Polydor Records Talk

In todays class we had a visit from Emily and Henan from Polydor Records. Polydor is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group and is based in London. The pair work for the label and are involved in commissioning and producing music videos for both new and well established artists working under the label. It was a fantastic opportunity for us to listen to two individuals working directly in our area of study - in the real world. They were able to discuss the process of getting an idea off the ground and allowing it to form, under their supervision. I was keen to make notes throughout the session, of which I can review and pick up any information that might be useful for our project; 

- They explained that the label brings the artist in, and is likely to already have a clear image of what they hope them to become. This then goes to the marketing department who have their imput and also consult the artist and ask what they would like.

- Emily stated that "The video is the biggest marketing tool at our disposal”.

- They both talked about how it’s often a mash of different opinions. They are keen to make sure the artist has an opinion and is heard. If the artist doesn't know who they are then how can they?  Some artists  can be very specific also. Henan has worked numerous times with The 1975, and mentioned that the singer Matty always puts a large bulk of their ideas together and has great input into the final product.

- Part of their job is to put together a brief and then send this to various different directors. This document has to include the track, artist, budget and describe the elements desired (narrative, performance based, animation, conceptual.) Some times they will leave these purposely lacking in description in order to gain new ideas from directors.

- They described how it’s most difficult to make a video for brand new artists as it is the first images that many people will see of the artist, so you have to get it right.

- The label will then be sent back treatments that they must go through with the artist and the label. They choose a director, iron out any problems and then give it the green light. They then shoot, edit, and deliver. The entire process  takes around a month. Usually, a 1-3 day shoot is needed, based on budget and concept. However, 1 day is most common. Budgets range between 5,000 to 150,000 with the average being 10,000-15,000.

- They told of how it is possible to get sponsorships from companies such as car dealers. However, it is often not worth the money as you then spend half your day making a commercial for a car, and you have to worry about getting their branding right. Unless the sponsor is ideal for the specific video, then it is best to steer clear from product placement as long as the funds are sufficient.

- Most music videos from Polydor go onto VEVO, as they get funding from the them. VEVO will then push viewers up on Youtube and this will then help the song get radio play.

- We then watched an Ellie Goulding video that the Emily and Henan were involved in producing. We were also handed the original treatment for this video to compare to the final product. I was surprised by how similar the video looked to the treatment despite being at very different stages in the process. The video was filmed in a one-day shoot. Henan was keen to use the director they did, as they felt they hadn't mastered Ellie’s video performance yet, and felt that Kinga Burza  (director) would do that as good artist performance is characteristic of his work.

- They then showed us another of their videos, for new act Bipolar Sunshine. They went for relatively unknown director who was yet to have paid work as a music video director, but showed a lot of passion. At this point, I asked if they would have made the same decision if it was a bigger name such as Ellie Goulding? They responded by saying they "wouldn’t do the same for a bigger name, as it would be easier to attract a corresponding name in a directorial sense". I noticed that the video has a dense amount of content and was surprised this was all captured in one day and on a low budget. Apparently, this is due to the young director’s enthusiasm for the project, he wanted more and more. The same director has gone on to make 2 Addidas commercials, after going up against high profile, more renowned directors for the job. Polydor importantly gave him the oppurtunity to showcase his talents.

- When asked about creative decisions, they stressed that they own the rushes for the video and if the director strays from the idea that was pitched originally and cant come to an agreement, then they are well within their rights to take the footage and give it to a different person to edit. This is the last thing that they want to be doing but will make the decision if necessary for the good of the video.

- Lastly, we watched the La Roux video 'Kiss Don't Tell'. This is a fun take on adult chat lines of the 1980’s. It was a big art direction job for the team. The director was insistent on having telephones to punctuate through the song and give it it's musicality. The marketing campaign that accompanied the video included a real phone number where you could ring up as a fan and hear a message the artist has left. This creates a talking point for the fun and cheeky video. Emily mentioned how they really wanted her relaxed personality to come across, as it hadn't yet in her previous videos.

- Seen as The 1975 have been a primary source of inspiration for me, I thought I would take the opportunity to ask about the creation of the 'Girls' video, as it shares similar concept ideas to our projected video. Henan said that it was Matty's (lead singer) idea, and Adam Powell directed it along with some of their other videos. Matty had written a detailed idea already and the director came in brought a different take to it, making it a collaborative process. She said it is a clearly mocking the 'music video' concept. She also told me of how they were worried at the time as One Direction had recently done a similar 'mick-take' with their video for 'Best Song Ever'. This was troubling from a marketing perspective as they didn't want the band to be seen as in the same category as One Direction. This point just highlighted the emphasis there was throughout the talk on the 'image' for each artist and how integral this was in order to comply with the style of the video you are creating.