Transcription
And if you're thinking about the brand as a movie, you should be looking at social media as the scenes in this movie.
[Music]
Neighborhood, neighborhood. Supply, supply.
[Music]
Often, one of the main issues I see from artists is that they're trying to show the audience all of themselves, every side, instead of the sides that are authentic to their brand. We as people are complex human beings. Sometimes we're funny, sometimes we want to explore, sometimes we want to create, sometimes we want to rebel. But to the audience, it's confusing when things are inconsistent. The strongest brands have a specific point of view, associations, references, consistent motivations, and are easily understood.
But what is brand, really? The way I like to think about brand is, it's a movie that the audience is watching. Who are the characters? What's the story? What do the characters care about? What motivates them? Once an audience clearly understands what the movie is about and who the characters are involved in the movie, then they can decide if that movie is for them or not. Is this a comedy movie? Is it a horror? Is it a drama? Is it a drama? What kind of movie is this?
Consistencies within the movie and good storytelling is what it's all about. People use movies, art, and music to define their own identities. Movies with strong associations, references, and themes make it easy for the audience to know if they care about what the brand represents. For example, if somebody who's wearing a shirt from the band Rage Against the Machine, there's a lot of things that they're saying about themselves outside of "I'm a fan of Rage Against the Machine the band." They may be saying that they're following what's going on in modern politics or movements having to do with social injustices because Rage, through their music and through their brand and through their art, has let the audience know what they represent and what they care about. So then, by being a fan of that band, you are a fan of the music, but you're also a fan of what the band represents and how they think.
Another good example: Childish Gambino, Donald Glover. He's using the Childish Gambino project to be expressive, but he's also showing his point of view, his opinions. The metaphors that he has in his music videos and music show what his point of view is, show what his opinions are, and it makes it really easy for the audience to either identify with what he's saying or not. The stories or brands of these two artists are really clear in what they represent. So for the audience, it's either for you or it's not. But either way, it's clear.
So while I think understanding this concept is pretty simple, how do you actually create a compelling story? How does the audience understand your story? So currently, most artists are telling their story through social media. And if you're thinking about the brand as a movie, you should be looking at social media as the scenes in this movie. And in your movie, you wouldn't post a viral dance or a breakdown of how you made a track if that's not the brand. If the movie was more cool, dark, and moody, it wouldn't make sense to have a viral dance as part of the brand.
This is something I see all the time with artists because often the artists are seeking engagement instead of seeking good storytelling. And these are artists with great music. They just might not know yet who they are or what the movie is about. Think about how quickly whenever you're watching a movie that you can lose interest in that movie. That maybe there's a scene that a boring scene, and all of a sudden, all the work that's been done to get you into this movie and get you into the story, you start to check your phone, you start thinking about what you're going to have for dinner. And that one scene, that one boring scene, can throw you from even finishing the movie. That's why nothing that's shown in movies is shown by accident. It's all to drive the story forward and keep you interested in what's going on with the story and the characters.
So the sooner that you see brands as movies and the social posts as scenes, you'll start to see how really good movies engage audiences. And while we're on the movie analogy thing, what are the best movies? What are the most memorable movies? I know that everybody's going to have a different opinion on this, but to me, the most memorable movies and the best movies are the weird ones. They're the ones that have unique concepts where they're referencing different things, but they're creating a new recipe that's never been seen by audiences before.
And what about a movie with a great story, great characters? There's some sort of lesson or something for the audience to take away or learn about the opinion of the artist that made that movie. Often, to me, I feel like some of the best movies are the movies that leave me curious afterwards, that leave me wanting to research and learn more about whatever the topic was of the movie that I just watched.
And so then, if those are the best movies, what are the worst movies? And again, this is just my opinion, but to me, the worst movies are the movies that take pre-existing IP, thinking that the audience just wants to see a recycled thing again, makes exactly that same thing, puts it out, and then hopes that it performs well. But it's more of a money-driven endeavor than it is an artistic endeavor. And those movies are rarely box office hits, Oscar winners, cult classics, because it's about the money and the business. It's called the movie business. Movie is first, business is second. The music business or the music industry. Music is first, and business and industry is second. So you've got to have a great movie. You've got to have great music before the business part of it even starts.
And this is what many artists are doing without even realizing it. They're looking at other brands that are performing well and they just copy what they're doing. This will never work because it's not authentic to them, and that other brand already exists. That movie's already been done. Art isn't a competition. It's a unique offering of your point of view, your opinions, and your taste. That's what the audience cares about. That's what the audience wants to see and hear. Your taste, your opinions, not how well you can mimic another artist.
So how can you craft your brand and your movie? A great way to come up with ideas for your script is to look at your own life. Remember your past. Think about the things that you remember from your past that stick out in your mind and are unique to you and your experience in life. What are those things? What are the first memories that come up from childhood, from teenage years, from high school, from early college days? Those memories make up you and your unique experience. No one else has lived the life that you've lived. And that's what the audience wants to understand. That's what they want to see. That's what's interesting to them is your experience.
And then you take that experience and you put it into your art because you've formed opinions through the different things that have happened in your life. And those opinions may relate to another person. They may identify with your point of view and the art that you've made. So then when you begin writing your script, you're answering these questions: What do you like? What are you trying to say? What do you care about? What is this movie actually about? And then that starts to inform who the characters are, what does the set look like, which is the visual language that goes along with your brand. If you can answer these questions, you can begin to write your beautiful master script.
If you need help, you know where we are. But I appreciate you watching this video and I hope that looking at brands as a movie is something that helps you in the future with your brand building and storytelling.
[Music]
Ever wonder how to truly cut through the noise and get your music to a broader audience? The Cult Creatives is a niche agency servicing the communities and brands surrounding the spaces of music and fashion. Our unique backgrounds of being highly involved with some of the largest music and fashion brands in the world gives us a unique perspective on how to connect creatives with their audiences. We offer a variety of services including creative direction, design, photography, videography, and strategy. Head to thecultcreatives.com to learn more. The Cult Creatives. Not to be replicated, but if you try, we wouldn't blame you.