SRS- In Progress

Hey everyone- My apologies for being so bad about keeping up with my blog! I've really got some catching up to do! So here is one of the many blog posts I'll be writing today. This one is about the progress I'm making on my series.

Firstly, I am so mad that I wasn't taking notes during our critique! I don't know what I was thinking. I remember getting some really useful feedback, but now I'm just going off my not-so-great memory. So right now I'm especially open to feedback from any of you, especially constructive criticism. But here is what I do remember from the critique of my series:

1. Add more information. My topic has some really great attention-grabbing and shocking facts about corporate media takeover and the commercialism that's killing mainstream radio, and I could be using those to much greater advantage. They would be especially good for getting the attention of people who never really gave radio a second thought, but if they see these facts, 

they might say "wow... radio does suck. I never knew. I need an alternative. Oh look! There's a website where I can go to find an alternative to bad radio. Excellent!"

2. Strengthen the logo. I felt that my radio logo was too generic as it was from the poster project, so I made some changes to strengthen it. I added an X across the speaker to try to communicate that something was wrong with radio, that this logo represented an idea more complex than just being an image of a vintage radio. I think the idea I was going for was on the right track- but the X was not communicating that. I've been working finding another way to i

mbue the radio with more meaning and significance. I think I've settled on an image, you can see the changes I made in the image to the left. I think the hole in the radio communicates the idea that something is missing, that something is wrong, with radio. The hole is the focal point now, instead of the radio itself; so

 the message of the image has become what is wrong with radio, instead of merely depicting a cool, vintage radio. Please let me know what you think! Is it working? A little? Not at all? Does the hole really look like a hole? Or does it just look like a white circle slapped a radio? Let me know what you think.

PSTR- Final Critique

So here's my final critique for my poster. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. I think the text at the bottom is my favorite part, and that's probably because I'm usually very conservative in my use of type. The image is usually the focal point, with the text being secondary, but in this poster, the text itself acts acts the main images, with the other images being the secondary element. I think I also like this poster a lot because my style is usually very clean and simple, and for this poster I got to push away from that and create something more grungy and  exciting, which was fun for me. I do agree with the class feedback which said that it would be a more effective and attention-grabbing poster if it were scaled larger. When I revise the poster to be part of the Series, I'll definitely make it bigger.  I'll also be makign it even more grungy, I'm thinking about finding a font that looks like it's been screen or block printed- but it would have to be a really convincing typeface, I don't want it to look cheesy or fake. So I'm looking into maybe actually printing the letters and phrases I want somehow, and then scanning them. We'll see how that turns out.

SRS- Ridiculous Song lyrics (Why mainstream radio sucks)

Sorry if some of these are super vulgar.... that's part the reason they suck.

Soulja Boy- Crank That
I'm Jocking On Yo Bitch Ass
And If We Get The Fightin
Then I'm Cocking On Your Bitch ass

Fergalicious- Fergie
Fergalicious definition make them boys go loco
They want my treasure so they get their pleasures from my photo
You can see me, you can't squeeze me
I ain't easy, I ain't sleazy
I got reasons why I tease 'em
Boys just come and go like seasons

Sexual Eruption- Snoop Dogg
I'm gonna take my time, she gon get hers before I get mine
I'm gonna take it slow (woah woah)
I'm not gonna rush the stroke
So she can get a sexual eruption

Avril Lavigne- Girlfriend
Don't pretend I think you know I'm damn precious
And hell yeah I'm the motherfucking princess

Webbie- Independent
She A Bad Lil Chick A Fly Lil Chick
Hit Me On My Phone She Like To Buy That Dick
Got Her Stunna Shades Lookin Like Something
Stallion Hair Long She A Nice Sumthing
She Like To Go To The Mall Everyday For A Outfit
Hair Did Nails Did Independent Wat She Call That

Pussycat Dolls- Buttons
I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby
But you keep fronting
Saying what you going do to me
But I ain't seen nothing

Taylor Swift- Teardrops On My Guitar
He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star

Amy Winehouse- Rehab
I ain’t got the time
And if my daddy thinks im fine
He’s tried to make me go to rehab
I wont go, go, go.

Nickelback- Figure You Out
I like your pants around your feet
I like the dirt that's on your knees
And I like the way you still say please
While you're looking up at me

Mims- This Is Why I'm Hot
This is why I'm hot
I don't gotta rap
I can sell a million saying nothing on the track

Lil' Mama- Lipgloss
They say my lip gloss is cool
My lip gloss be poppin
Im standin at my locker
And all the boys keep stoppin

T-Pain- Buy You A Drank
Whats The Chance A You Rollin Wit Me
Back To The Crib
Show You How I Live
Lets Get Drunk Forget What We Did

SRS- Planning

Hi everyone- so here's an update on my series. I'm going to do a very take-it-to-the-streets campaign, nothing corporate feeling, everything very grunge. My media may include street posters, flyers, stickers, t-shirts, and/or a flash website. Even though a website seems more corporate, I would really like to do one, and it's going to be done in a very non-corporate style. And in today's world where anyone can blog and create websites, and because it's a such a good medium for mass-communication and organization, and the people I'm targeting are of the net generation, I don't think it will make my series too corporate. Some pics for inspiration will follow soon.

SRS- Inspiration for style

I'm definately going to continue the general style that I started on my poster, but I think I'm going to exaggerate it more. When I started my poster Ange suggested that I play up a sort of 90s-grunge look (think Nirvana, flannel shirts, greasy hair... you children of the 90s know what I mean. :P) But I think it would be a very appropriate for a poster that's major tagline is "MAINSTREAM SUCKS". I really enjoy making flash websites, so one of the pieces in my series will definitely be that. I'm think of an animation intro to the website with a couple shocking facts about the big media takeover of radio, and then a grunge-like style for the rest of the site. Here's a screen shot of one website that was close to the type of style I think I'll go for.

SRS- Inspiration for Content

Hey everyone-

Here's some articles I'm going to look to for inspiration/information. Take a look!

Pay for play
Why does radio suck? Because most stations play only the songs the record companies pay them to. And things are going to get worse.
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By Eric Boehlert

March 14, 2001 | Does radio seem bad these days? Do all the hits sound the same, all the stars seem like cookie cutouts of one another?

It's because they do, and they are.

Why? Listeners may not realize it, but radio today is largely bought by the record companies. Most rock and Top 40 stations get paid to play the songs they spin by the companies that manufacture the records.

But it's not payola -- exactly. Here's how it works. Click to read the rest of this article.


Radio's big bully
A complete guide to Salon's reporting on Clear Channel, the most powerful -- and some would say pernicious -- force in the music industry.
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For the past few months, Salon reporter Eric Boehlert has been tracking the story of Clear Channel Communications, the little-noticed media giant that has quietly taken over the country's radio and concert industries.

The company owns nearly 1,200 radio stations and effectively controls the rock radio market. It also owns SFX Entertainment, the nation's dominant concert-venue owner and touring promoter.

In the stories below, Boehlert has detailed the corporation's evolution under the aegis of Randy Michaels, the one-time shock jock who has turned the industry upside down with rampant cost-cutting and a good-ol'-boy approach to management. Click here to read the rest of this article.

Website Is Up!

Yayyyy! My website for this class is up and running! The solution to the mystery of the non-working-STFP-uploader was solved by using Cyberduck, instead of Fugu or Fetch. Who knows why... computers are just crazy. But it works! So I don't really care why anymore. So here's my website, up and working!