Jump to content

Chartjackers

Edit links
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Vobedd (talk | contribs) at 13:21, 23 October 2010 (→Awards: I don't think there's any need for this table to be sortable...). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Chartjackers
Title screen
Genre
Developed byAndy Mettam
Starring
Narrated byMistaJam
Opening theme"Put 'Em Under Pressure" by Republic of Ireland Football Squad
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes11
Production
Executive producerJonathan Davenport
ProducerAdam King
EditorWill Hodgson
Running time
  • 10× 5 minutes
  • 1× 30 minutes
Production companyHat Trick
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
Release12 September (2009-09-12) –
21 November 2009 (2009-11-21)

Chartjackers (pronounced /ˈtʃɑːrtdʒækərz/) was a BBC television series, produced by Hat Trick Productions and commissioned by BBC Switch. It premièred in the United Kingdom on 12 September 2009 on BBC Two and garnered a viewing figures peak of almost half a million with its final episode. The series documented the lives of four teenage vloggers over the course of ten weeks, as they attempted to write, record and release a pop song, with the goal to "sell an estimated 25,000 singles to achieve their dream of a number one single".[1]

The Chartjackers single was written entirely through crowdsourcing, with the song's title, lyrics, melody, singers, band, production, cover art and music video all being solicited from the global online community. A cross-platform project, the show made use of online alternative media such as YouTube and Twitter. The crowdsourcing of the track took the format of the four vloggers posting videos to a dedicated YouTube channel named "ChartJackersProject", where they asked viewers to suggest various ideas for the final song.

After receiving advice from industry experts such as Charlie Simpson and David and Carrie Grant, the completed Chartjackers single, entitled "I've Got Nothing", was released through the iTunes Store at the end of the ten weeks on 9 November. The track received mainly negative reviews from music critics and sold approximately 20,000 copies worldwide; this earned a peak position of Number 36 in the UK Singles Chart and raised just under £10,000 for the UK charity Children in Need.

Synopsis

The Chartjackers leading team consisted of four YouTube users named Johnny Haggart, Jimmy Hill, Charlie McDonnell and Alex Day. On 5 September, the team announced on "ChartJackersProject" their intention to release a single that would reach Number One on the UK Singles Chart within their ten-week time frame. A different task would be undertaken each week, so that, by the end of the project, the song would be completed.[2]

The first week began with the task of writing the song's lyrics. To generate potential lyrics, Chartjackers viewers were asked each to post one line as a video comment.[3] Viewers posted more than 4,000 comments,[4] from which were selected the winning lines. These lyrics were posted to the Internet the following week, with the chorus having been composed by YouTube user "blakeisno1" and the repeated phrase "I've Got Nothing" chosen for the song's title. Viewers were then asked to create a melody for the lyrics and submit it in a video response, so that one could be chosen for the single.[5]

After a total of 51 melodies had been sent in,[6] the winning entry, composed by 19-year-old YouTube user Jonny Dark, was selected from them during the project's third week.[7] Dark's composition was inspired by "Strawberry Swing" by British band Coldplay and drew heavily from the song's chords. It was then revealed that a band would be put together to perform the Chartjackers single and that any potential members should apply by submitting video auditions.[7][8] Within a week, hundreds of auditions were sent in, which the group reviewed and selected from them their ten favourites to go through as finalists.[9] These ten finalists performed for the four boys at a working men's club in Wellfield during the project's fifth week,[10] where Miranda Chartrand, a 19-year-old au pair from Stroud, Gloucestershire, and Adam Nichols, an 18-year-old musician from Essex, were selected to sing on the official release.[11] A week later, following a request to help to produce the single,[12] "I've Got Nothing" was co-written and recorded by record producer Marc Dowding at University of Wales in Newport, South Wales.[13][14]

A young girl, a person dressed as a large smiling, yellow teddy bear and a young man stand in a grassy park, with their hands over their hearts. Their mouths are open, as if singing. The girl is wearing a blue jacket and a yellow scarf. The man is wearing a checked shirt and a white T-shirt. The teddy bear outfit has a polka dot bandana stitched over the bear's right eye.
Chartrand (left) and Nichols with Children in Need mascot Pudsey Bear in the music video for "I've Got Nothing".

After receiving advice from video director Corin Hardy,[15] the music video for "I've Got Nothing" was filmed during week seven. To begin promoting its release, the team petitioned 95.8 Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to try to get the radio coverage for the single,[16] but it was not playlisted and received no airplay. The boys feared that the song would not chart at all, so urged viewers to spam the Twitter feeds of DJs such as Reggie Yates and Scott Mills, to encourage them to play the single on their respective shows.[17] The DJs did not take kindly to this decision.[18][19] To continue the single's promotion, a gathering took place at the music venue 93 Feet East in London on 4 November, where the single was performed live for the first time by Chartrand and Nichols.[20] Five days later, "I've Got Nothing" was released online.[21] The midweeks placed the single at Number 39, but sales of "I've Got Nothing" increased after comedian Stephen Fry (who provides an outro for McDonnell's YouTube videos) was convinced to promote the single on his Twitter profile.[22]

On 15 November, it was revealed on The Radio 1 Chart Show that "I've Got Nothing" had reached Number 36 in the UK Singles Chart, which disappointed the boys.[23] The song had been distributed through the independent label Swinging Mantis,[24] therefore it qualified for inclusion in the UK Indie Chart, where it reached Number One.[25] Sales of the single raised just under £10,000 for Children in Need.[23]

Celebrity guests

A young woman with straight blonde hair wearing a grey jacket and a purple-sequined skirt sits on a chair in a large, stylist living room. On a sofa in front of her sit two teenage boys and a teenage girl, leaning forward as if listening intently to what she is saying.
Stylist Hannah Sandling (far left) featured on episode seven of Chartjackers.

Over the course of the series, several figures from both the music and entertainment industry made an appearance on Chartjackers, usually to offer advice or encouragement to the four boys. The first celebrity to feature on the show was former pop star Chesney Hawkes, who remarked that he felt that the team had "every experience between [them] to actually pull [their aim of reaching Number One] off".[4] During the project's fourth week, vocal coaches David and Carrie Grant offered advice to the group on what criteria to use when judging the submitted video auditions,[9] while Charlie Simpson of Fightstar explained to the boys the differences between releasing music through major and independent labels the following week.[11] During week six, the team met with Peter Oakley, who spoke about his own chart success as part of The Zimmers, and Hardy, who advised ways in which the music video could be filmed.[15] The next week, the group received advice from celebrity stylist Hannah Sandling, who suggested how Chartrand and Nichols should be styled for the video, and entertainment journalist Rav Singh, who discussed how to get airplay for "I've Got Nothing" through publicity stunts.[16] Chartjackers also featured a video message from indie rock band The Young Knives, who wished the team success.

Production

"I've Got Nothing"
A 26-second audio sample of the completed Chartjackers single.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Chartjackers was conceived by the British television brand BBC Switch as part of a season of multi-platform content intended to appeal to teenagers,[26] with its main focus being its direct link to that year's Children in Need appeal.[27] Hat Trick Productions was commissioned to produce Chartjackers, with the show being executively produced by Jonathan Davenport, the company's digital department head. Davenport had previously worked on similar cross-platform projects that incorporated both television and online media, such as the video podcast of Have I Got News For You[28] and the YouTube-based series Bryony Makes a Zombie Movie.[29] The four boys who made up the leading team were cast for their familiarity to young British YouTube viewers and to "act as Pied Pipers to the teen audience";[27] Chartrand and Nichols were cast partway through the programme's series and featured in the remainder of the episodes.[11]

The show was distributed both on television and online. It ran for a single series of eleven episodes; 10 episodes lasted for five minutes each, with the final compilation episode running for half an hour and gaining a viewership peak of half a million.[30] Chartjackers premièred in the UK on BBC Two on 12 November 2009 at 12:50 p.m. as part of the channel's two-hour long BBC Switch segment,[1] and was also uploaded to the YouTube channel "BBCSwitch" the same day.[2] This practice of broadcasting an episode on BBC Two and uploading it to the "BBCSwitch" YouTube channel the same day continued throughout the series. Episodes were also streamed online through BBC iPlayer to UK residents for seven days after their initial broadcast.[31]

Reception

Critical response

"This stands as a shining example of how all the goodwill in the world isn't going to guarantee mass public support and so setting out a defined aim (such as a Number One single) which fails to take into account this one final variable will inevitably result in a small sense of 'failure' when the true reality of reality TV finally kicks in."

— James Masterton[32]

Although radio stations, newspapers and magazines were all canvassed,[33] Chartjackers was largely ignored by the mainstream media and received generally negative reviews. It was misrepresented in an article on The Times website, which mistook the four boys for a new boy band.[34] Fraser McAlpine of BBC Radio 1's Chart Blog said that the project showed a basic "contempt for music" and "the public at large".[35] James Masterton of Yahoo! Music called Chartjackers "something of a failure" and its charting "lacklustre".[32] He did not mention it at all in his weekly chart podcast.[36] Eammon Forde of Music Week said the decision to release the single without management was "ridiculous" and that the campaign was "doomed";[34] Pocket-lint described the show as a "car crash".[37] The project was quickly overshadowed by a similar, more successful campaign to get "Killing in the Name" by American metal band Rage Against the Machine to top the UK Singles Chart for Christmas 2009.[38][39]

Awards

"I've Got Nothing"

"Chartjackers"
Song

Critical reception

Like the series from which it originated, "I've Got Nothing" was poorly received by critics. Popjustice called the effort "very bad";[42] Ellie Halfacre of Tower Review explained that "some commented that the melody was bad, and others said it was the lyrics".[43] Digital Spy gave the single three stars out of five, predicting that it was "unlikely to make much of a top 40 impact".[44] Record producer Mike Stock said that the song had "no killer melody",[45] while singer VV Brown suggested that "the lyrics could be better".[46]

Music video

The music video for "I've Got Nothing" was created largely through crowdsourcing, in a manner similar to the writing of the song itself. On 8 October, Chartjackers viewers were invited to film video clips of themselves either singing- or clapping-along with the track and to submit them as video responses.[47] Following the advice received from Hardy, Day filmed footage of Chartrand and Nichols singing the song in a London park, along with an actor dressed as Children in Need mascot Pudsey Bear. This footage, along with some of the clips that had been submitted by viewers, was then used to construct the final music video for the single, which McDonnell edited.[16]

Live performances

"I've Got Nothing" was performed live twice. The first occasion was at the 93 Feet East gathering on 4 November, during the promotion of the single's release. The gathering featured performances from other YouTube users and was headlined by Hawkes.[48] The second occurrence was four days later at Switch Live 2009, an awards show organised by BBC Switch at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo, where a performance of "I've Got Nothing" opened the event.[49]

Track listing

Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."I've Got Nothing"2:50

Chart performance and sales

"I've Got Nothing" was released worldwide through the iTunes Store on 9 November 2009. Each copy was sold for 79p,[34] with 50p going to Children in Need after iTunes deductions. A total of 8,367 copies were downloaded in the UK,[50] giving "I've Got Nothing" a chart placing of Number 36 in the UK Singles Chart[51] and Number One in the UK Indie Chart.[25] The following week the single dropped nine places in the UK Indie Chart[52] and fell out of the UK Top 100 altogether.[53] The song sold approximately 20,000 copies worldwide,[23] but did not make the singles chart in any other country.

Chart (2009) Peak
position
UK Indie (OCC)[54] 1
UK Singles (OCC)[55] 36

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Chartjackers, Episode 1". London: BBC Switch. 12 September 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Episode 1". Chartjackers. Episode 1. 12 September 2009. BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Lyrics Week". Youtube. 8 September 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  4. ^ a b Nissim, Mayer (18 September 2009). "Hawkes backs BBC 'Chartjackers'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  5. ^ "Melodies Week". Youtube. 17 September 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  6. ^ "Episode 2". Chartjackers. Episode 2. 19 September 2009. BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b "Auditions - We need a band". Youtube. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  8. ^ "Episode 3". Chartjackers. Episode 3. 26 September 2009. BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ a b "Episode 4". Chartjackers. Episode 4. 3 October 2009. BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Club comes into focus for new TV show". Rochdale: Rochdale Observer. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ a b c "Episode 5". Chartjackers. Episode 5. 10 October 2009. BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Producer Search & Band Auditions!". YouTube. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  13. ^ "Chartjackers' hit produced by Creative Newport Student". Newport: University of Wales, Newport. 23 October 2010. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  14. ^ Dowding, Marc (2 November 2009). "BBC Chartjackers and other news". MySpace. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
  15. ^ a b "Episode 6". Chartjackers. Episode 6. 17 October 2009. BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ a b c "Episode 7". Chartjackers. Episode 7. 24 October 2009. BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "Episode 8: CRISIS POINT!". Chartjackers. Episode 8. 31 October 2009. BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Yates, Reggie (20 October 2009). "Spam is the worst way to g ..." Twitter. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
  19. ^ Mills, Scott (20 October 2009). "Thanks for your MILLIONS o ..." Twitter. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  20. ^ "Episode 9". Chartjackers. Episode 9. 7 November 2009. BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "Episode 10". Chartjackers. Episode 10. 14 November 2009. BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ Fry, Stephen (11 November 2009). "The great @coollike &co ha ..." Twitter. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
  23. ^ a b c Producers: Jonathan Davenport and Adam King (21 November 2009). "Compilation". Chartjackers. Episode 11. BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "The Official Chart with Reggie Yates, 15/11/2009". London: BBC Radio 1. 15 November 2009. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  25. ^ a b "Archive Chart". The Official Charts Company. 15 November 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  26. ^ "Four YouTube legends, one mind-blowing challenge as Chartjackers comes to BBC Switch". London: BBC. 8 September 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  27. ^ a b "Entertainment Development Priorities". London: BBC. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  28. ^ "A lot more news for you". Chortle. 11 April 2007. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  29. ^ "Production file: Hat Trick Productions". New Media Age. 22 October 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  30. ^ "Fact Sheet". Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  31. ^ "Chartjackers". London: BBC Switch. 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  32. ^ a b Masterton, James (16 November 2009). "Chart Watch UK". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
  33. ^ "More composed now". 20 December 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2010. ... We asked traditional radio to play the song. We asked newspapers and magazines for coverage ...
  34. ^ a b c Bowers, Mary (13 November 2009). "YouTube if you want to be a star". The Times. Retrieved 10 December 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  35. ^ McAlpine, Fraser (14 December 2009). "Thoughts About Rage Against The Machine vs X Factor". London: BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  36. ^ Writer: James Masterton (19 November 2009). "Week Ending November 21st". James Masterton's Chart Update.
  37. ^ Hughes, Ian (7 October 2009). "VIDEO OF THE DAY - Chartjackers". Pocket-lint. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  38. ^ "Rage Against The Machine to take on 'The X Factor' for Christmas Number One". NME. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  39. ^ Famethrowa, Johnny (4 December 2009). "Rage Against The "X-Factor"". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  40. ^ a b "Shortlist". EMAP. 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  41. ^ "Winners". EMAP. 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  42. ^ "Subtle hints that Simon Cowell might not always be musically motivated". Popjustice. 16 November 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  43. ^ Halfacre, Ellie (19 January 2010). "I've Got Nothing". Tower Review. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
  44. ^ Balls, David (9 November 2009). "Music - Single Reviews". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
  45. ^ "Episode 3". Chartjackers. Episode 3. 26 September 2009. 3:29 minutes in. BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  46. ^ "Episode 3". Chartjackers. Episode 3. 26 September 2009. 1:57 minutes in. BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  47. ^ "Sing-along and Clap-along". YouTube. 8 October 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  48. ^ Nissim, Mayer (3 November 2009). "Chesney Hawkes to play with Chartjackers". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
  49. ^ "Go Chartjackers! And Tom Deacon. Obvs". London: BBC Switch. 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  50. ^ Jones, Alan (21 November 2009). Williams, Paul (ed.). "Peas take Halfway the whole way...". Music Week. London: Joe Hosken: 36. ISSN 0265-1548. OCLC 60620772.
  51. ^ "Singles Chart For 21/11/09". Chart Stats. 16 November 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
  52. ^ "Archive Chart". The Official Charts Company. 22 November 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  53. ^ "Singles Chart For 28/11/09". Chart Stats. 23 November 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
  54. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  55. ^ "Chartjackers: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 May 2010.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chartjackers&oldid=392399829"