https://padlet.com/georgia_234/3 //Performance Techniques\\ en-us 2017-10-18 18:44:52 UTC 2024-01-26 15:51:21 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Clouds.png georgia_234 https://padlet.com/georgia_234/3/wish/198416741 Georgia Bué-Smith (me, vocals), Luke Eaton (guitar), Melissa Cotton (vocals), George Burton (bass) and Daniel Goodwin (vocals + percussion).]]> 2017-10-18 18:47:25 UTC https://padlet.com/georgia_234/3/wish/198416741 georgia_234 https://padlet.com/georgia_234/3/wish/198418013 We were given this storyboard and told to create an original song that represents it. We started off, as a group, brainstorming ideas of what we thought the stimulus represented. The mood that's created is very atmospheric and dark due to the almost monochrome images, the fact that the scene is taking place during the night and the fearful and panicked facial expression the woman has in the last section. We therefore decided that the song should be low in pitch and not too powerful or rocky in style as that would be too overpowering. Also, the scene in the image is quite bare (there's no one around apart from the lady and the lorry) so we didn't want the song to be too busy as it wouldn't accurately represent the story. However, we did decide we wanted a buildup musically as there's an increase in the tension throughout the story. We wanted the song lyrically to be very story driven and to be told from an ominous perspective where it flicks between third and first person so we can tell the story of what's happening to the woman but also get an insight to her thoughts and feelings. Bands like Radiohead were mentioned for inspiration as they're style of music was what we wanted to create. 
Once we'd decided what we wanted to do stylistically, we started looking more into the story and what we thought was happening and how the woman was feeling. I got a sense of paranoia from the storyboard as the woman is being chased and I thought she'd be questioning everything and seemed panicking about the situation a lot. We started asking ourselves why she'd be so nervous which led to the idea that she has enemies or a troubled past that's catching up with her, like her ghosts are following her and she's trying to get away hence the chasing lorry. Another more literal interpretation is that she has an angry ex partner that won't let go of the fact their relationship is over and she's so panicked because she's worried what they'll do and she recognises their signature red lorry. Me and Melissa started writing down ideas for lyrics like phrases or specific parts of the storyboard we thought would be interesting to zoom in on. The main things we liked were the ideas of her having "eyes in the back of her head" like she's prepared and always watching like she's on guard or panicked, the idea of rhetorical questions that are repeated to also show her increased sense of panic and unease at the situation, the shining headlights or street lamps that are the only light in the dark night and how she can see the headlights chasing her (which could be ironic as the only light she can see she's actually running away from when usually people move towards the light), also the connotations of the colour red as it's the only colour used in the storyboard (it can represent passion which could imply a past romance but it also could suggest danger or anger and be a warning to the woman of what's following her) and also we decided that we wanted to use layered vocals to build up the music and therefore represent the build up in tension of the stimulus.]]> 2017-10-18 18:50:03 UTC https://padlet.com/georgia_234/3/wish/198418013 georgia_234 https://padlet.com/georgia_234/3/wish/201485865 2017-10-29 12:37:37 UTC https://padlet.com/georgia_234/3/wish/201485865 georgia_234 https://padlet.com/georgia_234/3/wish/201488164 Me and Melissa wrote the lyrics. Because the tempo of the song was so slow, there were quite long gaps between the lines in the verses so we decided to add echoes in-between which added a creepy feel to the song which fits with the stimulus as it is a creepy story, also you hear echoes when you're in an empty space so using echoes can add the sense that you're alone which fits with the story as well because the lady is alone and being followed. We also wanted to include a lot of rhetorical questions to reflect the panic and anxiety of the woman as in her facial expression we thought she looked very scared and worried about the situation. We made sure all the lyrics linked to the story, we used the stimulus and zoomed into sections that we wanted to write about and used things in the stimulus as a metaphor for what we think the stimulus was about. For example, we wrote about getting on the highway and wheels turning which could metaphorically be talking about getting away and how things need to turn and move on like how we think the woman in the stimulus is driving away and trying to escape something. To have a build up lyrically and melodically, we decided to sing an octave higher in the chorus and to have overlapping almost call and response lyrics in the chorus. We decided to have a repeated, chant-like, rhetorical question of "where should I go?" in the chorus because it fits with the story of the stimulus as it not only represents the physical question of where should the woman drive to get away from the lorry but also the more metaphorical side like where should she go and what can she do to get away from the past (the past that's catching up with her that's represented by the lorry). In the second verse, we wanted a variation in the pitch by making the melody get higher, especially in the pre-chorus and the build up to the chorus. We wanted to do this to keep the song interesting and to show that the story is increasing in atmosphere and getting more tense and also to reflect the story as the woman's thoughts are constantly changing and she's changing direction on the road too as the panic increases. We experimented with using breathing and breathy sounds during the end of the second verse as in the lyrics we sing about trying to breathe and calm ourselves down (as if we were the panicking/hyperventilating woman in the storyboard). We put breathing sounds after the words "inhale" and "exhale" in time with the music. However, we found this sounded very cliche/cheesy and didn't fit with the tone we'd created for the song as it almost made that part of the song comical which took away the sinister and intense feel we'd created.]]> 2017-10-29 13:08:44 UTC https://padlet.com/georgia_234/3/wish/201488164 georgia_234 https://padlet.com/georgia_234/3/wish/201490485 In this video, we do a full run-through of our song to see whether it flows and works in the way we want it to. After this video, we decided the polyrhythms didn't work as we were struggling to keep track of the singing and the echoes along with when our rhythm comes in and how long we play for, it was also tricky to play one rhythm whilst someone else is playing a different one and you're also singing a melody at the same time. Therefore, we found we were going out of time with eachother and decided the polyrhythms didn't work for our song. We also need to improve our structure of the solo/instrumental at the end of the song as we were unsure of the length of that section and therefore missed our cue for the chorus (when it came in at the end of the solo). We also need to work on the singing as we were unsure of when the echoes are and what parts of the lines we need to echo and we need to practise the change of melody in the 2nd verse and figure out what notes we're changing and how high the pitch should go to fit with the mood and the stimulus. ]]> 2017-10-29 13:41:01 UTC https://padlet.com/georgia_234/3/wish/201490485 georgia_234 https://padlet.com/georgia_234/3/wish/201492281 Pros: I think this video is a fluent, confident performance of the song and that the song accurately represents the stimulus. The offbeats of the guitar work well and gives the song an interesting rhythm, along with the effective bass line which also adds to the atmosphere created and makes the slow tempo very intense. The call and response and the overlapping lyrics in the chorus worked really well as they build up the song as well as the tension. 
Things we'd still need to improve: Because we got rid of the cajon drums for me and Melissa, we only had one drum which felt a bit lacklustre for parts of the music so to challenge ourselves more I'd suggest using hand held instruments as well as singing but only bringing them in on the chorus and heightened parts of the music. I think we also should've had more variation in the guitar part of the song as by the end of the second verse it got very repetitive and boring. Maybe I should've challenged myself more by also playing a guitar but playing the harmony chords to add more depth to the music during parts like the chorus and to keep the guitar part interesting. Finally, I think we could've had more of a build up to really express the emotion in the stimuli, we could've done this by increasing the tempo more and using more vocal projection and emotion.]]> 2017-10-29 14:01:57 UTC https://padlet.com/georgia_234/3/wish/201492281