NSPCC

The NSPCC resently aired a new advert with a similar meaning to our music video. Here it is:

Artist Identity

• young sassy black soul singer
• an updated 2007 aretha franklin/ diana ross/ whitney huston/ beverly knight/ billie holliday/ chaka khan
• she's very stylish/ classy
• classic soul with a modern, funky twist - she's not too grown up, still quite girly
• inspirational female for young black women/ all girls therefore a wide ranging appeal - those who love the music style of the past plus those who like contemporary pop
• we have decided that her representation in the video will correspond with the narrative. for example when she is with the little girl, she will have to be quite girly therefore she'l be in pink and have natural makeup on. however she will be more made up for the backdrop scenes and more sexy in a classy way
• compared to other black british female artists - she's sexy and glamorous but in a fun, girl next door kind of way - quite accessible - not sexualised though like several of the others you see in r'n'b, rap etc
• has her own niche because of her music and the fact that she isnt sexualised but her video will bring in a broader audience due to the narrative

Zahra

xxXxx

Soul Music, Artists and Videos

Here is some research I found on soul music:

Soul music combines rhythm and blues and gospel music, originating in the United States. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is

"music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying."

Some Soul Subgenres

Mowtown: Strongly rhythmic, and influenced by gospel music. The Motown Sound often includes hand clapping, a powerful bass line, violins, bells and other untraditional instruments.

Deep soul and southern soul: Combining R&B's energy with pulsating southern United States gospel music sounds

Blue-eyed soul: Usually performed by white artists, blue-eyed soul is often characterized by catchy hooks and melodies

Neo soul: A mixture of 1970s soul-styled vocals and instrumentation with a contemporary R&B sound, hip hop beats and rap interludes. The style first appeared in the mid 1990s

Soul Artists and some of their Videos

Old:

• Gladys Knight & The Pips

"The End Of Our Road"

• The Marvelettes
• Diana Ross & The Supremes
• Elvis Presley

"Jailhouse Rock"

• Jackson 5

"ABC"

New:

• Joss Stone

"Tell Me Bout It"

• Lemar
• Lauren Hill

"Everything Is Everything"

• Aaliyah
• Alicia Keys
• Amy Winehouse

"Rehab"

Zahra

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Song Choice

When we decided against the previous song list we had and chose to modernise an old 70s soul song as it would suit the voice and image of Zahra. I found the cut down list we made of old classics:

• Gladys knight & The Pips Midnight Train to Georgia
• Aretha Franklin Say A Little Prayer
• Tina Turner The Best OR I Will Survive
• The Supremes You Keep Me Hanging On OR Baby Love
• The Marvelettes Please Mr Poatman

Zahra

xxXxx

Zahra is beautiful

Here are some shots we took while filmng the backdrop scenes. as a group we thought they went really well!
within these shots there could be something to use on the front cover or press release.
also a shot of our lovely little star and her older counter part!!

Other Costumes

This costume is going to be used on the stripy backdrop but the shorts may not be necessesary as they may not be seen on camera

The pink dress will be used in the scenes with the girl at home to ilustrate her girlyness and innocence

Zahra

xxXxx

The Backdrop

We felt we needed an interesting background for the performance shots to contrast with the rest of the video. Jenny (the artist of the group) came up with the idea of decorating a piece of wood that she had at home. We decorated one side in black and white wallpaper and the other side was spraypainted. This gave us a variety to chose from as i had two different potential outfits to wear for the permance shots. Here are some pictures of our progess with the backdrop:

Sunday - @ Jenny's House decorating backdrop. Bought spraypaint from B&Q. Complications meant that we could not shoot at Sarah's house. We decided to change location as Sarah was unreliable.Instead of shooting narrative shots we decided to decorate the back drop. Zahra and Ryan x

Princess Diana Memorial Playground

We went on a test shoot to the Princess Diana Memorial Playground and took some pictures and footage. However we were denied access and decided to film at Grovelands Park which was closer to where we all lived. Here are some pictures of the Memorial Playground:

Zahra

xxXxx