Friday 16 December 2011
Analysis of our Digipak and Advert
Digipak Analysis
We created our digipak in a simplistic style, we stuck to basic but bold colours, red, white and black. This was also echoed through our digipak album.
The white and black had been included at first as the only two colours as these were perfect for our idea of having a silhouette of a band on the front cover, which would then be followed through with simply black and white text and borders. We then included the red as it tied in with our performance shots in our music video, where all the shots featuring the band had a slight red hue and were filmed in a red performance studio.
The border we used was a 'scratch/grunge' style border, we used this as it matched with the rock genre and generally suited our already existing design.
All in all we are pleased with the final digipak design and the groups effort to complete it. The colours work well, and the borders are suitable.
Advert Analysis
This advert follows the overall theme of the digipak we have created. This was the black and white theme with the red for important information such as the reviews. This would mean that you would be able to identify the digipak just by looking at the theme on it.
we made the rating and the release date stand out in red as this would help people to make a decision into wether they would buy it or not. They would see the review as one of the first things, see that it's good and then be enticed into looking at the entire poster. They would then see that it is out now and look for it in the shops. This means that the the theme and font work together to make a very good advertising machine. The review and release date by making them look for it and the combination of the theme to make it easy for them to buy. As it was an easier process to find it they will feel in a better mood and be more likely to buy it.
The border around the edge draws attention to the center as they will be looking at the text as it stands out more and it signifies that it is of the rock genre. This makes people of our target audience want to buy it.
We created our digipak in a simplistic style, we stuck to basic but bold colours, red, white and black. This was also echoed through our digipak album.
The white and black had been included at first as the only two colours as these were perfect for our idea of having a silhouette of a band on the front cover, which would then be followed through with simply black and white text and borders. We then included the red as it tied in with our performance shots in our music video, where all the shots featuring the band had a slight red hue and were filmed in a red performance studio.
The border we used was a 'scratch/grunge' style border, we used this as it matched with the rock genre and generally suited our already existing design.
All in all we are pleased with the final digipak design and the groups effort to complete it. The colours work well, and the borders are suitable.
Advert Analysis
This advert follows the overall theme of the digipak we have created. This was the black and white theme with the red for important information such as the reviews. This would mean that you would be able to identify the digipak just by looking at the theme on it.
we made the rating and the release date stand out in red as this would help people to make a decision into wether they would buy it or not. They would see the review as one of the first things, see that it's good and then be enticed into looking at the entire poster. They would then see that it is out now and look for it in the shops. This means that the the theme and font work together to make a very good advertising machine. The review and release date by making them look for it and the combination of the theme to make it easy for them to buy. As it was an easier process to find it they will feel in a better mood and be more likely to buy it.
The border around the edge draws attention to the center as they will be looking at the text as it stands out more and it signifies that it is of the rock genre. This makes people of our target audience want to buy it.
Evaluation: Question Two
Importance of brand identity
Brand identity is crucial to all aspects when creating the video itself, the digipak and the advert. The band identity is important as it is how the band will be seen and viewed in the public eye. The way the band are portrayed is vital to future success, they must come across as respectful otherwise they may be frowned upon by the public and this could impact sales and general success.
How we created brand identity
Brand identity is created through all stages of production, their clothing matters, the digipak colours matter and the overall layout of everything matters. Our band were always dressed appropriately and generally smartly. The colours we used were consistent and helped to create an overall band identity, showing consistency and a smart style. This will all add together and create a suitable and successful band identity.
How we think the digipak will sell the song/band?
The digipak has got a simplistic look, which adds to the smart and bold band image that we have tried to create. The clean look and lack of 'disapproved images' also allows us to access a wider audience as there will be no parental locks overshadowing our video. This again also adds to the respectful band image.
How we think the advert will sell the song/band?
The advert is a clear echo of the digipak design. This allows us to continue our simplistic and respectful band identity. Much like the video and digipak this will not feature an explicit or inappropriate content, again widening our audience and creating a more popular and better recognised band identity.
What elements communicate the genre to the audience?
The entire performance part of our music video communicates the genre to the audience. The instruments themselves add the feel of a rock genre music video. The border used in our advert and digipak offers a grunge feel which adds to the rock genre.
Brand identity is crucial to all aspects when creating the video itself, the digipak and the advert. The band identity is important as it is how the band will be seen and viewed in the public eye. The way the band are portrayed is vital to future success, they must come across as respectful otherwise they may be frowned upon by the public and this could impact sales and general success.
How we created brand identity
Brand identity is created through all stages of production, their clothing matters, the digipak colours matter and the overall layout of everything matters. Our band were always dressed appropriately and generally smartly. The colours we used were consistent and helped to create an overall band identity, showing consistency and a smart style. This will all add together and create a suitable and successful band identity.
How we think the digipak will sell the song/band?
The digipak has got a simplistic look, which adds to the smart and bold band image that we have tried to create. The clean look and lack of 'disapproved images' also allows us to access a wider audience as there will be no parental locks overshadowing our video. This again also adds to the respectful band image.
How we think the advert will sell the song/band?
The advert is a clear echo of the digipak design. This allows us to continue our simplistic and respectful band identity. Much like the video and digipak this will not feature an explicit or inappropriate content, again widening our audience and creating a more popular and better recognised band identity.
What elements communicate the genre to the audience?
The entire performance part of our music video communicates the genre to the audience. The instruments themselves add the feel of a rock genre music video. The border used in our advert and digipak offers a grunge feel which adds to the rock genre.
Wednesday 14 December 2011
Tuesday 13 December 2011
Evaluation: Question Four
Blogger
For our coursework, we were required to use Blogger in order to keep track and record of all of our developments pre, during and post production.
Benefits
Blogger enabled us to neatly organise our work into a way where it followed the checklist correctly and, if we made any changes to one of our posts, we only needed to hit the update button. This allowed for instantaneous sharing with our teachers as they could follow our blogs and then give us recommendations on how to improve our work through the comments system as it is a web 2.0 service.
Difficulties
Some videos we uploaded such as the focus group and the final music video didn’t fit in the blog post guidelines, which made the blog look unattractive.Prezzi
We used Prezzi to create an alternative way of posting on Blogger, so that the posts would not be just essay style posts.
Benefits
Prezzis were a unique way of posting; they offered something different which made the posts and the blog itself more appealing.
Difficulties
Difficulties encountered include the graphic user interface being complicated and, at times, inaccessible. There was also no spelling check with in the program meaning that you had to proofread it yourself. This meant that human error could sometime play a role in words being spelled wrong.
Apple Macs
Apple Macs were the foundations for everything we did during our project. These contained all the software we needed to carry out our tasks.
Benefits
The Apple Macs had all the software we needed, to produce our professional media products. Websites weren’t restricted when we needed to use the websites for our blogs and our media products, which were a great help to us.Difficulties
Difficulties encountered whilst using the Apple Macs, include the inability to bring up the context menu without pressing two buttons, the keyboards which are uncomfortable to use, the inability to truly maximise a window, the inability for Safari to properly render HTML, the desktop that was cluttered throughout the project, the inefficient cooling mechanism that made the Mac extremely hot while rendering our project, the locking of certain applications by technical support, the lack of a word processor that matches the windows version.
Digital Cameras
These were high quality cameras that enabled us to create professional looking shots.
Benefits
The benefits of using the digital cameras, included their high quality image, they’re lightweight and their ease of use.Difficulties
The cameras had quite a short battery life, and took a long time to transfer the shots onto Final Cut Pro.
Final CutThis piece of software enabled us to use professional effects and editing techniques, in order to create a music video that was of professional standards.
Benefits
It had all the required tools we needed to create a professional standard of music video. It offered a wide range of different effects and filters to insert over our video.
Difficulties
The difficulties faced whilst using Final Cut Pro were those such as the software was quite complex to use.
For our coursework, we were required to use Blogger in order to keep track and record of all of our developments pre, during and post production.
Benefits
Blogger enabled us to neatly organise our work into a way where it followed the checklist correctly and, if we made any changes to one of our posts, we only needed to hit the update button. This allowed for instantaneous sharing with our teachers as they could follow our blogs and then give us recommendations on how to improve our work through the comments system as it is a web 2.0 service.
Difficulties
Some videos we uploaded such as the focus group and the final music video didn’t fit in the blog post guidelines, which made the blog look unattractive.Prezzi
We used Prezzi to create an alternative way of posting on Blogger, so that the posts would not be just essay style posts.
Benefits
Prezzis were a unique way of posting; they offered something different which made the posts and the blog itself more appealing.
Difficulties
Difficulties encountered include the graphic user interface being complicated and, at times, inaccessible. There was also no spelling check with in the program meaning that you had to proofread it yourself. This meant that human error could sometime play a role in words being spelled wrong.
Apple Macs
Apple Macs were the foundations for everything we did during our project. These contained all the software we needed to carry out our tasks.
Benefits
The Apple Macs had all the software we needed, to produce our professional media products. Websites weren’t restricted when we needed to use the websites for our blogs and our media products, which were a great help to us.Difficulties
Difficulties encountered whilst using the Apple Macs, include the inability to bring up the context menu without pressing two buttons, the keyboards which are uncomfortable to use, the inability to truly maximise a window, the inability for Safari to properly render HTML, the desktop that was cluttered throughout the project, the inefficient cooling mechanism that made the Mac extremely hot while rendering our project, the locking of certain applications by technical support, the lack of a word processor that matches the windows version.
Digital Cameras
These were high quality cameras that enabled us to create professional looking shots.
Benefits
The benefits of using the digital cameras, included their high quality image, they’re lightweight and their ease of use.Difficulties
The cameras had quite a short battery life, and took a long time to transfer the shots onto Final Cut Pro.
Final CutThis piece of software enabled us to use professional effects and editing techniques, in order to create a music video that was of professional standards.
Benefits
It had all the required tools we needed to create a professional standard of music video. It offered a wide range of different effects and filters to insert over our video.
Difficulties
The difficulties faced whilst using Final Cut Pro were those such as the software was quite complex to use.
Photoshop
Photoshop helped us create our digipak and digipak advert; this piece of software came in very handy when it came to creating these media products.
Benefits
The benefits of Photoshop, we feel were the fact that it was easy to use, it produced professional looking media products for our work, and showed professionalism throughout.
Difficulties
One of the major difficulties with Photoshop is that it can be very hard to use without prior experience or tutorials. Because of this, Photoshop was much harder to pick up and use compared to other products but when we got the hang of it, the program was easy to use.
Digital Audio Recorders
We used this piece of hardware to record our voices to be used with in a directors’ commentary.
Benefits
Benefits included with the digital audio recorders, were that they were easy and simple to use, and helped us create a clear sounding directors commentary.
YouTube
We used this video-sharing site to share our focus groups and our music video, and to analyse and research existing music videos.
Benefits
YouTube was an extremely useful website for us. It allowed us easy access to our own videos when it came to sharing them between the group for our own individual uploads. This was also useful for researching already existing music videos.
Difficulties
YouTube was blocked on certain Apple Macs and therefore was not always the most reliable website to use. It often required an admin to unblock it occasionally, which was inconvenient.
Monday 12 December 2011
Update: 12th December 2011
Our music video is now complete, we are all pleased with the result and are sure that there is no more tweaking to be done. The video will hopefully be uploaded in the next couple of days.
Wednesday 7 December 2011
Representation within our Music Video
Representation within our music video is quite straight forward. Due to our target audience being around the ages of 16-24 our actor in the narrative side of the video belonged to this age group. The performance side of the video also matched our target audience by pleasing the musicians and traditional rock fans who enjoy performance in a rock music video.
Character costume was something we focused on quite a lot when preparing and filming our video. We kept our actors costume smart and suitable whilst paying close attention to colours. His clothing was kept dark to portray his emotion, the lyrics through visuals and to follow typical conventions of the rock genre. The band also wore mainly dark clothing, mimicking that of other rock bands.
Our actor was also portrayed in a dark light the majority of the time, we also added a colour correction and vignette borders to the majority of our shots to darken shots and again reinforce the tone of the lyrics and the gener.
Character costume was something we focused on quite a lot when preparing and filming our video. We kept our actors costume smart and suitable whilst paying close attention to colours. His clothing was kept dark to portray his emotion, the lyrics through visuals and to follow typical conventions of the rock genre. The band also wore mainly dark clothing, mimicking that of other rock bands.
Our actor was also portrayed in a dark light the majority of the time, we also added a colour correction and vignette borders to the majority of our shots to darken shots and again reinforce the tone of the lyrics and the gener.
Tuesday 6 December 2011
Evaluation: Question One
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Conventions: Video
During the creation of our music video we always kept in mind the conventions of music videos, specifically rock music videos. We followed a vast majority of these conventions during the planning, filming and editing stages of our music video. Two aspects we focused on that are present in the majority of rock music videos are, the speed of the shots and the colour of the shots. It was once editing that we mainly focused on these conventions, however the shots under the bridge were filmed with the intention of darkness. The speed of the shots was a major focus, as we noticed quick snappy shots were used in the majority of successful music videos. Colouring was altered after editing along with the short shots. We slightly desaturated the brighter colours and emphasised the darker colours, this came out extremely well and helped portray emotion and the relation between lyrics and visuals.
Conventions: Genre
Some genre conventions that we ensured to feature in our music video were; colours, band costume and band/performance mise-en-scene. All of these tie in together under the heading of mise-en-scene, this was a major aspect that we focused on throughout. The colours used are important to most videos, they are used as signifier's for emotion and we implemented this in our music video. The darkness for rock and the darkness for our characters mood. His dark purple shirt was a choice made be us in order to help show his depression and as for the band costume, dark clothes where used as a matching part of all rock performance music videos. Finally the location for filming the performance footage was a local recording studio. This mirrors a lot of rock music videos where the band are seen playing in studios, live or in large open rooms most of the time and we wanted to continue this trend in our music video.
Conventions: Digi-Pack
When researching various digipaks, from professionally produced digipaks to other, older, A-Level digipaks, I picked up on some re-occurring themes. Some of these conventions were similar however there was a large amount of variation between digipaks. I found that there appeared to be three main types of digipak.
Picture Based - Featured pictures of the band.artist on the majority of panels, front cover usually a picture.
Pattern Based - A digipak that doesn't feature many, if any, pictures. Instead an abstract or pattern design is present throughout.
Simplistic - These digipak designs often feature a single object on the front cover and inside are plain and smart. Usually a strict colour palette.
Our digipak was based around a simplistic style, our colours used were black, white and red. The black and white combined well to create a bold and strong design whilst the red hinted at our music video when the band performed there was always a red background and hue to the video.
Conventions: Advert
Our advert matched our digipak, this was something we noticed during our research time when we were looking at and comparing digipaks to their adverts. Almost every digipak and digipak advert we looked at matched each other so we decided to continue our already formed house style. The colours, fonts and simplistic style stayed the same, if not similar, and we are pleased with the results.
Appeal to Audience
All in all I feel as though our music video was targeted at a suitable audience and was well received. When our peers watched our music video we received some constructive criticism however the majority of reactions were praise. Therefore I feel as though our music video appealed to an appropriate and well targeted audience of whom complimented and enjoyed our final music video, digipak and advert.
Adapted Conventions
As spoken about before, we followed some conventions during all stages of our work, including; our video, the digipak and our advaert. The main adaptions were the involvement of a narrative aspect of our music video which you do not see too often in the rock music genre. This was a good choice in my opinion as it allowed us to use a wider range of camera shots and editing styles. Doing this also worked well when following the ideas and theory of Goodwin.
Conventions: Video
During the creation of our music video we always kept in mind the conventions of music videos, specifically rock music videos. We followed a vast majority of these conventions during the planning, filming and editing stages of our music video. Two aspects we focused on that are present in the majority of rock music videos are, the speed of the shots and the colour of the shots. It was once editing that we mainly focused on these conventions, however the shots under the bridge were filmed with the intention of darkness. The speed of the shots was a major focus, as we noticed quick snappy shots were used in the majority of successful music videos. Colouring was altered after editing along with the short shots. We slightly desaturated the brighter colours and emphasised the darker colours, this came out extremely well and helped portray emotion and the relation between lyrics and visuals.
Conventions: Genre
Some genre conventions that we ensured to feature in our music video were; colours, band costume and band/performance mise-en-scene. All of these tie in together under the heading of mise-en-scene, this was a major aspect that we focused on throughout. The colours used are important to most videos, they are used as signifier's for emotion and we implemented this in our music video. The darkness for rock and the darkness for our characters mood. His dark purple shirt was a choice made be us in order to help show his depression and as for the band costume, dark clothes where used as a matching part of all rock performance music videos. Finally the location for filming the performance footage was a local recording studio. This mirrors a lot of rock music videos where the band are seen playing in studios, live or in large open rooms most of the time and we wanted to continue this trend in our music video.
Conventions: Digi-Pack
When researching various digipaks, from professionally produced digipaks to other, older, A-Level digipaks, I picked up on some re-occurring themes. Some of these conventions were similar however there was a large amount of variation between digipaks. I found that there appeared to be three main types of digipak.
Picture Based - Featured pictures of the band.artist on the majority of panels, front cover usually a picture.
Pattern Based - A digipak that doesn't feature many, if any, pictures. Instead an abstract or pattern design is present throughout.
Simplistic - These digipak designs often feature a single object on the front cover and inside are plain and smart. Usually a strict colour palette.
Our digipak was based around a simplistic style, our colours used were black, white and red. The black and white combined well to create a bold and strong design whilst the red hinted at our music video when the band performed there was always a red background and hue to the video.
Conventions: Advert
Our advert matched our digipak, this was something we noticed during our research time when we were looking at and comparing digipaks to their adverts. Almost every digipak and digipak advert we looked at matched each other so we decided to continue our already formed house style. The colours, fonts and simplistic style stayed the same, if not similar, and we are pleased with the results.
Appeal to Audience
All in all I feel as though our music video was targeted at a suitable audience and was well received. When our peers watched our music video we received some constructive criticism however the majority of reactions were praise. Therefore I feel as though our music video appealed to an appropriate and well targeted audience of whom complimented and enjoyed our final music video, digipak and advert.
Adapted Conventions
As spoken about before, we followed some conventions during all stages of our work, including; our video, the digipak and our advaert. The main adaptions were the involvement of a narrative aspect of our music video which you do not see too often in the rock music genre. This was a good choice in my opinion as it allowed us to use a wider range of camera shots and editing styles. Doing this also worked well when following the ideas and theory of Goodwin.
Friday 2 December 2011
Update: 2nd December 2011
Today after having all of our filming complete we checked through the video, adding and tweaking what we needed. Our video is pretty much complete now and should be ready for upload after one more run through.
Wednesday 23 November 2011
Update: 23rd November 2011
After realising that we needed to film more of our narrative footage we planned what we needed and went and filmed it all. The main reason that we had to film more was in order to create a more clear storyline.
Thursday 10 November 2011
Update: 10th November 2011
We have had our second and final filming session at Scream Studios now and are happy with the shots that we now have for the performance part of the video.
After looking at all the performance shots, we have we have added and blended some different video effects together to change the brightness and harshness of the colours and lighting in our shots at the studios.
We now only have narrative parts left to film.
After looking at all the performance shots, we have we have added and blended some different video effects together to change the brightness and harshness of the colours and lighting in our shots at the studios.
We now only have narrative parts left to film.
Tuesday 8 November 2011
Update: 8th November 2011
Today we worked on finalising and double checking all the editing we had done a few days ago. We decided that this was necessary due to the fact that we got so much done we could have easily made some mistakes.
Thursday 3 November 2011
Update: 3rd November 2011
Today we sat down as a group and done a lot of our editing, we sorted out all of our new footage, cut them and dragged them onto the timeline. We worked hard and tried to add as much as possible to our video today. Effects were finally added to the majority of the newer shots.
Tuesday 1 November 2011
Update: 1st November 2011
We have begun the filming and editing the first parts of our performance parts of the music video. On the 29th October we went to Scream Studios after booking it about 5 days earlier and began filming straight away as the singer and band had already learned the song.
We had some mistakes when filming when it came to the timing and speed of the lyrics but after sitting down and editing we managed to fix some of the shots however we are planning to return to Scream Studios in the near future for a second filming session.
Tuesday 18 October 2011
Update: 18th October 2011
Today we continued our filming of the storyline and will be editing our new shots within the next couple of days. We have finished all the filming planned in our opening area and will now start the filming of our performance side of the music video.
Monday 3 October 2011
Update: 3rd October 2011
After filming the beginning shots of our video and beginning the storyline we have been editing the different shots together and have formed the start of our video by introducing the audience to our character and his literal arrival into the music video.
The grimy effect that we worked on and I spoke about on the 26th September has been tweaked and we are happy with the final result. We have darkened the shot, added a slight border and emphasised the darker colours. We have added this to the storyline shots and have done some speed adjustments on one of our shots.
The grimy effect that we worked on and I spoke about on the 26th September has been tweaked and we are happy with the final result. We have darkened the shot, added a slight border and emphasised the darker colours. We have added this to the storyline shots and have done some speed adjustments on one of our shots.
Monday 26 September 2011
Update: 26th Sep 2011
Over the last week we have been out filming some establishnig shots. These include shots of a station, road and bus stop.
Today we atempted to create a dirty/grimy style.
Today we atempted to create a dirty/grimy style.
Saturday 17 September 2011
Update: 17th September 2011
Today we were out filming some establishing shots. We spent about one and a half to two hours filming these, and are pleased with our results.
Next week we are hoping to create a grimy style overlay which we can use on these shots.
Next week we are hoping to create a grimy style overlay which we can use on these shots.
Friday 16 September 2011
Our Target Audience
The target audience for our music video, 'Wheels' by Foo Fighters, consists of, most obviously, fans of the 'alternative rock' genre, and also fans of the 'Foo Fighters'. The main age group that we are targeting will be within the age range of 16-24. Our audience will be mostly made from students and possibly fans of other rock genres. People who play instruments, such as guitar and bass, may also have a strong interest in our video considering the instruments going to be used within it.
This is mainly aimed at young people, this is because the lyrics portray when a girl breaks up with a boy and then he finds someone else and moves on, and some young people may be able to relate to this in some way.
Our music video will offer some of Richard Dyer's theory needs to our audience
Escapism
Entertainment
Education
Identification
This is mainly aimed at young people, this is because the lyrics portray when a girl breaks up with a boy and then he finds someone else and moves on, and some young people may be able to relate to this in some way.
Our music video will offer some of Richard Dyer's theory needs to our audience
Escapism
Entertainment
Education
Identification
Props List
The props we will be using are as follows;
- Bag
- Picture
- Guitar x1
- Drum Kit x1
- Bass x1
- Microphone x2
- Amp x2
- Microphone Speaker x1
- Drug 'look-a-likes'
- Bag
- Picture
- Guitar x1
- Drum Kit x1
- Bass x1
- Microphone x2
- Amp x2
- Microphone Speaker x1
- Drug 'look-a-likes'
Locations List
We will be filming in a variety of locations, some of these locations are as follows;
- Bus Stop - 23rd Sep
- Long Road - 23rd Sep
- House (dark - represents both the rock genre and the characters emotions) - 18th Oct
- Specifically bedroom - 18th Oct
- Several smaller roads - 18th Oct
- Scream - 29th Oct and 8th Nov
- Bus Stop - 23rd Sep
- Long Road - 23rd Sep
- House (dark - represents both the rock genre and the characters emotions) - 18th Oct
- Specifically bedroom - 18th Oct
- Several smaller roads - 18th Oct
- Scream - 29th Oct and 8th Nov
Shooting Schedule
Session - Practice shots, practice lip syncing. 12th Sep
Session - Ensuring that locations are suitable. 15th Sep
Session - Begin filming the storyline. 23rd Sep
Session - Continue filing the storyline. 18th Oct
Session - Stock Footage. 20th Oct
Session - Main filming session. 29th Oct
Session - Main filming session. 8th Nov
Session - Filming the final parts. 10th Nov
Session - Stock Footage 11th Nov
Session - Finalising - 12th Nov-onwards
Session - Ensuring that locations are suitable. 15th Sep
Session - Begin filming the storyline. 23rd Sep
Session - Continue filing the storyline. 18th Oct
Session - Stock Footage. 20th Oct
Session - Main filming session. 29th Oct
Session - Main filming session. 8th Nov
Session - Filming the final parts. 10th Nov
Session - Stock Footage 11th Nov
Session - Finalising - 12th Nov-onwards
Thursday 15 September 2011
Research and Analysis of Digipaks
Digipaks are CD cases with the CD and a varying number of fold-out panes, each including unique images and information about the album or artist. Digipaks cost more than standard CD cases due to their cost to produce and the extra content given.
Digipaks are only really used for the following things; to promote an artist, to promote a specific song or to celebrate a specific release or a new album, etc. They are essentially another form of advertisement which are themselves advertised.
When creating a digipak the main focus is put into ensuring that it will stand out and meet all of its aims. The use of bold colours, unique fonts, important information and design are all taken into consideration when creating a digipak in order to achieve the best results from it.
Digipaks are only really used for the following things; to promote an artist, to promote a specific song or to celebrate a specific release or a new album, etc. They are essentially another form of advertisement which are themselves advertised.
When creating a digipak the main focus is put into ensuring that it will stand out and meet all of its aims. The use of bold colours, unique fonts, important information and design are all taken into consideration when creating a digipak in order to achieve the best results from it.
Mise-en-Scene
The mise-en-scene is a crucial part of any music video and therefore must be considered and constructed carefully. The main parts to creating the perfect mise-en-scene are; props, costume, location and lighting.
For our music video props will not play an important role due to our video being performance based, the only things the people starring in our music video will be using is their instruments. Costume is also not entirely important, especially considering the fact that the genre of rock and the artist associated with rock are often seen as quite laid-back characters.
(to be finished)
For our music video props will not play an important role due to our video being performance based, the only things the people starring in our music video will be using is their instruments. Costume is also not entirely important, especially considering the fact that the genre of rock and the artist associated with rock are often seen as quite laid-back characters.
(to be finished)
Laura Mulvey Music Video Theory
Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze Theory' was constructed during her essay 'Visual pleasure and narrative cinema'.
The idea of the male gaze came from Mulvey realising that the audiences viewpoint is that of a heterosexual male. The way that women are 'seen' or filmed in the majority of music videos objectifies women for men, due to this men are given all the 'power' in the music video. Raising an issue of inequality in the large majority of popular music videos. Due to this viewpoint of the male simply having women as objects to look at is where Laura Mulvey created the name 'Male Gaze'.
Within Mulvey's theory she details that women can only be seen in one of two ways. Laura Mulvey describes these two different portrayals as follows.
1) Virgin Look
2) Sexy Whore Look
Mulvey has also continued this theory across the media, especially targeting films, however the 'Male Gaze' fails to change from one media form to another.
All in all the theory is based around the idea that men are given all the power and control over the women, and they are just merely objects of one of two types.
The idea of the male gaze came from Mulvey realising that the audiences viewpoint is that of a heterosexual male. The way that women are 'seen' or filmed in the majority of music videos objectifies women for men, due to this men are given all the 'power' in the music video. Raising an issue of inequality in the large majority of popular music videos. Due to this viewpoint of the male simply having women as objects to look at is where Laura Mulvey created the name 'Male Gaze'.
Within Mulvey's theory she details that women can only be seen in one of two ways. Laura Mulvey describes these two different portrayals as follows.
1) Virgin Look
2) Sexy Whore Look
Mulvey has also continued this theory across the media, especially targeting films, however the 'Male Gaze' fails to change from one media form to another.
All in all the theory is based around the idea that men are given all the power and control over the women, and they are just merely objects of one of two types.
Conventions for Music Videos
Our specific genre conventions: Rock:
Rock music videos are renowned for being performance based. Rock music videos also commonly feature the band playing live, however when they do not the video is usually dark and 'unsteady'. I mean unsteady in the sense that the camera work is often seemingly hand-held and rough. Finally, there is not often much editing or special effects involved in rock music videos, instead they are just to the point.
Who will be involved?
Producing and Filming:
- Marcus
- Scott
- Jack
- Stephen
- Jason (Technical Support)
Starring: (so far)
- Stephen
- Tom
- Marcus
- Scott
- Jack
- Stephen
- Jason (Technical Support)
Starring: (so far)
- Stephen
- Tom
Wednesday 14 September 2011
Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory
As written about in his book, 'Dancing in the distraction factory' here are the six different points to Andrew Goodwin's theory:
- Genre characteristics
- Link between lyrics and visuals
- Link between music and visuals
- The demands of the record label
- Notion of Looking
- Intertextual Reference
Genre Characteristics / Signifiers:
Genre characteristics are what you would expect to see when watching a music video of a specific genre. For example when watching rock music videos you would expect to see the band performing throughout the majority of the music video, however when watching RnB music videos you may expect there to be some form of storyline, often relating to the lyrics.
Link between lyrics and visuals:
Link between music and visuals:
The link between music and visuals are similar to that of lyrics and visuals. The link is there to contradict and reinforce each other.
Demands of the record label:
The demands of the record label consist of two main points. These are the need for close-ups and motifs. The whole idea of close-ups is to help build up the particular artists image and ultimately to sell the artist, these are used in a large majority of music videos. The final point, motifs, are also used for similar effect. A motif is a running theme that will focus throughout a particular artist or bands music videos. This also helps create an identity and again ultimately leads to the wide spread sale of an artist. Motifs however can vary, they can be images recurring through several music videos or the artists appearance. In either case it helps to create an identity for that artist.
Notion of Looking / Voyeurism:
Notions of looking links in heavily with Laura Mulvey’s ‘Male Gaze Theory’. This is basically ways people are represented within music videos. An example of this being how women are represented, Goodwin himself refers to women being presented as objects in music videos, once again linking with Laura Mulvey’s theory.
Intertextuality:
- Genre characteristics
- Link between lyrics and visuals
- Link between music and visuals
- The demands of the record label
- Notion of Looking
- Intertextual Reference
Genre Characteristics / Signifiers:
Genre characteristics are what you would expect to see when watching a music video of a specific genre. For example when watching rock music videos you would expect to see the band performing throughout the majority of the music video, however when watching RnB music videos you may expect there to be some form of storyline, often relating to the lyrics.
Link between lyrics and visuals:
Goodwin states that the lyrics will be making constant
references to what is going on in the music video, creating a two way
reinforcement of lyrics to visuals and vice-versa. The visuals also help to illustrate what is being sang/said.
Link between music and visuals:
The link between music and visuals are similar to that of lyrics and visuals. The link is there to contradict and reinforce each other.
Demands of the record label:
The demands of the record label consist of two main points. These are the need for close-ups and motifs. The whole idea of close-ups is to help build up the particular artists image and ultimately to sell the artist, these are used in a large majority of music videos. The final point, motifs, are also used for similar effect. A motif is a running theme that will focus throughout a particular artist or bands music videos. This also helps create an identity and again ultimately leads to the wide spread sale of an artist. Motifs however can vary, they can be images recurring through several music videos or the artists appearance. In either case it helps to create an identity for that artist.
Notion of Looking / Voyeurism:
Notions of looking links in heavily with Laura Mulvey’s ‘Male Gaze Theory’. This is basically ways people are represented within music videos. An example of this being how women are represented, Goodwin himself refers to women being presented as objects in music videos, once again linking with Laura Mulvey’s theory.
Intertextuality:
Intertextuality is the referencing of other texts, be it through mimicking, mentioning or simply copying. Intertextual references occur in a range of different texts one example being music. These uses of other texts can be
used to challenge or agree with ideas expressed or to highlight
artists or a specific message or image within a text.
Intertextuality in Music Videos
Intertextuality inclusion of other texts into another text, be it through mimicking, referencing or simply copying. Intertextuality occurs
in a range of different texts, one example being music. Intertextuality can be
used to challenge or agree with ideas expressed in other texts or to highlight
artists or a specific message within a text.
Most commonly, intertextuality is used in music videos to highlight idols and icons. An example of a music video referencing another text is 'Madonna - Material Girl', where Madonna dressed and appeared as Marilyn Monroe had in 'Diamonds are a Girls best friend', not only this but the whole blonde 'Material Girl' look. This was to highlight her idol, this image has also lead to become part of her and her identity.
Most commonly, intertextuality is used in music videos to highlight idols and icons. An example of a music video referencing another text is 'Madonna - Material Girl', where Madonna dressed and appeared as Marilyn Monroe had in 'Diamonds are a Girls best friend', not only this but the whole blonde 'Material Girl' look. This was to highlight her idol, this image has also lead to become part of her and her identity.
Saturday 10 September 2011
Wednesday 7 September 2011
Equipment List
Equipment and Software used;
- Camera x2
- Tripod x2
- Laptop x1
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Premiere
- Final Cut Express
- Camera x2
- Tripod x2
- Laptop x1
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Premiere
- Final Cut Express
Tuesday 16 August 2011
Questionnaire - Audience feelings towards Music Videos
The aim of this questionnaire is to find out:
- What type of music videos people like
- Why they like them
- What they don't like about some music videos
- What they think of our ideas so far
Questionnaire
Q: What style/type of music video interests you?
A:
Q: What do you like about that style of music video?
A:
Q: What is it about other styles you don't like?
A:
Q: Could you give two examples of music videos, one of which you like and the other of one you don't like?
A:
A:
Our Ideas:
Q: Do you like our ideas so far? (If yes what? - If no, what would you change?)
A:
- What type of music videos people like
- Why they like them
- What they don't like about some music videos
- What they think of our ideas so far
Questionnaire
Q: What style/type of music video interests you?
A:
Q: What do you like about that style of music video?
A:
Q: What is it about other styles you don't like?
A:
Q: Could you give two examples of music videos, one of which you like and the other of one you don't like?
A:
A:
Our Ideas:
Q: Do you like our ideas so far? (If yes what? - If no, what would you change?)
A:
Friday 5 August 2011
Wednesday 6 July 2011
Categories of Music Videos
There are three main categories of music videos, these are as followed:
Performance
Narrative
Concept
Performance
Performance music videos are those which showcase the artist or band performing the song throughout the majority of the video. These types of music videos can occasionally feature separate footage other than the group performing however this isn’t very common and the amount of footage would be miniscule compared to that of the artist or band performing. Performance music videos can easily be created on a low budget.
Genres commonly linked with performance music videos include:
- Rock (Sub-Genres included, e.g. Metal)
- Hip-Hop / Rap
- RnB
Iron Maiden - 'Fear of the Dark' is a good example of a performance music video.
Narrative
Narrative music videos focus on telling a story. The story created will usually link with the lyrics however this is not always the case. The artist or band can be part of the story however actors are also used in narrative music videos. Again like performance music videos these can occasionally cut back to feature the band or artist however this will not be as much as the footage which is telling the story.
Genres commonly linked with narrative music videos include:
- Rock (Sub-Genres included, e.g. Metal)
- RnB
Rihanna - 'Man Down' is a controversial music video which is mainly a narrative video.
Concept
Concept music videos are those that attempt to base themselves to one theme or concept, as the name would indicate. The artist or band will not be featured much or even at all in a concept music video. Sometimes what is in the videos itself is not the concept instead the concept could be the editing technique.
There is no specific genre that focus on making concept music videos as they are not particularly common and can be used by a variety of different music genres.
Wednesday 29 June 2011
Analysis of Music Videos
Foo Fighters - Rope
In this music video we are immediately introduced to the band, as you can expect from a rock song, and we find ourselves in a small white cube. The cube itself is later used for lighting effects, as each side has a light behind it.
The next section of the video is split into smaller parts which cycle through the different band members playing their instruments, along with a few close-ups to help promote the band and create an identity. I think the use of a white cube is to highlight the band, because with this video being almost entirely set in this box it allows for total concentration on the band.
As the lyrics begins the vocalist is shown more frequently until the music picks up and the tempo raises, this is when the use of the cube comes in to play. With quick cuts, flashes of light and the unsteady hand-held camera the emphasis of rock being 'rough' is able to come to life.
At almost two minutes into the song the video switches to a silhouette of the band, the video continues like this until, again, the tempo of the music is increased, where we find ourselves back in the cube however this time the cuts and flashes are much quicker and sharper. From this the camera view switches from the band and follows a wire into an amp where the switch for the mains is turned on. From this point the cube is red and the band is then featured again throughout this instrumental part of the song.
The lyrics then begin accompanied by flashes of other colours including blue and green where the video comes to an end as the camera view cuts back and forth from inside the cube to outside it. During this the flashes of colours is continuing. The video finally ends with all the lights going off and the cube being left completely black.
Darude - Sandstorm
Sandstorm is a narrative music video. Although this song is instrumental the story used still matches the song because of it's pace being formed by the song itself. The story follows one women's attempts to escape two other people chasing her, a male and a female, as she flees with a briefcase.
The speed of the chase matches the pace of the song throughout and ends with a twist at the end, challenging Laura Mulvey's music video theory. The twist being that when the pursuers catch the fleeing female, the chasing women turns on the man and is seemingly reunited with her companion, to leave the area uncontested. This completely goes against Laura Mulvey's theory as the women here clearly have the power and are not in any way sexual slaves. Despite the women at the end jumping onto a boat with their assumed boss, a male (the artist), they are still not objectified throughout the video.
Finally, the artist in the video, Darude. Throughout the video the artist is almost like a motif, he is constantly appearing in various places during the video. He is not noticeable included within the story line until the very end when the women return with the briefcase. In my opinion this is an effective technique to promote the artist and stick to a narrative theme.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
The 'Californication' music video takes up the form of a video game whilst featuring the band. All in all this music video appears to be a mixture of the three main video types.
The way in which the band is introduced is very unique, as we scroll through a GUI (Graphical User Interface) and one by one a profile for each band member appears. After 'selecting a character' we are put onto an island, resembling California, the main theme, in both shape and looks. The video then shortly switches to mid-shots of the band members, singing and playing. It isn't until about one minute thirty until we see the band as a unit, however that only last for a short while until we are thrown back into the game.
When we do see the band for the second time the mise-en-scene is created to match the lyrics, just as Andrew Goodwin talks about in his theory. The lyrics are, 'Dream of Californication' as the band plays surronded by clouds which are often included when picturing a 'dream-like' location.
Finally, as the song come to an end the game is featuring more than one band member at a time until they are united at the end when a 'Play next Game' screen appears, leaving room for audience speculation about a possible new song.
In this music video we are immediately introduced to the band, as you can expect from a rock song, and we find ourselves in a small white cube. The cube itself is later used for lighting effects, as each side has a light behind it.
The next section of the video is split into smaller parts which cycle through the different band members playing their instruments, along with a few close-ups to help promote the band and create an identity. I think the use of a white cube is to highlight the band, because with this video being almost entirely set in this box it allows for total concentration on the band.
As the lyrics begins the vocalist is shown more frequently until the music picks up and the tempo raises, this is when the use of the cube comes in to play. With quick cuts, flashes of light and the unsteady hand-held camera the emphasis of rock being 'rough' is able to come to life.
At almost two minutes into the song the video switches to a silhouette of the band, the video continues like this until, again, the tempo of the music is increased, where we find ourselves back in the cube however this time the cuts and flashes are much quicker and sharper. From this the camera view switches from the band and follows a wire into an amp where the switch for the mains is turned on. From this point the cube is red and the band is then featured again throughout this instrumental part of the song.
The lyrics then begin accompanied by flashes of other colours including blue and green where the video comes to an end as the camera view cuts back and forth from inside the cube to outside it. During this the flashes of colours is continuing. The video finally ends with all the lights going off and the cube being left completely black.
Darude - Sandstorm
Sandstorm is a narrative music video. Although this song is instrumental the story used still matches the song because of it's pace being formed by the song itself. The story follows one women's attempts to escape two other people chasing her, a male and a female, as she flees with a briefcase.
The speed of the chase matches the pace of the song throughout and ends with a twist at the end, challenging Laura Mulvey's music video theory. The twist being that when the pursuers catch the fleeing female, the chasing women turns on the man and is seemingly reunited with her companion, to leave the area uncontested. This completely goes against Laura Mulvey's theory as the women here clearly have the power and are not in any way sexual slaves. Despite the women at the end jumping onto a boat with their assumed boss, a male (the artist), they are still not objectified throughout the video.
Finally, the artist in the video, Darude. Throughout the video the artist is almost like a motif, he is constantly appearing in various places during the video. He is not noticeable included within the story line until the very end when the women return with the briefcase. In my opinion this is an effective technique to promote the artist and stick to a narrative theme.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
The 'Californication' music video takes up the form of a video game whilst featuring the band. All in all this music video appears to be a mixture of the three main video types.
The way in which the band is introduced is very unique, as we scroll through a GUI (Graphical User Interface) and one by one a profile for each band member appears. After 'selecting a character' we are put onto an island, resembling California, the main theme, in both shape and looks. The video then shortly switches to mid-shots of the band members, singing and playing. It isn't until about one minute thirty until we see the band as a unit, however that only last for a short while until we are thrown back into the game.
When we do see the band for the second time the mise-en-scene is created to match the lyrics, just as Andrew Goodwin talks about in his theory. The lyrics are, 'Dream of Californication' as the band plays surronded by clouds which are often included when picturing a 'dream-like' location.
Finally, as the song come to an end the game is featuring more than one band member at a time until they are united at the end when a 'Play next Game' screen appears, leaving room for audience speculation about a possible new song.
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