The main aim was to find the best outlets for my work in regards for follower interaction. I think the research was pretty good overall, I explored ways to get the most interaction with a tweet and even launched myself on a new platform called TikTok. But there was one glaring point that it was all missing - actual content.
Of all the tweets I tweeted, not one had a link to a song or video of me performing. The main reason for this is because there aren't any new/current videos of me. This has been a recurring theme over the past few months - the fact that I have no content! So I feel that the next thing for me to do is to finish up the tracks, release them and then make some video content for them, and record some videos of my actual live gigs to upload as well. Apart from the lack of content, the plan to create content is going well. 001 discusses the podcast and animation attempts which I will utilise over the coming months to create visual and audio content. Plus the creation of Pablo has been an interesting development that will be another platform to release other content through. Everything is working well, I need just start physically doing things now.
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This is what I am doing now as a result of the past three months, this is when the project is and this is how I got here.
I fell like the last few months have enabled my project to get out of the starting blocks, but there is still a long way to go. As a result of the last few months, I now have more followers on social media that actually interact with me. This is a great foundation for when I release my new music content and new visuals over the next month. At the beginning of the project I was talking about it as a hypothetical, but after the Salon even it was good to bring some physical being to it. I feel that was a main turning point for me and it made me hungry to hurry the process up and get on with everything! I have developed the stories and songs so that now they are ready to be performed orally, I just need to think of the visual aspects of the performance now and how I can create the best show for the intended audience. One of the biggest developments was the new electric aspect to the tracks, I think it helps with the aesthetic and makes the songs feel a little bit more rounded. I am still undecided whether to keep the drum beats yet though. The past few months have been great for developing the project, but I feel I need to be much more pro-active with it. I am booking plenty of gigs to go out and test my stories and I am booking in the photo shoot today. I need to keep the momentum going all of the time and stop saying 'I will do this' and start saying 'I am doing this'.
My first tweet simply explained my thoughts at the time and two whole people liked it. The next day I fully committed to my efforts and to great affect. One comment and 7 whole likes! After the adrenaline rush of the tweet before, I went big the next day with a GIF. But only three likes? WTF? The next few days were nothing special, just general tweets with little to no interaction. But then I used 'hashtags'. It got me 6 whole likes! I felt the pressure of the success of the previous tweet so needed time to prepare. 5 people liked this tweet which just added even more pressure. I was panicking. There was a lot of political things going on in the world so I went political with my tweet. Clearly my fans are the wrong audience for politics. only one like. I was on a real low. But things changed. I wrote a tweet dedicated to my followers and the liked hit the double digits! And TWO comments. that's twice as many as I'd ever had ever before. I needed something new to keep the interaction levels high. 6 votes, but only one like. I was getting desperate for likes. I was trying to be current and relevant. This was on the day there was a big sporting event. This was right before it all went wrong. On the 20th of December 2019, I forgot to tweet. It was only one day that I didn't tweet but I know that isn't an excuse. I received the most comments ever but it wasn't pretty. Why does my lowest twitter moment have to be my most successful in terms of interaction? Does my bad actions make other people feel better about themselves? Perhaps seeing someone (me) fail makes them feel superior and therefore more inclined to interact with me? Or do they just feel sorry for me? Who knows. I opened up to my followers and let them all know that I was getting married in the new year. A very personal tweet and it seemed to get a good reaction. On New Years day I go sentimental. 5 likes is pretty good. This was a big day. My biggest tweet reaction so far - and I think I have cracked it. I tweeted about other people and they loved it. double digits in the likes and a photo. The photo isn't even of me. I think the people of twitter only want to be praised or thanked. So maybe I should just tweet about other people instead of myself - but then what is the point?
End of thread (so far)
As you can probably tell from the video, it's not the most polished looking video. However, the focus was on the background images and how they change when the camera angle changes for example from a wide shot to a close up. The birds will be much better too - Pablo will be singing the song and Diane needs some .... changes aesthetically.
The style of the background images is quite a nice look. They're consistent in their style and it's obvious what they are. Who knew those hours of playing on windows paint would come useful one day? Here is a list of everything I would potentially need for a tour of my show (and the show itself). I'm adding to it as I think of more.
Things I already have: Microphone, XLR, jack lead, guitar, guitar strings, tuner, capo, strap. Things I'll need: Tech: Foldback speaker, spare everything, light(s), set? Marketing: Promo images, flyers, trailers, audio adverts. People: Lighting designer/operator, sound designer/operator, van driver, tour manager. Merch: t-shirts, EP's, Posters, books, pigeons. Most importantly, how can I afford to do this? ugh.
I've managed to sit-down and run through some story songs for the first time in a few months on my own with my guitar. It's always interesting as to how they transform and rearrange themselves each time it recite them.
Windmills & Wooden Shoes There are now two versions of this story. The first version is the one I've performed before and its gone down well, but there is a new version of the story which is pretty much the same, it just now has a 'prequel'. I no longer say the story from the first person, I tell it now about a nameless boy who grows up and eventually goes on the holiday that leads him to meet the girl from holland. It throws in some poor attempt at social commentary and bullying and adds a slight (at least I hope it does) heartwarming aspect, giving the audience more of a connection to the 'boys' story. Pablo Trilogy I'm happy with the way Pablo and I are collaborating on his three songs. Trying to work on the 3rd song a bit, as there is the possibility of Pablo performing this one himself. Crempog This song have taken a new lease of life. I really enjoyed writing this song and I like the demo recording of it, but when I perform it or rehearse it with my band, it always feels a little bit ... empty? But I have found a new way to play it, and a story that really makes it work. The story is based around an old couple and their family dealing with their dementia, which is very close to home and I struggle to get through the story without fogging up. This song I hope will do them proud. No Heartbreak Here An old song I wrote when I was a teen, sat in my bedroom and nervous that my family would hear me singing (which you can tell by the notes and timbre I sing this song in). It's a short funny story that I'm happy with but bored of already. Maybe because I've played it so many time. Bulletproof I've been struggling with this story as I'm trying to stay away from the first person. But I can't find a way to make it about anyone else, mainly because I don't want to. It's my favourite song I think I've ever written and the story does mean a lot to me... maybe it can be a nice little encore. Where? A funny little story. This story is told in a different way to the other songs. The issue I am facing however, is that this song is meant to be a duet, but I can't pay anyone to tour with me... let's see what happens. Maybe a microphone effect. Or asking an audience member to get up on stage with me. Brighter Day A song written for someone with MH issues. But at the time it was written I was ignorant to it as I was only young and simply didn't know what it was. I don't think I'll tell a story so much with this song, maybe just ask people to be kind to one another and just reach out a hand. I need to create some images for my new content. I am approaching an illustrator whose style I really like. Her name is Kayliegh Hilde and she is primarily a fashion illustrator, but I'm hoping she will make an exception for me.
Because of the theatre style performance aspect of my show, I have been looking into what venues I would be well suited for.
The Riverfront Theatre, Newport - A small theatre with a studio space that hosts similar events through they links with SOHO theatre in London. The Other Room, Cardiff- A very small studio theatre space. Great place to try out some work. The Sherman Theatre, Cardiff - Bigger than the Other Room, but they have a small studio space that would work nicely. SOHO Theatre, London - I've not been there myself, but have mingled with some of there staff when they've been in Newport. The stuff they bring to Newport is similar to mine so could be a potential spot. KOMEDIA, Bath - My friend ran the tech side of things here for a little while last year and I've popped in every now and then. It is mainly a comedy house, so it'd be interesting to see how my act would go down. Though I am terrified at the thought of people thinking I'm a stand up comedian because I am simply not! Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton - A lovely little venue that I've been to as a technician. probably too big and not 'niche' enough to expect any sort of an audience for my piece. I have played 2 'Sofar Sound' gigs before and they stand out as two of the best gigs I have ever played. For two main reasons:
1 - Band. Both times I've played I have had a band behind me that are simply superb. It takes a lot of pressure off when you know that the people with me can carry me out of a sticky musical mess if I ever get there (I got there). 2 - Audience Rarely have I played a gig when every single person there has sat silently and listened. I think it happened maybe one time for me at Le Pub which also felt great, but it was dark and I could really see the audience very well. The sofar sound audience each time I played were no more than maybe 30 people, but they were all sat in complete silence and listened intently to every act that played. This is the perfect audience for me starting out. So I am going to try and get a bunch of these gigs under my belt as there is a sofar sound set up in most major cities. Plus, the payment for a sofar sounds gig is (regardless of band size) £50 - or they will film one of your songs and edit it together for you. BUT My violinist has raised a point. As a professional musician, £50 isn't too bad IF it is a solo act. But if there is two of you, its not great and if there 3... you get the picture. They also don't pay the host venue a fee, Why aren't they paying the musicians more? Sofar sounds charges people an entry fee of around £10-20 (according to the website). So perhaps there should be a better payment system... like a percentage from the door or a higher flat fee. Having had a quick google, it turns out that there is quite the backlash agains the sofar sounds set up. https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2019/05/22/sofar-sounds-poor-payouts/ Very interesting, I'm going to look into it some more. I have been fortunate to be working as a sound and lighting technician for a few years now. The knowledge and contacts that I have gained will give me a real head start for when it comes to the technicalities and logistics of the show. Here are some of my thoughts on lighting.
Here's a video of me lighting a Michael Jackson tribute show using the haze to really bring out the beams. It's a private link so please don't share or I'll get fired. |
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