Audience Research

Before we begin filming, we decided to create a short questionnaire to help us understand what our audience would like in a music video. We think that this will benefit our video, and will help us to discover what the audience will connect to in a music video.

We thought this result was especially interesting; the idea that our audience would prefer a performance-based video to a narrative one would challenge the current pop conventions, and would give the video a more interesting "live gig" feel.

The answer to this question was expected, and benefited us as most of the actors available to us would be teens.  however, this also means that we have to be even more careful when choosing actors and shots; music videos populated by teenage actors have the issue of seeming too amateur. 

This benefits both our genre and our audience; this is definitely something we will try, and if it benefits our video we will use this effect.

The mise-en-scene of a music video is very important; it can effect audience, reception and the amount it is played by an  institution. we will investigate the idea of dressing the band to look "smart", and this would also suit the rockabilly genre.

The two highest percentages were stage and street; it may be possible to mix these two settings to create a hybrid performance/narrative video

As we have to create an album cover for one of our ancillary tasks, i have been researching famous rockabilly album cover styles.

I have come to the conclusion that most of the album art from this genre is very stylised, and often in black or white, with either a picture of the frontman or a cartoon-like image/representation of the band.

This is the iconic Stray Cats logo, which uses anthropomorphism to create a rockabilly cat. This shows that the style of the music is normally carried over to the icon, and the album cover.

Richard Hawley's Truelove's Gutter album shows a stylised image of Hawley's face, with black as the main colour. The fact that it is a greyscale image shows the idea that editing pictures can create the stylised album cover. 

Hawley's Lady's Bridge album cover shows a more relaxed Hawley posing with an electric guitar,  a common instrument in this genre. The grey suit and green background shows a more colourful side of the music. 

Join Dan Sartain shows a meld of the cartoon frontman with some comic-like graphic violence. 

From this research I have come to the conclusion that modern rockabilly album covers have a much more stylised and artistic look, as opposed to the 1950's and 70's. They can be cartoonised, or they could just be a close-up of the frontman.

Style

Planning

We have been planning our filming, and will be shooting next thursday (4/11).
Below is our checklist for planning
Camera
Tripod
Room
Actors
Props/costume

The Polecats - Rockabilly Guy

This video has given me ideas for camera angles and interesting shots utilising the instruments that are synonymous with rockabilly; double bass and 50's microphones.

Institutions

I have been researching institutions that have the stylistic and monetary aspects needed to distribute our digipack. I have found a few different music labels with the connotations and audience that would ensure the digipack sells.

PunkRockBlues Records; this label is very adept in selling music to a niche audience and has had success with bands like The Jim Jones Revue, a garage/rockabilly band. "Described as sounding like a car crash between Little Richard and The MC5, The 'Revue play supercharged rock'n'roll inspired by The Killer, The Georgia Peach and of course The Memphis Flash and the deranged sons of Detroit." This fits our piece of music's overall feel, and as it is a UK based label it would fit with distribution as well.

http://www.punkrockblues.co.uk/

Another record label that would add to the albums distribution is the Western Star record label, advertised as "The Finest UK Rockabilly since 1999"

http://www.western-star.co.uk/