A draft of my own digipak design

Design Activity

Anaysis of Digipak

This digipak doesn't have a bold enough font, the writing on the cover isnt even visible and doesnt feature the artists name or album name. There is no evidence as to who this is or what genre it belongs to.
There is a wide range of colours, which make the digipak look nice but so much of a variety in colours that it makes it look like a theme hadnt been chosen.
There is a connection with the hearts, that maybe hint to an element of romance or heart ache as the heart seems to be bleeding. Other than that there are no synergy links in the digipak or anything that shows any connection to the artist for genre.
The layout of the digipak is nice. Its very well centred on the front of the digipak, the colours are very bold and bright but very simple.
As I previously stated the image is suggestive of heart brake of love but the bright bold variety of colours contradict that making it harder for the viewer to get a grasp on the theme or aim of this digipak.

This digipak I think is the complete opposite of the first. Instead of being very small and basic like the first this digipak is packed with content. To start the font is much larger and visible so we can actually see who the artist is. The font goes with the theme, its large enough to emphasise on the artist without detracting from the nice subtle theme of the digipak.
The range of colours in this digipak are much better selected; yellow, brown and blue are again nice bright yet subtle colours that suggest the theme of the album. The brown and yellow work really nicely together on the front of the digipak and also go well on the blue background of the CD.
The logo of the band name is featured throughout the digipak as well as the colour scheme. and pattern of flowers.
The layout of the front cover is nice but theres a bit too much going on, so much that someone could walk by and not notice the artist name because of the pattern of flowers claiming a lot of the attention.
This digipak goes to the opposite extreme to the last, going from being too plain and simple to notice anything to too much detail and content to notice anything.

This digipak is strange because it focuses more on the image than the artists name and album name. The font is small and barely visble but is in a sort of computerised font. I think this has been done to not overlap the main image which is the focus of the album cover. 

The range of colours are very basic but stick to one style, the faded greenish colour is used throughout 

video success

The music video is now on youtube and currently at 15 views after one day.
Posting the video on Youtube raises awareness for our band and gives audiences an oportunity to hear and interact with the band for free.
It's a good free way to promote a band, especially independent ones that cant afford big fancy marketing.

Final version of music video

A2 Music Video: Oli from 283goswell on Vimeo.

Final editing

Today the music video has been completed and the editing has all been done.

After thinking about using a title I have decided to remove it from the video. Although I wanted something to introduce the artist, I saw that it didn't really fit with the genre. The artists performance in the video is enough to introduce them in a rock video seeing as they usually feature the whole way through. Titles usually belong to pop videos to highlight the singer and maybe the featuring artists. 

In my video the badger needs no introduction to be a hit. 

The opening shot was also a bit shaky, and for an establishing shot it should be steady. So I added the steady cam video filter and now it pans across very nicely. 

editing day 4

'badger in i' rough cut

after the feedback from my rough cut, there are some things i need to change to touch it up.

There are a couple of shots that need to be put in sync. I.e voice and guitar.

use steady cam for the shaky shots.

fade out the ending at 4 minutes

I would also like to add some effects and filters where appropriate.

editing 3

Today I started working on the 

filming session 2

PUT THEM ON TWITTER ACCOUNT 

Editing 2

Editing day 2. I have now laid the tracks and identified what needs redoing or touching up. there are a lot of shots of the band performing but I need more close ups of the singer singing and making sure other shots are in time. 

Filming session

Editing 1

Today I have been reviewing my footage and seeing what is good, what to use, whether i need to re film some shots. The editing is done in final cut pro and I need  minimum of 6 base tracks to edit from to make the music video look good. To accomplish that I will have to go out and take more shots and redo some not so good ones.

Pitch Analysis

Oli Flood's Slidely by Slidely

Slideshow

19. SOCIAL MEDIA

WISDOM BADGER TWITTER

18. RISK ASSESSMENT

There is not much danger involved in the making of our production. But i can promise no real animals were harmed in the making of this video.



                       Risk                                                                                               assessment
1.                 weather        the weather is currently reported to be cloudy so rain wont be a problem, but                                                                 just in case we will keep the equipment safe from getting wet



2.       Filming fight scene.                                                                    caution as to not hurt each other



3.  taking care of equipment                                                    Never leave equipment unattended or in                                                                                                         a position where it could be damaged


4.         Each other                                  Try not to fall out with each other an focus on the task at hand

17. PRODUCTION SCHEDULE

15.STORYBOARD

14. THEORY

The video follows Goodwins theory in the way that it has a strong narritive, theres a clear story happening throughout the video which uses the singer as a narrator as well as a singer as well as the rest of the band whom all perform to the camera with various instruments and styles.

The video is Amplification as it tells a story but doesnt follow the lyrics word for word like Illustration. The video is connected to the lyrics but add a layer of meaning. I think this is the strongest way to make a good song/video that work well together as you dont have to follow your lyrics so strictly but there is a concept there for you to follow when making the video

13. INDUSTRY

POWTOON

12.POST PRODUCTION

11. GREEN SCREEN

no green screen will be used in our production.

10. DIGIPAK

my idea for the digipak was based on image i found online of a different album cover. it interested me because it featured an animal split half and half with a human face. which is kind of the look i would like to have gone for with my animal theme. The dark background brings out the vibrant smoky colours of the face and makes it look more appealing and powerful. 

...It's just a shame I cant draw to save my life. I thought I'de do the same thing for my digipak but with a badger. If i get the chance I will make it on photoshop.

The close up type album cover is very typical for a first album cover as it helps promote the artists and what they look like. 

and for the inside cover I wanted to have a picture of the band all standing/ crouching together as badgers. For the same reason as the close up front cover image it serves to promote the band and who we are. 

9. SYNERGY

I don't want to keep repeating myself as there is nothing creative about being repetitive. But my key visual element that I am using through out all my work is the theme of badgers. Its in the name of the band, title, song, video, digipack, previous work, etc. Everything I have created has been something based on 'badgers'. This link in all my work gives us a branding that is easy to identify. Much like daft punk for example who wear their futuristic helmets, which are on the cover of their futuristic style album and futuristic style video. The futuristic theme is their branding and it easy for audiences to recognise them as well as being a good sales technique. You'll remember something that you see often without even trying or realizing and that is the technique that I have been trying to use for my product.

8.COSTUME

I decided that for the majority or at least half of the music video we would wear suits because I liked the idea of us all wearing black and white as it goes with the badger colours and the masks. It also makes us look like a unit when we are on camera. Another point is that it fits with the genre in the idea that people in rock videos are trying to look cool and look good more than anything, its also a very british thing to wear as it adds that sense of class that only british people have. It's an idea that goes back to bands like the Beatles and continues in bands today. It's a timeless style that fits nicely with the genre.

I also decided that we would wear leather jackets or something as close to this as possible as this is something very stereotypical in the genre. Nearly every member in every rock band from the 70's to today 'rock' the leather jacket look.  It would almost be wrong of us not to wear leather jackets for the video. 

                                       

7.SETTING AND LOCATION

I will be filming in a park called "Mansfield park" which is a filed with a great view and lots of greenery right near my house. Apart from the intro most of the video is shot in this location. I chose this location because Its where we first formed the band and came up with the idea for the music video. This location has a sentimental value to all of us as well as being visually appealing with the great view. It is also very green which is something we are aiming for as the theme is based on a wild animal.

5. AUDIENCE 1 AND 2

The thing about the genre of rock is that it is quite diverse. So it is dificult to pinpoint a main target audience but the genre is mainly dominated by young males. yet I've seen 10 year olds and 80 year olds at concerts, males and females. The music is timeless.Thats one of the reasons i like this genre so much and why i chose it. Pop music will target a specific audience, i.e young people so when displayed to other audiences it doesn't appeal as much. Where as I believe any one can enjoy rock or at least appreciate the talent involved.

Which leads to my next point that is if anyone can enjoy the music then everyone can enjoy the video.
The music is fun and enjoyable to listen to and it links directly to the video which is just as fun.
Thats the main appeal about the video is that it's funny, seemingly unintentionally as the idea of the song is a serious message but it is displayed in a funny way. This is something that is seen a lot in rock music videos.
It actually comes from an old theatre technique called 'Verfremdungseffekt' which is a distancing effect, for example using humour to make the audience forget about the subject of the the play and focus on the context. In the case of my video the badgers are used as humour for the audience to see the context. 

 That is the definition of the technique used.


Heres an example of the technique being used. The song 'sugar we're going down' by Fall out boy. 
The video features a boy with antlers who is bullied and even hunted by people in his community, kids throwing things at him and people making jokes about him as he falls in love with a normal girl is whats funny about the video. But the song is about being accepted and being who you are. 

4. INITIAL IDEA

BACK STORY....

I am an alien that came to the planet 18 years ago. I came here to learn about the human ways and become one of you but I crash landed in a field and instead was found by a family of badgers. They raised me, sheltered me and fed me and soon they became my family too. I felt sorry for them not being able to communicate for themselves to the rest of the world so I have taken it upon myself to create a viral internet video (which is the only thing that seems to get to people these days) to raise awareness of the badger cause.

Initial Idea...

I wrote the song a few months ago and me and my band thought it would be a fun idea to make a music video for this song. we sat in Mansfield Park and came up with loads of ideas until we had a polished idea of what we wanted to do then I decided to do it for this media project. I am very pleased with the idea and I think it will be a very enjoyable product and will be a great success in sound and in video.

Inspiration...



Pearl Jam is a band that was a big influence when coming up with ideas of how to perform as they had a similar music style.



I really like this music video becuase it shows the band performing but still manages to have a strange storyline with wierd cut aways, without steering away from the band.

3.BRAND IMAGE

We will be wearing badger masks in the video as that is the theme of not only the song but of the hole band. Synergy is used throughout the whole production. It establishes our identity and gives us an image. People will be able to see badgers throughout and get a longer lasting image of what the band is. Other than badger masks we will be wearing suits because I wanted to create an image of black and white. We are all wearing the same outfit with only a small added touch to each of the costumes so we all have our own identities.

 

2. SONG CHOICE

The song is called 'The Badger in I' it is my own song. Written and performed by myself and my band. It is an Indie/rock song and we will be filming in a field in Chingford and my back garden, the idea is to make the theme of the video as badger like as possible but with human characteristics so it remains relatable.

1.CONCEPT

Here I am meant to describe the concept of my music video in one sentence. I could do it in one word; "Badger".
But to better inform I would say this "The music video follows the story of a boy fighting himself over who he is and who he decides to become." 

moodboard for music video

Research for Music video 12 (Reflection on progress)

So far I think the blog is better than last years. I've definetely payed more atention to it or at least the writing of it.
At the moment I would only give myself an 6/10 because I havemt used any ICT other than posting videos and completing the tasks on the blog.
I need to complete more tasks using different ICT
Post things more regularly
and make sure I stay on top of things.

Research for Music video 11 (Skills Audit)

I think my work since the AS year have developed somewhat. Having the pressure of doing the work on my own this time has been a welcome challenege, but hasnt come without its diffficulties. So far it has been much more interesting than last year and hence it being easier to research. Not just simply googleing things but actually looking into the actual subject mater and studying it for more information to help with the tasks. My analysing skills are more in depth than last year as there is more of as need to analyse than an ask to. And finally determining what is relevant and what isnt its something I have learnt this year. You cant simply write down everything you know about something you have to determine whats useful and create something that works out of that.

Research for Music video 10 (Synergy HW)

The artists Daft Punk have a futuristic theme throughout their work. They wear robot helmets of silver and gold which feature on their album cover "Random Access memories"

The title "Random Access memories" also abbreviates to R.A.M. which is  the memory that is in a computer. Continuing their futuristic\robotic theme of technology. 

Research for music video 9 (Evaluating Lip sync)

Research for Music video 8 (costume setting and prop)

We filmed our lip sync video in a park near the college that was very green and what we thought was very natural which is the style we were looking for in the video. The prop we used was a badger mask so then we created an entire badger theme to the video whilst remaining true to the lyrics and what they represented. We filmed on a swing and in a sandbox as well as taking some shots whilst walking near the trees to stay close to nature and we took shots from high and low angles as well as using close ups to recreate the sorrow of the lyrics. we think that the end product works well with our setting and props. 

Research for Music video 7 (Individual HW task)

Costume.
They only change once, the song is about the destruction of the old versions of themselves.
The costume and location both work in unison with the lyrics to help intimidate
It is typical for a metal band to wear outfits that represent the genre. The music is very dark and heavy and sometimes intimidating so it is normal to dress accordingly.

Location.
The location is an abandoned warehouse looking place but there are over 10 places featured in the video
The setting and location link with the costume in the way that they are trying to create an element of fear in their theme.
The fact that you can't really tell where they are or what's happening adds to that fear
It is also very common for strange locations to be used in metal music videos, things like amusement parks or hospitals, insane asylums or abandoned houses all add to the element of fear which make the whole genre more unique.

Research for Music video 6 (Review of a students music video)

Research for Music video 5 (Laura Mulvey's theory)

Laura Mulvey's theory is on representation. She believes that the way that women are treated in the media is unjust. They serve only as objects to be gazed at by men and have no sense of sexual balance with the males in the way sexuality is presented in the media creating controversy and according stereotypes.




In my opinion I dont think any videos objectify women in this day and age as much as Nicki Minaj's videos. Which is surprising as she is obviously a woman. Women are used in her videos to make her look better. All the women in the background will be wearing plainer or less f;ashy colours and then Nicki will be wearing bright colours and jewelery to make her stand out and to make her seem like shes some sort of goddess or hierarchy above all the other girls in the video.
Of course Im not saying this isnt still seen today in male music videos;



Probably the most talked about video of 2013 and by far the most objectifying to women. I understand there a hundreds of videos similar to this one and equally as objectifying to women, but whats wrong about it is that it is a popular artist posting a demoralizing video on a site where anybody can view it. Anybody of any age anywhere in the world can see this and to young people they will see this just as how youre supposed to treat women. Thats how stereotypes are created.
Its not only just objectifying women anymore its a sign of a lack of intelligence and simply childish.

Research for Music video 4 (Carol Vernallis theory)

Carol Vernallis's theory on music videos is in the editing. Her theory being that the editing in music videos is much quicker and carefully thought out to draw the viewers attention as quick and as much as possible to a certain subject using; jump cuts, slow motion, special effects and use of a base track.

Heres a video that features Slow motion:


Jump cuts:
   

obvious edits and multiple close ups



close ups are used throughout and the obvious editing is the green screen and the location with all the people.

Research for Music video 3 (Andrew Goodwins Theory)

Andrew Goodwin's theory is that the narrative and structure of a music video is very different to that of a film or novel. The videos are built around the song which don't have normal structures. A music video uses the singer as a character and a narrator to tell a story in 3 minutes or less whilst giving a performance. Whilst a film or novel takes its time and tactically selects where to place certain peaks in the story a music video throws everything at you at once to gain the audiences appreciation and will use as many techniques as possible to make you feel involved as a viewer.

1. Illustration. (video tells story of lyrics)






2. Amplification (video introduces new meaning)




3. Disjuncture (no connection between the lyrics and video)

Research for music video 2 (Function of a music video)

The function of a Music video is primarily to promote the artist by creating attention on a particular single from the artists album then promoting the rest of the album and the artist themselves from the one song.
The music videos tend to feature the artist in a story or performance so they can show off their talents and become recognisable by fans.

A music video that I think is a brilliant example is "Seize the day" by Avenged Sevenfold
you can watch below:



The reason this video is a great example in my opinion is because of the 3 main reasons.

1. It sells the song in a way the audience will remember the video.
I thought the song was very powerful before seeing the video, and after seeing the emotional and true to life story I felt more of a connection towards it. Now I think of the video every time I hear the song, which is what the aim of the video is.
2. As I previously stated it gives a clearer in sight into the story behind the lyrics. Where as most songs are interpreted differently by different people, the music video shows the audience the true meaning and allows us to gain knowledge about the artist and their lives. I think the subject is brilliant and the story is told even better through the music and story.
3. And most important of all it shows off all the artists talents. Mainly through the singers vocals in the base track of him behind bars and then the lead guitarist in the guitar solo. Other than that it cuts back and forth from the story to the band performing without cutting off the story. which in my opinion what makes a perfect music video.

Research for Music video 1 (copyright clearance)

For this project I personally am using my own music, therefore not needing to obtain copyright clearance from a U.K artist. Instead I thought I would show you the studio in which my song was recorded and a video of a band rehearsing in the studio.

The studio is called "The Camden Recording Studio" it has been running for 4 years and a lot of bands use their studio to record in as well some DJ's for pod casts.  people such as; "Doppelgänger", "Adam Ant" and "Dave Finnegan".

Here are some pictures of the studio:

And here is a video of a band called the Brompton Mix performing "Everybody needs somebody to love"

Reflecting back on the AS year 2.

Skills I developed over the course of the AS year. 

• Improved my camera work (using different shot types and keeping camera steady and focused)
• Storyboarding and shot list (following it closely helps a lot in production stages) 
• focusing on making a minute of footage really good instead of adding loads of shots for the sake of it
• Editing on final cut. making more precise and refined cuts and adding special effects. 
• Making sure there was no intrusive sounds and that everything was heard very clearly. 
• Evaluation and communicating our efforts through different medias on the blog

Reflecting back on the AS year 1

In June we did some research on music videos to prepare us for the A2 year.
We were shown how to analyse a music video, de-construct it and focus on key points of each video that belonged to a specific genre and its key features that made that video belong in that genre.

We looked at stereotypical music videos for each genre and what they consisted of. We looked at the very first music video "video killed the radio star" (although "bohemian rhapsody" was technically first). to see how far we've come from the original concept.

Then we looked at event music videos which are big occurrences in the music industry and usually have a very big budget. "Thriller" by Michael Jackson was one of these event videos and cost $500.000 to make. It was played 2 times an hour every hour the day it was released.

Finally we looked at the most successful music videos. The ones that have a lot of hype or a sense of comedy are the ones that tend to achieve a higher status. "Gangnam Style" continues to be the top music video in the world.