What goes into making a hit song in the TikTok era?
Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.
Note to Teachers: As with all our films, please preview to make sure the film is appropriate for your students.
“How a Gen-Z Disney Star Wrote a Runaway Hit” is a nine-minute film that touches on themes of collaboration, creativity and success. It profiles the 17-year old singer-songwriter and actress Olivia Rodrigo and her producer Dan Nigro as they take us behind the scenes to learn how they created the smash hit “Drivers License” — which broke streaming records across the world.
What goes into making a hit song in the TikTok era?
Students
1. Watch the short film above. While you watch, you might take notes using our Film Club Double-Entry Journal (PDF) to help you remember specific moments.
2. After watching, think about these questions:
-
What moments in this film stood out for you? Why?
-
Were there any surprises? Anything that challenged what you know — or thought you knew?
-
What messages, emotions or ideas will you take away from this film? Why?
-
What questions do you still have?
-
What connections can you make between this film and your own life or experience? Why? Does this film remind you of anything else you’ve read or seen? If so, how and why?
3. An additional challenge | Respond to the essential question at the top of this post: What goes into making a hit song in the TikTok era?
4. Next, join the conversation by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box that opens on the right. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment, although teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students have to say.)
5. After you have posted, try reading back to see what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting another comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.
6. To learn more, read “Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Drivers License’ Hit No. 1 in a Week. Here’s How,” written in January when the song first reached the top of the record charts. Joe Coscarelli writes:
The music industry’s first runaway hit single of the year is at once a time-tested model — a Disney actress pivoting to pop with a catchy and confessional breakup ballad — and also an unprecedented TikTok-era smash by a teenager.
“Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo, 17, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on Tuesday, following a record-breaking first week across streaming services like Spotify and Amazon Music. Along the way, the autobiographical song kicked up tabloid and social media speculation as listeners tried to piece together its real-life parallels as if it were a track by Rodrigo’s hero, Taylor Swift. TikTok videos led to blog posts, which led to streams, which led to news articles, and back around again. The feedback loop made it unbeatable.
“It’s been the absolute craziest week of my life,” Rodrigo, who really did get her driver’s license last year, said in an interview. “My entire life just, like, shifted in an instant.”
At a shaky and uncertain time for the music business, amid the pandemic and civil unrest, “Drivers License” was released across platforms and with a broody music video on Jan. 8 by Geffen Records. The song was then streamed more than 76.1 million times in the United States for the week, according to Billboard, the highest total since “WAP,” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, in August (93 million). On Spotify, “Drivers License” set a daily record for global streams for a non-holiday song on Jan. 11, and then beat its own number the next day, eventually setting the service’s record for most streams in a week worldwide.
Want More Film Club?
• See all the films in this series.
• Read our list of practical teaching ideas, along with responses from students and teachers, for how you can use these documentaries in the classroom.
https://ift.tt/2OkbrFE
Film
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Film Club: ‘How a Gen-Z Disney Star Wrote a Runaway Hit’ - The New York Times"
Post a Comment