Mock Advertisment and CD cover

These are some ideas Me and ben both mocked up for our pop promotion. The top CD cover is a mock up by Ben and the Bottom two by myself. The main theme we have both used between our ideas are the bokeh lighting. The out of focus lights that we want to be one of the main theme in our music video.

I tried to use the colour theme of black and gold also which not only stands out when it was in the shops but also it gives it a classy theme for the bands image. It represents being bold and standing out. The stars in the background of the CD cover gives it a more glamorous image. Stars ideologies are things like hollywood walk of fame. The picture on the front is angled like a paparazzi picture. Giving the impression that people are already interested enough in us to want to take our picture. The advertisement has the same background theme but has a more photoshoot picture of us. As it is the first thing that people would probably see in the windows first. Giving us the star image that we need to promote us.

This will also link to aspects of our video so all three elements will be comparable. Thus keeping them all relatable, so when people see one or the other they will be reminded of our pop promo as a whole.

Research on similar band marketing and star construction. Florence and the machine

This video is perfect for analyzing as this florence and the machine out of all the artists videos i have analyzed is mostly like our band. They are the same kind of genre and have the same type of fan base. So this is the kind of thing we can expect to be related to our music video. Florence are very edgy and quirky. They have an indie/electro fanbase, which isn't to different from what we'd expect from our band.

I also chose this video to also analyse as this concentrates on lights and shadows, which is what Ben and I want to focus on getting perfect for our video.

The begining is a perfect example, with the flashing lights out of focus in the background. It creates a quirky, fantasy type effect on the audience. This mixed with the deep reds in the video makes the atmosphere seem very warm. I also like the clever way of adding in the mirrors to make it seem out of this world. The bokeh style lights [out of focus lights] is something that will be a main theme to our music video so this video is perfect to get the look from. Another feature of this video that is great, is the forestry setting at the start. Because we want a forest backdrop in our filming to give a mysterious feel to the video.

The cinematography focuses on the artist primarily. The red and orange colour filters used give a warm feel which links with the artists lyrics relating to love. And the bright white likes represent the purity that she sings about when dealing with love. The framing centers the artist at all time showing the importance of Florence giving the ideology of her star image being very important to the fans when they watch it.

Mis-en-scene has aspects of what we could use in our video. The make up and clothing (as quirky as it is) provides star quality to the artist, which is what we want to portray in our own music video. But at the same time, she keeps a grounded image, this is perceived in things like her dancing. It's not choreographed like a typical pop or rap video. It's her own free flowing moves. We want to keep a good balance between grounded and star image, which in this video is done perfectly. An amazing designed set, but certain aesthetics keeping it down to normality. This gives the idea that it's more about that music than it is the fancy things.

The two pictures above are literally screen shots from the cosmic love video above. The CD cover for the single and advertisement for tour. This is a good example of keeping a theme running throughout the elements of a pop promotion. Keeping it familiar for the fans when they see the ad then the video (or visa versa) they will remember seeing the previous convincing them to look into the band more. This is very similar to what we want our promo package to be like. Keeping the theme running throughout so it is recognizable.

Treatment ideas for Lights.

Mise - En - Scene

Costume ideas: The ideas i have for Ben and I's outfits is are very simplistic, for me more neutral colours beige, camels, whites mixed with on the bottom half blacks or greys. Very delicate sort of clothing, like blouses and skirts. For the outside shoots also very simplistic with just a basic coat plain tee and once again a black skirt or leggings on the bottom, very casual. And for Ben also two very casual looks. With also a dark bottom half, blacks and blues, and a shirt, also very neutral colours. Accessorized with gold jewelry. And for outside, and exactly the same as mine for outside, simplistic.

Props:

Fairy lights

glitter

Location:

The inside location will be set in a studio draped with dark curtains and decorated with the fairy lights that we can then make out of focus. And the outside shot will be set in a depth of a forest hopefully focussing on a certain type of day and certain angle when the sun hits the trees so we can maximize the beauty of the shot.

Cinematography:

Lots of CU of eyes and lips

Lots of midshots of the artist

CU of faces to show pure focus on the artist

Outside;

Longshots of walking through the trees

CU of when they find the objects.

General lots of different angles, obscure angles to create slight confusion.

Sound:

We will pre record the track and place it over our video

Editing

Edit in the split screens after filming in the studio

Cuts to fit with the music and lyrics

Slow motion or speeding up certain parts of the songs that need it

If possible, perhaps the glowing dots below, to create a more fairytale feel.

synopsis idea for lights.

Lights is a very passionate and emotionally written song, about having security, to be safe. Something Ben and I will portray in the video itself. The song has a very fictitious feel to it. Almost like a fairytale. Something we will also try and express through this music video.

(an example of split screen on the right)

I can imagine the video begining with a darkened room with just out of focus fairy lights in the background. So all you see is an outline of firstly

kira then cutting to the both of them until the build up of the first line, when the mid shot is on kira. The scene lightens with warm lighting. Very soft tones on the face. With different angles being used, quite obscure angles, in time with the music. With shots in between of just kira standing in the foreground with the fairy lights flickering.

As we get to the chorus, the shot brightens slightly, there is a split screen of kira and ben almost mirroring in each other in the different shots. But with different angles being used on them at these times. They peform slightly, with general moving to the beat of the music. Nothing to theatrical like dancing, as it's very simplistic.

When it comes to the next verse the split screen stays with bens performance in the foreground on the lights.With different angles once again with mainly close up's and mid shots. But on kiras side of the screen you see her walking through a deserted forest looking for something, but she's not sure what. Different angles are used for this.

Then in the second chorus the split screen ends skipping from the scene of ben and kira in front of the fairy lights once again. But this time ben in the forest also looking for something. Then in the instrumental it shoots to kira, finding what she is looking for in the forest, It will be something like a key, or piece of jewellary, something meaningful that represents a safe haven.

Then for the last chorus it will once again being both ben and kira with ben finding the same safe object in the forest, something that kira has dropped, which makes him smile, because he feels the feeling of being safe. Then it ends with the fairy lights in the studio going fully out of focus, almost turning into one big light.

Lights - original.

I had a way then loosing it all on my own

I had a heart then but the queen has been overthrown

And i'm not sleeping now the dark is too hard to beat

And i'm not keeping up the strength i need to push me

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone

theyre shining when i'm alone

and so i tell myself that i'll be strong

and dreaming when theyre gone

cuz theyre calling calling calling me

im calling calling calling home

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone

theyre shining when i'm alone

Noises i play within my head

Touch my own skin and hope that i'm still breathing

And i think back to when my brother and my sister slept

in another place the only time i feel safe

I had a way then loosing it all on my own

I had a heart then but the queen has been overthrown

And i'm not sleeping now the dark is too hard to beat

And i'm not keeping up the strength i need to push me

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone

theyre shining when i'm alone

and so i tell myself that i'll be strong

and dreaming when theyre gone

cuz theyre calling calling calling me

im calling calling calling home

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone

theyre shining when i'm alone

lights lights (x14)

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone

theyre shining when i'm alone

and so i tell myself that i'll be strong

and dreaming when theyre gone

cuz theyre calling calling calling me

im calling calling calling home

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone

theyre shining when i'm alone

home home (lights lights lights.. )

Promotion package, paramore - riot.

The name Riot! had been chosen because it meant "a sudden outburst of uncontrolled emotion", and it was a word that "summed it all up"

Paramore released Riot In June 2007 Produced by David Bendeth on the record label fueled by raymen. It sold over 44,000 in the first week of sales. It went Platinum in America and Gold in Australia. Two of the Biggest and popular countries in the world!

Paramore had been out of the music scene for two years, writing new music and resting from their previous tour in 2005 after their first album 'All we know is falling' was released. So the promotion campaign for this album had to be amazing to catch the attention all over again of their fans and to reel in new ones. They did this by grabbing lots of magazine slots and appearing on shows like TRL and radio shows like radio one. They were very clever about how they promoted themselves, because aswell as the obvious, they ran competitions for someone to sing on the album, before it was released so word spread about their album like wildfire, months before the release date!

They appeared in kerrang [picture above] which is one of the biggest music magazines for alternative music, they had a double spread of '6 things you'll find on the new paramore album' They also were in the Rolling Stones magazine as the 'one to watch' category of 2007, just before their album was released. They had major companies to help promote their album. They also performed on the warped tour straight after their album was released so people could hear the first live version of their album. This was an amazing way of getting their album tracks out there, so after the tour, people would go back home and buy the new album! It was all very well strategized.

The album cover [pictured to the left] is very simplistic. Scribbled riots everywhere with one in orange. I think the scribles are reresentitive of teenagers. It looks like the back of a school book, when people doodle in class. This would appeal heavily to teens who do want to rebel. I think the fact that their picture isn't on the front of the album cover shows that to them, it's all about the music. They don't need their faces to be on show, they just want people to listen to them. But, saying that, I also think the Orange Riot represents hayley as she is always known as the girl in orange, or the girl with the orange hair. Maybe to say even though we are a band, I am the one who stands out from the rest of the crowd, as she is lead. The whole campaign they had to promote their album was pretty much done with scribbled riots on banners and Hayley dying her hair different shades of orange.

This is a picture from their set of their first single released of their album riot. As you can see, all the riots are placed randomly around the room and the are all rearing reds, yellows and oranges. All very fire related colours. As if to explain that they are a band not to be messed with. This blends in with their albim almost perfectly. It's strange to see a band wearing matching outfits these days, but it makes them stand out, and they get away with it. Aswell as making a good music video, they are marketing their album name at the same time.

Paramore were very smart when it came to promoting their albim riot. They made sure that everyone heard about it, be it on TV, Radio or magazines. They even had a matching music video to their album theme! This was the big album for their career. The second album is always the album that shows whether they can withold their popularity. So they had a lot of work to do, to promote this album to the fullest extent. They also brought out merchandise just after the album release. T-shirts, bags, shoes, badges and posters etc. Anything you can think of, so anywhere you turned all you could see was the promotion of RIOT everywhere. They deffinitly know their way around a pop promotion.

The sort of audience that Paramore attract are teens from 14-17. This is because the ideology they portray is typical teen angst. The title riot itself presents this. Hayley williams age also comes into it, she's only 21 herself so it's easier for younger people to relate to her, especially young girls. The idea of riot that runs throughout their promotional package makes teens want to be just as rebellious as the band are. Rebellion is a big thing in the pop punk/rock industry. It runs throughout the genre so to have a theme of this is a great way of promoting the album. Its punchy and dramatic and makes a difference.

The star construction is also another way that Paramore attract their audiences. Four very attractive guys who girls get crushes on and guys aspire to be. And Hayley Williams is the star of the show. In videos the shots all focus on her with close ups and panning to follow her around the set. She gets the majority of the focus. Her quirky style, mainly with her hair and makeup, giving an example for girls that they don't all have to be typical pop princesses. They can be different and individual and girls aspire to that.

This is a video they made With NME, it's a backstage look and interview of Paramores favourite things, something that fans LOVE to know. All fans want to know the world of their loved artists behind the scenes, so this was an extra clever move they did to get out there.

Lady Gaga - Telephone

Directed by Jonas Akerlund

Lady Gaga is usually known for her strange style and crazy ideas. The best way to express this is through her music videos. So she usually makes them outlandish for everyone to recognise her unique ways.

In telephone Mise- en – scene is very important. They use normal locations like a diner a jail and a car then they jazz it up with things out of the ordinary. Like bright outfits, huge hats and coke can hair curlers. It seems like she has taken reality and putting an un – ordinary spin on it. Just like a movie, very over the top. The video seems purposely fake in some parts so it's more exciting and fun to watch. There isn't much visual effects in this video, but the colours of everything do look brightened, this is because it's more like a mini movie than a music video. So the quality has to be to perfection.

The cinematography in this is quite simplistic. It doesn't need fancy shots because the video and ideas itself does most of the work. The shots usually follow Gaga. She is the main focus of the video. So even when other people of locations are around the audience will automatically be focusing on her. In some shots they also use CCTV look a like shots, to give it a realistic edge when she's in the prison.

Lady Gaga is very special in when she does her videos because she is very kooky her lyrics and her music doesn't have to relate to her music videos. But she gets away with it because it's all part of her quirkiness to her fans. She relates things to her videos in very minor ways. For example her song is called telephone, and to match this in the video, she wears telephone accessories. Like the telephone hat.

There is very strong intertextuality in this video. The most obvious concept that has been used is the pussy wagon that is used in Kill Bill. They also use concepts of Thelma and Louise with beyonce and Gaga go through the video working together to get revenge on a man and running away from the law, just like in Thelma and Louise. I think the intertextuality has very high relevence in this video. Both of the concepts used in the video are very feministic films. Where the women care for themselves. And I think Gaga is trying to promote the image of women being able to fend for themselves.

The video is mainly based on a narrative of beyonce and Gaga poisining Beyonces cheating boyfriend after Gaga is realeased from jail. It is very dramatic and it's left on a cliffhanger. There is performance inbetween the narrative sections. But seeing as it's more like a film, the fact that is narrative based is very appropriate.

This video is a perfect example of how Gaga wants to be promoted. The video is very different from the typical pop artist, and this is how she wants to be seen. As different from her peers. The video is mainly for women, women who know what it's like have horrible men in their lives and who aspire to get their own back on many exes they have had.

Paramore - misery business

Directed By Shane Drake

I chose this video to analyze as this band is quite different from the others. Paramore are a band from tenessee who formed back in 2005. They started off with a very small, teenage following. With emo lyrics and crazy guitar solos. But they became more popular, and with their popularity their image and music have changed, grown to a new level. They are different, with attention especially headed towards the lead singer Hayley Williams, showing that women can be one of the boys.

The mise - en - scene of this video is very interesting. The set they are performing in is mainly based around orange, red, black and white. Which is actually the same colours as their album cover 'riot'. [Riot is also printed all over the walls, major advertisement of the album]The highschool that the narrative set is very bright and clean portraying a very fake reality of what a highschool really is. The guys are all wearing almost matching outfits, matching bright red jeans. Whereas hayley, though she is wearing a red t-shirt, is wearing her own thing. Making her stand out from the rest of the band. The people in the narrative are all dressed as typical american students. The jocks and cheerleaders. But one girl stands out and thats the lead girl potrayed as the school bitch. I think they chose a complete oposite to Hayley as when Hayley puts her in her place, it shows that Hayley can do anything, whoever it is, she can conquer it.

The editing is mainly based on fast cuts that go in time with the fast pace music. It makes it more edgy and crazy. They have flashes of black and white which goes in time with the music too, which goes towards making things seem more fast and exciting when they are performing. They have also brightened alot of the colours, especially in the highschool. This makes it seem more like a film set that a real life school, which, like i mentioned earlier, does make it seem more like a fake situation. The camera follows Hayley mainly, as she is the main focus of the video. She grabs onto the camera to interact with the audience of the video, making it seem like you are part of the crazy life they are leading! There are a lot of close ups of the guys instruments, I think this is to show off the skill and talent that they have whilst they are thrashing, to make them seem cool, so they have an edge. But the main close ups are given to hayley, especially her eyes. Because even though she isn't dressed as a 'typical sex symbol' They have still interacted her with the audience that why by using her seductive eyes. Because in the rock industry she is seen as a sex symbol.

The intertextuality of this is quite generic. Anything which has teenage melodramatic scenarios in them. A good example is Mean Girls, about the popular kids always trying to ruin the life of the normal kids. But they planned that well, as the band in the video are on the 'normal kids' side it shows how she is relating to all the kids out there who have trouble and school, and is telling them to stand up for themselves and not to take the crap.

Theres a strong link between the visual and the song lyrics. The lyrics are all about winning above the person who has always tried to have one up over you. The video produces exactly that narrative to the lyrics. It starts with the 'mean girl' taking away the things they love from people. But then the band come and show her for who she really is.

It promotes the band in a very edgy, yet angelic light. It's like they can get their hardcore rock on but they also have a soft side, and understand the harshness of reality that they have all been through, it shows how they can overcome it. They come across as a very understanding band who love their fans, they communicate this well through videos.

Maroon 5 - she will be loved

directed by Sophie Muller

Maroon 5 are typically known for their cool looking image. They do this effortlessly by looking casual, but rough around the edges. Just what women want to see. And this is shown completely in their music videos. With the focus usually on the lead singer, Adam Levine. He is the typical teenage heartthrob.

The mise – en – scene is quite normal, but very cleverly done in this music video. The band are all dressed very casually, the hoodies and casual suits make them seem very effortlessly cool. The mother and the daughter in the video are dressed in the same clothes at some parts , this isused to see adams [lead singer] view of his confusion of who he wants to be with. It's use to compare and contrast the two women, just like adam is doing in his head. It's very imaginative.

The editing in this video is brilliantly done. The colours are quite dimmed down, but very clear, to give a very serious tone to the video. They use lots of clouse ups of Adam, very seductive . This is mainly done for all the female fans The band are usually in the background, they never usually have the same limelight as Adam does.

But the main focus in this video are the clever cuts the director has used. It begins at the start with a quick montage of parts of the music video, which suggests that adam is thinking about what has happened in the past before he jumps in the pool to calm himself down.

Theres a section when marroon 5 are performing in the club and you see his point of view of looking into the crowd where you see his girlfriend and his mother. The cuts here are amazing, as he sees his girlfriend and then it cuts very quickly to the mother and it keeps swapping. But they happen so quick they all mix into one. So it's like seeing Adams confusing thoughts of wondering who he is in love with, his girlfriend or her mother. It's very quirky way of showing his point of view to the audience

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There is one main relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. This is that as they sing about 'the girl with the broken smile' They always pan in or zoom into someones face, to show the pure sadness , mainly concentrating on their eyes. It is a very heartfelt song and it definitely reflects in the types of shots that are use. They are very emotional. Also at the start of the video, when things seem simple, they are in a bright open space. But when things get complicated they show more scenes of dark rooms and the dark, very full, club they perform in. Which could relate to Adams claustrophobic mind.

The main type of intertextuality I find from this music video is that it relates really well to the graduate. When a young man gets seduced by his girlfriends mother. Which is the same sort of idea in this music video. Adam is very happy with his girlfriend but he falls for her mother who gets treated terribly by her own husband, and wants to be the one to save her.. I think they have used this concept as the band are very big on their love songs. And it's a way of showing that love isn't alwys just as easy as it seems. Things can get complicated. And it can come in many different forms.

This music promotes the band to be very 'lovey dovey'. The video is very sentimental but sexy. Which makes the band seem cute but very seductive. This deffinitly attracts women as all women love a man who writes cute love songs and love the idea of love.

What makes a good pop promo?

A good pop promotion package is vital to an artist/band. The promo package is meant to grab attention of previous fans and entice new ones. From one look of a poster, or magazine add we make up our minds about the band and what they are portraying to us. Their style, their image, their genre. So it's important they get the right image out there first off.

Things like the link between the lyrics of a song and the images that go with them in a music video, this creates the ideologies, so it's important that they are paired together perfectly.

In the example of the video below funhouse by pink, the lyrics and the video link. With the burnt out town representing the breakdown of a relationship. Pink is very big on her visuals, they are usually over the top and quirky, much like herself and her persona. Which is the vibe she gives out to the world.

Her album [pictured above] released in released in october 2008, reveals who she is, just by looking at the front cover. This is her creating her star image. It has her sitting on a carnival horse kicking her legs around, and having fun and mischievous. Which, for anyone who knows pink, is exactly how she is. Cheeky and fun. And of course she has the colour pink which runs throughout the theme of most of her album covers. It's like a colour representation of who she is. She has personified the colour, so everyone knows it relates to her. Which is very clever. This is carried on throughout her videos, all the time keeping up her star image. Using certain shot types like close ups and pans, following her throughout the video, keeping the attention fully on her.

She also follows the codes of the pop genre that she is in. Pop is all about the sex appeal, even with someone like pink who explains all the time how she isn't the typical sex object, a feminist independent woman. But even in her videos they use sex to entice viewers, even something as small as wearing a small crop top showing off her stomach and hips. Though her performance, also a major importance in a music video and contributes to the star image, contradicts the typical pop performance. She prances around in quite a manly fashion kicking and jumping around. No choreography which is usual to pop promotions. This represents her feministic charm and proving to everyone that she isn't the typical pop princess.

The first single of this album, also named fun house was a great promotional image for the album . It shows pink being the cheeky, fiesty woman she is. Prancing around an abandoned burned down house, swearing, making a point. Her videos always make a big impact on the issue she is potraying in her songs. And this is no different. She makes everything seem so fun and alive. This video is exciting. This helps promote her album well, as this is like the beginning, the sort of thing you expect from the rest of the album. The mise - en - scene and performance is very important to a artists music video. Because their the things we really take note of, even if its subconsciously. The way she is styled represents rebellion. The mohawk, the bodice, the ripped jeans and boots. She has a hard nut image. She doesn't care what people thinks about her, she is who she is. And people look up to her for that.

History of pop promotion.

Music videos gained it's main popularity in the 80's when mtv was created in 1981. It was a historic moment for popular culture around the world as now artists could now promote their songs more through a visual content. The original purpose of MTV was to be "Music Television," playing music videos 24 hours a day, 7 daysa week. It was huge! Even though it began with the dominance of a white demographic. MTV were reluctant to play Music made by other ethnicities. But as MTV grew to such aworldwide extent they beccame more diverse. And they made it so anyone who were famous and had amazing music could now share it with the world Via MTV. As years have gone buy, mainly since the millennium, The amount of music videos played are decreasing as MTV has now become such a huge success. It became more thanjust a TV channel, itbecame a channel for music related TVshows. Usually reality wise. Even now, they have TV shows on their which have no relation to music. E.g sweet sixteen and pimp my ride. Now as there are such a huge range of music channels out there for nearly every genre, MTV are no longer dependent on bringing the world their music video fix. With channels likeVH1, The Box, Kiss and Kerrang.

After the creation of MTV and it's rival music channels music videos have become a sort of phenomenon. With people eagerly awaiting an artists release. Thanks to the popularity of the internet there is a lot of online promotion of the videos releases on sites like facebook and twitter. The example here is from Britney Spears new album femme fatale. Below is her twitter page the tweet marked in red is her linking her fans to the brand new video as soon as it came out. And below that is the video she linked for her new video. This is a process which gives her fans instant access to her new videos. This is an amazing promotional idea which makes her lots of money and lots of fans.

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The main way of watching videos is online Youtube was founded officially in 2005. It started off as a place where people could upload and keep videos they took themselves online safely. As this has become more popular, artists saw how many hits videos would get. So now Bands and Artists have their own official pages on youtube where they upload their new videos as soon as they are done, so they can get another form of promotion for themselves on a worldwide, hugely popular website.

Music videos now comehandin hand withartists singles. Everyone expects music videos to be released by artists, but the bar has been lifted on how good they should be. With the popularity of music videos, even Film directors sometimes step up to the plate and direct artists videos. And they are nothing less than spectacular. Though at the end of the day to some artists it can be as minimalist as it wants to be, as long as promotes the band in how they want to be perceived, thats all that matters

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Introduction to my Pop Promotion Package.

In the second year of A2 we are studying the workings of a pop promo which includes:

• A Music Video for an album track
• An album cover for the release of the album.
• An advertisement for the album that we are promoting
• A webpage for the bands profile. (We choose the webpage or the advertisement)

We will strongly research into the pop industry. What catches peoples eyes, what makes a good promotion package.In our groups, we will research into the world of promoting for artists. The inner workings and importance of the perception of a band to their fans, and also attracting new ones to increase a artists popularity. We will have different roles in our groups including research, planning, directing and designing. We have to make sure that whilst designing the promotional package that we also make sure to portray the genre and style of the artist, making sure we capture how they want to be perceived.

Music videos are very important to any artist in the industry as it usually viewed worldwide. A music video represents who they are. So it has to be something people want to see, but at the same time, representing who the artist really is. Whilst doing this the other parts of the promo package have to within the same theme of one another. Keeping it professional for the bands image.