Unit one - LO1 - independent label research

 Independent label case study - Warp records

Starter - Come To Daddy video, 1995

Watch the video as a class. 

***WARNING! Contains creepy images and some flashing lights!***

Answer the following questions:

• In what ways is this promo an effective marketing tool? (LO2)
• Who is this video targeting, and how does it do so? (LO4)
• How does this video use mise-en-scene, setting and colour grading to create meaning for the audience? (LO3)
• What regulatory issues does this video potentially raise? (LO6)

Check out this post for a reminder of the learning objectives for this unit. This task covers four out of six. That's pretty good going! Maybe the exam is actually pretty straightforward after all?

Task - Wikipedia trawl

You have five minutes to find as much information about Warp records as possible, just using its Wikipedia page...

Remember, while Wikipedia can never be 100% reliable, it's a great place to start with general facts and figures!

Brand identity

Brand identity refers to how a brand differentiates itself from other brands. Without a brand identity, it would be impossible to try and tell brands apart, and marketing strategies would be rendered largely pointless.

How does Warp records construct a brand identity?

Watch at least some of the following videos, and make notes on how Warp records has cultivated a brand identity. You may wish to make notes under the following headings:

• Mise-en-scene
• Editing
• Colour
• Celebrity and personality
• Genre and conventions

Squarepusher - Terminal Slam
Autechre - Gantz Graf
Aphex Twin - On
Oneohtrix Point Never - Lost But Never Alone

How is Warp's brand identity constructed?

• Selection of artists with a similar sound allows Warp to communicate with audiences that they are associated with a particular genre
• Experimental music may have a niche audience, but it allows Warp to target a gap in the market
• Specialisation: Warp have cornered the market in experimental music, which allows them to market their music more effectively
• Allows Warp to organise tours and promotions more effectively 
• Music videos share an abstract aesthetic, with confusing, glitchy details
• Music videos and promotional material typically misses out the artists themselves
• All music videos share a similar, busy, glitchy aesthetic
• Abnormal characters and visual details

Warp films case study

Choose any of the films produced by Warp's film arm, Warp Films. Here are a few, but you can do any one you want

• Tyrannosaur
• Four Lions
• Submarine
• This is England
• Dead Man's Shoes

Watch the trailer for your film, and answer the following question:

In what ways is the film you selected marketed towards its target audience? And how does the selection of this film reflect Warp's brand identity?

What makes an indie film indie?

List two characteristics of an independant film

• Low budget
• Lack of complicated editing techniques
• Unknown actors
• Natural, unshowy colour grading 
• Naturalistic settings 
• Soundtrack - use of less famous music, perhaps less emphasis on music in genral
• Lack of CGI and expensive effects
• Less commercial themes and plots
• Less exciting themes
• Lower production values
• Less concern about age rating (This Is England is a BBFC 15), less concern about marketing to children 

Practice question

Explain two ways that an independent company you have studied created successful media products. Use examples to support your answer [4]

Remember: 4 marks = 2 ways and 2 examples (one for each way)!

What makes a company 'successful'?

• Making money/revenue/profit/financially successful
• Making PROFIT
• Multiple brand deals
• Strong Brand Identity - allows it to appeal to a niche and enthusiastic audience
• Critically successful 
• Commercial success (makes money relative to cost of production)
• Distributed in a variety of different ways
• Entertainment value
• Present a message or ideology 
• Raises awareness of issues
• Appeals to a range of audiences
• Appeals to a small but enthusiastic audience