EDITED SHOT- TO BE USED IN FINAL VIDEO

Guns N' Roses, O2 Arena, 13/10/10 - Concert review

Guns N' Roses were one of the most rockin' bands around in the 1980's, the peak of mainstream rock/metal, writing some of the most famous songs in rock history, and selling out concerts worldwide. They were also infamous for their rock 'n' roll lifestyle, partying all night, drinking, drugs, women etc. Guns N' Roses were the stereotypical rock band and acted as an inspiration to millions, and were a large inspiration to this media studies project. Unfortunately, the ego of the lead singer led to the band's downfall, with all other members, bar the keyboardist, departing in 1996, leaving Axl Rose on his own. This didn't stop him however, and he recruited a new set of musicians to fill in. Axl and his new band began touring in 2002 to mixed receptions, claiming the band were a disappointment and lacked the magic of the past. Also, the much anticipated album "Chinese Democracy" was nowhere to be seen, after first being confirmed to be in the making around 1993, and was becoming a laughing stock.

Chinese Democracy was finally released in November 2008, 15 years after being initially announced, to mostly positive reception, including from myself. However, the band's form on tour was still poor, with Axl living up to his reputation by frequently coming out late, whilst also having a poor voice. This still didn't stop me from buying tickets to see them back in the summer as, despite Axl being the only original member, I always feel the lead singer is the most important person with the band. I was very worried whether or not I has wasted my money on a bad show, especially when a show in Dublin ended in Axl walking off the stage during the first song on then not returning.

Also, the 80's are long gone. Axl no longer looks like this:

But instead looks like this:

So, I departed to the O2 with my expectations low. I thought the band would come out late, they would play a short set, and Axl would sound terrible. Wow, was I proven wrong.

They came out the same time most bands do, about half hour after promised. Axl had obviously done some vocal training in recent weeks, as voice sounded fantastic, I dare say it sounded like it was 1987. The setlist was long, combining old classics, such as Nightrain, Welcome to the Jungle, Rocket Queen, and, of course, Mr. Brownstone, with new songs like Better, Chinese Democracy and Sorry, although I am glad to say the old songs largely outweighed the new. Axl had also obviously changed his attitude. Someone threw a bottle at him during the second song, an act which usually doesn't end well, with Axl even stopping the song and walking off stage. This time, he finished the song and said after, "now, we don't want to go throwing things because, if you miss me, you might hit my nice friends at the front of the stage". Another sign of Axl changing his ways was when someone threw a KFC bucket on stage (bare in mind that there is no KFC even in the O2 or in the surrounding area, so whoever brought it made a big effort to do so). Of course, ex-GNR guitarist Buckethead famously wears a KFC bucket on his head, and he left the band in not so good terms. What did Axl do? He saw the bucket, and put it on his head whilst singing the rest of the song, causing the whole crowd to cheer. The gig ended with an amazing performance of Paradise City, with Axl coming out after to say a heartfelt thank you to the audience, a sell out crowd of about 20,000 people.

This was a great shock to me, and you could even say it was a dream come true. To see so many favourite songs of mine performed so well, even when it seemed impossible, was something truly amazing, and will go down as one of my favourite gigs ever. The only downside? The gig the next day, the extra date added to appease demand, had the return of Duff Mckagen, the band's former bassist, and a performance of the song Patience, one of my favourites. However, I am still over the moon to see such an amazing performance, and to see the inspiration to our media project back on top form.

animated band interview SCRIPT

BUTCH – Hello, I’m Butch Lightning and WE are WHITE LIGHTNING!!!!!

And this is ‘behind the band’

Q1 – the first thing I see, when I look at you are the crazy clothes and wild hair! Why have you made the decision to dress like this?

KRIS – Why aren’t you dressed like this?

SPLASH – What he means to say is, Rock N’ Rolls been born again and we’re simply helping it become what it once was.


BUTCH - And plus, I mean what other genre of music allows you to dress as awesome as this and lets you get as many girls as we do! Well me and SPLASH, not sure about the other two..

Q2 – so I understand 2 of you played together in a different band, what made you change to WHITE LIGHTNING, and more importantly sign SPLASH?

BUTCH – yeah,  we used to play in ATMOSFEAR but our tastes changed and so us two formed WHITE LIGHTNING, but something just wasn’t working. Don’t get me wrong,  Kris is simply amazing, but sometimes after he has been shooting up he just doesn't have the energy we need, so I felt we needed someone else on board, to help liven up the band.. And that's where SPLASH comes in. And well Sticky Riz was the best drummer we could find on Facebook.

KRIS – sorry man, what was that? I wasn’t listening.

(BUTCH SIGHS)


_________________________________________________________________________________


Q3 -  (To SPLASH) So how did you feel when Butch and Kris approached you with an offer of joining the band?


SPLASH - Oh man it was such a great moment in my life, a lot better than my 3rd wedding, that's for sure. I've heard a lot of Butch's solo stuff and some of the ATMOSFEAR records and I just find his lyrics and vocals out of this world.

Q4 – fans have been asking when is your next track coming out and what song is it?

BUTCH –Well we’ve just finished recording our cover of GUNS N ROSES Mr Brownstone, and are currently working on a video to complement the track, so it should be out pretty soon!

SPLASH – it’s always great to hear that rock and roll still has a fan base as well, so at least we know all our hard work isn’t for nothing!

Q5 – and finally, a question for Sticky Riz, I’ve noticed that you don’t say much, is there any reason for this?

RIZ – I say quite alot actually (LOOKS AROUND IN PANIC)

BUTCH – (COUGHS) erm... give him a set of drums and some sticks and he’s happy, no time for talk, when you’re keeping the beat for....

ALL FOUR – THE WORLD’S GREATEST BAND!

KRIS – WAHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!

Well that’s all on ‘Behind the band’ see you next time folks!

TEST FOR ANIMATED INTERVIEW

the above video shows two basic movements of the characters

this video shows a glimpse of the the interview, before audio has been added


Above are test shots, for one of the upcoming interviews with WHITE LIGHTNING, however unlike the rest this one will be animated. The shot below, is one of the frames from the animation, that shows how the interview will be set out, all four members will sit/stand  still, with occasional movements, the characters will also lip sync what the band have said, to bring the animation to life. the video will also give you an impression of the members characteristics.

I have made the characters from an extremely abstract perspective, to give a true sense of surrealism, i have also based the rough designs on the body shapes of the characters in the band Gorrilaz, as the animation appearing in our finalised music video will be similar to that.

By Paul Birchmore

White Lightning!

"Bloody Fantastic" "Best gig I've ever been to!" "F*****g Sh**"

Were just a few of the comments the band received after their first performance of their long anticipated Knee Deep In Brown tour. Laying down the foundations of what is set to be a fantastic and unforgettable tour. The lights dimmed, then the magic started. 

Sticky Riz was first to come on stage, and gave a thundering beat for the crowd to clap and cheer along to with his murderous hands beating down upon the drums like some kind of crazed mad man. As he kept up his magic, on came, what can only be described as the second best guitarist in the band.. Kris Shred. Sprinting out whilst wowing the crowd with a gut-busting solo. It seemed as if they had really been working extremely hard on this tour, and all the hard work was surely paying off. With the crowd crying out for more the temptation to impress proved too much for SPLASH. In his trademark fashion, he came out like a wolf ready to pounce on its pray, slowly and staying low, he finds his way to about mid stage with a look upon his face that could only be described as bloodthirsty. The beat starts to rise in tempo, SPLASH starts to rise then begins his jumps, the jumps his many adoring fans have seen many a time before. The crowd become a living, pulsating beast and with SPLASH as their master his jumps become higher and higher. The beat reaches a climax, with SPLASH launching himself up into the air, with an explosion of fireworks he comes crashing down. Then there was silence..

Then suddenly, out of no where the stage is emerged in a ploom of smoke. Behind the smoke is the figure of perhaps the most beautiful man ever to grace this Earth, a man who no woman can resist, a man whose voice is so powerful that God himself becomes a stuttering wet mess where he stands.  A great explosion shakes the ground to a stand still. The only way of describing what happens next is if you was to stand next to a space rocket on launch off with a hearing aid pressed against the rocket of the ship. The crowd (particularly the women) couldn't contain their selves and burst into extreme passion. The perfectly ripped and dripping wet body of Butch Lightning was standing above them, like some kind of idol just out of touching distance (probably a good thing seeing as though the women were going wild) That's when the real show started..




Matthew Allen

THEY ARE COMING!

 

With White Lightning's tour approaching closer each day, the design department at Colonel Paul HQ are creating posters that have dominated the city as 'the world's greatest band' returns to play in the city that made it great!

created by Paul Birchmore

Latest news..

Today, the band were hard at work on their new song, 'Mr Brownstone' at Banana Road Practice Studios. The day started off well with Butch only being 2 and a half hours late for practice this time so this put the band in a what seemed a endless good mood.
The band weren't just there to perfect their already incredible playing, oh no, they were also at the famous Banana Road Studios to get new footage for their upcoming music video, which, if rumours are to be taken in to consideration will blow you away!
Roughly 20% of the two hour session they had booked was spent on playing the song and filming, the other 80% was Butch and Kris trying to decide whose hair was blonder. Butch won of course (he wouldn't let it be any other way).
So as another day of working hard, or hardly working, comes to an end, I managed to speak to the band (mainly Butch) about how they thought today went:

NME: Hey guys, great seeing you again, how was today?
Butch : Yeah it was pretty good, we ran through the song a couple of times, and I don't know about everyone else but I was great. I mean obviously SPLASH was pretty rockin' but I looked smokin' tonight!!"
NME: Thanks for that Butch..
Butch: No problem man, see ya around!


Matthew Allen

Trailer 2

Practise Editing with our test shots- Trailer for a 'tour'

James Hanman

Trailers

Teaser Trailer



I made this teaser trailer using stop motion. Paul Birchmore

Location List - 28th Sepetember

  

This is the large room at Banana Road in Erith, where our first real performance will be shot this weekend

The Small Room, although its still really not that small. We can also use this room if we need to.

James Hanman

White Lightning UK Tour Dates

White Lightning- Knee Deep in Brown Tour 2010/ 2011


Bexley Grammar School Hall- Welling- UK
Bexley Grammar School in General- UK
Banana Road- Erith- UK
Sticky Riz's Crib- Bexleyheath- UK

James Hanman

Props of Lightning!!

• Guitars x2
• Drum Kit x2
• Drum Sticks
• Mic Stands
• Empty beer cans/ bottles
• Autograph Paper
• Empty Fridge
• Games Console
• Mirrors and lots of them

James Hanman

Shooting Schedule

Mondays- 1: 25- 5: 00 (school)
Thursdays- 3: 45- 6: 00 (Sticky Riz's Love Shack)
Saturdays and/ or Sundays- Anytime between 11 and 6

James Hanman

THEN AND NOW

Before the transformation into worldwide successes, the members of WHITE LIGHTNING were once young school boys from Bexley.

During their transformation into stars, the costumes they were destined to wear were also changed, from magical to absolutely stunning!

By Paul Birchmore

Becoming stars!

The Band - left to right

                                                 Butch, Kris, Sticky Riz and SMASH

Butch on one of our sets

One of our fans

                                                        AND MANY MORE!!!

 

A BAND IS BORN

After discussing both costumes and positions, the creative minds at 'Colonel Paul...' have created the worlds most amazing band, WHITE LIGHTNING! With 'Butch Lightning' (Matthew Allen) taking control as lead singer, followed by guitarists 'SPLASH' (James Hanman) and 'Kris Shred' (Paul Birchmore) and last but not least, 'Sticky Riz' (Adam Riza) who, in 2010, was voted the best drummer in White Lightning.
The band plan on releasing their first cover, of Guns 'N' Roses' Mr Brownstone, later this year. With hoardes of fans following them, the next few weeks look to be very exciting for the band.

By Paul Birchmore

Drug scene test version

Due to my 'test subject' (my younger brother) being only 11 i have left out the 'taking of the drugs'.
however still edited all of the other shots, to give the appearance that he has taken drugs.
Paul Birchmore

Storyboards for test shots

Storyboard 1 - before editing

Storyboard 2 - with edited shots

The drug scene in our short film, will be quite difficult to produce due to the requirement of CGI, to make it effective, therefore, with the help of my little brother i have run a test version to see if it will be possible.

Paul Birchmore

Existing Product Research 2

'I Disappear' - Metallica

This song was written for the Mission Impossible 2 soundtrack, therefore the video features a particular scene of the film, in which Tom Cruise climbs a tall rock in Monument Valley, in Utah. Metallica are shown in the performance aspect of the video, playing on the top of the very same rock.

In keeping with the film, the band allocated each member roughly 30 seconds each in which they would act out scenes from their favourite action movies, an idea which influenced our ideas. We thought that before coming together at the end to defeat Mr Brownstone we would show each band member struggling with their own personal problems, all of which made worse by the presence of Mr Brownstone, who threatens to tear the band apart. Each of the 4 of us will be allocated a small amount of time to show our own characters in a state of turmoil, based on an individual addiction or sin, if you will.

James Hanman

Existing Product Research

'Community Property'  -  Steel Panther
This video has influenced our ideas for our own music video project as it highlights typical rock excesses, and shows how boredom on the road can lead rock stars and bands right into the arms of their vices, in this case sex, as it is the theme of the song. However our song is based around the idea of drug addiction, and we are exploring a number of other vices which often affect bands. We have chosen fame, alcoholism, sex and of course drugs.

The video also makes good use of its shots and editing. The black and white shots, and handheld shots evoke a sense of documentary, which would interest fans as they like to feel close to their favourite bands and get to know them, and the 'access all areas' feel that is suggested in these types of shots could be useful in our project as it will appear more personal, more encouraging of the fans to feel as if they are interacting and are actually partying with the band backstage.

Another aspect of the video we liked was how it presents a picture of stereotypical self absorbed rock stars, an image we want to create our own characters in. this can be shown through the low angled shots, together with shots of us singing and grinning right into the camera.

James Hanman

                    Me and James test-drive the new outfits at a local practice studio (possible film location)

Costumes

As costume plays a major role in our music video we decided to get everything sorted, done and dusted well before filming began. And as you can see by the picture, the costume has turned out extremely well, even better than expected. So lets talk you through our costume, spandex to spandex..

Lets begin with the feet. Shoes are an essential to any outfit and especially ours (Glam Rock). Me and James have both opted for the "High Top" option, with both pairs of trainers having vivid and stereotpical "rock" colours; Black, White, Red and Purple.

Secondly coming to perhaps the most important item at our disposal are the tight, but excellent, colourful leggings/spandex we acquired with as little embarrassment as possible. These are really the iconic feature of any Glam Rock outfit, so it was essential that we managed to get some, my particular favourites are the zebra print!
It is important to know that we will each be having different style of leggings, to represent our personalities, or just who ever gets the coolest ones first!

The jackets are one of the items that really sets us apart from the each other in the band. With maybe opting for a full leather jacket or even a sleeveless denim jacket equipped with fully working fingerless gloves. This in itself is very iconic and fits the general conventions of Glam Rock superbly.

We then opted to majorly over do it with the accessories, we have fake tattoo sleeves, bracelets, necklaces and even a top hat...

But none of these would be worth anything without the help from the wigs. In both Dire Black and Poroxide Blonde, the group have plenty of options of what to wear, how to wear it and what to do with it!

Matthew Allen

Ideas for online poster/ CD case

idea for online band poster/ cd case Paul Birchmore