own and our target audience's view to determine which social clique we identify with.

Answering the questions as honestly as I could, I was given the result of 'Skater'.

You are a Skater! You go on the rule ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Skater culture stays the same – as long as there is concrete to grind, trainers to ruin and rock to rock to. You like the implicit rebellion of skating in the urban jungle – and regularly record your stunts to show other skaters what you’re up to – but you would run a mile if you saw the police heading to your latest spot. You don’t want no trouble.

My target audience was displayed as 'Mosher'.

"You are a Mosher! To join this tribe is easy – it’s mainstream alternative. Pick up a long coat like the one from The Matrix, spike your hair up to one Mohawk and add a snarl of misunderstanding. Music is your life – as long as it’s loud and as long as it rocks. Your iPod is permanently plugged into your ears, volume up to 11".

In my opinion the questionnaire was somewhat inaccurate in it's classifications and somewhat patronising, possibly due to the absence of certain subcultures and the need to place a participant in a single tribe instead of being on the fence for a variety of groups.

Initial storyboard for 'Insomniac' (rough)

These are the storyboards to my music video for 'Insomniac' by The Jubilees. They roughly display the planned shots for the video with transitions and sound. A set of neater and more accurately illustrated storyboards are planned for later in the process, though this set of shots will be used for filming.

Pitch for music video

My music video for Insomniac by the Jubilees will tackle such themes as insomnia, sanity, suicide and drug abuse, touching on fears and anxieties held by many teenagers concerning their futures and emotional states, including myself. The story follows a young man who is tired of the lifestyle he is living to the point of huge physical and mental strain. The video begins with him going about his daily routine in fast-forward. When he returns home and collapses into bed, he wakes up in the night and cannot sleep. After trying to settle, he gets up from bed and begins to lose his sanity as he cannot face what his life has become. Then, in a possible dream sequence, he leaves the house in a daze, wandering the streets for what could be hours. Flashbacks of substance abuse occur and visions of a graveyard, representing his death, appear before him. Exhausted by the entire experience, he comes home and fires a bullet into his head, immediately cutting to him awaking in bed. Whether or not the content of the video was a dream is never revealed.

Music video analysis: Goldfish - We Come Together

Goldfish are a South African nu jazz/electronic duo. Their music has been nominated for a variety of awards in Africa including best duo/group and best dance album in the South African Music Awards. Their debut album Caught in the Loop was released in 2006. The song We Come Together was released in their newest 2010 album Get Busy Living and features guest vocals from Sakhile Moleshe, the version in the video itself being a remix bundled in with the single. I first discovered the video several months ago and was greatly impressed by the amount of references, so I suggested it to my teacher for studying intertextuality in the lesson and was pleasantly surprised when it was used.

The plot of the video revolves around the pixelated members of the band, their goldfish mascot and his love interest within the world of a conventional retro videogame littered with references to pop culture, art and games themselves. The goldfish's lover, dressed in the iconic gown of Princess Peach from Super Mario Bros., is kidnapped through the methods of fishing by the Stormtrooper-esque Smooth Jazz Posse. The goldfish and the band set out to rescue the princess in hot pursuit of the feline villains, interacting and crossing paths with a plethora of intertextual in-jokes in the most conventional videogame fashion of defeating various end-of-level bosses and raiding the impossibly large antagonist's stronghold for fame, glory and the affection of the aristocratic captor.

 The narrative structure of the video is, when stripped down and analysed, a fairly conventional series of events. The construction is linear and chronological, charting the same group of characters through the events between the Goldfish gig, the quest and the post-game reward/credits. The first equilibrium is the band happily performing to the undersea audience, followed by the disruption of the posse kidnapping the princess. The recognition of the situation is instantaneous and the band quickly embarks on an epic adventure in formulaic home console fashion. The repair is gradual as the group humorously conquers the jazz police and ploughs through boss monsters. The resolution comes when the final boss is defeated in King Koopa style by the cutting of the bridge and the rolling of the winners' text above the goldfish and the princess.

 On the first instance of viewing the video succeeds to catch the audience off guard. The events of the video are all referencing a variety of other sources and are loosely compiled together with the narrative. The spontaneity of the narrative is a very entertaining aspect for the audience, though the viewers are split down the middle by prior knowledge. The gamers and younger generation, conscious of popular content which has surfaced in the age of the internet, consume the video differently to an uninformed audience who could be utterly bewildered by the content. The content of the video is set up to reward gamers and connoisseurs of pop culture, thus partially alienating other audience members, though the music itself helps to bridge the gap.

 The level of intertextuality in We Come Together is at times difficult to take during at the first viewing. The obvious area of inspiration is gaming, but film and the band's own content are also present. To avoid copyright infringement the guest characters all bear the features of cats, yet they are all instantly recognisable to the video's audience. This aspect also labels them as the villains, cats being a frequent predator of the household goldfish.

 Before the music even kicks in the band are announced in a company title not far off from the SEGA logo from the days of the Megadrive. The title screen comes next, a staple of many games, urging the player to give input with their controller. As the video begins the princess is an instant riff on Super Mario Bros., the smooth jazz posse being henchman characters from Star Wars with the storm troopers. Elements from past and present are blended with the heroes leaving the ocean via the help of characters from Excite Bike and Bubble Bobble, then are launched by a giant slingshot in the fashion of the recent iPod app sensation Angry Birds; practically every shot in the video is in homage to the playing style of a certain videogame. As the characters are granted weapons (which happen to be their favoured instruments) to attack the enemy in classic over the top fashion, the convention of the Easter egg, a hidden bonus planted by a game's creators, flashes for a single frame on-screen. The Easter egg itself is, ironically, an actual Easter egg. Icons from games such as the original Mario Bros. games continue to feature with the power star and the power-up item taken from headbutting floating boxes during the boss battle. As the verse changes, so does the format of the video, switching swiftly from Pac-Man to a 3rd person three-dimensional driving section mirroring Grand Theft Auto as the characters head to the smooth jazz club. As they approach the building they hide within a box labelled 'The Orange', a box seen typically in the Metal Gear Solid games the name of a bumper game package released by Valve. The group enter the club disguised as cats in pop culture, specifically Meowth from Pokemon, Hello Kitty and Felix. As they walk past the bar, YouTube star Keyboard Cat (who is in fact Sakhile in disguise), Donkey Kong, R2D2, Bowser/King Koopa, Tintin and a cat with a head in the shape of an optical illusion similar to the works of the painter M.C Escher. A bar brawl ensues with Darth Vader, Donkey Kong and the mascot of Angry Birds, which the band wins using Pac-Man himself, the conventions of combos and special moves from classic fighting games such as Street Fighter and a scene reminiscent of the game Duck Hunt. After defeating the next boss with 'ludicrous gibs' the club is blown apart by Bomber-man. The slow-motion scene features iconic characters from a variety of cult sources including Cactuar from Final Fantasy, Parappa the rapper, Finn from adventure time and the protagonist of Katamari Damacy as the vinyl record player rises up. The record player functions as a boost for the Sonic the Hedgehog-like giant ‘mecha’ robot the band are piloting. They leave the planet, passing by two South African astronauts on their way to the volcanic final level. They crush police cars and battle Garfield, defeating him as in the castle levels of the original Mario games, rescuing the princess as the song ends and unlocking bonus content in the form of a Claymation 'new dimension'. Some references go by so swiftly that multiple viewings may be necessary, such as the 'derp' internet meme written on an island close to the beginning of the video and the terminator facial piece on the face of one of the band members when dressed as cats.

 The connotations displayed in the video present the band as a mostly masculine force for good. As in many videogames, the band members possess god-like powers and are the deus ex machina of the scenario, the miraculous saviours who against all odds defeat evil. It could be argued that the figure of the woman is undermined in the scenario as merely a love interest, a helpless princess at the hands of the final boss, though this aspect is not set in stone for videogames (games such as Metroid and Half-Life 2 contain powerful female heroines or support characters). The band themselves are an all-male group and are therefore catered to appeal to a male audience. The malevolent presence of the smooth jazz genre in the predatory cat characters connotes the desired genre of the band and their opinions on the out-dated forms of jazz in the industry. The band incorporates elements of the nu jazz subgenre, bringing jazz to a more contemporary setting & audience.

 Applying other aspects of Goodwin's Theory to the piece, the band are successfully advertised without a live action image. The video contains no live performance from Goldfish, instead representing Sakhile, the band and the mascot in pixel animation. Artists including The Chemical Brothers place vague representations of themselves in the videos. This highlights the artist and sells them even though they are not physically present. This method is used successfully in We Come Together as the band members are recognisable even though they are animated. The video also promotes the band through performance despite being only an animation. The band is depicted twice in the video performing to an audience in an exciting and enticing manner. The notion of looking comes into play with the inclusion of the start menu, creating the illusion that the entire video is just a game played by an omniscient yet unseen character, or even a member of the audience. The band is also being observed by the suspicious cats in the jazz club and audience in the club/under the sea. Keeping to the art style of the video there are little to no opportunities for objectification of the female body. The relationship between the music and the video is a synchronised movement. The video is cut to the beat, with events, characters and attacks by the band moving with the song. The creators of the video originally planned to have the sprite characters of the band change shape and gyrate to the beat, but they chose to keep to the videogame style strictly and opted for the finished product of subtle movement. Examples of this include the stomping of cars by the mecha, the running of the band in the 3D section and the combination of attacks in the band's first confrontation with the troopers. The characters also play their instruments and sing in time with the music when a performance arises. The relationship between the lyrics and the video is much less literal. The song's subject is vague but empowering, an upbeat song to dance to about a romance between two people wishing to "love each other 'till the end of time". The love story in the video is between the goldfish and the princess. The South African flag and racial diversity of the band with Sakhile in tow reflects how far the country has come since apartheit and the worldwide reach of racial acceptance. The themes of the song and the video are contemporary enough to appeal to today's technologically informed generation of 16-25 year olds, though it also brings in an older alternative audience experienced in retro videogames with the vast amount of intertextuality.

Assessment sheet:

Shooting Schedule

As I am the only performer and crew member in the production of Insomniac, I have had free reign over times at which to film. FIlming has taken place during the Summer Holidays and September.

1st Elm Hill shoot - 14th August
2nd Elm Hill shoot - 19th August

1st interior shoot - 20th August
1st exterior day shoot - 20th August
2nd interior shoot - 25th August
2nd exterior day shoot - 26th August

3rd Elm Hill shoot - 29th August
3rd exterior day shoot - 29th August
3rd interior shoot - 20th August
4th interior shoot - 1st September

Extra Elm Hill shoot - 2nd September

Locations for filming

I will be using my own bedroom for the sequences of the video in which the protagonist is in their bed, pacing about their room, falling asleep/getting up, etc. Other areas of the house, such as the landing and bathroom, may also be used in for the daytime montage and aimless wandering. The bedroom signifies a place where the protagonist can retreat, where they can try to wind down and relax (though this effort will be futile in the video). The exterior shots during the day will be filmed on Sigismind road, Trafford road and Rowington road for their close vicinity. The houses in the area are small and terraced, and clearly British. The night shots will occur entirely at Elm Hill, a historically significant cobbled area of Norwich.

Mood Board

This is the mood board I was required to create to present ideas for the upcoming music video for 'Insomniac'. They include the use of a small toy gun as a prop, the themes of sleep deprivation and substance abuse, locations around the city of Norwich, contemplation of artists such as Dali, the theme of death and the infleunce of imagery in film, such as in Carnival of Souls.

Evidence of provided permission to use the chosen song

After deciding on my song, I was required to get sufficient permission from the band to use their material. This screenshot depicts the Email sent via the band's information page to secure permission & make sure the use of the song by a student was allowed. (Personal information has been removed.)

The Jubilees - 'Insomniac' lyrical possibilities

The lyrics to my chosen song (Insomniac by the Jubilees) are as follows:

Wide awake, I can’t sleep now; I’m climbing up the walls

Wide awake, I can’t sleep now (I can’t sleep now)

Mind astray, I won’t come down, until the morning comes

Mind astray, I won’t come down (I won’t come down)

Help me out

I’m tired, chasing your shadows round streets I can’t remember

So take me home

Help me out

I’m tired, wasting my lifetime on things I won’t remember

So take me home

The powerful lyrics of the song were the main catalyst for ideas on the planning of the video. The song repeats 'wide awake, I can't sleep now' amongst other sleep and insomnia-related lyrics, therefore the general idea for a video follows a lone, sleep-deprived actor. The song also hints as a gradual loss of sanity, opening up possibilities for a dream sequence or surreal flashbacks. 'Chasing your shadows' hold possibilities for a love interest and a primary dilemma in the construction of the video. The shadows chime in with nightmarish images brought on by the substance abuse and insomnia of the character.Whether his situation is simply a dream or rather a hallucination will be ambiguous. 'Wasting my lifetime on things I won't remember' may allow me to delve into contemporary issues such as drug abuse.

Goodwin's theory on music videos, illustrated in a Prezi presentation

Andrew Goodwin's theory on music videos consists of six points which when compiled together create a stereotypical music video. I have detailed each point with examples and explanations within this Prezi presentation, which you may now view.

Homework: Goodwin's theory w/ examples on Prezi

Song choice for promotional music video: The Jubilees - Insomniac

For the filming of my music video I have chosen this song, 'Insomniac' by The Jubilees. The song is short enough to build a fast-paced music video around without having to cut parts of the audio. The lyrics are powerful and inspiring for an insomnia-themed subject to the video. The rhythm is catchy and can be build upon with editing which cuts to the music. I am extremely happy with this song and I already have many possible ideas for a video.

Possible songs for use in music video

As the task was to create a music video to promote an unsigned British band, I was required to choose a song by a lesser known artist/group. Initially I struggled to find something which appealed to me, especially due to the tediousness of working out whether an band was still unsigned.

I narrowed the search down to three artists, one of which was suggested by a teacher and another being a song used in previous years of the course. These two songs were in that shortlist, though I did not choose either as my artist to promote.

The first was 'The Fall' by Black Market Karma. I found this particular song on YouTube & decided to choose it for the quality of both the musical and live performance elements. If I were to construct a music video with a chronological narrative, it would be slow-moving and may involve frequent fades. The reason I did not choose this piece is because that the lyrics failed to inspire that many visual ideas, the song needing to be cut in some places for length reasons and, of course, a professionally constructed video already being complete and published to the site.

The second possible choice was 'Zero Integrity' by Daniel Cope. Unlike the previous song, Zero Integrity has very clear and meaningful lyrics which may be easy to interpret into a visual narrative. The video for the song itself is also a static live performance typical of the music category on YouTube, so there is no room for bias in the construction of a video. I chose not to use this song partly because the acoustic style of the song did not necessarily appeal to me, and partly because the narrative possibilities of the lyrics did not appeal to me as much as that of my chosen song.

Homework Task: three music videos of interest

The first piece of homework assigned on the A2 course for media was one of finding and embedding various music videos. We were given a site of mterial (Music Video Jam) to browse through and were asked to select three music videos of interest, explain why we have chosen them and embed them onto our blogs. All of the videos were acclaimed for being well-made and somewhat innovative, some of which being more peculiar than others. These are the three videos I chose:

1: Ratatat - Mirando

http://youtu.be/Fk8qcGOtBFw

Having watched Predator earlier in the year, this particular video caught my attention, as the entire production is comprised of clips frrom the film that have been edited, reverseed and set to music. I found the video fairly amusing for the brief scenes of the enemy soldiers being shot that were re-cut into frantic dancing, aided by my prior knowledge of the film.

2: Gorillaz - Stylo

http://vimeo.com/12046823

I first watched this Gorillaz video last year on MTV. I have come to expect videos such as this from Gorillaz from watching their back catalogue of similarly constructed films. The formula is of well-animated, fairly unique videos strung together by the loose conceptual plots of each album and starring the 'virtual' members of the band, 2D, Murdoc, Russel & Noodle. This video uses computer generated images alongside live action to deliver a solid entertaining five minutes of Gorillaz' music, co-starring Bruce Willis. To chose the video for the fact that I am a fan of both Gorillaz and Bruce Willis.

3: Blockhead - The Music Scene

http://youtu.be/NhheiPTdZCw

Again, I came across this video some time ago. I first heard about it via the video's viral spread across video & social networking sites and was blown away by it. The visuals are gripping from the start and thoroughly enjoyable.

First post of the new blog

Hello! More will be added soon, but this post is specifically for assigning labels.