Inspiration for my Digipak

The concept I want to follow when creating my print work is Fairy Tale. The idea of a mystical wonderland contrasted with images of real life will give the audience both a sense of realism and escapism. This is a common feature within pop music to convey contrasting meanings to allow the audience to explore their music's meaning.
I want to us a plan background throughout my digipak so I can incorporate images onto it such as a lens flare, l will use a lens flare to give my digipak colour since colour is commonly used in the pop genre. I will use darkened images in the background to indicate a fairy tale theme, things such as birds and trees.

Potential fonts for my print work

Fonts For my Digipak from Lisa Adams

Experimentation with Colour Schemes

Created with Padlet

Time Management

Today as a group we are going to finish off some outstanding blog posts such as the shot list and rough cut, as well as continue to edit the music video. Afterwards we will move onto our individual work in preparation for the print work next week.

Digipak Analysis: Katy Perry "Teenage Dreams"

Analysis of Digipak: Katy Perry, "Teenage Dream" from Lisa Adams

Digipak Inspiration: Album Front Covers

Lisa Adams's Slidely by Slidely Slideshow

Editing Progress 10/12/15 :Colour Correction

Analysis of Digipak 1 - "Loud" by Rihanna

Time Management

Compared to the work flow, l am missing some blog posts. We are close to completing our music video. Part of the lesson tomorrow will be spent experimenting with clips as well as perhaps filming some clips to replace the ones we're not happy with. As this task goes on, I am seeing issues with our music video that could easily be fixed by either refilling, or adjusting it through editing. I have started print research, l have analysed one Digipak and have begun to think of designs for when l have to create my own.

Process of production, Mock up: Digipak

This is my mock up for my digipak, I've decided to use a 6 panelled digipak as this was the generic amount of  panels the digipaks in my research had. To cohere my digipak to my music video, l plan to use scenery images, such as flowers and sunlight. As this has a strong correlation to our music video. 

On the back three panels (the panels that would appear inside once the digipak is fully opened), I want to use a strong line of coloured graphics to replicate the lense flare in the beginning of our music video. By using different colours, in the graphics this will connote the pop genre and make the new artists easy to establish by their audience. 

By having a long shot of the girls out in a woodland setting connotes the theme of fairytale, the theme l want to be promoted with this album. Also the use of close ups in the inside panels gives a strong star image; this is important since their new artists and promoting a authentic star image will make their music stand out in the fast moving pop genre. 

Process for production: Mock Ups, Promo Poster

This is my print poster, I've desgned it specifically to promote the performers star image as their new artists in the Pop industry and this is their debut album. I've decided to use a picture of half their faces because this represents the equality the girls have and the shared work and enjoyment for their music careers. Also the style of font l plan on using reflects the Pop genre because of its authentic look and rustic appeal. 

In my research I found that the title of the album was a larger font to make it stand out as a product. 

The divide between the girls styles in the music video is choered in my promo promo poster as the audience can clearly see the differences between the performers.

Stars and Stardom Theory; Ariana Grande

Stars and stardom grade booster from Lisa Adams

               Video clip one; Ariana Grande get the look 


              Video Clip Two; Ariana Grande "Dangerous Women"


Video Clip Three; Ariana Grande !Break Free"


Video Clip Four; Ariana Grande "dangerous women ( A Cappella)"

Rough Cut and Rough Cut Feedback, What we've learnt

Rough Cut 

Rough Cut Feedback;

So the next steps we're going to make as a group is to pay closer attention during the editing stage, making sure we keep the lip syncing on time and we are editing the clips to the beat. To make our music video more effective. We will use are time wisely in creating star appeal suggested in the audience feedback, perhaps by a more concentrated focus on the performers rather then the scenery. So in summary we will carry on with the format of how we are doing things but pay more attention to the performers and the lip syncing. We will work as a team to create a professional styled music video backed by the suggestions we get from our audience feedback throughout the project.

Time management

Week Scheduled 

Blog Posts To Complete 

• (Extension Task) Stars and Stardom 
• Filming progress

Editing Progress 20/11/15: Clip Alterations

Music Video of the week

Music Video of the Week

Rizzle Kicks - "Lost Generation" 

Genre - Hip-Hop

My Music Video of the Week is Rizzle Kicks "Lost Generation". I chose this because l thought it had clear amplification between the lyrics and video. Making the lyrics a simple expression of their thoughts on today's society, well their 'generation'. I also enjoyed it because it is a contemporary example of how our generation do act, strongly connoting realism. I also enjoyed the cross media references, such as a the 'The Jeremy Kyle Show' and 'Big Brother' giving us as a audience a insight into these artists lives and what they are interested by. Creating a basic connection between both artist and audience, making them more likeable. 

They used editing carefully to create fast paced cuts to synchronize with the music. Visually connecting each scene to the song. Signifying a generic characteristic of their music genre. 

Time management

We have completed are filming, and have begun editing so we should have a rough cut of our music complete by the end of the week. I use my directed study on Tuesday morning to work on it. As for my blog, it is lacking blog posts because l haven't been very well also I'm working to get my personal statement done. Despite this, at some point l will be completing some extension tasks as well as the needed blog posts.

Time Management

In todays lesson we are going to re film some clips for our music video. We're refiling because some of the clips we have aren't good enough so we need a more variety of clips.

I've filmed a time lapse of the sun, which we will incorporate into the beginning of our music video. I am behind on some of the blog posts, which is because I've been finishing off some parts of my UCAS application, but from now on all blog posts should be in order. 

Filming Progress

Today we filmed in the Assembly Rooms, we managed to get the shots we needed however we won't know completely until we start the process of editing. We wanted to film in a theatre setting because of the stage lighting adding a more professional feel to our music video. We used two cameras throughout shooting, as this would allow to have a variety of shots to decide from when we came to editing. 

We used this time to practice more performance elements such as  choreography as the rest of our music video is more naturalistic, this allowed us to experiment with different movements more generically seen within the pop genre. The photos above show the stage area we used, which we wanted because research showed that this was a setting used within pop music videos. 

Music Video of the week

Pink "True Love"ft Lily Allen

Genre - Pop Rock

I chose this as my music video of the week because l liked the special effects throughout the video. Using special effects such as a digital background adds to Pinks star motif - being a confident and unpredictable artist. 

I like the way this music video was edited, how the cuts were edited to the beat of the song which amplified the meaning behind the song. Establishing that this is a fast paced music video attracting a more universal audience.
I also liked the mixture of mise-en-scene, using realistic scenes of her and her family to portray realism and normality allowing audiences to be able to relate to such a out there artist. 

Time Management

We are still currently in the process of filming. We are coming in on Wednesday to complete filming in the assembly rooms - we booked the theater for two pm, so that the technician could help up set up the lighting for our music video. We have started to look at the footage we have and some of it needs re-shooting as we're not happy it applies to music video characteristics.

Blog posts completed this week -

1. Choreography 
2. Risk assessment 

Blog posts in the process of completion - 

1. Shot List 

The reasoning for me being behind on my blog posts, is that l am currently writing my personal statement so l am having trouble electing time to each of my subjects. Hopefully this won't go on for too long. 

Filming Progress

Today, we managed to film some parts for our music video, We filmed during our two hour lesson and filmed some more narrative for our video, we planned out the shots we need to be more time efficient. We also filmed other scenes whilst we were up in the Ludlow hills, so we'd have more scenes to choose from when it came to editing.

Time Management

Post Production - Editing Schedule

Shot List

Music video of the week

Nickleback "Rockstar"

Genre - Rock 

I chose this as my music video of the week because there is no clear narrative, the visuals have no direct link to the lyrics (Disjuncture- Goodwins Theory). Which makes it more interesting to watch.

Not having the performer in a music video makes his song more universal so it can be applied to more people. 

I like how they edited this to create a montage, with each clip being no longer than 5 seconds, keeping the audience's interest as you never know what's coming next. 

Locations and Asking Permission

Locations from amber360

As described in Amber's presentation we will be using mainly outdoors locations to shoot our music video, other than the last section of the performance which will be shot in our local Theater stage. We wanted to use outdoors locations as it connotes the idea of freedom and youth. Being able to go wherever you want and just  have some time for yourself, giving our audiences a visual representation of tranquility and peace, which is something our audience may want as they're the age where they're doing examinations!
Using locations like, a wood and country lanes symbolizes a fresh appeal, further connoting that perhaps the artists have fresh new music that is something different from the usual Pop artist.
Choosing natural locations like these shakes off the feeling of it being artificial, (which is something negatively correlated to the Pop Genre), instead it gives the a better platform for the performers. Just them in nature stripped back to their talent and happiness, promoting a healthy star image for both performers.
The Assembly Rooms' stage will be used for the last performance section in the narrative during the end of this song. We've chosen to do this since this is a popular feature within the Pop genre according to previous research. This is used to emphasis the artist and their talent by placing them on their own stage, showcasing the hard work and talent that they needed to get there. Allowing audiences to aspire to be as successful as them and also perhaps use escapism to get out of their own lives.
The reason we've chosen to use these locations is that using a stage and a naturalistic setting are generic characteristics you see within the Pop genre (Goodwins theory). So we'd be obeying the general rules when it comes to making our music video fit into the Pop genre.

Permission

We don't need to ask permission to use any of the natural locations we intend to in Ludlow, because they are public grounds allowing anyone to use them. Because of this we must obey other citizens and not disturb them during the course of filming. 

However for the theatre stage, we do need to ask permission to use the Ludlow Assembly Rooms stage. This will be done by either ringing them , or going in and explaining the reasons we need to borrow the stage for a few hours. 

Choreography

Risk Assesment

This is a risk assessment of both locations we will be using. We have walked around the space we will be using in the assembly rooms and  these are the most obvious risks we could find. We also have risk assessed the outdoors location, and slipping over on the wet grass is the most potential danger.

Colour and Lighting

Lighting and colour from callumpugh

As demonstrated in Callums presentation, are music video will follow a narrative arc based on lighting and colour. We've done this because research has shown that bright colours are a popular convention within the Pop genre. However contradictory to this, music videos that are considered to be weakly categorized as Pop (Artists such as Elle Goulding), often use natural lighting and softer colours such as pastel pinks and whites. Since our music video is going to be on this side of Pop, we decided to follow this color scheme.
By using natural lighting through the first three sections of our narrative, this will connote to our audience that our artists have a more relaxed and down to earth persona then perhaps big Pop stars like Beyonce. Making them more relatable and likeable for our target audience, 14-20.
 In the final section of the narrative arc we will use artificial lighting to present the idea of parties and fun to our audience, which because of their age range will perhaps elicit aspirations to want their lifestyle. We've done this to ensure that the artists are shown not just as down to earth, but also that they do have fame, which is something unreachable for their audience. Creating a fan base that can aspire to be like them as much as possible, but are still limited to how much.
 The contrast of going from soft, natural colours to bright and artificial symbolises that even though the day goes on the happiness of these performers remains despite where they are. Showing that they love creating music, which is a characteristic Pop audiences love to see.
 Finally the use of bright colours such as bright during the performance section is something commonly seen within the Pop genre. So we'd be following the generic conventions of the Pop genre, making our music video recogniseable to our audience that it is part of this music sub-genre.

Time Management

Music Video of the week

Rudimental - "Waiting All Night" ft. Ella Eyre

Genre: Drum and Base (House Music)

What l liked about it?

The way they had a entire story shortened into three minuets.

The use of handheld camera movements to symbolism the true story within the narrative.

Also the underlying concept that their audience can interpret, for me my interpretation was that you can beat anything and achieve anything you set your mind on.

Performers & Casting

As a group we decided to cast people within our own group, because we thought that this would make filming a lot easier, as they'll already know the lyrics and have a level understanding of what we want as a music video. Also this makes filming more lenient with time, as we'll know their flexibility with their timetable and when as a group we are all available to film.

Casting 

Katie Allan

We've chosen Katie because looking back on research into the Pop genre, her style coheres with the artists we've been looking at which would appeal to our target audience. Also the she has the right star image we want to create for the more relaxed female artist, the 'Girl Next Door' appeal is something we want to strongly convey through our music video.
As she is in our group Katie has more availability, making time management a lot easier.
Since, this music video effects results in her A Level, it means that she'll be a lot more motivated to participate and give up her time for the project.

Lisa (Me)
As a group we also decided to cast me in the video because l am a fan of the pop genre, therefore I follow the mainstream style which makes me more ideal to attract out target audience. Also l follow the generic look associated with the more feminine artist, which creates controversy with Katie's look, defining our differences and creating contrast within our video.
Similar to the reasons we chose Katie, I'm interested in creating good music video as it will reflect on my end of year grade, but also because I've been there during the planning so l do have interest in what we're doing. Giving me motivation to do the project.
I will be available the same time as the rest of the group during lessons, and we have similar time tables making filming a lot easier.


For our music video, we had a idea to have two artists as a duo, however have them appear differently to the audience. So Katie and I's looks are quite different which means we are able to portray two different star images, appealing to a wider audience.  

Costumes and Props

Costume + props from Lisa Adams

Time Managment

I've completed all mandatory tasks in the first three weeks of my action plan. However one of these is not uploaded onto my blog, because l am unable to screenshot at home so I'll have to do it when I am in college. So this delay will mean some blog posts will be posted by tomorrow instead.

 

My Music Video of the Week

James Morrison - Broken Strings ft. Nelly Furtado

Having the obsession with Pop music that l do, it's no surprise that this week I've re-fallen in love with the 'Broken Strings' music video. Making this '08, Pop/Rock track my music video of the week. 
As well as the enjoying the talented artists voice in the audio for this, l do also love the way they're both presented in this video. The narrative of this song is being presented through a couple that have grown apart. They've shown this by giving the artists equal parts in the song, and the way they harmonise so lovingly. 
I particularly like their use of mise en scene in their props, location, lighting and facial expressions. The use of a dim lighting particularly at the beginning, sets the mood for the rest of the video. The connotation of sadness and perhaps failure (which links into the lyrics and is amplified by the visuals). Also, using a bedroom scene throughout this music video creates a sense of realism allowing us as a audience to relate to what they're singing about - love. As well as the clothes they're wearing, creating a very casual scene. 
I liked the way the artists lip synced throughout, because to me this gave the song a lot more emotion and enables it to send a much more powerful message. 
During the bridge of the song when they're doing their duet, arguably the 'climax' of the song, there's a use of slow motion. During this we are able to see a flower pot smash and the water and broken pieces fly out into the air. And the TV breaking, doing pretty much the same. 
I like this because we now have a direct link from the lyrics to the visuals. The emotional strain couples go through to stay together, until they crack, like the flower vase. The frustration people can go through, trying to close a relationship they've tried to hold onto for so long - the TV explosion, representing the emotional explosion. 

Seven years later, and this is still one of my all time favourite songs.

Test Shots

Narrative Arc for our Music Video

Our group has decided to use light as the backbone or our narrative arc. So instead of following the usual five part arc, we have decided to only have four parts, that can easily be established by our audience. This is because as we are using light we are limited to the amount of sections we can do.

• First Part - This will be the opening of our music video. We'll include a clip of the sunrise, then go straight onto morning light. This establishes that this will be the first section of the narrative arc - the soft natural lighting. We will also introduce the artists, they will both be walking singing the opening of the song, down two separate pathways, until they meet at the end. This was a decision post arc creation, one we made in later discussions after we created the Narrative Arc. 
• Second Part - This will be shot in 'midday', so we will keep the natural lighting however it will be brighter. This will also influence the artists movement, how their movements will correlate with the brightness and happiness the sun conveys. This section will be the first chorus in the song. They will still be in the same costumes
• Third Part - In this section, we discussed how using softer lighting to portray after mid-day light, will connote that even though it's getting later and a bit darker, the girls are shown to still be having fun. The costumes will stay the same, however perhaps they will be in some warmer jumpers, to emphasise its getting later in the day. Again, they will still be in a outdoors location.
• Fourth Part- We discussed that this final section should contain performance elements in it, as well as continuing with the narrative of the song. So we've decided that the artists will slowly transition from the outdoors, to performing on the stage. We thought we could do this through the use of camera work, so it makes the transition more subtle and less harsh. This will also be shot at dusk, as its coming to the end of the day, and the music video. There will be a outfit change from their casual clothes, to more glamorous clothes. 

Storyboard/animatic

Time Management

Currently l have been keeping up with my blog posts. Currently, it's a wednesday and l have three more bog posts l'd like to put up today that need to be completed and posted by this Friday. +I think my works going well however I'm struggling on the Music Sub Genre blog post as l wasn't there for the lesson so i'm catching up at the same time as completeing the post 

Target Audience

Our Pitch

Generating Ideas using Lyrics

We got the idea to generate ideas from our songs lyrics from theorist Andrew Goodwin. He discussed how you can link visuals with the lyrics, so studying the lyrics of a song could give you ideas on how you're going to physically make that song into a music video.
Firstly we noticed "A Girls Life" made use of intertexuality, it referenced other products. At the beginning it made reference Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun, through the lyrics "No girls don't just want to have fun". It also refrences the film "Twilight" after the chorus.
As a group we then noticed any specific lyric changes that would indicate a change of beat, which were  before the chorus and during the bridge of the song. This allowed us to recognise when the performers in the music video needed to have more energy in their lip syncing and body language. To engage the audience with the song and to also match with the lyrics.
The main idea we wanted to focus on during this song was the use of lighting. We did this because of the topic of the lyrics and the ideas of freedom that were connoted by them. So we divided it up into sections of and dedicated a section to Sunrise, morning, afternoon, dusk. This helped us to start to get ideas of what we were going to do in the music video to emphasise the theme of light.

So by reading the lyrics of the song we could start to develop ideas of what we wanted our music video to look like, and gain a interpretation of the song but with our unique style based on our ideas from the lyrics.

What Inspires Me

I get inspired by the film series of National Treasure, the idea of going on a hunt for some sort of treasure alongside a race with another team.

I'm inspired lifestyle wise, by Marzia Bisognin, as l find her youtube channel very inspirational as she thinks differently to how l think, and the way she creates videos, stories and makeup looks l find very interesting to adapt into my own life.

Anna and Lilly, Youtubers, inspire my makeup, hair and skincare regimes, as l feel like they know what they're doing and influences a lot of my purchases. I've brought things they've raved about and haven't been disappointed to this day!

When, I'm finally off the internet, I like to have a bit of a read. I've read John Greens classics: 'The Fault In Our Stars', 'Paper Towns' and 'Looking for Alaska'. Content such as the fault in our stars really inspires me to live a more healthier and more appreciative life, as it reminds me that sometimes things can happen to people that can really affect them and who they love. So I tend to feel much more appreciative of everything l have and all the people l have around me. 

I'm also a big fan of Giovanna Fletcher's books, especially 'You're the one' - A romance novel. It just makes me very happy and can easily boost my mood when i'm not feeling particularly great. 

My family are a big inspiration to me (Not in a cringy way), as a lot of my family are very charitable and loving, which l think I've picked up on as I give blood and help raise money for charities and enjoy doing so. They also inspire me to live a long happy life as all of them have. 

Moodboard

Creativity

• Creativity is someone's subjective interpretation of the world. How they can express themselves using subjects or hobbies, such as art and cooking. It also can be seen as how they present themselves physically and the way their creativity allows them to explore things with a open mind.

 

• In order to be more creative, a person can explore things they haven't previously done, to get inspiration for their own creativity.

• There's a split argument to where creativity sources from, whether a person is born with creativity or the way they are socialised into using creativity in their everyday lives. I personally believe it is both, that everyone is born with creativity and its how your taught to express and explore it, that causes it to flourish.
• Creativity is important in media because it allows people to think of ideas that haven't yet been done, however too much creativity can limit the success of a product as it may be too out there and not make sense.

(One of my favourite creators on YouTubers, KickThePJ)

Sir Ken Robbinson suggests that creativity depends on getting things wrong. Presenting thoughts and ideas anyway, despite the possibility of them being wrong. So in relation to education system he believes it is killing creativity in children as they are taught to fear making mistakes as the system puts a emphasis on failure. In my personal experience, l do agree that a persons creativity can be limited. Attending school means having a scheduled, limiting to periods where you have more freedom to be creative then other times.

Time Management

This week, we decided on a artists for our coursework. I was put in a group with three others from my class and as a group we decided to call ourselves 'Phonic records'. As 'Phonic' is a alternate word for sound. We decided on our artist, a girl duo called Megan and Liz, as we liked the way their songs sounded and they're in the Pop genre, which is a genre I'm familiar with. 

I have a few blog posts that need to be uploaded:

• Creativity
• Moodboard

Applying Andre Goodwins Theory

Conventions of The Music Sub-Genre

Conventions of music sub genre from Lisa Adams

Paloma Faith, "Only Love can hurt like this"

Christina Perri, "Burning Gold"



Lily Allen, "Smile"

Asking Permission

Our Production Company Name & Artist

I'm working with. Amber, Calum and Katie to produce a music video. We've created a production company called Phonic Records.
We have chose a unsigned artist called Megan & Liz.
The song we've chosen is "A girls Life". 

Four-One Direction Promotional Package Cohesion Examples

Time Management

I have completed the analysis of fifth harmonies music video "BO$$". I am currently doing research into potential unsigned artists that l could use for my coursework. In the following week l hope to complete:

Incomplete

• Deciding on a artists for coursework
• Doing the 'Conventions of music sub-genre' Blog post
• Asking permission of the artist chosen to allow us to use their music.

Music Video Analysis - 'BO$$' by Fifth Harmony

Music Video analysis: 'BO$$' - Fifth Harmony from Lisa Adams

Fifth Harmony "BO$$"

Project Brief

In the second year of A Levels in Media Studies, we as students are too create a promotional package for the release of a new album. This package will include:

• (1) Music Video 
• A magazine advert
• A digipak

We will choose a unsigned artist and replicate one of their music videos and to advertise it. We are to choose a unsigned artist because we can be more creative with ideas for promotion as to if we chose a signed artist. As they already have a good platform for advertising. 

Function/Purpose of music video

Work Flow

7th September

•   Introduction to Coursework Brief

14th september

• Research and planning 

21st september 

• Research and planning 

28th september

• Research and planning

5th october 

• Planning for production 

12 October 

• filming

19th october 

• filming

26 October

• Half term

2 November 

• Editing

9 November 

• Editing 

16 november 

• Editing

23 november 

• editing

30 november 

• Ancilliary Tasks: Research and planning 

7 December 

• Ancilliary task: Production 

14 December 

• Ancillary Task: Production 

21/28 December

• Christmas Holidays

4-18 January 

•  Evaluation 

25 January 

• Coursework Deadline