Band Identity

                                                      Band Identity

So for my band this year I decided that I wanted to re-use the band I created last year, The Boston Buried. However, I realise that doing this gives off a very lazy vibe, as if I can’t be bothered to create a whole new artist. This is why I’ve decided to not only re-use them-but re-invent them too.

One of the main selling points of The Boston Buried last year was that they wore masks, similar to popular rap-rock band Hollywood Undead, from whom I garnered the majority of my inspiration for creating The Boston Buried. I felt as though the name was very fitting for my artist, with it being a direct paly off Hollywood Undead. A location in America, and something to do with the undead, zombies, death etc.

 I felt like it was massively fitting, but at the same time felt as though it didn’t really fit because it didn't flow well enough. So for this year, stage one of the artist reinvention is a name change. I’ve opted to go from The Boston Buried, to something I feel fits much better and slides off the tongue more effectively-Buried In Boston. The name change is only a slight one, but honestly it was bugging me for a very long time last year, and now I finally get to alter it to my liking, while simultaneously retaining my created artist. 

But not only is the band experiencing a name change, they are doing the unthinkable: removing their masks. Indeed, I considered how well the masks actually worked last year, and while they were good, I’m really not sure they’ll work with what I have planned for this year. Having the band members actually wear the masks in the performance aspects of the music video appealed to me last year, but the idea has left a bad taste in my mouth. I still want to include the masks as part of my music video, but I don’t want the band members to actually wear them.

Not only the masks, but their clothing will change too. Shifting away from the rap influence of Hollywood Undead almost entirely, as a pose to tracksuits and hoodies, the new choice of attire will consist of things such as long sleeve baseball jerseys, causal trouser bottoms, and outer wear that could be considered ‘smart casual’. This change I feel is necessary, as the song choice has absolutely no links to rap music at all, and so it seems fitting that the band would perform this song after opting to be rock-central, as a pose to being a hybrid of both the rap and rock genres.

The reinvention of The Boston Buried with a new name, new style, and new (or really, just more specified) genre is effective in allowing the artist to be different enough from their AS counterparts for me to be satisfied, but on top of that, I plan to change the members. This happens occasionally with bands, usually after a hiatus, and sometimes it really works out well. Take Breaking Benjamin as an example, they recently returned from a 5 year hiatus with completely new members (all except the lead singer Benjamin Burnley) and their 2015 comeback album ‘Darkest Before Dawn’ is one of my favourites. I even used one of the songs from it, Ashes of Eden, for my music video analysis.

If you look at my front cover, contents page and double page spread from AS, you’ll see that it’s all just me. I didn’t get anyone else in to help with my coursework. I got one of my friends to pose with a mask on once, but that was it. This year, I have a plan to include several people in my music video as band members. I wouldn’t be able to complete the entirety of my music video by myself anyway; my plan required other people besides me. This means that The Boston Buried could have a varying number of members. 

Now for what I actually plan on doing with the masks. I did plan on reusing the ones I designed for my AS coursework. They won’t actually be worn by any of the members, but will be used in the intro in an over the shoulder shot of the band member played by me holding them in his hands to show that my character is looking back on what the band used to be in an attempt to find inspiration. I plan on making the opening of my music video all about how my band is attempting to write a song, but lack the motivation and are coming up with nothing. This will be the current state of the band and will be portrayed through the music video I will create and referenced in the ancillery texts.

As for the actual members of the band, they will be played by me and two of my friends: Tom and Mike. For AS I never actually named the members of my band and I feel as though this was a mistake. For this year I want to give the three members of my band more identity and personality, and obviously a name. As for the actual members of my band, I plan to make Buried In Boston a trio consisting of people with the aliases Geo. Tom and Mic. These three people, one of which will be me, and one of which will be a new member-Tom. This addition of a member will aid in the reinvention of the band and sense of recreation that their product will have. Moreover, I feel as though the addition of a third member only makes sense, as the band (or their AS counterparts) originally had three different masks. In fact, if we look at the front cover I created for my AS coursework, there are three different variations of photos of me wearing three different masks. Now however I actually have the three people to fit the three masks, even though they won't actually be worn by the band members anymore.

Moreover, the switch to Rock as apposed to the hybrid rap-rock genre gives reason for the use of the band shirts in my music video. The band member Geo, played by me, wears a jersey bearing the name and an official design of popular rock band A Day to Remember, and band member Mic sprouts a similar jersey bearing the Fall Out Boy name. The use of band shirts in the video game reality by the characters is also representative of the new change, as the enemy played by Tom sprouts two different variations of band shirts for each of his appearances. Additionally, it only makes sense to provide each of these band members with a backstory and previous history in the industry.
Firstly, Tom has previous experience with a band, but left due to them being more money centered rather than making music for the love of doing so. He left his former band to join Buried In Boston after hearing of their reformation.



For reference, here is the front cover, contents page and double page spread I created for my AS coursework