Our ideal audience would be devised of both males and females, although prodominently females who would see our artist as an aspirational figure. The age range would be a wide market of about 16-30 although there may be a smaller market for older adults up to around 50 years old as the Soul genre has roots in this era. However, our artist will be a 'contemporary pop-soul' performer more similar to Paloma Faith, Duffy and Amy Winehouse than original soul artists like Diana Ross. Because our artist is British and would be releasing her track in Britain, caucasian audiences would be most dominant for our artist but as Soul is a genre of Afro-American origin so this would most certainly play a part in our target audience especially if our artist became more internationally successful.
Our target character would be somebody that has a large recreational interest in Music outside of work or studies, unless they worked in the music career. In terms of musical taste, our target audience would listen to artists such as Paloma Faith, Amy Winehouse and Adele but away from the Soul genre they'd also like artists such as Lana Del Rey, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and Belle and Sebastian. Although this taste could be considered 'eclectic' our target is to reach people that have an interest in music over a wide span of time and genres such as indie, soul, blues and big band but most importantly they like artists that make their own and write their own music. They'd also enjoy art, socialising and going to the cinema most probably to see Cult adventure/fantasy films such as Harry Potter and smaller, indie cultural films outside of this. Our character would also enjoy watching classic films.
Our target audience would be the type of person to take a large interest in politics, history, art etc and work hard enjoying music on the side. We imagine our audience would look and dress similarly to the three above images. These would be the type of people that would shop in places like Topshop and Urban Outfitters but would also spend a lot of time searching through charity shops and vintage clothing stores in order to perfect their 'eclectic' vintage look which is highly fashionable at the moment. Our artist will be tapping into this with her use of tattoos which is something we also would expect our target audience to be interested in as it links directly to this style.
Mainly our target audience would be able to relate to our artist through style and interest in art/music.
Below is a JING commentary I made discussing and analysing the conventions of soul music videos.
1. Colour and Costume
- Colour in soul music videos tend to be dull and dark shades such as black and grey. In terms of costume this tends to be very conventional, men in black suits and women in black dresses - particularly in 'old school' type soul similar to Duffy or Diana Ross. However, in more contemporary pop-soul artists such as Paloma Faith, use more colour which is probably because being 'whimsical' is what sells in this day and age but also creates a character for the artist which makes their image recognisable.
2. Location
- Locations tend to be low -lit and dark, clubs, bars, bedrooms and cars as well as stages for less narrative performance shots. These 'serious' settings allow the viewer to see the artist as a musician rather than a subject of image obsessed music industry 'manufacturing'. These locations also often fit in well with the lyrics.
3. Editing
- Editing, is as with most videos, fast cutting and fits in with the illustration ideas from the Andrew Goodwin 'Dancing in The Distraction factory' theories in that the video mainly revolves around the performance of the artist. This is conventional to soul artists because they tend to rely a lot on performance and portraying emotions in the lyrics as they want to show that they're passionate about the music and lyrics they've written. Duffy's Warwick Avenue (pictured below) is a perfect example of this as the artist is the only subject within the frame throughout the whole video and she performs her song with visible emotion in the back of a taxi. Although this method is simple and low budget, it is really effective as a soul music video because it allows the viewer to realise her true feelings within the lyrics and the truth of her music.
4. Cinematography
As with most music videos, the cinematography tends to range not too variably between long shots and close ups to show dance moves and flatter the artist's face. However, in soul music there are some interesting camera techniques used which I have noticed. Particularly with artist Amy Winehouse, I've found that some soul artists taking directive control over their own music videos, some more unconventional shots are used - for example an over the shoulder shot used in Amy Winehouse's 'You Know I'm No Good' is really unconventional for a music video because as a promotional video, the artist is usually flattered and flaunted to entice a viewer into buying into the artist. As well as this, Winehouse also uses the frame within a frame technique which is more conventional in film or Television drama.
Following are the results that came from the questionnaire that Kayleigh, Cameron and I created on Survey Monkey for audience research.
As you can see from the above graphs, we managed to gather data from an equal amount of males and females, therefore the results are applicable to both men and women and are reliable in this way. However, we didn't collect a vast range of ages but mainly from the 16-24 bracket, this is valid despite Soul being a genre that ranges to older people too because the type of artist that we wish to emulate (Paloma Faith) has a target audience of this demographic.
'Which of these soul artists do you find most interesting/enjoyable to listen to?'
This graph was in response to the question above, the analysis clearly depicts that Adele and Amy Winehouse are the most popular artists in our sample closely followed by Plan B. However, due to the fact that our artist is female, the statistics shown by the positive response to Adele and Amy is most helpful - we have since decided, based on this evidence, to use a song by female artist Paloma Faith, who isn't mentioned in this questionnaire. This is because she has an 'edgy-ness' in style similar to that of Amy Winehouse, however she does have a less grungy element which relates to Adele therefore 'all bases' are covered.
What do you associate with Soul music/music videos?
This graph shows that when asked about the conventions of a Soul music video, the most common aspect associated with this by our sample was backing singers. Backing singers in soul music have been evident since its origins in the motown era and we have decided as a group to ensure that backing singers are used in our own music video as this would link to audience ideas of soul music conventions. As well as this well dressed males was voted highly as an associated aspect to soul music, we have discussed using male dancers in black or grey suits in our video (similar to Duffy) therefore our video should meet the conventions. As well as this we also plan on using orchestral instruments and glamorous clothing which have both scored highly.
We used Survey Monkey to create a questionnaire in order to collect data about how people feel about Pop/Soul Music, which is our decided genre of choice for our own music video which we will soon be in the process of planning. We sent this survey to target audiences as well as using social mediums like Facebook to ensure that it reached a wide range of people, and as many as possible.
During last week our group shot publicity photographs for three different genres, soul, rock and pop music - However, we focused mainly on Soul music as that is our chosen genre for our own music video. Later on, I compiled the above video so I could watch and evaluate our first efforts at taking a promotional photograph for a music artist.
What I think went well...
- I think we effectively managed to take quite a few successful publicity photographs given the fact we only had just under an hour to compose and take them.
- I think we adapted our own image and the way we took a photo to adhere to the conventions of the genre effectively which shows our genre research has been successful and we've learned a lot from it.
- This practice allowed us to learn how to take a good shot which we can reproduce in our real publicity photo shooting.
- We experimented with a wide range of different shot types. [Shown in the image below]
What I think we could have done better...
- Spent more time preparing beforehand to take into account different locations and lighting etc as we didn't have much time to take this into consideration this time round.
- We could have spent more time building an artist image to create a 'brand image' to make our artist recognisable rather than completely conventional to the genre.
- Focused more on learning about other genres in even more detail.
During class time I looked at 1 CD cover and 2 Magazine Adverts created by A2 Media Students the previous year, we spent time looking at the covers and evaluating them.
1. 'In My Zone' (CD Cover) [IMAGE HERE?]
WHAT WENT WELL:
- Photographs suited the genre
- Costume suited the genre
- Good use of colour scheme to convey genre conventions
- Technical skills in post production
EVEN BETTER IF:
- Post production overshadowed the artist, so would be better with a little less post production.
2. 'Bittersweet' (Magazine Advert) [IMAGE?]
WWW:
- Good posture for the artists relating to genre.
- Effective use of post production on background/font/extras
- Location relates well to the genre
- Good use of make up for genre
- Clear research into genre conventions relayed in the work
EBI:
- a real 'Brand Image' was created for the artist.
- More post production was used on the publicity image of the artists itself.
'Madelyn Faith' (Magazine Advert) [IMAGE]
WWW:
- Off centre shot fits the genre and the artist image.
- Continuity in the advertising campaign
- Costume conventional to genre
- Clear research taken into genre conventions before constructing the advert
EBI:
- Better composition of the artist's body within the frame
- More attention to finer details
- More post production to enhance the photographs.
The purpose of a publicity photo is to flatter and sell the artist, therefore a publicity photoshoot needs to get across the general 'essence' of the artist whilst also making them look appealing to the audience.
1. Flattering Lighting
Lighting is key in enhancing the features of an artist and making them appear a lot more attractive than they might actually be. Lighting can cover blemishes and make skin appear flat and smooth. Along with make-up this technique is really effective. In the example (left) of Adele, the use of bright lighting is evident in comparison to the controversy in the media's portrayal of Adele with weight issues and not having the 'phantasmagorical body'. The use of angle, lighting and make up add up to create an artist that appears to be 'beautiful' in the public eye.
2. Posture
An artist's composure and posture within the frame is also important in creating flattery as well as a general impression of an artist. Posture can help make an artist create a character and status, in the example (right), Eminem stands up straight with his shoulders high and broad. Eminem appears strong and scary which is typical of the rap genre - particularly for a white artist in a genre dominated by black culture. Composure is also used to make an artist appear more attractive.
3. Costume
Costume could be considered the most important factor in creating an artist's image. Costume is conventional to the genre and costume can create a 'brand image' for an artist that makes them instantly recognisable to the public and helps them to therefore become a household name in themselves. For example, Lady Gaga is known for her fashion sense and her own development of style has contributed greatly to her speedy and massive global success as an artist. Costume can also flatter an artist, which is why an artist may have a stylist choosing outfits for them to serve this purpose.
4. Make Up
Make up essentially makes the artist appear a lot more attractive and therefore appealing to an audience by creating an image of 'perfection' which is very common in pop music publicity shots and particularly in female artists. However, make up can also help to create an artist image as shown in the Little Boots example (right) in which 'interesting' make up is used to make her stand out and appear different to other artists.
5. Facial Expression
Facial expression in a publicity photo is a key factor in creating a 'brand image', genre awareness and mood. In the example shown to the left, 50 Cent looks into the camera with a serious expression, this gives the impression that he is looking at the audience and he comes across as strong and somewhat intimidating which is highly conventional to the rap genre - therefore, the effect of facial expression has been successful and would appeal to a target audience.
6. Camera Angle
Camera angle and composition of the frame is also really important to the overall effect of an image. Using the 50 Cent example above, it is clear how the low angle shot has created the sense that 50 Cent has high status and comes across as powerful and intimidating due to this which is typical for the genre. Shot composition can also be used to flatter an artist ('only show my good side') and make them appear 'media beautiful'.
7. Post Production
Post Production is arguably, in contemporary media, the most important contributing factor into making a good publicity photo. Post production editing and photoshop allow artists to appear unnaturally appealing to a target audience by shedding wrinkles, fat, blemishes and just about anything natural about the photograph in the first place (even with make up, posture etc already planned). In the example of Beyonce shown to the right, it is clear that photoshop has been used to enhance the quality of the photo and make Beyonce appear a lot more 'perfect' and phantasmagorical than she might naturally be. In this example, Beyonce's midriff has been made smaller, her hair brightened, the general brightness and contrast of the photograph has been enhanced, her skin appears a lot more smooth and 'healthy'.
Jamie Cullum is an English pop and jazz pop singer and songwriter, he is a solo artist who accompanies himself on many instruments such as the guitar and drums as well as the piano.
Jamie Cullum's video 'Everlasting Love' fits into the Soul Genre with conventions that match to others in the same genre.
Jamie's mise-en-scene is clearly portrayed clearly to the audience as he us wearing a suit. This could also be a similar style to the likes of Lemar (also a Soul artist). This could be a common convention. The clothes that he wears could also make people see him to be a man that takes pride in his appearance, and this sort of pride could also be taken with his music, as he is very pedantic when it comes to songwriting.
1 and 2. Lighting
3 and 4. Sound
The lighting in this music video perhaps fits into the genre of Soul music videos as well as perhaps going against.
Image 1 (far left) shows that this music video uses artificial lighting that is seen as very bright, highlighting the figure of Jamie who is in the black suit. However, when approaching the end of the song, (2) the lighting becomes more low key and Jamie isn't as prominent as he previously was. The low key lighting fits into the genre of Soul music, whereas the bright artificial light could be seen as 'not the norm'. This may make the audience more familiar to the music and the genre in which it fits.
The sound in this music video could be described as diegetic as Jamie has a band that are accompanying him as he plays the piano. This conveys to the audience that perhaps the music has been left as it was recorded, with little or no changes to the sound of the instruments and Jamie's vocals.
While he performs it is clear to the viewer that this performance means something to Jamie Cullum. When he is playing the piano and singing the notes that reflect how he is feeling, he will gradually stand up, and this is when the camera comes closer to him. This conveys to the audience the passion that Jamie has for his music, and perhaps his feelings towards the person that the song lyrics are about.
I chose to look at the music video for Adele's 'Chasing Pavements' as it isn't stereotypically a music video that would be associated with a Soul artist like herself. However this song 'Chasing Pavements' is definitely a Soul song as can be told by the sound that we hear in her voice and also the instruments that accompany her in this song, and in fact all the songs on her album.
The colour scheme that is used in this music video, very much matches the genre of her music. The dark orange colours of the leaves on the floor, the dull colours of Adele's costumes and in fact what the actors are wearing fits into the typical colour scheme.
Contact sheet to represent the colour scheme.
Colour scheme is one way to instantly tell the difference between a pop and soul music video. Pop videos use brighter/bolder colours whereas Soul will use more neutral colours that go together well.
In Soul music videos, the female artists are usually dressed to look glamourous and as if they are wealthy people. In this particular music video, Adele is wearing a long coat with black trousers on. This isn't particularly glamourous but does fit into the overall colour scheme really well.
Adele as an artist does not normally include dance moves into her music videos, and this one is no exception. She has little screen time in this music video, but what she does do is very important and very well done. She has various close ups on her face to convey her facial expressions and perhaps show to the audience how she is feeling. Like other soul music videos, the use of the long shot is used here (as shown at the top of the page). This is a very effective shot, as it shows the background as well as Adele and the colours fir together, creating the overall mood of the music video.
As Adele is just situated in the background for various shots, it could suggest that her status perhaps isn't at it's highest point. However the close ups on her face, could perhaps go against this idea. In Soul music videos, females are seen to be of a high status and parts of this video go against this.
The lighting in this music video, is natural as it has been shot in the natural environment, which looks to be a park. The lighting is used in a very clever way, as it creates slight silhouettes of the characters on the floor when they are performing various movements. However when Adele is moving around the set, a silhouette is not apparent, again limiting her status. This could also be used to make the two main actors in the video stand out when they are surrounded by the other characters.
Plan B is a soul artist of sorts, what I mean by this is that he mixes soul with other genres in order to create a fusion. However his song "Prayin" is definately of the soul genre, we know this due to the sound that we hear. The non-diagetic sound that is provided, this comes in the form of a brass band, these are a key trait of soul music. Also the way he sings is very expressive we can tell this from the tone of his voice and the desparation that he clearly puts across in his lip synching. However as the sound that is diagetic is only the singing it shows how Plan B is a solo artist rather than part of a larger group it could also show how alone he feels during this video as the song is about guilt for killing another man this idea seems to fit well.
The mise-en-scene for this video is a lot more aggressive than other soul artists whos songs and mise-en-scene are a lott calmer and more romantic. This emphasises Plan B's very individual image, as he originated in rap (a traditionally agressive genre) that shows in his mise -en-scene (see above.) Also the fact that the video is set in prison shows a darker side to his music which connotes his very grimey up bringing in London. However his clothes suit the trend for soul artists, this is due to the fact that most male artists wear smart clothing such as suits, as we can see (again above) Plan B conformes to this one stereotype of his genre.
The cinematography in Plan B's video is very in keeping with the style of a rap video, in fact it has very little in common with most soul videos, for instance above there is a clip of Plan B's "Prayin" video, as we can see the shots are handheld, this connotes that he has so much emotion that he cannot control it, this is similar to a soul video. However, the close ups and high mobility in the shots connote a very angry theme to the video, this shows Plan B's rap background. The close ups could however connote that this is a very personal video as its almost like Plan B's own confession which is obviously a very personal affair. The editing colates with the cinematography very well as the montage editing creates a very confused atmosphere which emphasises the angry/upset mood that is clearly very evident in this scene.
Lemar is a classic Soul singer, he has a lot of passion that he freely and openly shares on stage, this passion is clearly shown in his video for the song "It's not that easy". Lemar's mise-en-scene is clearly shown in the video as he wears his trademark suit and tie combination and uses the classic 50's style microphone. These 2 items clearly state him out to be a soul singer as the suit is common for male soul artists across the board, and the microphone refers to the golden age of soul, the 50's. The clothes he wears also make him very approachable as he looks to be a gentleman, this fits him as he is often reffered to as one of the "gentlemen of pop", which reflects his mise-en-scene of the "nice guy".
The sound in this video is dominated by diagetic sound as Lemar and the band make up the music, this shows how his music is very "real" and has not been interfeared with (autotuning) as we can see the band playing the music (for the most part.) The moments of non-diagetic sound emphasise the singers isolation as he is alone and the music has almost abandoned him along with everything else, this is shown by the absense of the band.
The cinematography in this video shows how Lemar's emotons are increasing, this is clear as the camera comes closer to the singer as the shot progresses, this could show how Lemar's emotions are intensifying. It also makes the performance more personal to the viewer as they have an up close and personal view of the performer, this enables the song to have a greater effect due to the fact that the viewer can clearly see the emotion on the singers face. The editing here is clearly continuous as the shot is about 10 seconds long, this could show the singers long suffering or the everlasting love he possesses for the woman he is singing to.
My group for A2 media have decided we'd like to make a music video for the pop-soul genre (artists such as Duffy, Plan B, Adele, Seal, Jamie Cullum etc)...
Duffy's video for 'Rain on Your Parade' is very conventional to the Soul genre. The colour scheme (black/grey/white) is consistent throughout which is a typical colour scheme in itself to the genre which tends not to use bright, garish colours and prefers to give an impression of 'class' and subtlety. These choices in colour may be in place to represent the differences between genres such as chart pop and soul, to show how soul music isn't manufactured and the artists care about music more than image. In most cases, female soul singers appear classy, glamorous and well-dressed however, in this particular video Duffy is dressed moderately provocatively. Despite this, Duffy's state of dress still comes across to the viewer as quite smart, she wears a black blazer and tights and has sex appeal but doesn't look cheap unlike some r'n'b artist, no real inappropriate skin is shown.
In terms of performance, Duffy's role in the video is bold but simple, she sticks to basic but effective dance moves (as shown in the gif image attached below) which is conventional to the genre which doesn't rely on dance moves in music videos and hasn't done even since the real beginning of soul/motown music (as shown by The Supremes in the gif image attached to the right). Instead, Duffy uses male dancers to compliment her own simple dance routine with a more complex one and to avoid viewer fatigue and the technique is effortlessly effective. The dancer's costumes are also smart, the men wear suits and jackets which is again very conventional dress for men in the soul genre including artists and dancers. The male dancer's routine (below) revolves around the main artist and they are seen to be 'falling' around her which suggests her status and importance as an independant and strong woman which is an attitude often adopted by females of the soul genre.
Cinematography is fairly simple throughout, ranging mainly between close ups and long shots which is conventional to music videos (particularly for solo artists) which tend to show the artist performing/singing the song then long full body shots to show dance moves. This is really effective because it presents Duffy as the main focus for the video, which is also portrayed by the fact that she is the only female and that the colour of her legs stand out against the black of the dancer's costumes. The camera movement depends a lot on tracking the artist, which again conveys her to be the main attraction and connotes her to be a strong woman as everything revolves around her (which is conventional to female artists in the soul genre). The camera movement is very smooth (demonstrated in the above image) and fits in well with the smooth, jazzy feel of the music.
Lighting is key to this video, despite the setting being a plain room, the lighting turns it from dark to light in an instant which creates the idea of changing setting to the viewer and thus avoids fatigue. The lighting is also used to create sillhouettes and at times (again demonstrated above) is used as a vehicle to make Duffy stand out and the dancer's to appear sillhouetted. This is a typical lighting style of the music video, which is a promotional tool and uses lighting to flatter the artist - in order to create sex appeal and sell records. As a viewer, we also see a lot of sillhouetted instrumentists, this is conventional to the soul genre in particular as the instrumentation is key to convey that this genre isn't manufactured and the artist is passionate about music moreso than image, which is more important to pop chart artists.
The editing is also fairly simple which is conventional to a music video which tends to run as a narrative with occasional cuts to performance based shots. However, in the clip above I have included a jump cut which moves from a shot of Duffy central to the frame in a long shot, to a mid shot. Her stance is strong, hands by her sides and legs apart, dominating the frame and the lighting makes her appear a sillhouette. This creates a sense of strength and mystery which again are both conventional to the genre as strong women are prominent in soul as I've previously stated and this eludes to the fact that women in soul tend to be more mysterious than those in pop as they don't so much reveal their personal lives to glossy magazines etc... The shot rotation throughout is fast and fluent to avoid viewer fatigue, although this slows down when the dance routine begins as this allows the viewer to focus.
This is a short commentary I made on the video, please excuse my voice I had a cold.
Amy Winehouse's video for 'You Know I'm No Good' fits some of the conventions for a soul genre video, however much alike herself, certain aspects do contradict the 'norm' in terms of soul music videos but it works as a promotional tool nonetheless.
In terms of lighting, Winehouse's video is really effective and conventional to soul. In the example (below) low key, but highly effective lighting is used on a dark background, reminiscent of a Duffy video, which not only flatters the artist but increases their status and in this case creates an 'eerie' feel. This use of bright lighting on dark background is evident in a lot of soul music videos and could definitely be considered typical of the genre.
In this video Amy is dressed in her typical 'scruffy' style, messy beehive and vest top despite the conventional dress for a female soul singer being usually quite the opposite, dark, smart clothing (such as a black dress). However, Winehouse's own development of fashion earned her recognition as a household name and figure, her sense of style is recognised both world and nationwide. Therefore, although she doesn't really conform to the fashions set by previous soul singers, this helped her to create her own success as an artist and an individual.
The location throughout the video is strikingly similar, although props change around the dark room, such as a bar, a table, a bath, a bed (pictured below). This prop rotation allows the room to take on the shape of a new setting and avoid viewer fatigue.
The colour scheme is dark and revolves around a blue/white/black/grey basis which is highly typical of a soul genre video, particularly in female soul artists. Soul singers tend not to use garish colours and sex-appeal image to sell music but focus more on the message of the music.
Unconventional use of shot types.
Despite the 'lack'of real location change or at least dramatic location change, the video is extremely effective due to it's clever use of cinematography. Winehouse's video is unconventional to the average music video in that a wide variety of shot types are used whereas a music video normally stays around the long shot/close up area, this helps to introduce the viewer to and sell the artist. However, Amy's creative influence in clear in this instance, as is the soul genre, a focus is set more on the message of the song and conveying this in a narrative structure rather than by creating a video revolving around how the artist is important, sexy, etc...
As well as this, a creative, but unconformist decision has been made using cinematography, in that the video uses the highly rare over the shoulder shot in music video format. This is a shot type usually avoided by a music video director as it completely shuts off the artist from the viewer in that their face is not visible, but the back of their head which is often considered a sign of rudeness in day-to-day situations. This would be considered ineffective as the viewer is supposed to engage with the artist in a way that would make them want to buy their music after watching their video. This represents how Amy Winehouse was more interested in her music, than image, or money, fame and beauty (which is further shown in her less than glamorous state of dress) although this isn't typical of a music video this is a trait often portrayed in the soul genre.
Evidence of media and alcohol cultures in the video
The editing throughout on a general basis is typical to a music video structure, moderately fast shot rotation and a mixture between narrative shots and performance based scenes. However, what I found particularly interesting was the way editing is used to show Amy watching her own actions on television and in moving polaroid 'photographs', I found these scenes particularly poignant as they connoted her own struggles with the media and the media insistence on documenting her 'fall from grace' at any given opportunity so all were aware of her personal issues and dramas. As well as this was the dominance of alcohol throughout the video, which I also found intriguing as Amy's creative influence upon the video becomes evident, connotations of her personal battles with alcohol and drug abuse whilst being questioned by a love interest, representing her rocky relationship with husband, Blake for which the whole album 'Back to Black' was based upon add an essence of personality to the video. These connotations show how Amy was passionate about her music, how these lyrics meant something to her and how she wanted to represent this in the video and make it more personal to her - something, maybe not to such extremes, which isn't rare in the soul music genre which is known to focus on music, not image.
Off centre shot, represents her personal state and her unconventionalism
Island records was founded in Jamaica but was based primarily in the UK for many years, now it's owned by the Universal Music Group however now it operates under the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group. This fits well with soul as soul as a genre is derived from Motown which came about in 1960s Detroit, as well as this Def Jam records is well-known for the making of accomplished r'n'b and hip hop artists such as Rihanna - which are also genres of black origin. However, nowadays soul music is equally as dominated by white artists especially in Britain.
Artists such as Leona Lewis, Lionel Richie and most relevant to our genre of female soul, Amy Winehouse are signed to Island Records.
The fact that Island records is related to soul artists means that they're a relevant record company to our planned artist as we wish to base our portfolio around soul music.
WARNER MUSIC GROUP: is the record label that I have chosen to discuss in this blog post. This is because it best supports the genre of music that I intend to use to create my own music video.
This is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies.
This company was formed in 2004 when it was spun off and made completely seperate from Time Warner.
Some artists that work with Warner Music Group are the likes of: Chaka Khan, Seal, Simply Red and Rod Stewart. This sing in the same style as my choice of artist Duffy.
Warner Music Group is currently situated in New York, United States. This is a very beneficial place to be as there are always new artists looking for recognition in America and being situated in New York would be ideal for the artists to find the record label and want to work with them.
Columbia records started up in Washington D.C in 1891, from then to know a lot has changed (believe it or not) and it has since become a very successful record label for soul artists. It is owned by the Japanese company "Sony Entertainment". This is a big label and therefore a lot of very successful artists have been attracted to it because of that.
I think that this label would suit our music video due to the fact that they sign on a lot of british artists (like Adele for instance) and a lot of artists who fit into the catagory of soul artists (Adele and Beyonce pictured above.) However it is an American label which might make it a bit less relevant to the type of artist that we need to emulate.
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<img height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLOP26jMxEG8coiaUtPftn4ZFR6gXmFATLvc6uZ1SJnzOV8w3yRIqv5E2vpw7663ZM6QWc8na6M51IbYHadKoz9BqmfAKjKODhQTArXlpkj7tdbmQk8WqYocY5H_zCRVveVJr_efx5bgW7/s320/DSC00238.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 373px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 44px; visibility: hidden;" width="72" />This is an advert for the album cover The Kooks- Junk of The Heart. It has just been released.
The Kooks are a band that fit into the Indie Genre of music. This album artwork could be described as simple as there is one main image just off centre. This means that the audience that will be focusing on this album cover, can directly focus on the individual image. It is also a simple image, of a woman standing in a car so it is more than likely going to be remembered by their fans and readers of the magazine.
The font on the cover is in block capitals and in white letters which means that the font is easily seen and will be spotted. The dress that the woman is wearing matches the writing on the album cover so the colours all blend well together.
The costume that the individual is wearing, is an everyday dress that the majority of females would wear. The contrast of the black cardigan against the white dress, could be reflected by the type of people that may listen to the band.
The orange in the corner of the page, matches the ginger hair of the female in the image. All their colours match meaning that no particular part of the album stands out.
