EMS30 Stuff to do today! (CCLab is booked for first half)
1. Finish your quiz questions for Mr. the Lobb and email, post to blog or set on the desk.
2. Prepare for that quiz, which will be tomorrow (Wednesday)
3. If you had short answers only on your quiz questions, add a few longer answer questions and answers to upgrade your mark from 3-
4. If you are one of those people who OWES ME WORK, DO IT NOW AND GET IT DONE! You know who you are. I will start pulling people from class to do work in the office starting tomorrow. Then, I start calling home, etc. DON'T MAKE ME DO THAT.
5. If you are finished your test material, and don’t owe me anything, then you should move on to the following:
a) Spend some time coming up with 3 pitches for a new TV show.
They can be reality shows, sitcoms, one-hour dramas or whatever, but I am looking for three concepts that you think would work and be original, interesting shows. Briefly describe the concept for each, and any other important info about each – main character, setting, etc
b) Come up with a good LOGLINE for each.
The following are examples of could-be loglines for current television shows:
"Aspiring singers will compete in a nationwide talent search on live television where they will face the often unfair scrutiny and sarcasm of a panel of judges before one is finally branded the "American Idol", receiving a recording contract." - American Idol
"A likeable husband's tolerance and marriage is tested by the constant intrusion of his overbearing parents and dim-witted brother" - Everybody Loves Raymond
b) For each, briefly describe the target audience you would be hitting.
c) At least ONE of the shows you come up with should be a fictional show (a sitcom or one-hour drama) and for those, you should consider:
• Location: Work? Home? School? Jail? Some combination?
• Social structure: One star (e.g., Chuck, The Mentalist, ), more stars (e.g., The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, Gossip Girl )?
• Personalities: A rich, snotty society girl? A struggling smartass student? You need to create a fine balance of having people that are realistic enough for the audience to identify with, yet are different enough from each other to allow for interesting dramatic encounters.
• Situations: What kind of things do the characters go through? Seinfeld dealt with the stupid little things in daily life, The Walking Dead is about fighting the zombie apocalypse and The Simpsons goes for pure laughs.
How Do I get a Level Four?
- be original – come up with something that isn’t exactly like everything else – combine two or more show ideas that are already happening into something new and crazy, for example
- be thorough – give details that show that you’ve really thought this through – I don’t NEED to see a lot on settings, possible episode storylines, character relationships or comparisons with existing TV shows, but these kinds of details take your work further
- presentation – putting this on your blog instead of handing it in written on paper in pencil would make it look much more pro – ESPECIALLY if you included some pics of possible cast members and other kinds of multimedia examples
This is a good opportunity to come up with the dream show that you’ve always wanted to see. Go nuts and be rewarded. I can’t promise that I will make that show, but I will say “good job!” and how awesome is that?
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Nov 25, 2010 -More on TV
4. Game Shows – one of the oldest types of TV shows- the game show is a very cheap and very simple kind of show, you involve the audience, which is always exciting
- the thrill of winning and competing even if YOU aren’t – humans like to root/cheer for someone and game shows play on that
- even if they are the same, they are different in the way it plays out
Funny enough, sports on TV fits all these same things
5. Sporting Events (again, some of the first shows) – same as game shows
- these aren’t cheap – first shows to use a large number of cameras
6. Variety show (or a talk show)
- these are also cheap to make, also the same only different – the structure is the same, but the elements of that structure change – ie guests, conversation, “acts”, etc
- modern talk shows and “one name” shows – eg Oprah, Tyra, Ellen, Conan, etc fill this kind of gap now
- even American Idol and SYTYCD are kind of like this – we watch old school entertainment, music, dancing, etc
- CLASSIC TV
7. For years, one type of show was the dominant, most lucrative (makes the most money) and highest rated kind of TV show –
- SITCOMS
- nowadays they are in decline
- a sitcom gets its own note:
SITCOMS
- the sitcom means situation comedy and is a 22 minute/ half hour time slot show
- eg – the highest rated one right now is Two and a Half Men (which sucks, everyone agrees, but some population must watch it – we call that population Middle America – “normal people”
- a sitcom is a show based upon a simple concept, usually a place that is like a family center – office, bar, apartment, diner, etc
- there is a core group that “stars” and uses that center place
- they have problems that get solved in 22 minutes, and are usually exaggerations of normal human problems
- the first sitcoms were live on a stage, and many are still shot live on a stage with a live studio audience (Two and a Half Men is done this way
- in the old days, these began with The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy, for example
- these shows started the family side of sitcoms – a goofy center character who gets into problems with a sidekick and then a family crisis each episode
- Lucy was the original goofy character – the physical comedy she did and the crazy situations were the pattern being set for sitcoms for years – we still see the kinds of things she did
- However, in the early 60s, sitcoms started to change – people were getting tired of the same family pattern, and producers started going into a new pattern
- HIGH CONCEPT
- These are sitcoms based on one crazy concept that makes the whole show work – every story, ever character, every set all fits into the concept
- Examples – Bewitched (a normal guy marries a witch), Gilligan’s Island (different people forced into companionship, stuck on an island), My Mother, The Car (a guy’s mother is reincarnated as his car), Mr. Ed (a guy has a talking horse), My Favourite Martian (a guy finds a Martian/alien), The Beverly Hillbillies
- These kinds of shows lasted for EVER
- 80s – Alf, AirWolf, Knight Rider, etc
- deal in the most ridiculous concepts and are essentially completely stupid
- over the years new patterns keep emerging that try to reinvigorate sitcoms and keep audiences coming back, but sitcoms are kind of dead now, thanks to cheap, easy to produce, ridiculous and stupid reality shows
Sitcom Structure
- 22 mins
- 8 mins of ads
- 3 ACTS – First Act is called setup – second act is called Complications and third act is called Resolution
- you have a problem, then it gets worse, then it gets sloved
- you have a problem that comes from the main character’s stupidity
- in sitcoms, you have a number of other patterns”
- - goofy neighbour or friend
- mistaken identities
- lies that get out of control
- the seven deadly sins out of control (gluttony – greedy. Eat too much, drink too much, wrath – anger, rage, lust – sex. Love hunger, avarice – want something you shouldn’t have, pride = , envy, sloth
- the thrill of winning and competing even if YOU aren’t – humans like to root/cheer for someone and game shows play on that
- even if they are the same, they are different in the way it plays out
Funny enough, sports on TV fits all these same things
5. Sporting Events (again, some of the first shows) – same as game shows
- these aren’t cheap – first shows to use a large number of cameras
6. Variety show (or a talk show)
- these are also cheap to make, also the same only different – the structure is the same, but the elements of that structure change – ie guests, conversation, “acts”, etc
- modern talk shows and “one name” shows – eg Oprah, Tyra, Ellen, Conan, etc fill this kind of gap now
- even American Idol and SYTYCD are kind of like this – we watch old school entertainment, music, dancing, etc
- CLASSIC TV
7. For years, one type of show was the dominant, most lucrative (makes the most money) and highest rated kind of TV show –
- SITCOMS
- nowadays they are in decline
- a sitcom gets its own note:
SITCOMS
- the sitcom means situation comedy and is a 22 minute/ half hour time slot show
- eg – the highest rated one right now is Two and a Half Men (which sucks, everyone agrees, but some population must watch it – we call that population Middle America – “normal people”
- a sitcom is a show based upon a simple concept, usually a place that is like a family center – office, bar, apartment, diner, etc
- there is a core group that “stars” and uses that center place
- they have problems that get solved in 22 minutes, and are usually exaggerations of normal human problems
- the first sitcoms were live on a stage, and many are still shot live on a stage with a live studio audience (Two and a Half Men is done this way
- in the old days, these began with The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy, for example
- these shows started the family side of sitcoms – a goofy center character who gets into problems with a sidekick and then a family crisis each episode
- Lucy was the original goofy character – the physical comedy she did and the crazy situations were the pattern being set for sitcoms for years – we still see the kinds of things she did
- However, in the early 60s, sitcoms started to change – people were getting tired of the same family pattern, and producers started going into a new pattern
- HIGH CONCEPT
- These are sitcoms based on one crazy concept that makes the whole show work – every story, ever character, every set all fits into the concept
- Examples – Bewitched (a normal guy marries a witch), Gilligan’s Island (different people forced into companionship, stuck on an island), My Mother, The Car (a guy’s mother is reincarnated as his car), Mr. Ed (a guy has a talking horse), My Favourite Martian (a guy finds a Martian/alien), The Beverly Hillbillies
- These kinds of shows lasted for EVER
- 80s – Alf, AirWolf, Knight Rider, etc
- deal in the most ridiculous concepts and are essentially completely stupid
- over the years new patterns keep emerging that try to reinvigorate sitcoms and keep audiences coming back, but sitcoms are kind of dead now, thanks to cheap, easy to produce, ridiculous and stupid reality shows
Sitcom Structure
- 22 mins
- 8 mins of ads
- 3 ACTS – First Act is called setup – second act is called Complications and third act is called Resolution
- you have a problem, then it gets worse, then it gets sloved
- you have a problem that comes from the main character’s stupidity
- in sitcoms, you have a number of other patterns”
- - goofy neighbour or friend
- mistaken identities
- lies that get out of control
- the seven deadly sins out of control (gluttony – greedy. Eat too much, drink too much, wrath – anger, rage, lust – sex. Love hunger, avarice – want something you shouldn’t have, pride = , envy, sloth
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Nov 24, 2010
History of TV
- long and terrifying and disturbing record of the events that have led to you being so easily distracted
Where did TV come from?
- a fifteen year old boy named Phil T. Farnsworth is the inventor of the most common type of TV
- he was working on the idea that radio could be done with images
- radio was already invented in the early part of the 20th Century by a guy named Marconi
- signals go through the air and take a “message” that could be a voice
- these signals get encoded and decoded at the source and at the end point
- the interesting idea behind radio that we will carry on (aside from the science which led to TV) was the idea of PROGRAMMING
- David Sarnoff – came up with the idea of using a radio as entertainment, with “shows” that come on at specific times and people would tune in and listen
- He worked for a company that made and sold millions of radios and also made and gave out broadcasting (shows) – they paid for these shows with advertising
- He thought if they could do the same thing with images, there would be a whole new business, a whole new thing to sell and a whole new place for selling ads
- He had a team working on making TV as well (the company was RCA)
- The boy genius came up with a few ideas at a one room school and his teacher sent the ideas to a university and Philo was off
- He came up with some cool ideas, Sarnoff heard about him, he tried to buy him out, and Philo said no – Sarnoff’s head scientist (Vladimir Zworkin) visited Philo, saw his stuff and guess what? – he took the info and went ahead and invented his own TV
- By the time WWII starts, TV is already invented, but there’s nothing on yet
- The Depression and the war stop all forward progress
- However, after the war, things go crazy
- PAUSE FOR BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE CHECK
- The Great Depression (1930s) – people had no jobs, no money, no food, tough times, difficult living NO LEISURE THAT COST MONEY – no new development of tech and entertainment
- World War II (1939 – 1945)
- Axis (Germany, Italy and Japan) VS Allies (France, UK, Canada) and then later, the US
- The US got attacked by the Japanese in 1941 and went ballistic – they turned their whole country into a war factory, pounding out tanks, guns, planes, everything – they made more stuff that every other country put together – giant war factories full of women, black men and others who wouldn’t have been able to get such good jobs before the war
- The factories started hiring like crazy, started making big money and the Depression was all gone and suddenly, technology was back in the picture
- After the way is over in 1945, those factories and those companies don’t want to stop working at that high level – they want to keep making the big money – so the 1950s had a HUGE tech and economic boom
- After the war, people start getting pulled into shopping like crazy and one of the KEY items everybody buys is a TV
- And TV becomes a HUGE important part of American culture
The TV of the 1950s
- the patterns and structures we have in TV now were started then
- types of shows
- 1. Soap Operas –
- called this because they were shows about high emotion, aimed at women, aired in the day and sponsored by soap companies
- are these gone? No – still happening
2. News
- news was one of the first and most obvious kinds of shows
- had been on radio and even at the movies – they just combined newsreels with radio style super serious tone of voice and a very serious looking man sitting at a desk to impress us – very serious in every way – pure information
- nowadays – TOTALLY different – eg Fox News – all opinion, big emotion, very little info and fact – it’s all about entertainment and feeling and passion and inspiring ratings and rage in equal measure
3. Cartoons
- cartoons actually have been around since film was invented
- TV was a good place for cartoons – because of the Baby Boomers – the number of kids was at an all time high – a certain few companies JUMPED on this
- Warner Bros (Bugs Bunny), and mostly Disney –
- tons of cheap cartoons came out to sell junk to these kids
- a weird trend – cartoons aimed at adults – especially into the 60s
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Nov 25, 2010
Things We Owe:
1. Ad Campaign (NOW)
2. 3 Rock Performer Profiles - blog them plz
3. Music Quiz Made By YOU. On Thursday you will come up with 10 questions and Friday we will enquizzify you with my choices from your questions. I will mark your questions and then we will mark the quizzes together
TV
1. List three shows that you like.
2. Explain one reason each why you like each show.
3. List three shows you do not like or watch.
4. Explain one reason each why you do not like or watch each show.
5. Estimate how much you watch TV in a regular weekday and then a weekend day.
6. Quickly do the same for your parents. (1 each)
7. WHY do you like the shows you chose? Be very specific and try to think about what attracts you to the shows you like.
BLOG THIS PLEASE
Friday, November 19, 2010
Nov 19, 2010 - 90s to now
What are our music assignments thus far?
1. 50s Music Artist Profile
- Little Richard, etc
2. 60s – 70s Music Artist Profile
- Jimi and Robin Hendrix/Hendriks, etc
3. 80s Music Artist Profile
- rap artists from the 80s
We need one more little assignment to get this action complete –
4. 90s – today
The Music Industry AFTER the 1980s
- what was one of the most importance developments in music in the 80s?
- MTV – is it
- Music video changed the whole industry forever
- Once people started watching videos of their fave bands and music, the industry started pushing looks, style and image as more important
- A whole new kind of artist came up that focused on the look and the style, with less importance on the music
- This wasn;t a good thing for music – more industry involvement in crafting a look and focusing on the less musical elements – selling an image – just like advertising
- Music videos were commercials for bands and performers
- Videos made it important for bands to have a really solid look and a band with the right look didn’t have to have much else
- bands like this were – Boy George, Wham, Madonna, Ratt, Flock of Seagulls, Duran Duran, and on and on
- the wimpiness of these bands and the focus on looks led to something that totally reshaped the music industry
- one band came out and broke the whole thing about looks, style and image
- Nirvana came out and looked like normal people, appealed to normal people, played aggressive, punky pop rock and made a whole new statement that the industry picked up and called GRUNGE (also called the Seattle Scene)
- It was a reaction against the look and image of MTV bands and style
- The big companies were not that easy to ignore and they took control once again and that’s when everything went straight to Hell
- Hell – corporate pop – big companies made piles of money on highly controlled artists who were all about looks and style and easy, structured, planned music –
- Eg Spice Girls, New Kids on the Block, etc
- This is now the dominant kind of music in the industry – artists who are good looking, marketable, highly managed and structured to sell and appeal – we’ve lost a certain kind of music and performer in the pop world – those artists are still out there – but they are now called – INDIE or ALTERNATIVE
- Modern artists don’t get signed to a label unless they are already getting audience or unless they have some really obvious hook – looks, style, etc
- There are some bands that sneak through with great music – Kings of Leon transitioned from indie to pop
- The hooks and the looks
- We have a sad little music industry these days – but you’re used to it, so it’s okay
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Nov 18, 2010 - Late 70s into 80s
What Are We Doing Right Now?
1. Ad Campaign MUST BE IN
2. 50s music profile
3. 60s-70s Hard Rock Music Profile
Disco’s Dead
- towards the end of the decade (70s) people were reacting AGAINST disco because it was so popular with mainstream audiences
- HOWEVER – there were some other strange 70s musical styles that made cool audiences equally frustrated
Adult Oriented Rock – “yacht rock”
- Boring, soft, “nice” maybe sophisticated and maybe a little too gentle for young people
- A number of bands in the late 70s were hitting this market – this market was the older folks who had been rockers in the 60s (Baby Boomers)
- They were tired of disco dancing and they just wanted nice music –
- Radio started hitting this music pretty hard
- “mellow gold”
- this is NOT for young rebellious teens
- eg – Eagles, Toto, Steve Miller Band, Billy Joel, etc
Progressive Rock
- a bizarre, very showy and very ornate kind of complex music that was guaranteed to freak some people out and it attracted a more interesting audience
- music is not necessarily enjoyable, but it is complicated and weird and that appeals to some.
- some of these bands did get popular even though they were weird and their music was freaky – Queen
- some of the weird bands were – Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Genesis, Yes and even Rush
- keyboards, too many parts to each song, songs too long, stage show is lasers and smoke and weirdness and costumes and trippy everything
- kind of acid drenched
- is NOT going to appeal to everybody
- many react against the weird, ornate music and they want something simple and powerful – ESPECIALLY young people, especially young men
The Response to all this soft, mellow, ornate, overdone, corporate money rock was PUNK.
- mid 70s to late 70s a bunch of bands came out that were truly dangerous, nasty, rebellious, stupid, aggressive, dumb, ugly, fun, ridiculous, and full of style and power for young people
- Sex Pistols, The Ramones. The Clash, etc
- This music caught on with some in a hurry because it was different and it was cheap and the opposite – it offended parents, which is a bonus
- Anybody could play it
- Problem – punk got turned into a style too
- Business jumped in and made it a trend – sold leathers, safety pins, chains, hairdoes, everything
A True Alternative Begins in the late 70s, early 80s (actually, TWO of them)
1. Post Punk (which becomes New Wave, which later becomes crappy 80s pop)
- bands like Joy Division, The Cure, Souixsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Duran Duran, U2 – another British Invasion (like the Beatles)
- weird, dark, gloomy sad and interesting music with a lot of style
2. Rap – suddenly, black music gets very new styles and vibes and starts to go into a very odd area
- one of the first rap tunes – The Message by Grandmaster Flash (from Happy Feet)
- and how about Sugar Hill Gang? Rapper’s Delight
- this kind of music was very groundbreaking – shocked people and attracted a new audience to black music – not white people at first
- one of the early bands to cross over into white audiences was Run DMC – why did they appeal to white kids?
- LL Cool J took a while to get to white audiences
HERE is why white kids came to rap – some artists were combining rap and rock and this was the magic key to making white kids like it
After that, they liked it because it was really powerful
Note: at these early days, MTV NEVER played black music or videos – the Billie Jean blew up and they had to play it
- a few hard core rap bands started gaining black audiences and then in the late 8os, they crossed over and started a new trend called Gangsta rap – that leads directly to modern hip hop
- NWA, Iced Tea, Public Enemy, Dr. Dre, Erik B. and Rakim
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Nov 17, 2010
70s Music
There were a few key kinds of music that we will examine from the 70s
General 70s Info?
Disco
Black power and the music of that movement
Vietnam War was still on (US vs Vietnam)
Protests and angry people vs the war
Women were protesting for Equal Rights
Bell bottoms, polyester suits, brown and orange fashion, brutal hair
Gay culture becomes more open (see the movie Milk)
Music becomes HUGE business
Image and Style become more important than the music in some ways
Disco
- it’s about fashion and dancing
- the music was repetitive and literally used the same beat over and over
- the style of music actually comes from one place – Philadelphia
- it literally came from one place – one pair of guys – Gamble and Hough – they started The Philly Sound
- many bands came to copy it
- that became disco
- a key band that came to Philly and picked it up – The Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive? This was a huge hit, this was the classic Gamble and Hough sound
the Disco sound –
- strings in a big sweeping orchestra sound
- That One Beat – boom tsss
- Focus on the simple melodies – the songs are repetitive, stick in your head, not interesting or complex in any way – easy to dance to, even for older, white folks
- Disco goes from underground to mainstream very quickly
- Catches on and becomes pop
- As soon as it huge, cool people hate it – it becomes the example of big business jumping in and taking a trend to the sickening point to make money
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
November 16, 2010 - HUGE 60s Music Note
What is considered the most important decade for Rock and Roll?
- the 1960s – and why is that?
This Note is About the 60s and why they are so important in rock history
1. The Rise of Black Music
a) - one of the first kinds of black music that begins to generate action in the 60s is called Chicago blues
-the record label that was associated this was called CHESS Records – performers who were doing this were Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and a bunch of others
- also known as electric blues – why? A KEY instrument
- electric guitar
- this music is not so popular in the US with white people, but weirdly it becomes really popular in another country – ENGLAND
- there was a weird trend in England of listening to this music and trying to play it combining it with a strange folk music called skiffle
- a number of British bands came out trying to mix this all up.
- a lot of bands tried to sound like Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley
b) The Next kind of Black Music in This List
- Motown Records
- a record company run by black people and selling records to white AND black audiences
- Berry Gordie Jr. had a genius idea to take young kids from the streets and train them up in a kind of pop music that would SELL
- these kids were trained to sing, dress, dance, be polite, and do what they were told to get white audience ready
- he had a band that did all their albums and he had pro writers who wrote most of their songs – the kids were just performers
- it was a complete BUSINESS
- he wanted to make MONEY
- he made black music that white kids and their families would think was safe and NICE
eg The Jackson Five
- everything was DESIGNED and that made black people and “cool” people a little less interested – and was planned for teenie boppers
c) What were the black folks into then?
- a very interesting type of music that came up from something called SOUL
- Ray Charles started this kind of gospel dance R&B but then a young guy got hold of it and tore it up
- James Brown and he is the Godfather of Soul – he invented the kind of music that influenced ALL modern black music – it was called FUNK and it was awesome
- all the instruments played rhythm – they all played the drums – the rhythm was called “The One”
- the bass plays almost a melody and thumps and plucks and slaps and clicks
- this is the music that black folks grow up with – and in the 70s it becomes white peoples’ music as well
What was the COOL kid listening to in the early 60s?
- a lot of the coolest kids were listening to folk music because it was honest and real and the rock music of the time was phony
- a strange little man showed up in New York and he was playing folk music and he became a HUGE star – his lyrics were the most influential in rock history
- his lyrics were advanced and powerful and about meaningful things and people realized that they had to write good lyrics as well
THEN EVERYTHING CHANGED
THE BEATLES
- nobody hates The Beatles, they only hate themselves and blame the Beatles
- a couple of school kids in England get together and start playing Chuck Berry music – their names are John Lennon and Paul McCartney
- they sounded good and played live A LOT
- they added two other guys George Harrison and Ringo Starr and they tried to get a label deal, but they sucked, so they were told
- then a guy named George Martin challenged them to write a hit and they wrote a song that changd their lives
- it was – I Want to Hold Your Hand
- it became a SMASH and for a couple of reasons, the Beatles get MASSIVE success
- 1. They are charming and charismatic. – people liked them without knowing why – they had some kind of X factor
- 2. Girls love nice harmonies and melodies – song is catchy
- 3. Song can be danced to – fast backbeat, simple and repetitive
- 4. It was influenced by both folk AND R&B
- 5. Devin Scully is just wrong –they had a ton of catchy, fun awesome songs
Somehow these guys cornered a new kind of market and captured a way of performing and singing and playing and doing everything that just NAILED (no!) their target audience – TEENAGE GIRLS
Part of their secret – was combining weird bits of other bands, music styles and trends and finding new things in those old styles
Another part – they were just a bit rebellious (hair was long, suits were kind of mod, they were cheeky, cute, etc)
BUT – they hated their shows
SO – they go into the studio and start experimenting
They start working on new kinds of music influenced by Bob Dylan (lyrics and his acoustic folk) and something else (POT!)
They came up with some really interesting new sounds and they explored using multi-track tricks in the studio
They came up with songs that NOBODY else was doing – totally original, very advanced techniques, influenced everyone else
They’re not a pop band anymore – they’re all new, all cool, all interesting
They become the coolest band in the world with some of the most important songs ever written in pop
There Were Other Key Bands
One in particular
The Rolling Stones – the first hard rock band
- they were the bad boys to the Beatles’ good boy image
- led by Mick Jagger (vocals) and Keith Richards (guitar)
- Jagger was one of the inventors of the modern rock singer – sexy, arrogant, showy, flashy, danced in a saucy way, was a real ladykiller
- Richards was a riff machine – came up with some of the key guitar riffs of all rock, plus he was the laid back, super cool guitar god, and he was also one of the first functioning drug addicts of rock who made it all the way
- They have what some call the first hard rock riff and song – Satisfaction – Keith Richards dreamed that riff, woke up, recorded it and fell back asleep
- In the morning, he had no memory of recording it – fits the old “music that came from the devil” storyline
- They were a blues band at first, but after Satisfaction, they were a rock and roll band
- They started a whole trend of their own that is cool because it leads to METAL and all hard rock
- The line goes from them to:
- Grateful Dead - Skull Captain
- Jimi Hendrix -Robina and Jenna and JLC - Horde VS Alliance
- Led Zepplin - Poppin Fresh and Jabbot
- Black Sabbath - The Gard Dog
- Alice Cooper Mat LoneWolf
- Kiss - Megalon and Dash BrickBrook and K-Dot
- ACDC- Myles and Brandon and Spencer - Cliffie B
Remember, this is the ONE PAGER blog post with multimedia - you KNOW how to Level 4 this stuff
- looking for - more than the obvious, reviews from the group, interesting facts, visuals and video in the blog, looking for something deeper and more meaningful
- the 1960s – and why is that?
This Note is About the 60s and why they are so important in rock history
1. The Rise of Black Music
a) - one of the first kinds of black music that begins to generate action in the 60s is called Chicago blues
-the record label that was associated this was called CHESS Records – performers who were doing this were Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and a bunch of others
- also known as electric blues – why? A KEY instrument
- electric guitar
- this music is not so popular in the US with white people, but weirdly it becomes really popular in another country – ENGLAND
- there was a weird trend in England of listening to this music and trying to play it combining it with a strange folk music called skiffle
- a number of British bands came out trying to mix this all up.
- a lot of bands tried to sound like Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley
b) The Next kind of Black Music in This List
- Motown Records
- a record company run by black people and selling records to white AND black audiences
- Berry Gordie Jr. had a genius idea to take young kids from the streets and train them up in a kind of pop music that would SELL
- these kids were trained to sing, dress, dance, be polite, and do what they were told to get white audience ready
- he had a band that did all their albums and he had pro writers who wrote most of their songs – the kids were just performers
- it was a complete BUSINESS
- he wanted to make MONEY
- he made black music that white kids and their families would think was safe and NICE
eg The Jackson Five
- everything was DESIGNED and that made black people and “cool” people a little less interested – and was planned for teenie boppers
c) What were the black folks into then?
- a very interesting type of music that came up from something called SOUL
- Ray Charles started this kind of gospel dance R&B but then a young guy got hold of it and tore it up
- James Brown and he is the Godfather of Soul – he invented the kind of music that influenced ALL modern black music – it was called FUNK and it was awesome
- all the instruments played rhythm – they all played the drums – the rhythm was called “The One”
- the bass plays almost a melody and thumps and plucks and slaps and clicks
- this is the music that black folks grow up with – and in the 70s it becomes white peoples’ music as well
What was the COOL kid listening to in the early 60s?
- a lot of the coolest kids were listening to folk music because it was honest and real and the rock music of the time was phony
- a strange little man showed up in New York and he was playing folk music and he became a HUGE star – his lyrics were the most influential in rock history
- his lyrics were advanced and powerful and about meaningful things and people realized that they had to write good lyrics as well
THEN EVERYTHING CHANGED
THE BEATLES
- nobody hates The Beatles, they only hate themselves and blame the Beatles
- a couple of school kids in England get together and start playing Chuck Berry music – their names are John Lennon and Paul McCartney
- they sounded good and played live A LOT
- they added two other guys George Harrison and Ringo Starr and they tried to get a label deal, but they sucked, so they were told
- then a guy named George Martin challenged them to write a hit and they wrote a song that changd their lives
- it was – I Want to Hold Your Hand
- it became a SMASH and for a couple of reasons, the Beatles get MASSIVE success
- 1. They are charming and charismatic. – people liked them without knowing why – they had some kind of X factor
- 2. Girls love nice harmonies and melodies – song is catchy
- 3. Song can be danced to – fast backbeat, simple and repetitive
- 4. It was influenced by both folk AND R&B
- 5. Devin Scully is just wrong –they had a ton of catchy, fun awesome songs
Somehow these guys cornered a new kind of market and captured a way of performing and singing and playing and doing everything that just NAILED (no!) their target audience – TEENAGE GIRLS
Part of their secret – was combining weird bits of other bands, music styles and trends and finding new things in those old styles
Another part – they were just a bit rebellious (hair was long, suits were kind of mod, they were cheeky, cute, etc)
BUT – they hated their shows
SO – they go into the studio and start experimenting
They start working on new kinds of music influenced by Bob Dylan (lyrics and his acoustic folk) and something else (POT!)
They came up with some really interesting new sounds and they explored using multi-track tricks in the studio
They came up with songs that NOBODY else was doing – totally original, very advanced techniques, influenced everyone else
They’re not a pop band anymore – they’re all new, all cool, all interesting
They become the coolest band in the world with some of the most important songs ever written in pop
There Were Other Key Bands
One in particular
The Rolling Stones – the first hard rock band
- they were the bad boys to the Beatles’ good boy image
- led by Mick Jagger (vocals) and Keith Richards (guitar)
- Jagger was one of the inventors of the modern rock singer – sexy, arrogant, showy, flashy, danced in a saucy way, was a real ladykiller
- Richards was a riff machine – came up with some of the key guitar riffs of all rock, plus he was the laid back, super cool guitar god, and he was also one of the first functioning drug addicts of rock who made it all the way
- They have what some call the first hard rock riff and song – Satisfaction – Keith Richards dreamed that riff, woke up, recorded it and fell back asleep
- In the morning, he had no memory of recording it – fits the old “music that came from the devil” storyline
- They were a blues band at first, but after Satisfaction, they were a rock and roll band
- They started a whole trend of their own that is cool because it leads to METAL and all hard rock
- The line goes from them to:
- Grateful Dead - Skull Captain
- Jimi Hendrix -Robina and Jenna and JLC - Horde VS Alliance
- Led Zepplin - Poppin Fresh and Jabbot
- Black Sabbath - The Gard Dog
- Alice Cooper Mat LoneWolf
- Kiss - Megalon and Dash BrickBrook and K-Dot
- ACDC- Myles and Brandon and Spencer - Cliffie B
Remember, this is the ONE PAGER blog post with multimedia - you KNOW how to Level 4 this stuff
- looking for - more than the obvious, reviews from the group, interesting facts, visuals and video in the blog, looking for something deeper and more meaningful
Friday, November 12, 2010
Nov 12, 2010 - Elvis and More
What do you know about Elvis?
- he’s dead and famous
- wore white suits
- had a unique dance with his hips
- linked with Vegas
- The King of Rock and Roll
- His house is a touring thing now
The Truth of Elvis
- he was a poor, white Southern boy who was raised with an interest in three very different kinds of music
- gospel, country and rhythm and blues
- strange mix, but it was important because rock and roll came from these mixing
- first rock tune was That’s Alright, Mama
- got sent to the radio and was an immediate hit
- people listening weren’t sure whether he was white or black – this was a good thing
- this means that the plan is working – mixing the music and style of black culture with white racist acceptance
- his live show was crucial to show audiences that he was white and very attractive
- the live show also revealed something else – something strange and new – SEX APPEAL
- girls in the 50s were very repressed – there was no sex, no dirty thoughts, no lust, no touching, no anything
- his dancing on stage and the music and the whole vibe and his looks, woke up something in the young, repressed women in the audience – he turned them on and they didn’t even know what to do
- it didn’t last very long – he was signed to a movie deal and made a bunch of goofy movies that weren’t very rebellious and rocky – it’s a show and his rock days are kind of over
At the Exact Same Time
- a few black musicians are doing the same thing as Elvis, only they really are rebellious and powerful and shocking for parents
- BUT, the kids who got into it with Elvis, wanted more rock, more fun, more dancing and suddenly, black performers got in the door of white homes via the record player
- Create a Fact Sheet on ONE of these performers with at least 10 interest facts that tells why he/she deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
-
- Little Richard – Megan and Brook,
- Chuck Berry – Kaylen,
- Fats Domino – Devin,
- Bo Diddley – Brandon and Dr. Feagan
- Muddy Waters – Jenna
- Johnny Cash – Jennifer and Jessica
- Jerry Lee Lewis – Horde vs Alliance
How Do I Get Level 4?
- go to, and CITE, multiple sources for your info (include your sources in the work)
- include pics and multimedia clips from Youtube (on the blogs)
- have a wide scope of info – not just life, not just listing songs, but try to get a few different kinds of info – eg weird story (knife fights, racism, etc)
- describe why he/she is important – what did he contribute?
- What made this person different?
- Review or comment on a song – tell me your thoughts on the song and/or performer
- he’s dead and famous
- wore white suits
- had a unique dance with his hips
- linked with Vegas
- The King of Rock and Roll
- His house is a touring thing now
The Truth of Elvis
- he was a poor, white Southern boy who was raised with an interest in three very different kinds of music
- gospel, country and rhythm and blues
- strange mix, but it was important because rock and roll came from these mixing
- first rock tune was That’s Alright, Mama
- got sent to the radio and was an immediate hit
- people listening weren’t sure whether he was white or black – this was a good thing
- this means that the plan is working – mixing the music and style of black culture with white racist acceptance
- his live show was crucial to show audiences that he was white and very attractive
- the live show also revealed something else – something strange and new – SEX APPEAL
- girls in the 50s were very repressed – there was no sex, no dirty thoughts, no lust, no touching, no anything
- his dancing on stage and the music and the whole vibe and his looks, woke up something in the young, repressed women in the audience – he turned them on and they didn’t even know what to do
- it didn’t last very long – he was signed to a movie deal and made a bunch of goofy movies that weren’t very rebellious and rocky – it’s a show and his rock days are kind of over
At the Exact Same Time
- a few black musicians are doing the same thing as Elvis, only they really are rebellious and powerful and shocking for parents
- BUT, the kids who got into it with Elvis, wanted more rock, more fun, more dancing and suddenly, black performers got in the door of white homes via the record player
- Create a Fact Sheet on ONE of these performers with at least 10 interest facts that tells why he/she deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
-
- Little Richard – Megan and Brook,
- Chuck Berry – Kaylen,
- Fats Domino – Devin,
- Bo Diddley – Brandon and Dr. Feagan
- Muddy Waters – Jenna
- Johnny Cash – Jennifer and Jessica
- Jerry Lee Lewis – Horde vs Alliance
How Do I Get Level 4?
- go to, and CITE, multiple sources for your info (include your sources in the work)
- include pics and multimedia clips from Youtube (on the blogs)
- have a wide scope of info – not just life, not just listing songs, but try to get a few different kinds of info – eg weird story (knife fights, racism, etc)
- describe why he/she is important – what did he contribute?
- What made this person different?
- Review or comment on a song – tell me your thoughts on the song and/or performer
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Nov 11, 2010
The History of Rock and/or Roll
Rock and Roll begins WAY back in the 1800s
What? (yes – according to me)
New Orleans
- this is an American city in the Deep South that is the birthplace of JAZZ music, according to most
- it has an interesting history
- it was a port city – it was the destination for a huge number of boats, ships, traders and dock workers, and all the industries and services around that
- a MIXTURE of many different kinds of people – black slaves, white wealthier people, Europeans, Creole people (native/black/white mix), Spanish, etc
- multicultural mix of music and styles and everything
- this created a high energy and high action environment
- a) Sporting Houses
b) BUMBUM PITCHER
- this is a nice way to say a brothel (house of ill repute, a whorehouse
- these were places where a lot of different men would show up for the obvious, but the owner would have music and a bar to generate more interest, money, and time spent – music back then meant a piano player –
- the kind of music that works in this environment is more action packed
b) Slavery
- this horrible and I am not saying that it is good
- before the 1860s America used African people as slaves – owned them, sold them, used them like animals and they were in the US for 400 years
- they formed their own mini-culture inside America – a mix of African roots, religion, deep pain, and a secret kind of communication
- black culture was “underground” – HOWEVER, in New Orleans, black people were a little more powerful and more visible
- there was a square called Congo Square where black folks gathered on Sundays and had some time to relax etc
- whites would come and watch them sing and dance and so on
- the black folks started this dance called THE CAKEWALK
- this dance was a mockery of wealthy white people (who could afford cake) and the exaggerated movements were about white, wealthy people parading and showing off
- the weird thing is that white people started loving it, watching it and copying it
c) Jazz –
- a strange music came up that combined European marching band music and African/black culture music together
African music is interesting – polyrhythmic – multiple layers of percussion
- chanting and call and response – work songs
- train shuffle –
- more powerful dancing – full body (many whites considered it totally depraved and sexual (what were a lot of white people actually thinking? AWESOME)
in Jazz music, black performers began to get well known – their “spin” on the music was more interesting, more powerful, more exciting
Scott Joplin
- wrote music
- became famous as a performer and songwriter (with white folks)
- his sheet music sold in the millions
- came up with a kind of music called RAGTIME
- started a piano craze
- syncopated piano style – left and right hands do different things off time from each other
- his music caught on with many and people started playing off his style and making their own
- like JellyRoll
JellyRoll Morton
- he called himself the inventor of Jazz, but he wasn’t
- he played very well, lots of style
- dressed up, played for white folks
- educated and Creole (part black, part European)
- played in brothels when he was your age
- his music was a kind of black jazzy dance music
- more exciting kind of piano – stride and piano blues
Then people took his style and went with it into new areas
Real piano jazz and blues in the 20s and 30s
Black performers traveled and took this music all over America and it spread
The 1920s
- a couple of things were happening that were unusual that helped spread this black-influenced music
a) A Dance Craze
- in the 20s there was a dance craze that took America by storm and it was for a dance called The Foxtrot
- there were a bunch of similar dances that were in many ways influenced by blacks and black culture (eg The Black Bottom
- there was a touring company that did these dances and people went bananas for the styles and dances that came along with this whole scene –
- racy clothes, short hair for girls (“bob”), sack dresses, showing leg, guys wearing flashy suits, etc – often linked with listening to jazz and dancing
- jazz becomes popular
b) Blues becomes its own style
- blues was a kind of black folk music that was played in the country, compared with jazz that was urban
- Charley Patton was one of the key originators who influenced a lot of black kids
- he played guitar tricks (behind the back, with his teeth, etc), danced when he played, had a howling voice (blues moan or holler), he had a twangy guitar with bent notes (“making it talk”)
- this was music FOR black people – did not cross over into white audiences like jazz did (not for a long time)
- The weird thing: black women started performing piano versions of blues songs and THEY crossed over – became rich and popular
- the most famous was Bessie Smith
- she started a pattern that we can see today in performers like Lady Gaga
- powerful stage presence, showy fashions being important, aggressive sexuality, focus on her looks and her body, strong female image
- taking charge of her own music and career
- she had a HUGE powerful voice because this was all pre-microphones
- “belting it out”
- she died young – she was in a car crash, she got a big cut and a white hospital wouldn’t treat her because she was black – she got sent to a black hospital and bled to death
she combined jazz and blues
1930s –
- the style of jazz and blues changed
- jazz goes pop – it becomes mainstream
- it grew up and became the standard music for white (mainstream) audiences
- the new jazz pop was called swing or big band and it was all about the dancing
- white performers jumped in and started getting all the attention
- Glen Miller, Bennie Goodman, Artie Shaw
- Big stars playing for movies, big money and they had HUGE bands
- Black performers and artists need to change it up, take it up a notch and get something new
Some black performers decided to break the whole pattern and do something completely new and rebellious – they started doing jazz music you couldn’t really dance to – it was technical and super difficult to play and very fast and showy and all about talent and solos
- this was called bebop – super cool music
- - started getting popular with rebels and alternative audiences in the 40s
The other music of the 30s that wasn’t popular was the delta blues (popped with black audiences in a small area of the US)
A performer called Robert Johnson totally revolutionized blues with his style, which was supposedly given to him by Satan
THIS music is the music that really leads to rock and roll
Guitar power, yelling and moaning, high pitched and strange guitar sounds, hitting the instrument, percussive and loud
Was really influential
Post WWII
- kids want faster, quicker paced, smaller band fun music to dance to
- big bands are old people’s music, uncool and too slow
- Louis Jordan is a black performer who catches this new sound and it is called R&B
- Small bands, electric guitars, fast, fun, goofy, sometimes simple
- Catches on with white kids in the early 50s
- Loads of bands traveling around and white kids start trying to get into the sound –
- A black radio station (WLAC) comes on and some cool white kids tune in to this awesome new sound
- A few white record labels start cashing in on that black sound – they record these black artists but they can’t sell huge numbers because of racism – white kids can’t or won’t buy these records like they want to
- The Magic Ingredient is discovered by Sam Phillip in Memphis in the mid-50s at Sun Records
- “I need to find a white, Southern boy who is pretty who can sing black style.”
- who did he discover?
- ELVIS
Rock and Roll begins WAY back in the 1800s
What? (yes – according to me)
New Orleans
- this is an American city in the Deep South that is the birthplace of JAZZ music, according to most
- it has an interesting history
- it was a port city – it was the destination for a huge number of boats, ships, traders and dock workers, and all the industries and services around that
- a MIXTURE of many different kinds of people – black slaves, white wealthier people, Europeans, Creole people (native/black/white mix), Spanish, etc
- multicultural mix of music and styles and everything
- this created a high energy and high action environment
- a) Sporting Houses
b) BUMBUM PITCHER
- this is a nice way to say a brothel (house of ill repute, a whorehouse
- these were places where a lot of different men would show up for the obvious, but the owner would have music and a bar to generate more interest, money, and time spent – music back then meant a piano player –
- the kind of music that works in this environment is more action packed
b) Slavery
- this horrible and I am not saying that it is good
- before the 1860s America used African people as slaves – owned them, sold them, used them like animals and they were in the US for 400 years
- they formed their own mini-culture inside America – a mix of African roots, religion, deep pain, and a secret kind of communication
- black culture was “underground” – HOWEVER, in New Orleans, black people were a little more powerful and more visible
- there was a square called Congo Square where black folks gathered on Sundays and had some time to relax etc
- whites would come and watch them sing and dance and so on
- the black folks started this dance called THE CAKEWALK
- this dance was a mockery of wealthy white people (who could afford cake) and the exaggerated movements were about white, wealthy people parading and showing off
- the weird thing is that white people started loving it, watching it and copying it
c) Jazz –
- a strange music came up that combined European marching band music and African/black culture music together
African music is interesting – polyrhythmic – multiple layers of percussion
- chanting and call and response – work songs
- train shuffle –
- more powerful dancing – full body (many whites considered it totally depraved and sexual (what were a lot of white people actually thinking? AWESOME)
in Jazz music, black performers began to get well known – their “spin” on the music was more interesting, more powerful, more exciting
Scott Joplin
- wrote music
- became famous as a performer and songwriter (with white folks)
- his sheet music sold in the millions
- came up with a kind of music called RAGTIME
- started a piano craze
- syncopated piano style – left and right hands do different things off time from each other
- his music caught on with many and people started playing off his style and making their own
- like JellyRoll
JellyRoll Morton
- he called himself the inventor of Jazz, but he wasn’t
- he played very well, lots of style
- dressed up, played for white folks
- educated and Creole (part black, part European)
- played in brothels when he was your age
- his music was a kind of black jazzy dance music
- more exciting kind of piano – stride and piano blues
Then people took his style and went with it into new areas
Real piano jazz and blues in the 20s and 30s
Black performers traveled and took this music all over America and it spread
The 1920s
- a couple of things were happening that were unusual that helped spread this black-influenced music
a) A Dance Craze
- in the 20s there was a dance craze that took America by storm and it was for a dance called The Foxtrot
- there were a bunch of similar dances that were in many ways influenced by blacks and black culture (eg The Black Bottom
- there was a touring company that did these dances and people went bananas for the styles and dances that came along with this whole scene –
- racy clothes, short hair for girls (“bob”), sack dresses, showing leg, guys wearing flashy suits, etc – often linked with listening to jazz and dancing
- jazz becomes popular
b) Blues becomes its own style
- blues was a kind of black folk music that was played in the country, compared with jazz that was urban
- Charley Patton was one of the key originators who influenced a lot of black kids
- he played guitar tricks (behind the back, with his teeth, etc), danced when he played, had a howling voice (blues moan or holler), he had a twangy guitar with bent notes (“making it talk”)
- this was music FOR black people – did not cross over into white audiences like jazz did (not for a long time)
- The weird thing: black women started performing piano versions of blues songs and THEY crossed over – became rich and popular
- the most famous was Bessie Smith
- she started a pattern that we can see today in performers like Lady Gaga
- powerful stage presence, showy fashions being important, aggressive sexuality, focus on her looks and her body, strong female image
- taking charge of her own music and career
- she had a HUGE powerful voice because this was all pre-microphones
- “belting it out”
- she died young – she was in a car crash, she got a big cut and a white hospital wouldn’t treat her because she was black – she got sent to a black hospital and bled to death
she combined jazz and blues
1930s –
- the style of jazz and blues changed
- jazz goes pop – it becomes mainstream
- it grew up and became the standard music for white (mainstream) audiences
- the new jazz pop was called swing or big band and it was all about the dancing
- white performers jumped in and started getting all the attention
- Glen Miller, Bennie Goodman, Artie Shaw
- Big stars playing for movies, big money and they had HUGE bands
- Black performers and artists need to change it up, take it up a notch and get something new
Some black performers decided to break the whole pattern and do something completely new and rebellious – they started doing jazz music you couldn’t really dance to – it was technical and super difficult to play and very fast and showy and all about talent and solos
- this was called bebop – super cool music
- - started getting popular with rebels and alternative audiences in the 40s
The other music of the 30s that wasn’t popular was the delta blues (popped with black audiences in a small area of the US)
A performer called Robert Johnson totally revolutionized blues with his style, which was supposedly given to him by Satan
THIS music is the music that really leads to rock and roll
Guitar power, yelling and moaning, high pitched and strange guitar sounds, hitting the instrument, percussive and loud
Was really influential
Post WWII
- kids want faster, quicker paced, smaller band fun music to dance to
- big bands are old people’s music, uncool and too slow
- Louis Jordan is a black performer who catches this new sound and it is called R&B
- Small bands, electric guitars, fast, fun, goofy, sometimes simple
- Catches on with white kids in the early 50s
- Loads of bands traveling around and white kids start trying to get into the sound –
- A black radio station (WLAC) comes on and some cool white kids tune in to this awesome new sound
- A few white record labels start cashing in on that black sound – they record these black artists but they can’t sell huge numbers because of racism – white kids can’t or won’t buy these records like they want to
- The Magic Ingredient is discovered by Sam Phillip in Memphis in the mid-50s at Sun Records
- “I need to find a white, Southern boy who is pretty who can sing black style.”
- who did he discover?
- ELVIS
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
November 1, 2010 - Ad Campaign Project
Ad Campaign Project
Due in the next week. BEFORE the Mid-term report cards. Or, you can have a low mark.
1. Come up with an original and fun product (that you make up yourself)
2. Describe the product in a one-page cover letter to me, Mr. The Lobb, in which you give me a “pitch”. (three paragraphs)
3. Come up with a Campaign Strategy (a paragraph or two)
4. Create a script for a TV ad for the product- 1 page
5. Create a target audience description (maybe a page)
How Do I Get Level 4?
- design a product that solves a problem that some target group has – even if the problem is ridiculous and not important – ie I Want to Fit in With This Peer Group!
- Your script refers to some of those manipulation tricks we discussed
- You campaign indicates that you have an overall plan to follow that uses the strategies of hooking people, attracting attention, etc
- Good use of language, spelling, grammar
- Follow the structure that we learn in class – ie the TV ad script, the pitch letter.
- Creativity (interesting, new, fresh way of doing something, surprises me)
- Done well – presentation and effort is obvious
What is a Pitch Page?
A three-paragraph business letter in which you excite someone about your idea, project, product or whatever.
First paragraph!
- will introduce your product and make it sound exciting with a few dramatic claims
- eg – Tom’s Armpit Sauce is twice as funky as our leading competitor! (this is a claim)
Second Paragraph!!
- this is where you tell a bit about why this product is necessary – what problem does it solve? Who needs it? Why do they want it?
- Link the product with a daily use, a need, an audience
- Eg Chocolate Chimp cookies are the perfect afterschool snack for those spindly children who need more protein but only want to eat junk food – moms are worried about their children getting healthy food, but kids love the taste of these meaty, chocolatey cookies
Third Paragraph!!!
- compare it with some competitors – what is out there that is like it, and why is this more suitable or better –
- what separates it from the competition
If you really want Level 4, you can add this:
Product Design and Components
- any drawings, scientific data about the product, how it used, etc
- if you actually make the product, that is good for a super bonus and I will wear it around for a day (unless it is saucy)
Campaign Strategy
-this is where you describe how you will manipulate your audience in specifics
- will you use a celebrity?
- will you use sexual imagery?
- will you use before and after?
- will you use science and numbers?
- describe how and then explain why you make those choices
eg – We’re going to use Katy Perry in the ad campaign we’re planning
- we describe how we use her, why we use her, what the effect will be, etc
- be detailed here – “show all your cards”
Target Audience Description
- Two parts to this element
Part 1 – demographics
- give me a list of data about your product’s target market – the people who will buy X
- what kind of data? –
- age, race, where they live, hobbies, interests, religion, type of clothing they buy, bands they like, foods they prefer, etc
- Part 2 – A Day In The Life
- Describe a day in the life of your Typical Audience Member – make up a fake person who has the attributes you want in a perfect buyer
- Tell me about that person’s day – describing what they do, who they do it with, where they go, etc
Eg = Tammy wakes up at 6:30 to her iPod playing Katy Perry song “
- she spends 55 minutes getting ready with these products
- she eats PopTarts and drink coca cola for breakfast
- she walks to school with her best friend talking about the latest clothes from The Gap
Due in the next week. BEFORE the Mid-term report cards. Or, you can have a low mark.
1. Come up with an original and fun product (that you make up yourself)
2. Describe the product in a one-page cover letter to me, Mr. The Lobb, in which you give me a “pitch”. (three paragraphs)
3. Come up with a Campaign Strategy (a paragraph or two)
4. Create a script for a TV ad for the product- 1 page
5. Create a target audience description (maybe a page)
How Do I Get Level 4?
- design a product that solves a problem that some target group has – even if the problem is ridiculous and not important – ie I Want to Fit in With This Peer Group!
- Your script refers to some of those manipulation tricks we discussed
- You campaign indicates that you have an overall plan to follow that uses the strategies of hooking people, attracting attention, etc
- Good use of language, spelling, grammar
- Follow the structure that we learn in class – ie the TV ad script, the pitch letter.
- Creativity (interesting, new, fresh way of doing something, surprises me)
- Done well – presentation and effort is obvious
What is a Pitch Page?
A three-paragraph business letter in which you excite someone about your idea, project, product or whatever.
First paragraph!
- will introduce your product and make it sound exciting with a few dramatic claims
- eg – Tom’s Armpit Sauce is twice as funky as our leading competitor! (this is a claim)
Second Paragraph!!
- this is where you tell a bit about why this product is necessary – what problem does it solve? Who needs it? Why do they want it?
- Link the product with a daily use, a need, an audience
- Eg Chocolate Chimp cookies are the perfect afterschool snack for those spindly children who need more protein but only want to eat junk food – moms are worried about their children getting healthy food, but kids love the taste of these meaty, chocolatey cookies
Third Paragraph!!!
- compare it with some competitors – what is out there that is like it, and why is this more suitable or better –
- what separates it from the competition
If you really want Level 4, you can add this:
Product Design and Components
- any drawings, scientific data about the product, how it used, etc
- if you actually make the product, that is good for a super bonus and I will wear it around for a day (unless it is saucy)
Campaign Strategy
-this is where you describe how you will manipulate your audience in specifics
- will you use a celebrity?
- will you use sexual imagery?
- will you use before and after?
- will you use science and numbers?
- describe how and then explain why you make those choices
eg – We’re going to use Katy Perry in the ad campaign we’re planning
- we describe how we use her, why we use her, what the effect will be, etc
- be detailed here – “show all your cards”
Target Audience Description
- Two parts to this element
Part 1 – demographics
- give me a list of data about your product’s target market – the people who will buy X
- what kind of data? –
- age, race, where they live, hobbies, interests, religion, type of clothing they buy, bands they like, foods they prefer, etc
- Part 2 – A Day In The Life
- Describe a day in the life of your Typical Audience Member – make up a fake person who has the attributes you want in a perfect buyer
- Tell me about that person’s day – describing what they do, who they do it with, where they go, etc
Eg = Tammy wakes up at 6:30 to her iPod playing Katy Perry song “
- she spends 55 minutes getting ready with these products
- she eats PopTarts and drink coca cola for breakfast
- she walks to school with her best friend talking about the latest clothes from The Gap
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