Before the start of my summer break, I was a part of a group with 2 other students and built my previous planning around collaboration with the rest of the group and their respective tastes, ideas and talents. Unfortunately, my two partners have chosen not to continue media studies into A2, leaving me to produce this piece on my own and without the collective skills and resources that made my original plan both so appealing and so easy to make. Without the help and support of the two other students, the plan could run into some issues, both in terms of quality and of time keeping, an important aspect of film-production. With these concepts in mind, I wish to realistically assess my options and hopefully come up with an idea for a music video that is more realistically achieveable with my available resources.
Luckily, I had already begun to form a separate concept in my head for a music video and its accompanying music video.
The initial inspiration came from listening to the song 'Fiona Coyne' by Synthpop artist Saint Pepsi. The song is essentially a love song written about the fictional character Fiona Coyne from the Canadian teen high-school drama 'Degrassi'. It references the fact that this romance is limited by the dimension of the Television Screen with Lyrics such as "First on the silver screen", which got me to thinking about the possibility of exploring a character who falls in love with a TV character, or even the TV displaying the character itself. This narrative is in-fact similar to the highly commended romantic drama film 'Her' (2013) directed by Spike Jonze, in which a man falls in love with his Operating system.
I felt this would be a highly engaging and achievable concept for a music video as I could draw on and reference both the Sci-Fi and Romantic-Comedy genres when planning the video (intertextual references are of course, one of Andrew Goodwin's Theories of Music Video, outlined here and explored here). Another advantage to my previous idea is that of much increased ease of production in pre-production (easier casting, locations, storyboarding, props, mise en scene etc.) the shoot itself (more conventional shooting style, easier shot composition) and easier editing (smoother cuts, more ability to edit to music, clearer narrative). Unfortunately, the track that inspired this idea was performed by Saint Pepsi, an artist who very recently signed to American indie label Carpark Records, rending him illegible to the specifications of the task, as I must use an unsigned British artist.
Saint pepsi
Fortunately, litstening to the the track, with its disco-pop style and 80's influences, heavily reminded me of the work of other artists such as the local band Crystal Bats, and certain tracks by previously explored producer Vanilla.
Crystal Bats
Crystal Bats are an unsigned pop band, currently based in Norwich, making the kind of similarly 80's inspired music you'd more typically associate with the beaches, sunshine and glamour of Miami than with the fields, rain and grey skies of Norfolk. Their music would be very appropriate for this music video, typical of the genre, the songs they write typically deal with the heartthrob and trials of love, as well as calling back to the genres of sci-fi and Romance, classically sound-tracked with the same soft synthesizers as Crystal Bats. using this band could also help with constructing a cohesive and engaging mise en scene, as I could draw upon many eighties staples such as VHS tapes and cathode ray televisions to compliment the style of the track and capitalise on the recent retro trend.
Another great benefit of this band is the fact they are a locally based band, so there is the context of norfolk and Norwich that can be used to inform the production as well as the slight possibility of an appearance or cameo from the band themselves. There are two songs in particular that I am thinking of, in relation to their possible use in my music video. The first song that I am thinking of using is the song tonight (third song down). This would be good to use as it has clear, audible vocals, with lyrics about love, a woozy mid-tempo, suggesting the daze of love and romantic chords.. The only issue with this song, is that it has since all but been removed from the internet by the band (hence the confusing and unwieldy link) which suggests the band may be attempting to distance themselves from the song, and therefore may be reluctant to allow my use of it.
Another contender is the track 'Suede' by hip-hop artist Vanilla, who I also looked at before in this post. This track would be appropriate as it has a very funky and upbeat rhythm that would suit well the feelings of a man, happily marching through life with this televisual girlfriend. In addition, it develops nicely throughout, shifting between slightly different moods. Furthermore the track has a strong eighties vibe, the benefits of which I outlined earlier.
Overall, I feel confident about this idea, and prefer it to my previous one, both in content and simplicity. With this idea, I feel I can complete it to a much higher standard than if I continue with my other ideas. Currently my preferred track is 'Tonight' by Crystal Bats, but I will discuss all of my available options with my tutor and then decide fully very soon.
Check Crystal Bats are unsigned! You need a copy of the track and time is against you. Your discussion re your present predicament with your group is splendidly reflective and reflects potential aspects of the bands you are considering marketing.
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