Question 1

Final Music Video

Final Advert

Final Digipak

Original Image - Advert

Original Images - Digipak

Digipak First Draft

Layout idea:

This is general idea of the imagery and layout we can use, it has been produced with found images so that we can get an idea of what it will look like and develop it with our own images later. This will give us a plan of what sort of photos we want to shoot.

This is a variation of the front cover of the digipak that I have created, this will give us more options to explore and can give us two designs to develop and choose which would suit our video and genre the best.

Advert First Draft

Music Video First Draft

Ancillary Ideas Digipak

Digipak:
As a group we have come together and put forward ideas to use in our digipak that would suit the song and genre we are using. We found a template online that we used to outline what section belongs to what part of the digipak so we could get the layout correct.


Our first focus in the design process was to create a front cover that would entice our target audience to buy the product but also reflect what we are trying to promote. We took inspiration from several digipaks of a similar style and genre, particularly those of Lana Del Rey.

 

Above are some ideas for the imagery that makes up the front cover. We had the idea that we could split an image of Natasha and have her pure, innocent half on one side and rebellious half on the other, this compliments the juxtaposition found throughout the planned narrative in our music video. We wanted her to pose with a finger on the lips as that connotes secrets which is the featured song for our album and the song we are editing to. The theme of roses is strong in the top right digipak and in our music video we are hoping to feature a rose dying; a rose typically symbolises love and passion so when it is dying it means that the relationship is dying which is the idea we are trying to take from this.

 

We took inspiration from the typography on this digipak's front cover as we like the retro style of it. We noted that there are quite often two different fonts present on covers so kept that in mind in the production stages.

This CD is minimalist and simple and carries on the theme of love which is found quite frequently in Lana Del Rey's songs which gives continuity throughout the digipak.

Focus Group Analysis

Magazine Advert Planning

Conventions of a Music Advert:

• Image of the artist or band
• Name of the artist or band
• Tour dates and locations
• Colour scheme relating to the genre
• Logos of companies involved
• Websites
• Supporting acts
• Album/tour name
• Sponsorships and record labels in small text
• Box office numbers
• Record labels
• Variety of typography reflecting genre
• Mise-en-scene appropriate for genre
• Layout
• Rule-of-thirds
• Release date
• Reviews
• Age certificate
• Pug

How is genre reflected within each poster?
Pop:

• Saturated colours
• Airbrushed - perfection
• Reflects theme (love, happiness, relationships)
• Mainstream trends
• Make up
• Teenagers
• Colour coordinated

Rock:

• Aggressive
• Dark colour scheme
• Attitude
• Loud
• Leather
• Electric instruments

Indie:

• Earthy colour scheme
• Quirky
• Casual
• Hipster
• Everyday locations
• Quirky expressions
• Down-to-earth

What do you need to plan for?

• Advert composition
• Photo-shoot
• Imagery
• Themes
• Location
• Colour scheme
• Typography
• Mise-en-scene
• Synergy

Our Pitch

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment by Megan Williams on Scribd

Location Analysis

As a group we are thinking filming at several locations in order to get a wide variety of shots and settings to provide us with more options and leniency in our editing. These locations consist of:

• Grimsthorpe Castle
• A swimming pool
• The old Rippingale Train Tracks; and
• A dark room where images from a projector may be projected onto the wall.

We thought Grimsthorpe Castle's gardens would be perfect to film shots that just contain the female actor as we want to portray her as being quite pure and dainty so the array of flowers and perfectly manicured greenery was able to accentuate that idea. We managed to get permission to film in the kitchen, flower and topiary garden which gave us a wide range of different shots we could take.


We took the theme of the relationship drowning and decided to interpret this with a swimming pool, one of our group members has access to one and we have a lifeguard on hand to take care of any incidents that may happen.


The old Rippingale train tracks are quite an edgy location as they have an abandoned look to them, we thought this would be a location to film shots containing the couple as it is representing the forbidden love they have for each other and how they have to meet up in deserted locations. It is a contrast to Grimsthorpe Castle as it is symbolising that he is a bad influence on her and that the purer location is where she's really herself and not putting on an act to seem admirable and spontaneous.


The dark room will be used for lip-syncing along to the song and a projection will be shot over the female actor of a rose blooming and dying to illustrate what is happening within the relationship as the song goes on.

 

 

 

Focus Group Feedback

Stabilisation Test

After Effects enables the editor to use a plugin that assesses the video footage and stabilises it frame by frame. Simply apply the plugin to the footage and the program will analysis the clip and apply the effect.

Depending on the movement of the original footage, the outcome varies. However, it is evident that it can create a blurry and distorted look to it and this can be used to our advantage to create a motion blurred appearance. There is also the issue that the video becomes cropped post rendering. This will need to be a factor we need to consider before we film shots and adjust the settings to fit each clip. It is very apparent that different shot types can drastically change the outcome of the clip.

Story Board

Story Board by Megan Williams on Scribd

Contact with the Artist

We chose to contact our chosen artists, Natalie Lungley by Facebook messenger as she does not have  valid email address that we could use other than her social media.

We addressed our message formally as she is a well known unsigned artists within social media. we contacted her on Facebook, explaining why we wanted to use her song and what we were using it for, e.g. for educational purposes only.
Unfortunately Lungley did not get back to our message however took time to read it which we appreciated.

Location Scouting

Deconstruction of Lyrics

Deconstruction of 'Secrets'

Digipak Analysis - Lana Del Rey

This digipak has been designed for Lana Del Rey's indie-pop album 'Born To Die' released in January 2012. Through the use of imagery it can be seen that there is a retro theme throughout this album through the simplicity of costume, make-up, setting focusing on Lana's vintage appeal she is pictured to be standing outdoors in minimal surroundings so that the attention is drawn to her. She is shot with a medium close-up in the centre of the frame, this says that she is the focus and exaggerates her air brushed beauty, her gaze falls directly into the camera and almost communicates to potential buyers, it is a very direct mode of address and brings it to a more personal level. However there is a contrast in the use of colours with the dominant colours being blue and white on the outer covers of the digipak and changing to just the red and white of the roses on the CD, this is effective as it may be perceived to be patriotic to her nationality, American. Her name is written in large, informal sans-serif font making it stand out and bring attention to the fact that the album is by 'Lana Del Rey' who is a well known and liked artist, the colour of the typography changes to contrast the background; against white it is sky blue and against sky blue it is white so it still keeps the continuity of the colour scheme.

The CD itself only has images present on it, red roses, these link to the title as roses are sometimes found at funerals. Roses are symbolic of love and connote lust and passion, these themes can be heard throughout the lyrics of the album.

The back cover continues with the blue and white colour scheme found on the front and also uses the same typography. It informs the buyer of what songs are being featured on the album, it also gives a website address for the official homepage of Lana Del Rey where fans and those interested can keep up with upcoming events and news, it also contains record labels and companies supportive of the artist. The overall look of this album has no specific connection to the title but from the features presented it has been made clear that this album is of the pop-indie genre.

Digipak Conventions

Digipaks are the casings for CDs and are used to effectively promote an artists image this is done with images related to the genre and style of the artist or the songs found on the album, there is quite often an image of the artist or band so that fans can recognise them and it will appeal to their loyalty to the singer/band. They are usually a clear plastic with panels of printed paper folded within to add to the visual aesthetic, these visuals tend to have a theme running through them that links to the theme found throughout the album to keep continuity between the product and packaging. Within the digipak there is a CD holder for one or more CDs and some may feature a small booklet containing lyrics and band or artist information so that listeners can also learn more about the artist and possibly create more of a personal connection to the music as they feel closer to them. A track list is presented on the back of the case to let purchasers know the contents of the product and to make it easy to find what track is being listened to, also on the back a record label may be seen to recognise the companies contributing to the album and to create a link between a successful artist or company. Digipaks give fans of the singer/band the feeling of being closer to their idols and give them a sense of loyalty as well as owning a hard copy collection of the songs rather than predominantly owning digital downloads.

Vox Pop - Music Videos

Vox Pops for Music Videos

Media Summer Work

Created with Padlet

Genre

Using Genre:

Using familiar generic conventions would pose both positives and negatives when it comes to audience feed back. It could be seen as predictable as it has been done many times before however it is easy and ready made so there is no need for a long planning process to come up with ideas. Some may argue that it lacks innovation and originality but some may like the familiarity and they like to know what they are investing in.


Subverting generic conventions means coming up with an original idea that hasn't been done before, it is a very risky process which could lead to alienating the audience but the development could be seen as clever or edgy and fascinate viewers rather than turn them away.

 

The genre that my group is looking at is 'Pop' however it is performed by an 'RnB' artist. Pop music originated in Britain in the 1950s/1960s. The word 'pop' is derived from 'popular' meaning that this genre is made up of favourites chosen by the people and can actually consist of any style. It is mostly aimed at the younger generations and is a more tame approach to the rock-and-roll genre. The first mention of 'pop' music was in 1926 referring to music with a popular attraction to the public this then became a well known reference ten years later. It has a mixture of conventions from many, if not all, genres being heavily influenced by advances in technology.

The main themes that run throughout the songs are love, breakups and inspiration, themes that many people can relate to on a worldwide scale. Because of the general target audience there aren't many pop songs that include frequent bad language to avoid controversy with the younger age demographic.


Pop songs are usually composed of a few verses, a repeated chorus and sometimes a bridge. A bridge is a mutated part of the song possibly set in a different key that mixes the song up a bit more and the contrasting sounds can make it more entertaining. The songs are usually between 2 and 5 minutes in length so as not to underprovide for the audience or bore them with repetition, with the most common instruments present in them are vocals, guitars, pianos, percussive instruments and electronically made sounds.

Rihanna - Diamonds

Preliminary Task - Diamonds by Rihanna

Key Words of Genre

Genre is the category or type of music which audiences chose their favourite conventions, certain institutions make their music within their genre specialisation as that is where their expertise is present. It is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as 'a style or category of art, music or literature'. It originates from France, which means 'kind' or 'sort' and is usually seen as a repertoire of elements.

 

A convention is an element you expect to see in a genre, it is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as 'a way in which something is usually done'. For example, in an action film you expect to see violence, a male hero and the theme of good vs. evil.

 

Iconography is a sign or symbol associated with the genre, it is defined as 'the visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study of interpretation of these'; for example, dark settings and tense music is the typical iconography of a horror film. 

 

Ideology is the beliefs of an individual or group and what they think is important, it is 'a system of ideas and ideals'; for example, the characters of Downton Abbey think it is important to be rich so host lots of parties and dinners to show off their wealth. 

 

Hybrid-genre is when elements of two or more genres are used within a film; for example, Johnny English is an action comedy, Shaun of the Dead is a rom-com-zom. 

 

Verisimilitude applies to all music videos and means how 'real' or 'realistic' a text is. Some genres have a greater degree of verisimilitude than others. 

 

Some theorists suggest that "genre is no longer a fixed set of elements", "genre has changed because the conventions of various different genres have been used together". Buckingham (1990) argues that a genre is a "constant process of negotiation and change" which means that it can be interpreted how the viewer wants, other theorists say "conventional definitions of genre are based on the idea that they share particular conventions of content e.g. Themes or setting" and "genres are instances of repetition and differences." 

Storyboard - Rihanna Diamonds

Rihanna – Diamonds Storyboard

Conventions and Genre of Music Video Analysis



Fleur East - Sax:

This music video is of the genre dance-pop, it is very up-tempo and lively with bright, saturated colours throughout. There is a main focus on the female singer, encouraging the male gaze with her costume being bright block colours and having many cut outs making it revealing. The lighting is high-key lighting up the brightly coloured set and following the conventions of the pop genre. Throughout the video there is a highly physical performance with energetic dance routines set with different bright back drops, on some there can be seen to be back up dancers dancing along to the same routine making the shot seem busier and more hectic. The editing is fast paced and cuts to the beat of the song creating a link between the audio and the visual, the fast pace of it keeps up the energy of the song. It looks to be a high budget set and performance with complex dance routines and dancers and the bright back drops, using effects that manipulate the video to do different things, this convention adheres to the pop genre.

Birdy - People Help the People:

This follows the genre of indie folk/pop music, it has a very slow tempo. We have decided on recreating this music video for our preliminary production as it is a more simple array of shots than a typical music video especially for a first try at creating a music video and it is in the style and genre that my group is looking at. This music video doesn't really fit into a particular genre, this itself is a convention of an indie style video. A convention of the indie genre is for it to be very middle-class, this is represented through the use of taking a bus for transport which is seen as a very middle-class mode of transport. It has a very slow pace of editing throughout creating a very laid back atmosphere together with the black and white so there's no bright distracting colours. It is set in an everyday setting with everyday people, there's little to no choreography involved in this video following the conventions of an indie music promo.

Foo Fighters - Rope:

'Rope' is of the genre rock/punk/metal. The costume consists of dark colours and the whole video has a monochrome look to it as they use black costume against a white background to give it that contrast. An emotion that can be picked up on is anger this is through facial expression, body language and the vocals and is a common convention and ideology within this genre. The costume is quite scruffy and uncaring of appearance unlike those of pop genres where every hair is in place and most costumes are skin tight without creases. It can be viewed as quite intimidating as it has a montage of shots where the band members are in shadow as they are backlit, this prevents us from seeing any distinguishable features, the video is also very up close to the members possibly adding to the intimidation by being up close in the personal space. The whole video is male dominated, following the conventions of the rock genre with each of them holding an instrument or microphone and heavy focus on their talents. The video is performance based with the band playing as though they are on stage at a concert even though they are in a secluded room, this makes the viewer feel closer to the band as they watch.







Cutting to the Beat

(R's hand pushing Di)(R ECU L)(CU R's hand pushing Di)(OHS Rd)(CU F)(CU R filling C with Di)(CU R's hand in water)(R running down Rd)(CU tops of heads)(CU R)(ECU R holding C filled with Di)(R holding Di)(Silhouette)(ECU lighting C)(EU R's eyes)(Smoke)(ECU R blowing smoke)(ECU R's hand in water)

(CU R)Shine bright like a diamond 
Shine bright like a diamond(ECU R's hand running over Di)
  
(CU R)Find light in the beautiful sea 
I choose to be happy(Flowers falling over) 
You and(CU R) I, (ECU two hands)you and I(CU R) 
We’re like diamonds in(ECU R's hand) the sky  
(CU R)You’re a shooting star I see(ECU R's hand) 
A vision of ecstasy(CU R) 
When you hold me, (Glass shattering in reverse)(CU R)I’m alive(MS R) 
(CU R)We’re like diamonds(Fabric billowing) in the sky(CU R)  

I knew that we’d become one(Large object in reverse) (MS R)right away(TS R running on Rd) 
(CU R)Oh, right away(TS R running on Rd)(Curtain rail falling in reverse)(ECU R's hand on bed)
At (CU R)first sight I (MS R on Rd)(CU R)felt the energy(Ball of light) (CU R)of sun rays(TS R running on Rd)(CU R) 
(CU PU R)I saw the life inside your eyes   

So shine bright(Bright light on Rd) (CU TS R running on Rd)tonight,(Bright light R running on Rd) you and (MS R on Rd)I (Various objects breaking in reverse) 
(ECU R's hand)We’re beautiful like (CU R)diamonds in the (MS R)sky 
Eye to (CU R)eye(Bright light R running on Rd), so alive 
(CU R)We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky(R on Rd under Aurora Borealis)  

Shine bright like a diamond (CU R under Aurora Borealis)
Shine bright like a diamond(ECU R's hand) 
Shine bright like a diamond(CU R) 
We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky  
(CU R under Aurora Borealis)Shine bright like a diamond (CU R)
Shine bright like a diamond (MS R in reverse)
Shine bright like a diamond 
We’re beautiful like (ECU R's hand)diamonds in the sky 

(CU R)Palms rise to the universe 
As we (LS R in landscape)moonshine and (MS R)molly 
(CU R)Feel the warmth, we’ll never (CU R)die(LS H slow motion) 
We’re like diamonds in the sky  
(CU R)You’re a shooting star I see 
(CU R)A vision of ecstasy 
When you hold me, I’m alive(MS H slow motion) 
We’re like diamonds in the sky 

(CU R)At first sight I felt the energy of sun (MS R)rays 
(CU H)I saw the life (CU R)inside your eyes  
(LS two H slow motion)So shine bright (CU H slow motion)tonight(CU R), you (ECU H hoof)and I(MS R) 
We're (CU R)beautiful (MS horse slow motion)like diamonds in the sky(LS H) 
(CU silhouette R)Eye to (MS H)eye, (CU H)so (ECU fire)alive 
(CU R)We're beautiful like diamonds in the (LS H)sky  

Shine bright like a (CU R)diamond 
(LS H)Shine bright like a diamond(MS H) 
(CU R)Shine bright like a diamond(CU flowers on fire) 
We’re beautiful (ECU R)like diamonds in the sky  
(CU R)Shine bright(Police and fire) like a (CU two H)diamond 
(LS two H)Shine bright(MS two H) like a diamond 
(LS R)Shine bright like a diamond(MS two H slow motion) 
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky  
(CU R)Shine bright like a diamond(ECU R's hand) 
(CU R blowing smoke)bright like a diamond(ECU flower on fire) 
(ECU R's face on water)Shine bright like a diamond  

So shine (CU R on water)bright (MS R on water)tonight, you and I(Police and fire)(Silhouette against fire)(CU man) 
We're (CU R)beautiful like (MS R on water)diamonds in the sky (Silhouette against fire)
Eye to (ECU R's hand)eye, (CU R)so alive (LS R on water)
We're beautiful like diamonds (MS man on fire)in the sky  (MS R busy scene)

Shine bright (CU clothing)like a (ECU R)diamond(LS two H slow motion) 
Shine bright like a (CU R)diamond(LS two H slow motion)(ECU R) 
Shine bright like a (ECU R's hand)diamond(MS R) (CU R)
Oh, yeah(CU R tilt) 

Shine (MS man on fire)bright like a diamond(ECU R) 
(CU R)Shine bright like a diamond(LS R on water) 
(Fire)Shine bright(CU R) like a diamond(ECU R's hand) 
Shine bright(CU R) like a diamond(ECU R on water) 

(ELS R on water) 

R - Rihanna

Di - Diamonds

Rd - Road

H - Horse/s

ECU - Extreme close up

CU - Close up

TS - Tracking shot

MS - Mid-shot

LS - Long Shot
ELS - Extreme long shot

Cutting to the beat is an effective way of editing and composing a music video. The cuts between shots happen on definite beats within the song to create more of a flow and to establish a stronger connection between the video and the song as there is a visible and audible change. It can also be done with the melody, cutting to the next shot on different notes rather than beats, Rihanna uses a mixture of both as some of the shots fit into the percussive beat in the background but not with the melody and some are the other way around. This mixes it up a little and makes it flow with both the song and the lyrics.