Journey of Production

Music Video (write dates from October)

Idea of music video –

How I came up with the idea I came up with initial idea by researching on solo female pop artists and watching existing music videos, the majority of them featured either dancers or other people but I wanted to keep mine solely featuring the artist . Once I had annotated the lyrics of the song I had chosen and watched the existing video for ‘Good for You’ I had a clear vision for my music video. Selena Gomez’s video only consists of her throughout the video, therefore I thought it would be a good idea to have the same concept of only having my artist in the video. After analysing the lyrics, it was clear the song had a personal side to it, so by only featuring the artist it would help the audience connect with the lyrics and meaning of the song and will look like the artist is singing directly at the audience. Another emotion the song portrays is sadness, this is also how I came up with the idea of only featuring the artist as it would create and isolated feel to it, making the audience sympathise for her and listen to every word being sang.

Research on pop music videos For my research on pop music videos I decided to not only watch and observe music videos by pop artists, I also analysed different videos as well as a video by my chosen artist, Selena Gomez. This research helped me when envisioning my music video with what conventions to use. By researching into these videos I was able to become aware of common conventions of pop music videos, which would be useful for creating my own video. It also allowed me to get an insight of the style of videos produced by my chosen artist which I can implement in my own, which will make the genre of my video more noticeable by my audience.

Research on existing artist of chosen song In order to fully understand the song, I had to research on the existing artist to get an idea on her branding and image so I could implement similar qualities into my artist. I researched into magazine articles Selena Gomez has done, which gave me an insight on the type of person and image she gives off from photos as well as looking into her website and social media pages. Selena Gomez’s image comes across as innocent and young but erotic, her image attracts a large audience due to the fact she comes across as alluring. By collating this research it aided in giving me an incline on the idea of the portrayal of my artist and her image. I decided to give a similar look to my artist which I then applied throughout all my work to keep a consistent image and theme.

Research of pop music genre As I chose a pop song I thought it would be key to research and gather as much information on this genre in order to produce a video with matching conventions of pop music. I was able to understand and expand my knowledge on this genre and learnt the key conventions which helped when planning ideas for my music video. Fashion and branding of an artist are important, so by researching into the pop genre I was able to find the type of styling and star image of pop artists. Having knowledge of this information it was easier to plan and visualise the necessary clothing and style of my artist and the look of my music video.

Plan of locations I scouted three locations for my video, JLT, JBR and Marina. I felt as if these three locations were the best fit for my music video as they all had similar vibes and showed similar aspects; such as having a city feel to them. On JBR I decided to shoot on the beach as it looks very scenic and showed a different setting as JLT and Marina are quite similar looking. These locations also matched the atmosphere of the song as they are busy places and the song can come across as quite outgoing and fun. I took pictures of the landscapes and assessed the different risks and health and safety procedures needed in order for my artist to be safe and correctly dressed for each area.

Plan of the look of the music video and artist fashion and styling I created a document of possible different looks and styling for my artist which I kept majority the same when it came to actually making and shooting the video. I made sure my artist was dressed and styled appropriately for the genre, this way I would be following the correct conventions of the chosen genre. It is important the artist has outfit and make up changes throughout the video, which I noticed during my research, as it shows a change in scene and allows people to see different sides of the artist. There were two main make up looks I wanted to go for; a natural look and a more dramatic look and these varied accordingly to the location. The clothing was kept casual but stylish, as within pop genre the clothing of artists are quite casual and Selena Gomez’s clothing in the actual ‘Good For You’ music video is fairly casual, which allows her makeup and beauty stand out more, therefore I decided to style my artist similar.

Website (November)

Research on existing artist website Before creating my website I analysed and looked at Selena Gomez’s website. I looked at what kind of material her website consisted as well as the theme and layout. To make sure my website was similar standards to Selena Gomez’s I decided to use the same pages and tabs she has on hers. By doing so it is much easier for the audience to find what they want and navigate the website. I made sure I encouraged

audience participation within my website, by doing this it will attract a larger amount of audience as they are able to get involved. I did this by adding social media links on the website as well a page which allows the audience sign up in order to gain updates and information.

Research on social media sites of existing artist of chosen song I looked at all of Selena Gomez’s social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter and her YouTube account. I looked at the layout of these pages as well as the different type of material she posts and what exactly she posts. By using social media accounts it gives the chance for fans and audiences to interact with the artist and leave comments on their posts. Social media accounts allow Selena Gomez’s fans to see what she is doing and find out latest updates for things such as tours and merchandise. Her YouTube account allows the audience to watch her latest videos and listen to her music. Facebook and Twitter both have share options where fans can share the artist’s music videos which could gain them more views and potentially new fans. All of Selena Gomez’s social media accounts entailed of the same posts, which allows fans to interact with her on more than one social media platform.

Branding of own artist For my own artist I kept a consistent theme throughout my production. I decided to make the website black and white, which matched the colour of my music video. Also, I decided to use black and white photos for my website. By making the theme black and white I felt it gave an urban, pop vibe throughout my production. I chose the name ‘Grace Silver’ as I thought it fitted in well and was a play on word, as the album is called ‘Elegance’ the name ‘Grace’ is a reference towards that and the surname of ‘Silver’ matches the black and white theme. This way my artist will be differentiated and stand out as there is a clear theme throughout the different productions.

How the website markets my artist An artist needs to make sure they market themselves as it doesn’t just depend on whether they are making good music. The website I created markets my artist is a numerous of ways, it allows the audience to keep up to date with my artist. The photos uploaded helps to market my artist as it shows people her personality and the photos can be interpreted in different ways. Therefore, the audience will want to know more about the audience and may go to other sources to find out more information such as her Instagram account. By having a tour section on my website, it enables the audience to find out about latest tours which once again markets my artist, as her fans will be able to book tickets and find out where she will be performing. Lastly the website includes an ‘about’ section meaning the audience will be able to learn more about the artist and her background.

Digipak (tour poster, ticket, album artwork & t shirt) (December and February)

Research on existing digipak and tour posters I conducted my research on digipaks and tour posters in a similar way I researched pop music videos. For the tour posters I analysed various different tour posters of existing celebrities in the music industry. This enabled me to find out the key conventions tour posters should include, which I applied into my own work. I analysed and observed Selena Gomez’s digipaks, as I wanted my artist’s digipak to be similar in order to attract a larger amount of audience, as Selena Gomez does. The research I collated was beneficial when creating my own poster and digipak as it helped me gain ideas and to make sure I include key conventions that would help market my artist as well as attract a large audience.

Branding of my artist through the digipak Enable to make sure my branding was clear throughout, I had to stick with the same colour scheme as my video and website. I also made sure to sell my artist through her the pictures used, I made sure they were glamourous and attractive. Thus meaning it would attract an audience, males will be attracted to her appearance whereas women will aspire to be like her. My artist is also branded through her style and fashion, the clothing she wears will inspire some of the audience and they might buy similar clothing to match celebrity trends.

How the poster will encourage the audience to engage with the artist The tour poster will encourage the audience to engage with the artist, as it will have useful information on regarding to the artist’s concerts where the audience will be able to see her. Whereas, the digipak will encourage the audience to engage with the artist, as they will be able to access and listen to their songs whenever they want. Moreover, within the digipak it includes personal information of the artist, this will engage the audience with the artist as it makes it personal. Also the type of photo used in both products gives the audience an idea of the type of show the artist will be putting on. The main feature of the poster is the picture of the artist, as it is the largest thing on the poster and digipak, the picture will help the audience to engage with the artist as it shows the artist’s personality through it due to their stance and facial expression within the photo.