Lyrical Timeline

Festivals

Continuing research into genre and identity, deciding on a festival that our band's values would fit best at, this also includes the genre they fit into.

After analysing several festival flyers, in my filming group, we decided that Latitude Festival would be most fitting for the band we have chosen to use; Kankouran.

Latitude Festival Home Screen

Kankouran 

Having been to Latitude Festival in 2011 & 2012, I know which kinds of bands are going to appear there. The genres that mainly appear at Latitude tend to be indie/rock/folk/alternative/acoustic and I feel Kankouran fit within many of these genres. Their style of music is also the kind that you can imagine live and imagine having a great atmosphere at a festival like Latitude. 

Latitude is not only a music festival, like many others, it is an arts festival featuring comedy, dance, music, literature, film and cabaret. 

It is also a family friendly festival. that phrase would put some people off but if you've been there once, you know that it is predominately young people apposed to couples with children. 

At festivals there is drink and drug consumption, and it varies at different festivals, for example, Wireless (pop festival) will have a different variety of drink and drugs, where as somewhere like Latitude, it will again differ. 

The drink and drugs associated with Pop music tends to be strong liquors such as Vodka or Malibu, drug intake associated with pop could be ecstasy/speed/popping pills. However at a more alternative festival like Latitude, the drink intake is more likely to be things like beer, cider and lager. The drug intake is highly more likely to be things you can smoke, like cannabis. 

There are a lot of drugs at festivals but different levels vary between festivals. 

Latitude A5 Flyer 2010

The vintage-picture frame like looking border of the flyer, connotes it is targeted at people who are interested in style, appearance and the vintage look. The picture set as the background of the flyer is of the festival itself. The arty 'Latitude' 3D writing/model, and the sheep, dyed with natural colouring for the festival. This targets people who are interested in art, innovative ideas and something a little different. From my experience, many different varieties of people go, the age range/target audience ranges from very young children/toddlers to people 60+ and everything in between. 

It is a fantastically interactive, amusing and enjoyably festival and incredibly unique. I believe Kankouran would fit in very well here, musically, style wise and entertainment wise. 

Genre/Identity Research

The generic characteristics of the song/band don't necessarily fit into a specific genre, it is a mix of many genres. In my opinion, it is a mixture of, indie-rock, hipster*, electro. The Internet will define these genres but I am going to give my own definition of them all. 

Indie-rock -  this is a form of alternative music to chart music. In my opinion it is the music in-between, music that you cannot directly categorise immediately. Within Indie-rock, the music style is mainly band music, e.g.- lead guitar, bass guitar, singer and drummer, ofter also a synth player/keyboard player. The songs mainly stick to a structure of- INTRO.VERSE/CHORUS/VERSE/CHORUS/BRIDGE/CHORUS/OUTRO. However some bands defy this which is where the confusion in the 'in-between' genres steps in. 

Hipster  -  Hipster 'music/style' is one that is often taken the wrong way, or many people believe it me and something else rather than its true meaning. It means doing your own thing entirely, not the generic-unimaginative style that is chinos, zip hoodies, vans and snapback hats. This is NOT hipster. Hipster music could be associated with bands like; Kankouran, Diiv, and Fredrik.

Electro  -  Electro is often associated with Hadouken, which is a heavy-electro band. They use, electronic drum kits, 2 synths, bass and vocals. However the 'Electro I'm referring to is the synth aspect of the band. The song 'Rivers' has a slight metallic sound to it which often reminds me of some electronic bands. 

A band with similar musical characteristics, would be into bands that are similar to their own. However, everyone has different influences, so there will be interest in different genres also, maybe in old-school rock, some pop-punk music e.g. - Blink 182, Sum 41. 

*the true meaning of hipster = individual, unlike any other, unique, original. Not chinos, snapbacks and chart music.

A band like Kankouran may read vintage fiction books, and newspapers. Some influence comes from newspapers and books. Some songs are written based on characters like Miss Havisham etc. Classical fictional characters are a good base for a song. Linking in with newspapers, they are quite political, have a strong opinion on Governmental issues, whether it be, Labour, Conservative, Lib-dem, or nothing at all. I'd imagine a band like Kankouran to be anti-monarchy. (In my opinion, I don't feel Britain really needs a royal family, but the argument is; the royal family defines Britain. The Queen is highly associated with the name of Britain, that could possibly be why they are anti-monarchy, because it is slightly rebellious, a touch of originality and slightly unlike everyone else - hipster. 

They would drink fruit ciders- Kopparbergs  and beers like Budweiser. Whenever I go to see gigs or concerts, this is what they tend to be drinking and therefore I associate that type of band with those specific drinks. In terms of food, laziness would be general, not much of an effort would be regally be put into food. However on special occasions, they may have BBQ's, and try and attempt  some kind of complex recipe. 

In terms of their sexuality, I think that the 'original' style of genre is pretty open minded. There is not a lot of prejudice from the bands them selves, if there was any it would originate from the audiences. However within the bands, there isn't a lot of contrast between sexuality, it is mainly heterosexual men and women. Of course there is room for homosexual men and women but there tends to be not so many.

Their interest in celebrities would not be high. there may be one or two inspirations who are celebrities, but they don't follow magazines, celebrity TV and similar mediums. Sticking with the idea of being 'hipster' it is down to the individual on who they follow or idolise etc but within the stereotype genre, it wouldn't be very stereo typical…

Ages can tend to be 16 - 45. Many older men/women have been in bands for 20+ years or they just get a band together at a later age. The older bands tend to stand out more because of their age and possibly get more notice. Similarly, young bands get the same. This could suggest a form of 'dead zone' in music. 

'Of Montsers and Men' a band
with 1 woman & 5 men.

The genre isn't prejudice against women at all. However there appears to be more men in the genre than women, it is not often you will get an all female band, women will appear, usually, in all male bands with the exception of a woman. I encourage this because it not only gives their music new contours to discover, but also creates a different sound and possibly a different spin on the way they look at (e.g.) composing the music. 

Nowadays, bands seem to either live together or very close to each other. This makes it easier for writing, recording, practises etc. It is also convenient. Their houses appear to be old fashioned, classical, old England style, or kitted out from IKEA. 

Clothes choice is completely down to the individual. However, trends within the genre seem to form. e.g. a style that originated  from this genre would be the top button of shirts being fastened. It is a smart casual look. Shoes tend to be Vans, Brogues, Doctor Martin's, Again, showcasing an authentic classical look. Blazers, skinny jeans, Baggy T's, Sophmore jumpers, Denim Jackets, Leather Jackets, Denim Shorts, Shirts, Polo Shirts, these are just some of the items of clothing you would expect to see someone within this genre wearing. 

Despite having an array of clothes listed above, small bands within this genre don't earn a lot of money. However, if a band makes it big time, do they then have to be categorised into another genre or are they another sub-genre of the one they are already in? In my opinion it is within the realms of the genre to be a band that doesn't earn much money. They tour with big bands and visit small pubs/venues for their own gigs.

AUDIENCE

The audience interested in a band like Kankouran and the genre it lies within, would probably be 16-25 year olds. I think that it is a young, forever changing genre of music, also affecting style, adults are more set in their ways, where as when you are in your teenage years, you are finding your identity, always changing style and appearance. finding your identity is a hard and long process that is constantly changing, much like the characteristics of the genre. New faces and bands are always being introduced into the indie-rock-electro scene and are found/discovered by the audience everyday.  

Final Casting

Where and when we are filming is posing as a problem to our cast members. We asked two cast members to join us to film in Devon. However the dates that we plan to go down are not available for the female actor (Emily Chawawa) to travel with us. Our male actor (Fraser Stannage) we will be picking up en-route, however this does not solve the problem of us finding a replacement female actress.

One of my friends has put herself forward for the task and has volunteered to come down and be in our music video. Emily Greig is who will be joining us.

It is a shame that Emily Chawawa could not have

been in the video because the references to Kankouran (West-African dance) fitted so well, as Emily C has African origin and therefore coloured skin.

Despite this, I have no doubt that Emily G will act very well, she will hopefully understand our creative intentions and possibly give some input into our music video. As she is from a different school, she will not know about our idea and it will be a fresh set of eyes on our idea.

Moodboard.

These are the final designs for the moodboard inspiring our video and supplying us with some ideas.

Chesil Beach

Chesil beach is another great location that Devon is home to. It is a strand of beach

that has formed due to sediment movement and long shore drift tidal habits.

We plan for some panning shots around the characters so having the hills and the sea either side of the beach will look most effective. It is the location furthest away from where we will be based, so we will have to leave slightly earlier to arrive there! We will also have to walk east along the beach to get to where the river falls behind the beach and have the sea in front of it as well. So when planning ahead things like this will need to be taken into consideration.

Lyme Regis

Lyme Regis and The Cobb are going to play a large part in the music video. The Cobb at Lyme Regis have had the likes of Meryl Streep standing on it, filming 'The French Lieutenants Woman', the BBC's version of 'Persuasion' and of course, Thomas Hardy's work was mostly written in the same area.

The Cobb is initially a sea wall to protect the harbour and the coastline.

By using the Cobb as one of our locations, it means that we can inter-textual reference it to other media filmed there, such as listed above.

The Cobb is a spectacular location to film at and hopefully the footage we film will compliment the Cobb.

River Dart/Combestone Tor

The River Dart is a picturesque location, bridges running over it and the weaving roads run parallel to the river. We will be hopefully filming on a footpath that runs under a bridge, the water laps against the rocks, this may be a good place to get some reflection shots if the current isnt too fast.

Coombestone Tor was found when driving through Dartmoor forest. The stacks of rocks make quite a desolate location for filming. Because of its location it doesn't recieve much tourism, cars may stop for a few minutes to have a look and a wander around the area.

Lulworth Cove

Lulworth Cove was again formed due to the erosion of soft rocks and the slow break down of harder rocks. The headlands of the cove will slowly erode and one day become a regular beach. Due to Lulworth Cove being a bay, there is not much tidal activity, the waves hit the rocks and headland on the opening to the bay.

This 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 caused by weaker rock eroding faster than the harder igneous rock. The headland (the arch) is formed of very hard resistant rock, hence why it is still standing today. The arch is a product of hydraulic action. The air and water would smash into the rocks and create cracks, eventually splits in the cliff, caves, small arches, then finally, something as spectacular as Durdle Door.

Despite Durdle Door being a beautifully charming location, it has hosted my many guests. For example, Cliff Richard, Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson and Pink Floyd have filmed there, along with many others. The cast on Nanny McPhee have filmed a section of the film on Durdle Door beach.


The video pictures of the video stills I have embedded are from Cliff Richards 1990 Christmas hit, 'Saviour's Day'. This video can be a direct link to our music video as it is using exactly the same location and for the same purpose.

Having been to the location itself, it seems very suitable, 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. Hopefully filming should not be disturbed my people too much.