Twitter

Twitter Account

I decided to create a Twitter account for my band as this is what most bands use to promote themselves e.g. up and coming gigs, news and alerts.

Band Inspiration

Band Inspiration

My band have not only been influenced by bands but have also gone on to influence British artists of this generation such as The Struts - who are a relatively new British band.  Their main influences were The Who - an iconic British band from the late 60's and 70's who have influenced hundreds of bands from all over the world since then in the way they make music and their style on stage.  My band have been influenced by these bands in the way they act on stage, my frontman (Tommy Cobley) has been influenced by many iconic frontmen such as Roger Daltrey, and has gone on to influence frontmen such as Tom Meighan.  
My drummer (Kieran Langley) has been largely influenced by Keith Moon 

in the way he moves around the kit and enjoying it at the same time making what he is doing look relatively easy.  He has gone on to influence drummers such as The Strypes drummer Evan Walsh in the way he can combine classic rock and blues.

Dress code

Dress code For My Band

After lots of research involving my target audience, I have decided what the dress code for my band and extras should be.  The main focus of my video will be on the frontman Tommy, therefore he must wear clothes that make him stand out above everyone else in the video.  Tommy will be wearing a smart jacket which would have been worn by musicians in the 70's, he will have a 'peace' necklace around his neck and wearing black jeans with desert boots on his feet.  I feel this is very suited to the style of video that I am aiming for.  The rest of the band will be wearing smart clothes e.g. shirts, black shoes and suit jackets except for Tom the guitarist who will be wearing a green parka which would be worn by Mods in the 60's and 70's, this makes my band relate to my target audience and also creates verisimilitude.

The crowd who will be dancing in my video will be wearing Fred Perry polo tops and Fred Perry dresses (for the women), they will also be wearing either desert boots or black shoes to imitate what fans of bands like mine would have worn.

Peer Feedback

As you can see, I have commented on some of my peers 25 word pitches to let them know what they have done well, and how they could progress them and improve their grade.  I feel my comments are fair and reflect their pitches truthfully.  The top comment is to Morgan Russell (morganrusselllcm1415.blogspot.com) and the bottom comment is to my classmates Natalie and Sanjay (sanjaypatelnatclarkelcmedia1415.blogspot.co.uk) who are working as a pair in this project. 

25 Word Pitch

Band Profile

Band Profile

The band I am using to perform in my music video are a 4 piece band from Shepherds Bush, London.  It consists of a singer, guitarist, bassist and drummer.  They all went to colleges from the same area but didn't form the band until 1970 when Tommy met Kieran in school through a mutual friend.  Tommy introduced his friend Tom who played guitar to Kieran and they decided to form a band together after discovering they all had the same music taste.  All that was needed next was a bassist, Kieran had been in a band before with a bassist called Morgan Russell and suggested him to Tommy, it turned out that Morgan was Tommy's neighbour and they were already close friends, so Morgan was the new addition  to the band.  After practising together in Tommy's nan's shed they came up with the name 'The Strobes' which eventually stuck, they played covers at first until Kieran (the drummer) announced that he had written a song which they developed (and would later go on to be their first single) titled 'I Can't Explain'.  After the first year they entered (and won) a local 'battle of the bands' competition which put their name on the map and gave them a lot of promotion in the local area, once they had gained publicity they went outside of London to venues such as Cavern Club in Liverpool where a figure from Columbia records watched and was heavily impressed with their unique sound, they eventually signed a 5 album deal with the company and released their first single 'I Can't Explain'...

Final Music Video Idea

Final Idea

After thinking carefully over the last few weeks, I feel that I have thought out what will hopefully be a successful music video.  The video will mainly be a performance video with the whole band playing together in a room, but with them also playing individual in a recording studio in the same building.  During the time when the band are playing, in the same room I will gather a crowd of people and have them dress in the same style as my target audience (Mods) however as my video is made to look vintage and 'old school' therefore the crowd will be dressed as mods would have looked back in the 60's and 70's e.g. desert boots, parkas/smart jackets.  They will be two stepping as a Mod would dance, also I will have a Lambretta scooter which Mods are known for driving and film it being driven into the car park of the venue.

My video will be edited black and white to make it look like it was filmed in the 60's/70's, this gives it a much more vintage feel which is the effect I'm going for.  The main focus of my video will be the frontman of the band Tommy Cobley, this is because he will be singing, the lyrics are the part of the song that people who don't play an instrument remember the most therefore will want to see him performing them.  Due to this, Cobley will stand out over the others in the band, I will make this happen by dressing him in different clothes than the rest of the band making him the centre of attention.  The video will cut back every now and again to Cobley in a booth singing into a mic with headphones on, Kieran on the drums in his booth and also Morgan (bassist) and Tom (guitar) playing their instruments in a room with a large mixing desk which gives the effect of a real band recording a new song.  In the main room where the band will be performing, I will put in leather sofas making it look like an old school, small club venue.  I will make sure there is nothing in the video that wouldn't have been invented during the early 70's as the video is going to be set in this era and has to have verisimilitude.

In terms of lighting, I need to make the room as bright as I can as the video is going to be edited black and white, if the video isn't bright enough then it will be too dark to see the band after it gets edited.  I will make a 22" sticker to fit on the bass drum skin with the RAF symbol on it as this was the logo that the Mods chose to have.

Location

Chosen Location

I have decided to film my video at Cutting Edge Studios located in the town of Cosby, Leicester.  This location is where my band practice on a weekly basis, it also has a recording studio in the room next door which is great for filming the band perform.  The room is not the largest however it is a good size for the band to play in with room for a small crowd to dance, I saw this as a necessity as the video is largely a performance with a crowd having a good time.  The building is located on a farm so there is room to film the band acting themselves in the different areas of the farm.  The large driveway allows me to film a Lambretta entering the location, this is important as it helps the audience understand the style of the band and video.

Chosen Song

My Chosen Song

After a lot of thinking, I decided to use the song I Can't Explain by The Who.  I did this because I have been listening to this song for many years and have come to understand the lyrics and meaning of the song.  I have studied The Who in my own time and have come to learn lots about their lifestyle and each band members individual character, this would allow me to create my own interpretation of the band and show what the song means to me through this music video.  The genre of the band is classic rock which is my favourite type of music, The Who were at their peak during the 60's and 70's which is beneficial as I wanted to give my video a more old school, vintage feel to it.  I feel that my frontman is different from other frontmen and wanted to emphasize what he does that's unique therefore I chose a song which is the correct tempo for him to move to, the song has a short break where he can dance and it also suits his style and presence.

My chosen frontman, Tommy Cobley

Band Name

Band Name

My chosen band name is The Strobes, I feel this suits the bands style of music as it the word 'strobe' comes from the term 'strobe lighting' which is used at rock concerts for effect.  The fact it is only two syllables means it can be chanted by a crowd which is important for a rock band as the crowd can chant it before the encore, also it is a name that can be remembered like names such as The Who, The Beatles and The Smiths.  

Audience Profile

Audience Profile

The social group that I will be aiming my video at are Mods.  These are most suited to the style of song and video that I will be creating as their interests will be shown in the video for example a Lambretta scooter. 


My audience will have the same fashion sense as the band, this is relatively smart clothes with desert boots and parka jackets, they wear brands such as Fred Perry, and Pretty Green this is specified in a previous post.  'Mods' tend to not follow the latest 'pop' music, they listen to music because they personally like it not because other people tell them to listen to it.  Therefore they tend to stay away from radio stations such as Capital FM and Heart as they tend to repeat the songs in the charts, they would listen to Planet Rock mostly as it plays a lot of classic rock including The Who and Black Sabbath. 
Overall I feel that my video can reach out to a wider audience than this.  It is different to the usual music videos that are made today for Indie and Pop artists therefore can educate young people on music styles before this generation which they will hopefully appreciate.

Audience Research

Audience Research

My target audience can range from a variety of ages, from teenagers to people in their late 50's and early 60's.  The gender is aimed mostly at both men and women however I believe that slightly more men would be interested in the song and video than women would due to the style of music being more stereo-typically a mans taste.  The social group of my target audience are known as 'Mods' (modernists) they wear the same brands that will be shown in my video e.g. Fred Perry, Pretty Green and have similar style haircuts.  Also they like the genre of music that my chosen song is (The Who - I Can't Explain.)  My video will feature a Lambretta scooter which my audience are interested in, as in the 60's and 70's this social group would most likely be seen driving one.  Another reason that this is my target audience is because my frontman (Tommy Cobley) can be seen as a 'Mod' icon, they could aspire to be him or someone similar to him.  Tommy dresses smart but his presence makes him stand out, his dancing makes the audience unable to take their eyes off him, the fact he has been influenced by Roger Daltrey will attract my target audience as Daltrey is a famous icon to my audience being the frontman of The Who - a band hugely admired by this social group.

 

Examples Of Other Texts

Genre of Music Video

Music Video Genre

I have decided that it would be most beneficial for me to do a music video with an Rock genre as this is the type of music that I have been listening to most of my life and am most familiar with.  I have watched many Classic Rock music videos in my personal time so I already understand the basic conventions of one including the style of the band (outfit/personality), lighting and story lines.  I would say that Rock is my favourite genre of music altogether, this helps when deciding the song that I will use as I will know the song inside out also I understand the conventions of Rock and Roll band names therefore can pick a suitable one.

Classic Rock Mood Board

Coursework Schedule 2014/2015

A2 Media Studies Schedule Lutterworth College 2014-2015

Summer Homework

Summer Media