Idea #1

The song choice I am most in favour of using is Lykke Li - I follow Rivers (Magician Remix) as it has a dancy/alternative sound to it it would give us a range of shots and play around with props, coloured smokes, the outside as well as the inside. I liked the idea of dipping in and out to the artist singing in seperate locations to the narrative (so far - a female couple).

Lykke Li's homepage is modern and stylish on the basis that it has no colours apart from black and white which gives it a contemporary and sophisticated feel. This idea of using black and white brings us back to the concept of filming in black and white and mirroring I Fink U Freeky and Lotus Flower. It fits well with the concept of an alternative image which is what we are trying to illustrate.

This is a beautiful image in black and white taken of Lykke Li with lighting effects. This is exactly something which I would like to include in our video when showing our artist to correlate with the dance style music.

This is the album covour to Lykke Li's Get Some. This helps us with our own album covour and although we won't make it the same, the style of it is inspiring to create something new and infinitive.

I'm becoming increasingly more and more interested in the idea of using a lot of black and white to produce a classic yet modern piece. However the idea of naturalistic colours and lighting springs to mind and may or may not work alongside a black and white theme.

Initial Ideas Continued

After our initial song choice of using Lykki Li's I Follow Rivers (Magician Remix) we have further devoloped our ideas on that and researched the lyrics to see what the subtext was. We also watched interviews with her to see what she wanted to convey to her listeners which was the idea of lust and addiction, and how lust is very different to love. This gives us a range of paths to take such as drug addiction but we then came up with the idea of homosexuality and using two lesbians rather than a stereotypical heterosexual romance. We also watched the music video by Rihanna called Found A Love which spurred on the proposal of mixing drugs with romance.

We then looked at Radiohead - Lotus Flower and how the white and black creates a quirky and abstract feel to it which would work well alongside our homosexual basis. The silhouetted figure at the beginning with the lighted background is very effective as well and would look really cool in our video.

Music Video's Inspiration

We have currently been looking at different videos for new ideas and to help us create our own. Some of them encouraged us to work on a certain genre whereas others have helped us to realise that its not the type of music we want to make a video for. So far we've come to conclusion that we like the idea of having an alternative/electro/dance song to use because we can create our own narrative. However we realise that this makes it harder to use a band but the clean cut shots and perfect editing motivate us to do something like it ourselves. We don't like the prospect of having to use an actual band because it can be cheesy and boring.


Videos like this are ones which we have found inspirational and wish to work on something similar. The use of the old American town and the horses combined with the westernised citizens coming together creates a sense of a 'coming of ages' as we see the modernised people take on a role of cowboys.

Expectations of Coursework

This A2 year has much in store for me. I look forward to facing the challenges with my classmates and teacher and know that I was right in taking up media.

For the coursework we have to produce a music video and digipack in order to promotesdfs a new artist. With this music video we have to get into groups of 3/4 and find a song which could either contain a narrative video:
This video for example does not show the band but instead displays a story which relates to the words. This video has proven to be very effective, due to the fact it's so interesting that the audience appreciate the band for their music and creativity rather than an image.

On the other hand you can have a stylised music video which promotes the bands identity. The video below represents a quirky diverse band which although startles the audience also entices them. This is another successful way of promoting an artist as it attracts a certain target audience.
However the kind of music video we will be expected to produce can involve a narrative but specifically the band, as this is their promotion album which means we need to show the audience what sort of music they write (through the narrative) but also what the band image is.

A2 Introducing Yourself

Hi, I'm Georgina Morton and have been an A level Media student for a year now and shall be continuing on to complete my course.

I found the year just passed proven to be very interesting as it has lead me to create many different views on the Media industry, and has influenced my feelings towards film and tv. It further more had an effect on my love for film and how film has an effect on audiences through production.

I found the workload to be a struggle but with the help of Phil, my AS media teacher, I found the work to become less of a chore and more of an enjoyment.

The thriller was an insight to production and only made me more excited about making a music video.

I look forward to working with a new teacher and a new class and creating merchandise as well as a music video.

Keith Negus - Organic and Synthetic

Keith Negus represents two different ideologies to 'pop', and considers the way artists can be developed and moulded into becoming star products. He also puts into perspective which kind of audiences they will attract and how they will attract them. Negus uses an organic and synthetic ideology in which he puts towards his creativity.

Through the idea of organic and synthetic, Negus has a very naturalistic approach to how he nurtures the artists throuh the record company which encourages them to grow. This then means that the final image is a result of both the record company as well as the artist's input. The artist is then given time to progress through into his/her own career.

One of Negus's other creative ideologies through the use of an organic approach is by giving emphasis to the album sales and the contruction of a successful back catalogue. It is often aimed at an older generation which has proven to increase the profit for the record company.

Through the creative side of a synthetic method Negus came to the conclusion that both the merchandise and artist need equal ammounts of attention. Executives attempt to construct successful and creative products out of the artist and the material for their disposal. This then allows the record company to have a large say in how the artist presents themselves. However before anything can happen, the artist is given a chance to see if the have the potential to become successful by trying them out.

Negus used this idea of having a synthetic method towards creating his star product by emphasising the artist's singles and first albums which are aimed at younger, less sophisticated audiences. The profits generated are a short term strategy used by the record company.

To conclude, the success of synthetic acts will fund and help develop the oraganic acts. Most big record labels look to find an equal balance by using a combination of both successful synthetic and organic acts to ensure that there are funds which can run there day to day functioning of the company and make long term profit potential.

There are clear ways in which Negus wishes to promote his synthetic and organic acts. Organic acts are often sold on their 'authenticity' through their music as well as their acceptance. Synthetic acts are on the other hand sold on their personality or 'look'. Negus believes that in order to be promoted you need to have a fresh unconstructed look which can then be constructed by the record company so that they can create your 'look' and 'individuality'.

Richard Dyer - Stars and Stardom

Richard Dyer has closely examined the role of what it is to be a 'star' and what it is to have stardom within film, tv and music. This blog will explore his theories and witness to fame and the effect it has on a 'star' or their 'stardom'.

He has concluded that a star is an image and not a real person, somebody that has been constructed through the media (magazines, adverts etc.). Dyer explains that a star is a commodity dependent on their meanings presented through their brand image. Stars depend on the media and how they choose to exploit them. This also helps to publicize and promote their image to a target audience and particular market. A star reflects a range of meanings (youth, rebellion, sex appeal, originality, creativity etc.) which targets particular audiences.

A star must be simultaneously extroardinary and ordinary for their consumer. They must also be present and absent. The incoherence of a star ensures that an audience will strive to complete and understand their image which comes from consumption of products. Dyer recognises that within the music industry fans will continuously see tours and concerts to 'complete' the fanship for that artist. However the feeling is always unsatisfying as it isn't long lasting. This means that the fan will continue to consume products to maintain any remainding 'bond' betweent itself and the artist.

Here is a quote by Richard Dyer (Stars, BFI, 1981)

“In these terms it can be argued that stars are representations of persons which reinforce, legitimate or occasionally alter the prevalent preconceptions of what it is to be a human being in this society.  There is a good deal at stake in such conceptions.  On the one hand, our society stresses what makes them like others in the social group/class/gender to which they belong.  This individualising stress involves a separation of the person's "self" from his/her social "roles", and hence poses the individual against society.  On the other hand society suggests that certain norms of behaviour are appropriate to given groups of people, which many people in such groups would now wish to contest (eg the struggles over representation of blacks, women and gays in recent years).  Stars are one of the ways in which conceptions of such persons are promulgated.”