Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Back Cover
The back cover will feature a full body shot of Character One, with his back to the camera. This is an effective image to use as it shows his solitude and bad social skills, he'd rather be away from people than facing them. He will be wearing all black clothing, and be surrounded by very dark lights. Next to him, in white writing, will be the song titles.
Inside Cover
The inside cover will feature a medium close up picture of the alter ego character, with his significant props: a walking cane painted red and white and a black top hat. Each object has its own meaning; the walking cane represents the canes mob gangsters and ring masters use to show their dominance and sophistication, and it's colours represent the 'fun' side to the alter ego, who has a cane painted as if it were a candy cane for Christmas; the top hat is also to represent the ring masters, as they all use top hats, again to show their dominance (as it makes them look taller) and sophistication.
These props will be heavily featured in the music video as they are mutually exclusive with the alter ego.
(insert image of the props)
These props will be heavily featured in the music video as they are mutually exclusive with the alter ego.
(insert image of the props)
Front Album Cover
The front of my album cover will be a close up of the artist as it is important for a new artist to be recognised by the audience/customers straight away, and this will help make him more recognisable. However, Scissor Sisters do use bright, vibrant colours, which I will use for the alter ego's side of the cover.
An example of an artist using this same sort of image for their album cover is Peter Gabriel, who in one album cover has half of his face smudged, while the other side is clearer. Queen, Bee Gees and David Bowie also come under the neo-glam rock genre, and they have album covers that are similar to what Casey Anderson's will be. In Casey Anderson's front picture, it will be the same face, but one half of him will be brighter, while the other will be surrounded by dark colours. His entire face is painted white, but on the right side he has red makeup above his eye, to keep in character with the alter ego, while on the left side he has blue makeup below his eye, pointing downwards to show his sadness. The right side will be wearing a white shirt with a red tie, while the left side will be edited so that his shirt is black and his tie will be a darker colour as well.
The typeface for these album covers feature basic lettering, but sometimes use bright colours to juxtapose against the plain backgrounds used. The main feature tends to always be the face, to promote the artist, and the backgrounds are kept simple to not distract from them.
The front picture will be a close up of Casey Anderson as his two characters, such as the movie poster for Face/Off, and also like the character Two-Face from Batman.
An example of an artist using this same sort of image for their album cover is Peter Gabriel, who in one album cover has half of his face smudged, while the other side is clearer. Queen, Bee Gees and David Bowie also come under the neo-glam rock genre, and they have album covers that are similar to what Casey Anderson's will be. In Casey Anderson's front picture, it will be the same face, but one half of him will be brighter, while the other will be surrounded by dark colours. His entire face is painted white, but on the right side he has red makeup above his eye, to keep in character with the alter ego, while on the left side he has blue makeup below his eye, pointing downwards to show his sadness. The right side will be wearing a white shirt with a red tie, while the left side will be edited so that his shirt is black and his tie will be a darker colour as well.The typeface for these album covers feature basic lettering, but sometimes use bright colours to juxtapose against the plain backgrounds used. The main feature tends to always be the face, to promote the artist, and the backgrounds are kept simple to not distract from them.
Casey Anderson's Album Cover
The idea behind Casey Anderson's album cover and music video is similar to that of the Yin and Yang symbol. The symbol is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world. For the music video, there will be two completely different characters, but they are interconnected because they are both the same person, just as Yin and Yang are two opposing things but are connected to each other in the same circle. The symbol shows how there is dark in light, and light in dark, just as Character One has a bit of Character Two in him, and vice versa.Casey Anderson's album cover will not be similar to the covers of Scissor Sisters as they don't focus on the artist but rather their music and how different they are.
Trip To Photography Studio
On Wednesday 9th November, we visited a photography studio in Hoxton to take professional photographs of our music video artist(s). For Casey Anderson, we used two different constumes to portray his two different characters.
The venue had many different studios, which were all different sizes, and some more glamorous than others as some clients demand more room and privacy than others. A list of their client list can be found on their website.
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Globalisation
Casey Anderson could become a globally successful music artist because his music will appeal to many young people who have ever felt different and isolated from other people around them. Recently, the most successful artists are from popular genres like pop and r'n'b, whereas in the eighties and nineties, bands such as Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Queen and Iron Maiden were the most successful artists.
In 1981, Queen performed in Buenos Aires, in Estadio José Amalfitani. Queen were the first rock band to play the big football stadiums in South America.
In 2006, Iron Maiden performed a record breaking fourth headline concert at Donington Park, playing to an audience of 80,000, the largest crowd in the Download Festival's history.
A Bigger Bang Tour was a worldwide concert tour by Rolling Stones, which took place between 2005 and 2007, to support their album A Bigger Bang. It has become the second highest grossing tour of all time, with $558,255,524 earned.
Though these bands are still popular and known around the world, there hasn't been a new artist to come along and pick up where they left off, and maintain the same level of success that these bands have.
Anderson's songs are a mixture of serious and surreal issues that aren't often talked about e.g mental health, bullying. The video shows him expressing his identity by wearing flamboyant makeup and outfits. He could become a role model for anyone who wants to express themselves but is too afraid to because of conventional society. He can give a voice to young people who don't identity with more popular and typical music cliche's e.g. the pop princess, pretty boy heart throb and the rich gangster. Everywhere in the world there are people who feel that they don't fit in, so Anderson can become a globally known music artist because of this.
Although he is not gay, he could become a gay icon because of the style of his music and appearance. He is a male who is not afraid to wear feminine clothes and cover his face in makeup. Young gay people could identify with this and find comfort in the fact that there is a male artist out there who is paving the way for them to come out and look and act however they want. This is an issue that has global relevance as in America there has been a record-number of young gay people killing themselves because they're treated as outcasts. In response to this, many celebrities and normal gay people who had experienced bullying in school because of their sexuality came together to create 'It Get's Better', a Youtube channel which has many videos in which these people talk about their experiences and assure others who might be going through the same thing that it does eventually get better. As Anderson could become a gay icon, he could also participate in this organisation, and eventually have his own video up.
The music video will be set in London, which is a globally known city and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. This will help appeal to a global audience as people who have never been to London but want to will see the city and therefore be interested in the video.
In 2006, Iron Maiden performed a record breaking fourth headline concert at Donington Park, playing to an audience of 80,000, the largest crowd in the Download Festival's history.
A Bigger Bang Tour was a worldwide concert tour by Rolling Stones, which took place between 2005 and 2007, to support their album A Bigger Bang. It has become the second highest grossing tour of all time, with $558,255,524 earned.
Anderson's songs are a mixture of serious and surreal issues that aren't often talked about e.g mental health, bullying. The video shows him expressing his identity by wearing flamboyant makeup and outfits. He could become a role model for anyone who wants to express themselves but is too afraid to because of conventional society. He can give a voice to young people who don't identity with more popular and typical music cliche's e.g. the pop princess, pretty boy heart throb and the rich gangster. Everywhere in the world there are people who feel that they don't fit in, so Anderson can become a globally known music artist because of this.
Although he is not gay, he could become a gay icon because of the style of his music and appearance. He is a male who is not afraid to wear feminine clothes and cover his face in makeup. Young gay people could identify with this and find comfort in the fact that there is a male artist out there who is paving the way for them to come out and look and act however they want. This is an issue that has global relevance as in America there has been a record-number of young gay people killing themselves because they're treated as outcasts. In response to this, many celebrities and normal gay people who had experienced bullying in school because of their sexuality came together to create 'It Get's Better', a Youtube channel which has many videos in which these people talk about their experiences and assure others who might be going through the same thing that it does eventually get better. As Anderson could become a gay icon, he could also participate in this organisation, and eventually have his own video up.
The music video will be set in London, which is a globally known city and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. This will help appeal to a global audience as people who have never been to London but want to will see the city and therefore be interested in the video.
Theories On Globalisation
Malcolm Waters (1995) defines globalisation as a 'social process in which the constraints of geography on social and cultural arrangements recede and in which people become increasingly aware that they are receding'.
Due to technology, the world has become a very small place. World cultures are becoming increasingly similar and there is a common culture language. Capitalist monopolization has an important part in this, for example people often talk about coca-colonization of the world to make this point.
Questionnaire Results
Click to expand.
Do you like rock music?
How often do you listen to glam rock?
Who is your favourite glam rock artist/band?
What appeals to you most about a glam rock artist?
Would you expect to see women objectified in a glam rock music video?
Where would you most likely expect to see a glam rock artist advertised?
What music channels would you be most likely to see a glam rock artist?
I asked twenty 16-24's found in London their opinion on glam rock because this genre is more well known than neo-glam rock, although the two are similar. I asked this group of people because they were in my target audience and included several young gay men, and people who were in Camden.
Using the results from the questionnaire, it is clear that glam rock is a genre enjoyed by people who like rock music in general. Queen were the most popular amongst people, so elements from them will be taken and used in the music video. The appearance of the artist and their music style is what people enjoy most about glam rock bands and singers, so there will be a lot of focus on how Anderson looks, and the song choice will be something that sounds different but fits in with the glam rock genre. The majority of the people agreed that they did not want to see women objectified in the music video, as this is not part of the codes and conventions for glam rock, so that will not be included in the video. Kerrang is the magazine and music channel that people think is most likely to advertise a glam rock artist, so this is where Anderson will be most heavily promoted in.
When asked about neo-glam rock, most did not know what it was, but some believed that it wouldn't be too different from glam rock, simply more updated and perhaps mixed in with a bit of pop music.
Do you like rock music?
How often do you listen to glam rock?
Who is your favourite glam rock artist/band?
What appeals to you most about a glam rock artist?
Would you expect to see women objectified in a glam rock music video?
Where would you most likely expect to see a glam rock artist advertised?
What music channels would you be most likely to see a glam rock artist?
I asked twenty 16-24's found in London their opinion on glam rock because this genre is more well known than neo-glam rock, although the two are similar. I asked this group of people because they were in my target audience and included several young gay men, and people who were in Camden.
Using the results from the questionnaire, it is clear that glam rock is a genre enjoyed by people who like rock music in general. Queen were the most popular amongst people, so elements from them will be taken and used in the music video. The appearance of the artist and their music style is what people enjoy most about glam rock bands and singers, so there will be a lot of focus on how Anderson looks, and the song choice will be something that sounds different but fits in with the glam rock genre. The majority of the people agreed that they did not want to see women objectified in the music video, as this is not part of the codes and conventions for glam rock, so that will not be included in the video. Kerrang is the magazine and music channel that people think is most likely to advertise a glam rock artist, so this is where Anderson will be most heavily promoted in.
When asked about neo-glam rock, most did not know what it was, but some believed that it wouldn't be too different from glam rock, simply more updated and perhaps mixed in with a bit of pop music.
Target Audience
Both target audiences will be almost 100% white, because as the photo from a Scissor Sisters concert shows, glam rock music is most listened to by white people. Also, The Office For National Statistics showed that 93.5% of gay people are white, so clearly white homosexuals will be a large part of the audience.
As teenagers and young adults are the target audience for my music video, it will be important to advertise the video and song in media sources that they are most likely to consume, such as articles in music magazines such as Kerrang, NME and Q, as well as their own music channels, along with others such as Scuzz and MTV Rock.Another magazine Anderson would feature heavily in is Attitude, Europe's number 1 selling gay magazine. This will be the best way to reach the gay audience, as a lot of them are likely to see his features.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Intertextuality
Intertextuality is a media text making reference to another media text. An example of this is Madonna's 1985 video for 'Material Girl'. The whole video is closely modelled after Marilyn Monroe's version of 'Diamond's Are A Girl's Best Friend.'
My music video will include an intertextual reference to the film 'Fight Club'. In the movie The Narrator walks past a wall that has been graffitied with the words 'I LIKE MYSELF" on it. This was symbolic because thanks to his alter ego, Tyler Durden, The Narrator was beginning to like himself and the life he was living, whereas before he was depressed and incredibly cynical. In my music video, there will be an intertextual reference, as Character One will walk past a wall with just the word 'MYSELF' on it, as a sign that the alter ego is really himself.
My music video will include an intertextual reference to the film 'Fight Club'. In the movie The Narrator walks past a wall that has been graffitied with the words 'I LIKE MYSELF" on it. This was symbolic because thanks to his alter ego, Tyler Durden, The Narrator was beginning to like himself and the life he was living, whereas before he was depressed and incredibly cynical. In my music video, there will be an intertextual reference, as Character One will walk past a wall with just the word 'MYSELF' on it, as a sign that the alter ego is really himself.
Locations
Locations I plan on including in my video are:
- Camden Town/Canal as this is the sort of place people like Character One like to spend their time.
- Convent Garden because it's a very loud and vibrant place, and Character Two would be seen here a lot.
- Brick Lane for the same reason as above.
- Hampstead Heath for shots of nature and where one of the characters will be buried alive in a fantasy.
- A lake for one of the characters to be pushed into it.
- A graveyard for when one of the characters fantasises about the other one being dead.
- A living room, dining room and bedroom for the final scenes where the suicide will take place.
Props
The themes of the music video will be depression, murder/suicide, and fun had by the alter ego.
- In the song there is a lyric that goes 'Oh I could bury you alive, but you might crawl out with a knife...' so for this part a knife will be used while the character comes out of the ground.
A gun will be used in the end, when Character One shoots Character Two.
Character Two will use party poppers at the start of the song, to go with the music when it kicks off.- In the song there is also a lyrics that goes 'Slug ten drinks I won't get pickled...' so there will be a scene of one of the characters drinking alcohol with empty beer cans around him.
- In the song, the artist sings about missing the other character if he does decide to kill him, so there will be a scene when he visits his grave and lays flowers on it.
- The artist also sings about poisoning the other character with a birthday cake, so there will be a scene where one of the characters eats a suspicious looking cake.
- Character Two will walk around with a cane that is coloured red and white so that it looks like a candy cane, showing his childishness and craziness. I took a regular cane and painted it these colours.
Inspiration For The Characters
The two characters in my music video are based on the The Narrator and Tyler Durden. Character One is reclusive and bored with his life, while Character Two is everything he wishes he could be; wild and flamboyant. However, unlike in Fight Club, the two characters do not form a friendship, but Character Two does destroy Character One's life, the same way that Tyler destroys The Narrator's. In the end, Character One decides to destroy his enemy, and it is then that he realises the truth; that he is the person he hates.
In Fight Club, the reason The Narrator doesn't realise that he is Tyler Durden is because he appears to him as a completely different man. In my music video, instead of having two actors, the alter ego will wear different masks throughout the video, covering half of his face so that he is unrecognisable. At the end, his mask will fall off, reveling who he truly is.
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