Combestone Tor

Combestone Tor was found by Emily driving through the Dartmoor forest earlier in the year and we thought that it was a powerful location and would be perfect to use.

Not many people visit this location as it is quite secluded and hard to access so therefore we will be able to utilise it as much as possible without interference. The location is also very similar to a location used in Jane Eyre (2011) and would be seen as an intertexual reference and also the character of Jane Eyre is a similar strong woman to the character in our music video.

River Dart

The River Dart is a beautiful location and we thought that it would be suitable to use atleast one river in the music video for the song, Rivers. There is also a bridge, Holne Bridge, on the river which could be used in our shots. Also the footpath runs alongside the river so we will be able to get shots with our actors near the river and also some stills around and of the river itself.

If the water wasn't moving too fast we wanted to use it for some reflection shots.

However when we arrived at the location the tide was quite high and water was moving extremely fast. Yet, I was able to get some powerful still shots using my Photography knowledge and a longer shutter speed to get some movement images and also shots of the actors.

Lulworth Cove

This location will work in our favour as the tide coming in and out can sometimes pose as a problem when filming. Aiming to film up on the rocks will make out task easier if the tides are usually calm.

Tourism rates are similar to Durdle Door, people tend not to stay very long. This again will aid us in our filming efforts. If we can find a clear section of beach this will benefit out filming. Lulworth Cove is a beautiful location to film at, picturesque and peaceful. Hopefully if we catch it on a sunny day, it can often look like it should be in the Mediterranean.

Durdle Door

Durdle Door was an amazing location and we thought that it was perfect to use for our video. It has also been used by many people such as Cliff Richard, Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson and Pink Floyd. A scene of Nanny McPhee was filmed on this beach also.

Emily had been to the location itself, and it seemed very suitable, as often people do not go all the way down to the beach, because of the very dangerously steep walk down/up to and from the beach. People don't tend to stay very long as the tides change very quickly on the beach itself. So we hoped that the filming wouldn't be disturbed by many people.

References in Africa Shox by Leftfield

    A reference to Goodwin's theory that 'There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals' when the protagonist grabs onto the fence at the same time as the lyric  - 'Let's get electrified'. This shows the audience the fence could be electric and sending electricity through the character, the same way as the music sends vibes through the clubbers and dancers as the dance to Leftfield's music. The protagonist also connotes a spaced out clubber, therefore showing the lyrics to reference the genre and experience of clubbing/dancing.

    Educated audiences will enjoy this video due to the subtle subliminal messages and references to films, therefore 'film buffs' will enjoy the noir references. The cinematography is also complex and aesthetically pleasing and will further add to the enjoyment of the audience who enjoy the references and noir film style of the video.


    Another reference that a film buff may find in the dystopic portrayal of New York, is the way dir. Carol Reed portrayed Vienna in The Third Man (1949). The way the protagonist is shown to be disconnected with the world he is visiting and dystopic society that has been created, the same way that the protagonist in Africa Shox is disconnected with New York and is shown as a dystopia and extended metaphor for ethic and social minority's continued struggle the in modern, Western society.

    Other films that may be referenced and shown as dystopic are 'The Killing' (2007) where Copenhagen is shown as a dystopia.

   Essex Boys (2000) and Animal Kingdom (2010) both use dystopia in Essex and Melbourne, a key convention of the Thriller genre.

Festival Posters

    Different festivals cater to different needs depending on the festival itself, and therefore are marketed in varied ways to appeal to those different audiences, offering different aspects of festival community and experience. 

 LATITUDE

    The latitude poster is completely selling the festival as an event and the location itself. The stylisitic writing and vintage frame with detailing is selling the style of the festival, a very 'arty' and calm atmosphere with good music, which would appeal to many people. The style of the poster has not changed much in 7 years is has been running, therefore is has become a brand and is recognisable and trustworthy to an audience or potential new customer.

 READING

     Reading is completely selling the musical acts by the plain background and the main focus on the headling acts, therefore they are selling the music only and the experience of the music, not the festival as a community. The colour scheme is simple and contrasts the red colouring of the logo so that is recogniseable, but the bold writing is so that the artists are the main focus of the advertisment due to the font being bolder and bigger than even the logo itself.

DOWNLOAD

    Download is very bold and brash and reflects the type of music playing at the festival, mainly Metal. The tattoo style border reflects people's interest in tattoos, body art and modification within the genre. The headlining acts are the main part of the poster with the names being as bold and strong, if not bolder than the logo of the festival itself, showing that they are also selling the music experience rather than the music and festival experience that Latitude sells. This also shows that the kind of person to attend Download is the kind of person who knows the genre well and can recognise the headlining acts.



Character Names

      Originally we thought that we could just use the actors' real names for the character names, but we thought that in a lot of films and literature nominative determinism is used, the theory  that a person's name can have a significant role in determining key aspects of job. Therefore we thought that because the band's name, Kankouran, had so much meaning we would also link the names of the characters to the song, Rivers.

 

A brief internet search for name meanings formed a list of possible names: 
Avon
Ailsa
Dana
Dee
Delaney
John
Cleonie
Miriam
Nile
Douglas

   All of the names listed have some connection or meaning to a river, it was just a case of choosing which ones fit the characters look, and fit well together.

  

   As we looked at the names, we agreed that we wanted something that was obviously connected to Rivers or water in some way but without looking not like a real name at all. For the female name we liked the idea of Avon because of its obvious connection to Rivers but we thought it didn't sound like a realisitic name so we thought to change it to 'Ava', because it sounds still with the soft, flowing tone but actually sounding like a name. We liked the name Nile for the male part and we thought that it fitted nicely with the character and with Ava.

   So, after creating many different combinations of names and different ideas, it was a group decision that Ava, (originally Avon) and Nile would fit best to our characters. 

The Rising Popularity of Festivals

    'UK fans spent £1.45bn on gigs in 2009 - up 4% from the previous year, according to songwriters' body PRS For Music.' said Ian Youngs, Music reporter, BBC News. Showing that there is a definite rise in the popularity of music festivals over the last few years. However, some may think that it is just a rising popularity in the industry itself, but as the statistics show 'Sales of CDs, records and digital downloads remained flat at £1.35bn in 2009.' Therefore, music festivals are shown to be much more popular and increasingly so, more so than the purchased or downloaded music. This is due to the fact that a lot of the consumption of music over the last 10 years has been digital and non-malleable, thus a consumer now wants to go back to the 'good days of music', as some would call, in the 1960s and 1970s - the days of Woodstock and giant festivals. So, therefore this revert and interest in festivals shows a throw-back or perhaps a progression into the modern music genre through old uses of it 40-50 years ago.

    The idealism of festivals has changed from something old to something remade and new. The notion of sleeping in a tent, wearing wellies walking in the mud and drinking beer all weekend is appealing to people as it a complete escape from the norm.

   It is chance for people to let go of the constraints of society, mobiles phones, laptops, worrying about money or your car and be relaxed, have a good time and be spontaneous for the weekend. Unlike a gig where it is a few hours long, at most, festivals are days long with your friends listening to music that you love so it is a completely different experience for somebody wanting to go to a festival rather than just seeing the band in concert.  

 

The sense of community is also different in the fact that the people there are all in the same situation with mostly the same views and opinions on the place and music they are attending, therefore conversation can be made with different people without even knowing them by sharing that and being in the experience together.

It gives an experience to lots of different people due to the vast audience festivals bring. Teenagers and young adults can see it as a chance to change their normal lives and do something they wouldn't usually do. Older people use it as a way of relaxing and people with families can enjoy it and have their children entertained in a relaxed and calm environment.

Music Festivals: Our Band

     

     After looking at lots of different music festivals, as a group, we came to the decision that 'Latitude festival' would best suit our band, Kankouran. The type of music at latitude is indie/folk/rock/acoustic which we thought does fit our band very nicely and they're music would fit with the atmosphere and genres that also play there. 

    Latitude festival isn't just about the music, it is about the whole experience, with live acts, comedy, dance, art and literature. This means that it attracts 'arty' type people who are interested in more than just jumping around the music, but appreciate it as an art form also. Which is different to a pop festival, which is more about the experience of partying hard and drinking a lot. 

   Latitude is also family friendly and is marketed towards all different age groups. The 'indie' scene is quite calm and about acoustic music and having a calming, good time. With the drug of choice at a festival like this being cannabis or something you smoke and the drink being cider, beer or lager. 

   At a pop festival the drug would perhaps be something heavier like ecstasy, speed or cocaine, something stimulating and the drink of choice would be spirits like Vodka or Malibu. Drink and drugs are part of festivals and vary between different festivals.

    The look of the poster reflects the audience demographic and the way in which the festival targets itself. The stylistic nature of the poster, with the vintage frame and detailing attracts the viewer - the type of person interested in vintage fashion, style and appearance. The green colour motif also reflects the festival as it connotes nature, which shows the audience it is a calm and natural place to be. The text and image of the coloured sheep show the 'arty' nature of the festival and show it to be a festival in which people who are interested in art and differently styled things would be attracted to this festival.