On Thursday we had our professional directions fair in Stage two. On my stall I had a poster explaining what my project was aiming to achieve, and a video from Mahogany blogs YouTube channel. All the visitors who came round and looked had nothing but positive comments about my project. I had people write down their email addresses so I can keep in touch with people through messaging, and to inform them of new upcoming videos. All the stall looked professional and the standard of creative ideas was outstanding. I'm feeling more confident about my idea, and I'm looking forward to starting filming next week!
Can you tell me what production management company you work for?
I work for Eastside events, we are based in the North of England but are National promoters. How long have you worked for them for? I have worked for Eastside for over 3 years now. How did you get into production management? I first got into production management when working as Venue Manager for both Newcastle & Northumbria University 10 years ago, I studied Music & Engineering at Newcastle University and Music Production at Newcastle college before moving into the industry. What do you think it takes to be a successful production manager? To be successful in this role you need to be extremely organised and have good technical knowledge of, sound, lighting, artist liason, ticketing, promotion and advertising. My job takes me all over the country with large scale artists from the music industry so you have to be prepared to travel and work unsocialable hours constantly. Advancing shows and events as thoroughly as possible is also key in this industry, anyone working in this sector will know that communication and giving accurate technical specifications to tour managers and touring parties is key to the success of the show. Problem solving and overcoming issues that may arise on the day of the show is also essential so I always make sure I am prepared to any eventuality that may occur well in advance of any performance. What’s the most problematic aspect of being a production manager? The most problematic aspect of being a production manager is making sure you have ability to deal with situations or issues on the day of a show if they arise, you always have to keep a cool head and ensure you handle problems in a calm and collected manor, even if everyone around you does not. What are the Pros and Cons of production management? Pros: Working in a sector that is fast paced and highly rewarding, meeting world wide established artists and musicians with in the music industry. Bringing artists and musicians to a live music venue Promoting and Building an artist up from small capacity venues to arenas (Ed Sheeran 2009 – Current) Fantastic amount of job satisfaction seeing an audience relate to an artist or show you have advanced and sold for. Traveling to new places across the world to work with artists and musicians Cons: Being away from family and friends for long periods of time Dealing with highly stressful situations which are sometimes out of your control, ie an artist’s cancelling a show due to illness or equipment / technology hindering a performance Working highly unsociable hours. James Lay Events & Production Manager Eastside Events [email protected] 07754 036 233 This interview with James Lay was really helpful in my understanding of production management and the skills it takes to professionally have a career in the music industry. I found James Lays answers relatable to my project, working with musicians in Ballyhoo Music Sessions and promotion and advertisement of my project. Communication skills throughout any kind of managerial job is key to a successful project. Communicating with musicians and the public is an aspect that is making my journey run smoothly. James Mentioned about a Con being artists cancelling shows, and having one of my artists cancel on me for recording hindered my process as I had to find someone else to step in. Having connections with people in the music industry itself makes it easier to network and apply yourself into the industry. I'm hoping after university to keep on networking with people and creating a names for Ballyhoo Music Sessions. 'Production Management refers to the application of management principles to the production function in a factory. In other words, production management involves application of planning, organizing, directing and controlling the production process.' Looking into this video I've found this interview very useful, focusing my project around music management Peter Mensch's answers aided me into thinking thoroughly around my choice of topic. Peter Mensch managing the likes of a massive band such as AC/DC at the age of 25 is very influential. His planning, organizational, directional, and controlling skills all aided him to become a successful music manager at a young age. Researching into music management has made me realise that I need to build on some of my skills if I was to carry on with my project after University.
Choosing different artists is one thing that I want to concentrate on. I'm going to choose artists that want to make a name for themselves in the music industry, and it'll give them experience performing in front of a camera and receiving a professional video at the end of the session. I'm going to start by contacting my friends that are musicians and gaining feedback from people I know before getting public involved. I've asked my sister to help me out for my first ever video, as I want to test out my camera skills. Afterwards I'm going to attend open mic nights and promote myself as a music video promoter in and around Newcastle. I'm looking for small acoustic acts that don't involve much music production set up, because I want a raw sounding video that hasn't got any auto-tuned involved.
Choosing a logo for my project is something that I felt needed to look eye catching, memorable, and professional. Getting in contact with a graphics student, 'Lucy Rose Media' I conferred my vision, and she conjured together three logos for me. Paying the reasonable price of £25, I was very pleased with the quality and outcome of her work... After much consideration, and asking peoples opinions as to which one stood out, number three was the overall winner. I totally agree with the outcome, as it's really professional looking, eye catching, and memorable.
If I was setting up my own music production after University, I feel the logo would be perfect for a professional business. My roles in the project are going to take form of:
My projects brief is to create videos for the internet testing my own limitation and determination through my journey. Being heavily inspired by Mahogany Blog, and Boat-shed Sessions I have chosen to create a videos based on their work.
Through my project I will be pushing myself to reach my end product, working with musicians to explore and create videos for my blog. I will be recording an artist, using the footage to then edit on Adobe premiere pro, concluding in uploading the videos to the blog. The purpose of my project is to allow myself to have the freedom to create work which I haven't had the chance to throughout my university life. The intention will be giving myself the experience in the making, managing and promoting of my own work. I shall take on all the roles through out my project, I know there will be many responsibilities, planning, managing, and editing my work, however I want to experience the pressure of working on my own. Having my own artistic vision I'm hoping to display them through my knowledge and management of music. |
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