Change of plan

Because there has been so many alterations to what and where I have to film the band and I have decided to go ahead with filming two of them and do a cover version of the song superstition by Stevie Wonder.

Complication

The band and I arranged to film this week and originally was going to be monday evening. However three people suddenly became unavailable. We then rearranged for thursday but two people couldn't do this day and the band had suggested that I just went ahead and filmed three of them as I needed some footage of some sort by the end of the week.
I may have to re-think in the next day or so where i'm going to get my footage from.

Magazine Advertisement Draft (rough copy)

Digipak Draft (rough)

Magazine Advert Evaluation

By looking at five different magazine advertisements it has broadened my ideas to what I would like to include in my magazine. I wouldn't have a location, just a clear, desaturated background with white/black/red typography. These colours because these were the colours used on every single advert I analysed. I think that the 'Plan B' advertisement was really eye catching; especially towards my target audience. As I feel that the big header at the top of the page really grabbed attention. The red text also helped with the fact that if you were to skim through a magazine you wouldn't miss it. 

I would want a structured magazine to match with my digipak. I want a them of continuity throughout what I do in my research and planning and I feel that keeping most things similar to each other would work well.

Imagery wise none of the artists on the advertisements were looking into the camera. So for when I come to do my shoot I may have none of them looking at the camera or maybe just the lead singer. I could also think about having a shot of them in action.

Over all I am pleased with my research for my magazine advertisements and I have a clear understanding of what I need to do to complete it.

Digipak Evaluation

From what I learnt by looking through the digipak's is that I would like to use white or navy typography as that seems to look really nice whilst displayed. For my digipak I would like the CD to be similar to the front cover as I would like most of it to match. I found that whilst looking at the front covers of the albums that the CD will more than likely be matched to this.

The design element I still have to think about as most of the digipak's I looked at were all dis-similar. Out of all five I looked at the 'Foo Fighters' seemed to match my genre of music (indie rock) and was most suited to the digipak I was aiming to work with. 

For imagery I think I would like an unusual element to add to my digipak. From the information I have gathered I think that by looking at the 'Foo fighters' album this worked really well and had an element of surprise to it.

Overall I am happy with where this is going and I am certain I will have an end result that I will be pleased with.

Magazine Advert 5

This advertisement is the most controversial to the others I have looked at. It has the image, artist name and album title at the top half of the page and features all the information nearer the bottom. This advertisement gets straight to the point and is clear and easy to read. Yet again the three main colours on this magazine advert are red, black and white. These colours seem to be the most used colours as they stand out. 'Wake me up when september ends' is written the same way it is shown on the album. This is a good link for someone who is skimming through to easily notice and pick up on. With all the images I have looked at none of them seem to be looking at the camera, this is a key feature to draw the audience in to see what else there is to read about. There is about three different fonts used and its all in capital letters, this is an element I would like to include in my advert to draw the audience. 

Magazine Advert 4

The image is a play on words with the album name. The artist has a pair of lungs as her necklace, as the title is 'lungs' this is a clear visual link between the two elements on the magazine advert, this is visually empowering for the reader and really catches the eye. The colours used look like they have been de saturated to match the naturalistic scenery. The writing is white on black which appears to be the most dominant feature on this advertisement which is something i'm going to include in my digipak. Her makeup, hair style and choice of clothing seems to match everything else and for a magazine advert if I were to use the artist I would want everything to match together and fit perfectly. I feel that this has been portrayed very well. This has been kept simple and not over the top, magazine advertisements seem to have a pattern of symmetry and I would also like to include this feature as well as I think that it really stands off of the page.

Magazine Advert 3

Plan B's magazine ad uses the same three colours as the other two I have looked at. This is because red, black and white seem to be a statement colour and grabs a readers attention. The whole advert is slightly faded and this matches with the genre of music that the artist makes. The header is the most visually empowering part to the advert as it sits right at the top of the page in the centre. The colour red seems to make it personal as the album the advert is selling includes red in the image it has used. The image is of the artist and they are also faded to match the rustic effect of the black background. The font is very easy to read and only uses the colours white and red which add to a classic feel and make it clear. The image has no colour in it whatsoever which makes the image appear darker and merge with the background.I like the simplicity of this advert as it just gets straight to the point and has an interesting set out on the page. I would like to make an advert similar to this as I feel it goes well with the sort of genre I am looking at. I think it catches a readers attention as it isn't something you would normally see in a magazine and I wouldn't want the readers to skim over it thinking it's unimportant.

Magazine Advert 2

This magazine advert is brighter than the one before, it uses white space and three simple colours. Black, red and white. This magazine advert is from Q magazine and the way that 'Q magazine' is set out I think that this advert matches up with it. The model is walking with a guitar on his shoulder and he is looking to his left, this will give the impression that he has something to do and looks visually empowering the way it is placed on the page. The advert is advertising the 'Foo Fighters new world exclusive album.' This is put in capitals as a header at the top of the page to grab your attention. Also to add to the eye catching header the word 'Foo Fighters' is put in red; this is to let whoever is reading the magazine to notice this first on the page as it is what would draw your attention first as you were reading it. 

Magazine Advert 1

The Arctic Monkeys magazine advert uses dark and bold colours (black and white). The bold white title on the black canvas makes it really stand out and this would catch an audiences eye. The image is also extremely unusual to put in the middle of a music advertisement because it is very controversial to the type of music that they play. It shows space as the background is plain and neutral and this makes it look neat overall. The mask on the girls face and her indirect eye contact draws the readers in, only two fonts have been used which is a common occurrence I have noticed throughout the adverts I have been looking at. This technique also makes the advert look uncluttered. The white typography on the black background makes it really distinctive for the readers eye. The advertisement is also uses symmetry; symmetry looks well on a poster so I feel that the way they have conveyed this idea works really well.

Digipak 5

MummRa- "These things move in threes"

Mummra's album holds a lot more colour and movement within it. The yellowish/ brownish vintage tone that it holds is a very warming colour. The name of the album is "These things move in threes" and isn't shown on the front cover, its shown on the back. This feature to the album is different from most albums because the title is usually on the front of the pack not the back. Mumm-ra are an indie/rock band so this matches well with the album and what it is trying to put across as a message. 

The back of the album shows the amount of songs, usually albums include the minimum of 10 songs but for this album it only shows 5, this is another unusual feature to this album. The imagery for the front cover is a train pulling a carriage but has random objects within it, this decorates the front really well and creates a eye catching album. I couldn't find the CD for the album however I would imagine it would match the front and back because this fits well with the genre and it make sense to do that. 

I personally think that the album works well together and I like the fact that it is different from most albums in the way it includes the title on the back and just the artist name (Mumm-ra) and a piece of artwork on the front. 

Digipak 4

Bullet for my valentine- "Fever"

A very sinister way has been set about making this album artwork. All the colours used are very bland and dark. The front of the album shows a side shot of a  naked girl with a shadow in the background. The scenic background makes this really unfamiliar/ unnatural as you wouldn't usually come across a nude girl in the middle of a suburban field. Instead of a human hand the woman has a claw of some sort, the abstract tones and imagery creates an unusual placement and seems to work really well with what the album is having to offer.

The typography used on the front of the album cover is exceedingly distinct and if you came across this type of text in another format you would immediately find yourself relating it back to this album cover. The back however shows the band members in a sepia tone to separate the colour of black and white. The songs are shown at the bottom in sections so provide the audience with a clear structure of where things are. 

I think that the overall album features a rustic layout and seems to relate well to the genre. The box arrangement on the back is clear and simple and it works well, if the text had been over the image of the band it wouldn't be easily legible and would take a while to adjust to read. 

The stripped back simplicity and effortlessness creates a CD that sells in as many ways possible. The simple design includes a silky, velvet line running across the CD front, the pattern is made up of swirls and has an entirely different approach from the front cover.

Digipak 3

Thin Lizzy- "Bad Reputation"

Black is the themed colour throughout this album and it includes the colour red and white as well. This album is very structured and creates an ordinary album cover to the public eye. The capital letters used for the typography gives a rough edge towards the album and this is what creates the contrasting edge. The CD is different from the album front and back as it uses different scales of grey. The text of the band name is also different as it is using the "Thin Lizzy" representative of the band rather than the font used on the front cover.

I personally don't like the way the CD has been laid out as I don't think it has shown a good representation of the album and what the bands genre is about. I think that it could of been more creative and inspired by the artist a little more, and maybe taken a bit of interest in what the album is trying to sell rather than just having a disk for the album artwork.

Digipak 2

Foo Fighters- "Echoes, silence, patience & Grace"

The album cover for "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" takes the shape of a tie, however the actual object seems to be some sort of lightbulb. The albums itself is actually quite plain and the background is just a light wash of grey. However the inanimate object seems to take the eye because of its unusual place. The typography for the album work is set in three stages. The artist name is done in a bold font to catch the audiences eye and who the album is aiming to sell at, then the typography gets slightly smaller and is less daring than the artist name. The other part underneath is so minute that by this time the audience would have picked the album up and would of already been interested in what the album was selling. All of the typography is in capital letters to assure the audience the type of genre that is could be, it lets out a bold statement and could be used throughout this genre of music.

The back of the album contrasts to the front cover, it has a darker background and the colour of the typography is different from the front. The "&" sign on the front however is the same colour as the typography on the back and this shows a link between the two and that the colour isn't just random. The CD is a great representation of the front of the album and is very diverse. The text is in the same place as the front and the object is still being used, just 90• to the right. I personally think that it is easy to read and hasn't been manipulated in any way to ruin its simplicity.

Digipak 1

Fall out boy- "Infinity on a high"

This album is a very fun/creative album and has an energetic feel towards it. The objects used on the front cover are really random and it looks as if the place setting is in a nursery of some sort from the colours used. It's hard to tell though because of all the erratic objects used. This album cover would definitely catch your eye though if you were to see it on a shelf in a record shop (HMV) because of the bright colours and unusual layout and scene setting.

The back of the album is showing the band at the bottom which none of the other digipaks I have researched show any sign of. The typography for the front and the back is the same 

font and the same colour except for when the album is saying what it is called. 

The album CD has kept its simplicity and is so much more different to the album front and back. It has kept the same text as the front cover to assure us that it is the same. 
The CD has kept the same colour and the white on blue seems to contrast well. I feel as though the CD works well with the album because I think if it had too much going on then it wouldn't be appealing to audience and would be unflattering to the eye.
The simplicity of the albums CD disk has worked really well and I thought that it worked well with the design. 
The odd display of the album draws people in, it also suits the type of music that the band "Fall out boy" play. 

Questionnaire Analysis

For my audience analysis I gave my questionnaire to roughly twenty people and the estimated age was between 16-20 years old. This is a younger target audience to be aiming for and is more suited for my type of music genre. The overall outcome for male or female was the majority of the people who took the questionnaire were female.

When it came to the question 'what genre of music do you listen to regularly?' there was a mixed opinion on what type of music people listened to. There was an even amount of people that chose rock, indie, dance, R&B and electronic. However when it came to Pop and Alternative there were a few more people who seemed to listen to this type of music. My genre would come under alternative/indie so this works out perfectly for me. This would affect the outcome of what genre I should work with because if I wanted to sell my product I would want the best possible sources/re-sources for it to sell. This would mean if I had chosen classical for my music genre I would have to re-think this option and go with a more listenable option to the audience. 'Do you watch music videos?' was the next question and every single person that answered the questionnaire said that they had watched music videos.

A similar question was answered by every person that answered the questionnaire said that they all listened to music regularly. A majority also said that a music video was a big part of the music artists success. This means that if an artist releases a song accompanied by a music video the majority of people would watch it and judge the video along with the song. It is important to have a music video that makes sense as it would be easier for the audience to respond to it.

Most people claimed to buy their music from record shops or they said that they would download it illegally. However iTunes is the most used application to buy music from. It is putting record shops such as HMV out of business. Which is why it was unusual to see this outcome in my questionnaire. Whilst most people admit to downloading songs illegally this would mean that the artist would be making no money whatsoever from the song that people are downloading. This is a problem for artists because this is how they make their living. The last question asked was do you listen to 'indie rock.' The majority of people said yes while only a little said sometimes, overall most of them did listen to the type of music genre I am working on. If no one listened to indie rock then I would have to re-consider my music genre and choose a genre that people listened to to get a bigger and wider audience for my music video.

Questionnaire

            1) How old are you?

*10 or below     *11-15     *16-20     *21 or over

      2) Gender?

*Male *Female

3a) What genre of music do you listen to regularly?

*rock  *punk  *pop *indie  *alternative  *classical *R&B  *electronic  *dance  *other

3b) If you circled other please state below.

4) Do you watch music videos?

*Yes    *No

5) Do you listen to music a lot?

*Yes     *No

6a) Do you think a music video is a big part of the artist’s success?

*Yes     *No

6b) Why?

7) Where would you usually buy your music?

*ITunes    *Download illegally    *Record shop (HMV)

8) Do you listen to Indie Rock? E.g. Foo Fighters, Fall Out Boy, Mumm-Ra etc.

*Yes    *No

9) What would you usually expect to see in a music video categorised as indie rock?

10) Watch the following 3 music videos and tell me which ones you find most interesting.

Researching Artists

I have an all male based band and I need similar artists to look at. Today I looked at:
Fall Out Boy

Two Door Cinema Club

Bullet For My Valentine (for the more heavier music)

Thin Lizzy

Bombay Bicycle Club

Heavens Basement

Kaiser Chiefs

Mumm-Ra

Foo Fighters

The Who

The most similar options for my band were definitely Foo Fighters, Thin Lizzy and fall out boy.

MY SONGS KNOW WHAT YOU DID IN THE DARK | FALL OUT BOY (video analysis)

As this is a fast paced song, through out the video it uses a continuos amount of abstract shots to fit with the beat. Within this genre of music, being indie rock the video doesn't really follow a story line and doesn't typically have to follow any codes of conventions. The input of mist creates the idea that a teenager doesn't have to make sense. Switching from lots of different shots it distracts the editing and is confusing with the misty effects. 

This can suggest that there is an influence of both drugs and alcohol as if they're dipping in and out of reality.

Although this video is performance driven, this is what makes it different and more visually appealing to watch. By doing so this makes Fall Out Boy more relatable to their audience by showing all sides.

By including different and unusual shots it gives the audience/ viewer lots more to look at and can see it as a journey. Frequently within this genre of music they include many abstract shots to keep with the fast pace of music. Throughout this video it uses the mist effect and lots of equipment, lighting and smoke effects. This helps to build an atmosphere to keep the video flowing with the pace and style of the music.

HEAVEN'S BASEMENT | HEARTBREAKING SONG OF A BITCH (video analysis)

Looking at Heavens basement I am looking at the tones and the contrasts of the setting. The music video is filmed in black and white and the whole song is set in a studio with a completely white background. Everything in the video is white except for the people and the occasional switch to a black background to contrast everything and give dynamic to the video.
What I most admire about this music video is its use of artificial light. Throughout the whole music video the only source of light is artificial as they don't move move out of the room. The effect from this is that it can set the atmosphere as a clean cut video. The advantage of using artificial light is that it can change colours to set a different mood but this music video doesn't do this. Other uses that appear in this video is that it focuses on one colours light on a certain area such as the face and instruments to create shadows that give out contrasting effects.

FOO FIGHTERS | BEST OF YOU (video analysis)

sally/jo

All the music videos I have looked at are similar in genre. They all relate to indie rock/pop. I chose to look at the Foo Fighters as they have similar music to the band I am going to record. 
The camera work and techniques used in this music video include lots of different angles and movements to create different positions and perspectives of looking at the video. Close up shots on the face of the main singer are used to show the viewpoint and therefore the viewer is experiencing it from his point of view and perspective. Different movements are used to show the size of the crowd and the areas in which they are filming. The enjoyment and excitement in his performance draws the audience in. The camera moves and switches from each band member to show authority on his music and the fans. There are also numerous camera close up inserts of the microphone and his lips.

This music video fits in the storyline of the idea of my music video but also the genre is similar. The song is made up of many different montages showing the story of the song. 

MUMM-RA | SHE'S GOT YOU HIGH (video analysis)

Mumm-ra She's Got You High:

I chose to do a video analysis on Mumm-ra as the band have similarities to the band that I have asked to film. The music video however would be different at the beginning. 

At the start of this, the video is showing shots of what I believe to think is a museum of themselves. However I am going to be basing the music video on the band itself setting up, recording the song, at gigs etc. This shot is an over the shoulder shot and is letting the audience see what the band sees. This gives greater emphasis and lets the audience have a relationship with the band and video.
This is a certain shot that I would like to embed into my music video, I would use an angle like this on the guitar at the beginning of it setting up and I would continue to use shots like this to show the audience what the video is leading up to. 
The lighting in this shot is quite plain and ordinary, a bit on the dark side. It gives the illusion that the band is sort of indie/rock, just by the lighting itself used.

Asking the band

I asked the band and they were totally up for it! Only two have confirmed so far but they reassured me that the rest of the band would be really excited!

Back to college

Back to college now and I have decided to create a music promo video! Along side this I will be working on a website homepage for the band, a digipak for the albums release and a magazine advertisement for the digipak.
I have asked a band I know if they are willing to let me film for them and they are really up for it! I can't wait tot share my ideas with them and let them know how and what  I need to do to create a music video that shows their flare.
I will be researching similar types of music videos to what they are doing and I have already looked at the type of audience I will be promoting this video to. I will have to do some textual analysis and will create a story board as well as this to broaden my research.
I'm really excited and can't wait to start filming!

Final Cut Express

This was the editing software that Jack and I used to edit out music video. Although it was a struggle at first it does take some time getting used to all the different tools and shortcuts. I feel that using this software to edit with has given me a broad approach to my next task and I feel as if I can have the ability to work with this programme more confidentially than i would have at first.

you've got a friend in me

Introduction

For this task I am creating a music video which includes the theme 'friendship. My partner Jack and I finished filming the other day and have been editing since then to create a short music video. 
However before we started filming we had to decide on what theme we were going to choose and we had to draw a storyboard of each of the scenes to give us a brief idea on what we were going to approach the filming with.
We are going to be using the editing software final cut, which I have no experience in using so it should be an interesting outcome.