Research into the record company

SONY

Sony Music Entertainment (SME) is a subsidiary of the Japanese Sony Corporation. SME is the second largest of the "Big Three" record companies, behind Universal Music Group and ahead of Warner Music Group. It also owns 50% of SYCO Entertainment, which operates some of the world's most successful reality TV formats, including Got Talent and The X Factor.

In March 2010, Sony Corp partnered with The Michael Jackson Company in a contract of more than $250 million, the largest deal in recorded music history.

Some signed artists: (those who have produced music I am likely to use in my project)

• The Vaccines
• Tyler, The Creator
• Sundara Karma
• The Shins
• Miguel
• Declan McKenna
• LSD
• Kings of Leon
• Samm Henshaw
• Foster The People
• Daft Punk
• Cage The Elephant
• Au/Ra

Research into the target audience

My Target Audience

  

The kind of audience interested in the track I am creating is a fun-loving 16-25 year old mass market demographic with no specific social/economic status. This target audience would also include those who are interested in a range of hobbies such as sports, art and fashion. Fashion is important as famous celebrities in the pop industry set a lot of trends surrounding fashion. The target audience must also spend a lot of time with social media and other mainstream media platforms as the genre is frequently seen and promoted with these. Although it is aimed towards several age groups, the primary group is teenagers who are no too likely to have a full time job.

                                         
Analysis:

The answers I have recieved mostly reflect what I have researched about my audience. All but one anomaly fit the age bracket of 16-25. Also, the vast majority of responses support the idea of pop audiences being fun-loving with interesting hobbies. A sub-genre that came up a lot was indie-pop and I am pleased that the people enjoy this as I think I will do best with a track of this style. I feel as though the data gathered is reliable as most people stated that they enjoyed listening to the pop genre and did so relatively often.

What I have learned

I now have some ideas about what the audience would enjoy and expect from a pop music video. I shall refer back to this when planning.

Inspiration/Directors

Khamkwan Duangmanee

(Rats Records)

 

 

 

 

Some music videos include:

Phum Viphurit - Hello, Anxiety

Phum Viphurit - Lover Boy

Duangmanee always creates fun, creative music videos that are very entertaining to watch. Sometimes they model some kind of storyline, sometimes they do not (this shows how well she can adapt to different formats of video). One technique that tends to appear in her music videos is the use of paradoxical features such as breaking the fourth wall such as going "behind the scenes" during a music video (this can be seen in both music videos listed above). In particular, this allows the audience to feel as though they are inside the project, revealing the pure simplicity and joyousness of the creation of these videos (the affect that I would like to be able to create with my video). Also, it can show the down-to-earth characteristics of the artists she films with.

In addition, Duangmanee often uses pleasing colour schemes and lighting that make each frame vibrant and engaging to look at at; such as a short sequence in the "Lover Boy" video where a choice of light, pale colours and bright (almost strobe) lighting construct an outstanding image that suits the track very well. The setting and costume always seem to complement each other and match the soundtrack very well. The set always allows for the unique visual (graphic) effects that the director likes to include so that they do not look out of place.

Her music videos are never packed with hidden meanings and symbolisation/imagery but they never fail to create an infectious feeling of euphoria. Also, her style perfectly visualises the music she films for.

 

 

 

777 Records

Influential artists to me such as Boy Pablo, Monsune and Tyler, the Creator have all worked with 777 Records; most noteably Boy Pablo, who is signed to 777 and has produced several inspirational music videos for the label. The band's work is very recognisable as, not only do their videos always contain their distinct iconography, but it follows a unique style where it appears to be purposefully low-budget and attractively amateurish. This is largely as a result of the modest, ordinary background of the company, and they like to remain low-key whenever they make a new music video. This is the type of aesthetic that I would like to create when I produce my own. This should come naturally anyway given that I do not have the resources to make a state-of-the-art, professional video. 

What I have learned?

I have found it useful gathering what I like about my inspirational figures in this industry and thinking about how I can put all of it together into my very own project that reflects all of the individual styles that have influenced me.

 

 

 

Analysis of Album Covers

Album Cover Analysis

                     

Analysis of Music Videos

Music Videos Analysis

                     

Prelim Photography Task (with Kennis)

Prelim Photo Analysis

                     

What I have Learned

By completing this task, I have strengthened my ability to take photos with the purpose of manipualting settings to create meaning. I feel that I could have tested more with the camera but it was difficult to pick up the task and learn quickly and I shall attempt to improve these skills, or at least understanding, in the build-up to my piece.