Initial Ideas

Me and Amy first of all researched different music videos seperately and made powerpoints discussing the themes, ideas, camerawork etc.

Originally we were going to do a song that was by an unknown band that has never been released and we were going ot email the band on myspace or wherever we could find the song.

We then discussed whether we wanted to do a slow ballad or a fast tempo song and then decided that a slow song would be better and easier. Then we looked at all different types of slow songs and thinking of ideas looking on youtube and through our iPods for any good song ideas.

We then came to the conclusion of a Paramore song that was released on an album but never as a stand alone single, it was a slow acoustic song and we thought it would be best and then we were able to brainstorm the ideas on paper and with the lyrics.

Paramore's target audience and previous songs

Paramore are considered to be alternative rock, emo and pop punk. Despite being put into this category that does not mean their fan base is wide. However all bands have to make sure that they target a specific audience so that they can sell their records and tours etc. Paramore's target audience are teenagers that like rock music although some may criticise that they do not make 'proper' rock music as it has a pop/rock feel to it.
Their previous singles include Misery Business, Ignorance, That's What You Get, Crushcrushcrush, Decode, Careful, Playing God, Hallelujah and The Only Exception

Misguided Ghosts is very different to all of their singles and album tracks as it is a slow paced song that just has very few acoustic instruments. This therefore meant that if it was released as a single with a music video it would have a broad and wide appeal because it could be played on all music channels and it is not heavy rock like some of their other low charting singles like crushcrushcrush, their albums usually chart better and all of them have become at least platinum in many countries

The Song

Paramore - Misguided Ghosts

This is the song me and Amy have chosen to make our pop promo based around it is 'Misguided Ghosts' by Paramore, its genre is soft rock, and we have interpreted it's theme as being about a girl or boy who feel lonely and what to escape oppression from their family and friends who despite they have good memories with they are not there for them and do not help their self esteem. This sort of theme is typical in music videos by bands such as Blink 182, Avril Lavigne and Paramore when the song type is a love song as their 'outcast' target audience are seen as outcasts in high school.

Paramore the band and reviews

The group was officially formed in 2004, with member Hayley Williams the main singer, Josh Farro on lead guitar, Zac Farro on drums and Jeremy Davis on bass guitar.
They used the name Paramore as it was the maiden name of the mother of one of the band members. They later realized that the meaning of the homophone 'paramour' is 'secret lover' they decided to keep the name but changed it to the now 'Paramore'

They have three studio albums, All We Know Is Falling, Riot!, and Brand New Eyes, the latter is the one that contains the song we are using 'Misguided Ghosts'.

A reviewer from RockSound said this of 'Misguided Ghosts' as it is one of the only slow, soft rock songs on the album: "The album's big surprise comes in the form of the stripped-down closing tracks 'Misguided Ghosts' and 'All I Wanted', "The album's big surprise comes in the form of the stripped-down closing tracks 'Misguided Ghosts' and 'All I Wanted', which see the fragility of Hayley's vocals laid against sparse instrumentation with truly immaculate results."

E-mail to Paramore's record label

This is the e-mail me and Amy my group partner sent to Paramore's management and record label 'Fueled By Rayman' about using their song for our project and made sure we emphasised that it would not be used for anything else.

Textual analysis of Paramore's previous video

Paramore - The Only Exception

I have decided to analyse this video because the song I am using for my music video is also by Paramore. They have only two slow songs, this and ‘Misguided Ghosts’ therefore I thought it would be best to look at the ideas and themes of this song as some will be similar and some different. For example both songs could be implied that they are about love but I have chosen to interpret ‘Misguided Ghosts’ as being about a person who feels lonely and haunted by friends, family and other relationships.

The story of the music video is that Williams leaves her boyfriend a letter saying ‘I’m Sorry’ and then leaves him, she is breaking up with him because she believes love does not exist. She then walks into the next room where she hugs her father and he shows her picture of her mother, she then sings into the mirror about love does not exist whilst the picture is in focus. After this she moves into the next room where it appears to be a restaurant and she has quick dates with a queue of men at first she laughs and talks but as the men keep swapping places she becomes confused which perhaps represents how she wants her original boyfriend back. She runs into the next room which is a wedding scene and she is the only person wearing black which reflects her mood at the present time in the video and then runs off as the bride enters perhaps showing her fear of commitment and marriage. She is then shown at a music concert with her friends where she is laughing and having a good time, and her boyfriend shown in the first shot is also there and it is a scene from the first time they met and how it was ‘love at first sight’. After this happy memory she then fantasizes about the two being together in the various different room throughout the video and eventually she goes back to the first room where her boyfriend is asleep, she rips up the ‘I’m Sorry’ note and lies next to him and realizing that he is the ‘exception’ and that love does exist.

In between the actual story line there are shots of the band on a small stage with picture frames playing and singing the song, and Williams lying on a giant pile of Valentines-themed cards miming to the song.