London Research

I have researched into the locations that we are going and the trains that we would need to get in order to get there. We can get to charing cross from bexleyheath and a lot of the locations are walking distance from there. We can get the Waterloo line to go to Big Ben and the London Eye and the northern line can take us to Piccadilly Circus or Lester square. Camden Town can also be reached from these places so we will probably get a travel card so we can travel all around London. 

All the places that we need to film in are permitted and it's legal in the places we need to so this is very helpful as we do not need to get permission from the police. 

We have decided that we still wish to continue on going on a tour bus as this is an easier option for filming and it wil also allow us to go to different places. 

Filming research

I have looked at some websites to research into the day for when we go to London to film our music video. As we are going to London we have to make sure that we take plenty of shots and that we are happy with everything in the shot as it will be difficult to retake the shots again. The idea of getting a tour bus is so that it would be easier to film and it will also allow us to go to different locations. The idea of using the location of London makes it seem quite indie as some of the places we are going to hold the connotations of indie/folky/rock within them. 

Tracklist Survey

This is a list of possible songs that I could put into my tracklist. As I am not sure on what songs to put into it I have created a survey so I can see what the most popular songs are for the specific type of genre then I can consider choosing the most popular ones for the tracklist.

These questions are to clarify that the song choices I have suggested are suitable for the type of genre. If I have feedback which says otherwise then I will possibly change them. The last question is for peoples opinions and if they have any other ideas too. - Click here to take survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WBBJMXD

Survey Results

This is the feedback we had from the survey that we done. The reason for the survey is to get a better perspective from other people of our ideas instead of ourselves and our class mates. I liked the feedback about the ideas of it being an all girl band because this is quite unique and also the fact that this is seen as a positive thing from other people. The majority of the people also agreed with the name of the band too which was something that we found difficult to come up with. We are also going to take on board the things that could be improved. This was helpful for the group because it allows us to change things or improve things about the band that we are going to create.

Music Video Ideas

This is a short clip that shows pictures which suggest the ideas that we want to present into our music video. I have included pictures such as: sceneries, fields, friends, parties, guitars and different locations. The idea of this is because it applies to Goodwin's theory of a relationship between the music and the visuals. The idea of the song 'Suddenly I see' and lots of different locations makes a relationship here. It also conveys the genre of our band, from researching into many different music videos it has shown they are quite laid back with little storyline, all presenting different locations too.

Audience Profile

This is our Audience Profile for our band 'After Midnight.' We chose the age group of 17-25 because the group hold connotations of staying up late and partying and we feel that this is a suitable age group to target for. The target of females is also used because the band is all female so this would be suitable too. The occupation of 'student' and no income could also suggest rebelling and having quite a carefree nature, just like the band. The idea of commenting on not liking mainstream bands is important because we like the idea of our band being independent and we are trying to shy away from the idea of being mainstream, mainstream typically holding conventions of being pop and the most prominent aspect being image. In the likes we have included likes that we think a fan of this group would like and also their dislikes too.

Surveys

This is a survey for people for the research and planning for our band 'After Midnight.' From doing this it will allow us to have a better idea on whether our typography and label of our band is suitable. Also, we can get a clearer perspective on the audiences view of our band. We can see if our ideas are suitable and if it actually appeals to people too.

Mainstream Artists

Mainstream Artists 

One Direction:

One Direction are an English/Irish pop group based in London that were formed on the TV show X-factor in 2010. They were signed by Simon Cowell to Syco Records and also Columbia. One Direction are probably known as the biggest boy band currently and have toured all over the world, entertaining millions of fans. They have won 2 Brit awards, 2 MTV Music Video Awards. 

Lady Gaga

As of October 2011, she had sold an estimated 23 million albums and 64 million singles worldwide and her singles are some of the best-selling worldwide.Her achievements include five Grammy Awards and 13 MTV Video Music Awards.









We do not want our band to be 'mainstream' as we feel that mainstream bands hold genres of pop and this is not the genre of our own band. Also, sometimes mainstream bands can be changed as they progress and their image is a prominent aspect for their career. 

Independent Artists

Independent Artists 


You Me At Six: 
They are a British rock band from Surrey. The band formed in 2004 and the record labels that they have been signed to are: Virgin, Epitath, Slam Dunk, G-Unit. There genres are classified as alternative rock, pop punk and post-hardcore, making them fall into 'independent.'



Jake Bugg: 
Jake bugg is an English indie musician, singer and songwriter. He was on the introducing stage at Glastonbury and was then later signed by Mercury. He has a very unique style and he is still very young. He is a very organic musician and his sole purpose is to make music.










Ben Howard: 
Ben Howard is an English singer/songwriter, he self released his own album in 2008 called Games in the Dark. Currently, he is signed to Island and Communion. His genre is indie/folk and recently performed at Glastonbury.

As we would like our band to be an independent band, I have researched into other independent bands. They all have a typical type of genre which is indie/rock/folk which is the same type of genre that we are going to have for our own band 'After Midnight.' 

Independent & Mainstream

Independent Music: 

Independent music appeals to all other genres of music, for example: 

• punk rock 
• indie rock 
• alternative/underground hip hop 
• anti-folk 
• heavy metal 

Mainstream Music:
Mainstream music implies that the music is aimed for the masses and the genres can usually be:

• popular music 
• pop music 
• middle of the road music 
• pop rap 
• pop rock 

Independent record labels: 

An independent record label is a record label that operates without the funding of major record labels. Many first time artists and bands begin with independent record labels. Independent record labels can often be faced with problems due to the lack of funding compared to mainstream record labels. It can be more difficult because they struggle to promote their music. However, though there are often money problems, there have been great successes with music artists. 

Mainstream record labels: 

Often record labels become a publishing company that deals with all the production, distribution, talent scouting, maintains contracts with artists and more.

Our band is going to be an independent band due to the type of genre that we are going to have which is: indie/rock/folk. I am also going to look into other artists/bands that are independent so that we can get more ideas of our overall research into the production of our band. 

Conventions to adapt

Haim: (main) 


This band is very unique and quirky which is the type of band that we want to have too. We like the indie vibe that the band has and we think we are going to take on-board the style that the band have. From looking into them we have discovered that they are quite carefree and have a hippy type vibe too. I really like the style that they have and the edgy and unique feel they convey.

Florence and The Machine: 


Florence and the machine is also quite indie too which we like. However, the style is quite extravagant and a bit too much for the type of band we want. Having said this, from looking into it there is a care-free nature too due to the prominent outdoors and nature type feel they have.

Kings Of Leon:


Although Kings Of Leon are a male band, we think that looking into the indie/rock conventions of this band are also important. From looking at the others above, it seems that there is a relaxed feel about indie/rock/folk bands.

Research

We are looking into bands that have a indie/rock/folk type genre.
We have found that there are a lot of bands that are mainly male based bands, but we are researching into this.
We have found inspiration from a number of bands such as:
- Kings of Leon
- The Kooks
- Of Monsters + Men
- Florence + the machine
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs
- Lana Del Rey
- Haim

We are researching into the conventions of each of the bands or solo artists and we are going to try and adapt these conventions to a girl band. The three girl band 'Haim' has inspired us and we are researching into the music and the style of the band as they are very much related to the type of band we want to create.

Research for Music Video

Planning and Research for our Music Video 

Songs and Artists: 

• The La's - There She Goes 
• The Wannadies - You and Me Song 
• Blur - Song 2 
• Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag 
• All Saints - Pure shoes
• Sugababes 
• Blondie 
• Walking on Sunshine 

We have researched into different songs and this is a list of songs and artists that could be relevant for the type of music video that we want to do. 

We are interested in doing a Indie/Rock Music video where the typical conventions of this include a band performance. We think that we need to discuss more on this as we would need to find trustworthy people that could act as the band. We also need to choose a song that can allow us to adopt Goodwin's theory to it, for example the link between the lyrics and visuals. 

Codes and Conventions of Music Videos

About Music Videos and their Codes and Conventions

• Music videos have been around since the 1920's!

• One of the first modern music videos was for Bob Dylan 
• TV shows introduced music video promos on screen which began to replace actual live performances. 
• Bohemian Rhapsody marked the new era of music videos as it is the first to consist of advances visual effects. 

• Close up cinematography creates the effect of intimacy for the audience.
• Fast cut montages make it hard to view which ensured people would watch the video multiple times, editing establishes the tone/mood of the music video. 
• Camera movements accompany the artists or band 
• Digital effects
• Split screens
• Non-representation techniques, where the artist is not used. 
• Few edits

Goodwin's Music Analysis

1. Music videos demonstrate the genre of the characteristics. For example:  One Directions music videos determine that they are a pop boy band due to their stage performance. 
2. A relationship between the visuals and the lyrics. 
3. A relationship between the music and the lyrics. 
4. Close ups of the artists 
5. Notion of looking, eg. screens within screens 
6. Intertextual reference