Possible shoot location

We're reshooting the lipsynch parts and Miss suggested that we film in a bedroom. I've taken some photos of my room, so we can compare it with Despina's and Joe's as well to see which suits the video and character more.

Album Covers
I looked at some female artists' album covers, and there are many strong points which we should try to include in Lexi's album.

The use of direct address in Cheryl Cole and Alexandra Burke's albums is very eye-catching and I think that Eliza Doolittle's would work better closer up (although the focus is on the artwork, so this is probably why it isn't).

Also, Pixie Lott's styling is great - it isn't too over the top like Alexandra's, but many of her fans (teenage girls) would wear similar outfits and therefore be able to relate to her. However, I don't like that Pixie and Alexandra wear the same outfits on both panels, as this is quite repetitive and boring- seems like a waste of a photo!

Colour schemes are key - they really brand the album; Cheryl Cole's is dark and serene, whereas Eliza's is bright and funky (both fit their images really well).

These are definitly factors to think about. I would love to have an album with a strong colour scheme, iconic CU front photo which captures Lexi's personality and an cover where all the panels fit and mesh well together to work in synergy with the music video and website and anchor Lexi Grace as an artist!

So far

We've had lots of meetings about this project and even though it's half term we decided to have another one yesterday as we really needed to get a shot list done and sort out what exactly we need to bring for the shoots at the end of the week.


The shot list really helps us to get organised as we know where we are going and when. We plan to go to Hyde Park first as it will be empty and then Trafalgar Square as we want some people in shots but not huge crowds. From there, we're going to Covent Garden, Soho and around Carnaby St as these are all near each other and we can get some really good shots of Liv walking around iconic places which will hopefully look good when we cut them together.


The shot list also made us think about costumes, so we know what Liv is wearing and at which points.
Shot List

Things to do

Our shoot is next thursday and friday, so we only have two more days at school this week to plan for it.
Thurs: 12.30 (half an hour) and p4&5
Fri: p1 then 12.30 (half an hour)


So we don't have much time to plan and there are some things that we really need to pinpoint:

• Costume - what is Liv wearing on each day?
• Locations - where to and at what times?
• Where and when exactly are we meeting?

Artist name

We've decided to call our artist Alexandra Grace Hunter, but Lexie Grace for short. I really like this name as it's something that fans can relate to and will help Liv to get into character.

We really need to think of a brand for Lexie, with a logo that can be replicated across different forms of media that her fans will see.

For example, Kissy Sell Out (DJ & producer) has a distinctive logo with a recurring font that runs through all his work; it's on albums, singles, his website and his logo which creates his brand image. I like the font as well and something similar could really work for Lexie's logo.

Ideas for video - street shots

I like the shots of Lily Allen on the street in this video (Right at the start, 2.25) and I think that we could do some wide shots like this in ours.

Another example of empty streets in a video is at 1.55, where the girls are dancing in the street. Having Liv in the middle with nobody around her would really draw attention to her.

Location

Yesterday, I went to central London to look around the locations.
It took around half an hour to explore Carnaby st, Soho and Covent Garden, but unfortunately couldn't get to Trafalgar square as it was starting to rain.

Location

We know our locations already, but we wanted to look around and really make sure that they would be suitable so I've decided to have a look around some key places tomorrow morning.


I'm going to go to Carnaby St, Soho (probably around soho square), Covent garden and Trafalgar sqaure. These places are within walking distance and although it's easy to get buses, I'm going to walk around and scout out any back streets that would look good on camera, which also aren't too busy during the day.
Map - Location

Timetable

We've decided to plan ahead for the next two weeks and make sure that we have meetings every day, for around 30 mins and if we don't, we'll plan in the lessons.

Styling album cover

Close ups: highly styled, hair and make up done well - eye makeup and lipstick

Focus on artist and their style - either really styled with glamourous dresses or dressed down n jeans or a plain top (KT Tunstall and Pixie Lott for example)

Clothing reflects artists' style, for example Pixie Lott is young, in bright colours with a cute hairstyle compared to Kesha who has a rough, edgy look with a funny expresion or Christina Aguilera who is really glam in a long silk dress and light heels - all matching colour scheme.

We really need to think about Liv's style, which is edgy and the exact clothes we would style her in. For the video, leather jackets, jeans and other street style would work but I think that the album cover and website need more glam clothes, like a dress or even heels (although boots would fit her edgy persona). We also need to really do her makeup, with a range of lipstick/eyemake up etc.

Image

Rock chick style: leather jacket, sunglasses, chunky jewelery, biker boots - very edgy

Pretty boho chic: cute floral dress, earthy tones, pretty bags and accessories

Presentation

I've done some ideas for the presentation and key points that we need to include.
Target audience would probably be the most important factor to think about, as we need to know who to market to and what to market to them.
Image of the artist and their genre is also really important, as these contribute to target audience, as we will know who to target.


I'm going to show this to the group so that we can incorporate it into the final presentation, so that our ideas are clear to everyone else.
My Initial Music Video Treatment

Update to singer

Initially, we were using Tara as our singer for the video and on the promotional material, but we have decided to use Liv, who is completely different with short, dark hair and tanned skin. We feel that she would have an edgier look and be different to all the singers out there, like The Saturdays and Pixie Lott, for example. She would appeal to a wider audience who may like electro/pop music but want something different, so would gratify many audience needs. Liv does A-level drama, so is experienced in acting and is willing to give up her time to film, so we're really happy!

Website

Initially, we thought that we should do a myspace page but I've been looking online and real websites aren't actually that difficult to make.
Many artists use myspace, but it looks more professional and can appeal to wider audiences with an actual website. Here are some of my favourite artists at the moment and their websites:

Mark Ronson : British indie artist, internationally known

This is his own website and very bright and quirky, which fits his genre of music. It heavily promotes his new album Record Collection with The Business Intl, with videos, an audio player, tour dates etc. It's a really interactive site and looks unique but is conventional in that it has the features any music website would typically have to immerse the audience in the artist's world.

Chromeo : alternative American duo

The myspace is in keeping with Chromeo's niche image; they aren't about appealing to a mainstream audience. Although this is a myspace, there is a banner at the top which has links to their store to buy merchandise, videos and images which sticks to the conventions of a music website. Their trademark 'Chromeo' logo is individual and definitely something I would like to do with our artist.

JME - British grime artist

This is another myspace page which ties in with the low-key grime image and is quite personal to his fans. At the top, there is a video with fellow grime artist Tempa T which would definitly appeal to his fans as anyone who knows JME shouls know Tempa T. There is a music playlist, which you always see on a myspace and photos for fans to view and leave comments. Like the other websites, we see tour dates and fan comments and myspaces allow fans to become friends with the artist and follow them (like Twitter, which JME is always using!)

Tinie Tempah: British rapper

This is a non-scroll website, which I REALLY like as you don't need to scroll around the place and it is aesthetically pleasing as everything is together and concise. You can listen to all his released music and buy from the iTunes store, which is definitely appealing to the iGeneration, who are generally his fan base. There are 6 photos of Tinie Tempah, all relating to merchandise which shows how a website can really sell all aspects of the artist. Links to social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube and Myspace allow fans to follow the artist from all directions as the sites work in synergy together. All the artwork looks similar, so this could be from his unreleased album which is a good marketing ploy as it ties in with the suave image (he wears his trademark sunglasses etc).

Now that I think about it, I would really like to create a proper website, instead of a myspace page. I think that if I explained to the group how we could do this, it could really work. I found a website calles wix.com which is quite easy to use and allows anyone to create a free website and I really like this style in particular:

http://www.wix.com/flash-templates/mix-master
I reckon that as long as we really create a strong brand image, with photos, videos (such as behind the scenes filming and interviews), links to other sites like Facebook and Twitter, than our website would be really strong and immerse the audience. Interactivity is also key, so links to competitions, leaving comments and buying merchandise would be effective in our marketing campaign as well.

Following up on things to do

I had some things that needed to be discussed, which we have resolved resolve over the past few days:

image for singer - costume, makeup etc

Tara McSharry - blonde, british, eye-catching makeup (not too over the top, though), versatile (can look be innocent, yet outgoing and edgy)

who else will be in the video - extras?

Passers-by, in the background to look like the streets of London.
Other group members if we really need extras.

exact location

Streets of London, but the back streets which aren't too touristy but still give off the urban vibe.
We're going to check out possible locations (Covent Garden, Brick Lane, Carnaby Street etc)

will the video have much of a narrative?

The narrative won't really be a story, but more of an idea: the main character is in a sort of psychological turmoil and the video is more about her and what she's doing in London as opposed to a story 
As we want the video to be in reverse, it will be really hard for Tara to lipsynch backwards, so we'll have to film a lipsynch and intercut it between the narrative.

Practicality Issues

I've been thinking of issues that we need to cover so we don't have problems along the line.


Song:
In regards to the song itself, I already emailed 679artists, who are the record label behind Meddle and have said that we can use the song! This is great news and it's great that they replied to soon.

Actress:
We've also spoken to Tara, who we'd like to use as our singer who has agreed to everything but we also have Liv, who does drama, as a back up just in case who we could also use as she would fit the image.


Location:
We definitely need to check out possible locations and make sure that they would work in all weather, as we can never be too sure with English weather!
Places like the skate park in south bank could be good, as it's sheltered but all the graffiti gives of a really cool, urban vibe which British audiences would identify with and other audiences, ie. American would love to see.

Song Choice

We pitched our ideas and have decided to go with Little Boots' Meddle, an electro pop song with a young audience. Ideas for the video are to use a reversed effect, tying in with the theme of meddling and confusing the audience, leaving the video open to interpretation.

Our artist will be female and quirky, appealing to a young British audience of around 16-24 year olds. 


As for the ancillary products, we are going to produce:

1. A website: probably myspace as we are all confident customising this and this would be suitable for a debut artist, as we have seen through the likes of Lily Allen and many others.
2. Album cover: the front will most likely be a photo of the artist, as nearly all debut artists who are trying to go mainstream do this.