PHOTOS FOR OUR DIGIPAK

To create a star image for our digipak we used the college photography studio as it has a black backdrop and we could also use the studio lighting. We tried to convey the same atmosphere and mood that we had running through our music video. We also used lots of key lighting so that we could create a ‘glamorous’ and more ‘flawless’ appearance and star image. This would create a link between the music video and the digipak and so there would be a sense of continuity. We also considered having the images in either colour or black and white. We edited the photographs using ‘Photoshop’ so that they were in colour and in black and white so that we could compare them to see which we preferred and if we wanted to edit them further so that we could achieve the effect and style that we wanted.

I also created Polariods so that we could create a star image and also create a link to our music video and album title.  As we wanted to use different images for the digipak and the poster it would be better to also have an image of the cover of the digipak to help promote the band and album

DIGIPAK IDEAS

After looking at different digipaks and album covers we discussed different ideas that could feature within our own digipak. As Shqipdon was the ‘artist’ within our music video we thought that we should continue the idea of creating a star image and looking at the build up of an artist’s iconography. So to do this we thought that having close ups of Shqipdon would be the best way to so this. We also thought that having Shqipdon playing or having a guitar would build up the iconography as well as giving a suggestion to the genre. We decided that we wanted to incorporate the sad and lonely atmosphere that was in our music video and translate that into our digipak and so we wanted to photograph Shqipdon in the photography studio with lots of key lighting so that not only could we create the moody atmosphere but also include soft and high key lighting that would allow us to create the star image. We also wanted create a shot similar to Phoenix Street’s album ‘Living in the Dark’ with the Polaroids as this would link with the title of the song and could also create a star image especially if we had Shqipdon one of the Polariods. We also liked the landscape shot in the album ‘Lonesome Songs’ that we looked at and so we have considered using something similar in our digipak.

SLOW MOTION

As the photographs are significant within our music video we thought that slow motion would work well. So as Shqipdon pushes the photos off the chest of drawers we wanted this to show the anger and frustration that he is feeling as well suggesting that he no longer wants anything to do with her and that he is pushing her out of mind because he has just found out that she has cheated on him. We thought that by putting it in slow motion it would draw attention to this as well as creating a relationship between the song and the visuals as the tempo of the music has slowed down. Also the clip where half of the photo with Ella falling to the floor is also significant as it shows their relationship and that it is in pieces. We also added a cross-fade; this creates juxtaposition between the ripped half of the photo of Ella and Shqipdon and Ella walking together hand in hand as it shows the distance in their relationship and them being together and then the idea of being alone.  

RE-FILMING OUR NARRATIVE SCENE 2

For the final part of the filming process filmed what we did with Josh but with Shqipdon. We did this to avoid continuity errors and to also get lots of different angles of Shqipdon to create a star image and to keep the camera constantly moving on him. We filmed Shqipdon looking at and ripping up the photos from different angles so that we could maintain the fragmented narrative. It also creates a sense of confusion as Shqipdon would be feeling upset and shocked and so it can be used to signify his thoughts and memories that are flooding back to him, relating to their relationship. When we reviewed the footage we found that the clips were very grainy and so this was the result of filming in low lighting. If we were to re-film this scene we could add subtle diegetic lighting that could light the shots more effectively as non-diegetic artificial lighting could be quite harsh and may alter the atmosphere of the scene. From the first re-filming session we did we decided that we really liked the black and white effect as it complemented the sad and isolated atmosphere. Once we had used the three-way colour corrector we found that it slightly improved the quality as it didn't appear as grainy because we increased the contrast and so it defined the shadows and shapes.

BLACK AND WHITE EFFECT 2

For the scenes where Shqipdon is in the bedroom we wanted to maintain the sad and lonely atmosphere that we had running through the music video. I thought that it would also help with maintaining the continuity as the higher contrast helps you to lose some of the details and so you wouldn’t be able to notice that we used two different people. The black and white effect contrasts the saturated clips where Ella and Shqipdon are together and so this also adds to the dark and sad atmosphere. I think that the black and white effect also helps to make the music video seem slightly more professional as we a have used codes and conventions and techniques that are typical within music videos.

RE-FILMING NARRATIVE SCENES 1

During the filming process we found it harder than we expected as we had to rely on other people to be able to film and so we used josh within our music video so that we were still continuously working on our music video. We decided that we would film the shots where Shqipdon didn't necessarily need to be in the shot, for example, close ups of ‘Shqipdon’ ripping up the photographs. For this we just used Josh’s hands and filmed so that you couldn’t see any of Josh’s clothing and so that there would be no continuity errors.

In the filming process Josh was wearing a watch and so it is vital that in the next filming session that Shqipdon wears the watch so that we maintain continuity. We tried a variety of angles and close ups so that we avoided continuity errors for when we came to film with Shqipdon. When we come to film with Shqipdon we will need to film lots of close ups and extreme close ups so that we can see the emotion but also we wanted to maintain the star image running through the narrative.

POTENTIAL TARGET AUDIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE 2

Do you listen to a certain genre of music?    

 

No      

Where do you tend to listen to music?

 

Radio, TV, CD and iPod

Do the charts influence your music?

 

Yes    

If yes, why?

 

If something is in the charts then you might by the album

Do you tend to listen to whole albums?

 

Yes                

Do you watch the videos of the music you listen to?

 

Yes                

Do you like happy endings in music videos?

 

Don’t mind  

 

Do you prefer older or modern day music?

 

All                  

Where do you obtain your music?

 

ITunes and shops                                                                                       

Do you find music videos entertaining?

 

Yes    

What do you think that a good music video should do/ include?

 

The music video should relate to the song

Do you like to interpret music videos? 

          

No                  

Do you enjoy music videos that contain a clear narrative?

 

Yes                                        

Do you find music videos memorable?

 

Yes                

Why?

 

Because the video relates to the song and so if you think of the music video you think of the song

By completing this questionnaire on an older audience member than our first potential target audience it shows that the charts are not so dominant and influence in people’s choice in music but it also exposes them to a band/artist’s other songs that may feature on their album. It also suggests that indie music has a larger target audience than we originally thought as it is not specified to one particular sound or style and so people of a different age range may also appreciate the indie genre. It is also evident that audience members of an older age also like modern music as well as older music. From this questionnaire I have found that the indie genre is not targeted towards a niche audience and also that music videos are a form of entertainment that are used to complement the song as well as stimulating and entertaining the audience.

STOP MOTION ANIMATION

Within our music video there was a section of music that we needed to fill and so we were trying to come up with different ideas that we could use to fill the time and so we thought that by using stop motion animation we could incorporate another technique within our music video and so we did an experiment to see what it looked like. We wanted to have a close up of Shqipdon’s hands as he looks at the photos and then putting them on a table and moving them round on the desk. In this experiment we looked at different angles to see how we could do it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we loaded it onto the Mac we considered that stop motion animation was probably not the best idea for our music video as the stop motion would have to match the pace of the music. We looked through the gap in our music video and found that the stop motion wouldn’t actually match the pace of the music and cut to the beat. We also discovered that the stop motion didn't go with our music video as stop motion is more for fun and happy songs, whereas this one is more serious and so we would lose the moody and sad atmosphere that we had throughout or music video.

GHOSTLIGHT'S ALBUM AND EP COVERS

I have decided to look at Ghostlight’s album covers as I thought that it might give me some inspiration when coming to think up ideas for our digipaks. It has allowed me to think of ways that we could link our song to the digipak and also other songs that could be displayed on the digipak.

Ghostlight’s album and EP contrast each other as ‘Somersaults’ gives a suggestion to the genre through the use of the desaturation effect as it is stereotypically seen as part of the indie or alternative rock genre. This album contrasts the EP as it does not provide a band signature and so there is no continuity that runs through the albums, as the fonts are both different as well as the layout. The font is both bold yet slightly subtle as it is a large font size and it is slightly hidden by the bright background. It gives a slight sense of loneliness which could link to the theme or mood of the songs.

 

Whereas, the EP ‘Photographs’ creates a link between the image and the title of the EP as the Polaroid frames the band and so they appear prominent within the frame. The font also appears quite prominent as the black contrasts the white and so it looks quite bold. Often something is written on the bottom of Polaroids and so ‘Photographs’ could be in a handwritten font to imply this. The fact that none of the band members are looking directly at the camera gives a sense of mystery as you can’t see their faces properly and so there is a slight hint of a band signature but like the album there is no full star image. Although from their clothing we could possibly get an idea of the genre as their clothing suggests that they are an indie band.

I think that these album covers are both interesting and so they could both be ideas that can be incorporated within our digipak such as the desaturated image of the landscape and also the idea of having the band in the Polaroid image. 

ALBUM COVERS

In order to help us with the production of our digipak we decided to look at different album artwork covers to give us inspiration. After looking at the different digipaks it would be a good idea to look at album covers that focused on star image as well as finding links so that it there is a sense of continuity.

This album cover focuses on the star image as well as iconography as it gives a suggestion to the genre; which could be acoustic or alternative as the artist is carrying a guitar. The use of black and white gives a sense of sadness. Also the artist is alone in a field adds to the idea of isolation. This links with title of the album which is called “Lonesome Tunes” and so this maybe gives an idea to the genre and style of music that the artist plays.

 

Elvis Costello’s album focuses on mood and atmosphere as well as star image. The kerb and fence act as leading lines which guides the viewer’s eyes towards the artist and so this makes him more prominent within the frame. The rain forms part of pathetic fallacy and so it creates a dark and sad atmosphere, this could give a suggestion to the style of music that the artist performs. Soft lighting or a reflector has been used to create a ‘glamorous’ effect and highlight the artist’s face.

We really liked this image as the image is very simple and gives quite a subtle star image. The artist is positioned so that the image uses the rule of thirds; it is balanced by the large and bold text. The large text really emphasises the artist and the album and so viewers and consumers will know who the artist is. The use of soft lighting creates a ‘glamorous’ appearance and highlights the artist’s face. It also displays iconography with the use of a guitar and so this gives a suggestion to the genre of the artist.

Adele’s album cover for ‘21’ provides a ‘glamorous’ appearance for the star image on through the use of soft lighting. There is a gradient of tone as well as more prominent shadows that frame her face. The black and white effect helps to make her image appear subtle and more ‘glamorous’. The use of a close up also adds to the star image as viewers and consumers will be able to recognise her image.

 

 

Lucy Rose’s album cover also presents a subtle image as the album uses both the black and white effect and also neutral colours. The use of soft lighting creates a ‘glamorous’ appearance which promotes the artist through the star image. The flowers that are on the front cover also links with the flowers that are layered on top of the image on the inside of the album, this gives suggestion the genre as it could be either pop or acoustic as simple album covers with a star image and also flowers are stereotypically linked with these genres.

 

 

We thought that the album artwork for Phoenix Street’s album ‘Living in the Dark’ was really interesting and it has inspired us as the song in our music video is called ‘Photographs’ and so we thought that we would be able to do something similar to this for our digipak as it relates to our chosen song. We liked that only one of the Polaroids are in the spotlight and more prominent as it creates a focal point. We thought that we could create Polaroids of Shqipdon for our digipak.

 

 

 

Looking at different album artwork covers has allowed me to look at how star images have been constructed on album covers and how iconography is also incorporated to suggest the genre of the music as well as seeing how we can include photographs within our digipak.

DIGIPAKS

After researching digipaks we decided to look at different variations to get ideas on how we were going to layout our digipak. It also gave us ideas on what to put on our digipak.
 

I quite like this digipak as it is quite simplistic as the colours and image tend to flow over the whole length of the digipak. The background for the front of the digipak links with the back as the images are blurred and out of focus apart from the rose. It also continues the photographic image of the tree onto the front cover as inside the tree you can see the branches that are out of focus.

 

We really liked the interesting format in which this digipak is presented as it does not appear as a conventional style of digipak as they normally have three or four panel and are in a horizontal line. This digipak focuses on the band members and so this forms part of the band’s image, signature and also iconography for which they are known for. The bold and bright colours against the black makes the digipak eye-catching as well as quite obscure as the light is both soft and high key however the shadows create a kind of dark and mysterious mood.

 

This digipak is simplistic in the fact that it uses only three colours. I like how the image has been edited to black and white and then manipulated further to contrast the black and white with the red of the blood. The colours give a suggestion to the genre as black and red both suggest death and so this is stereotypically linked with the rock genre and so it also creates a link with the image used in the digipak.

 

 

The digipak for Rihanna’s CD ‘Loud’ follows the conventions of the genre as the pop and R’n’B genre focuses more on the promotion of an artist’s star image and iconography and so the images on this digipak are both alluring and glamorous through the use of soft lighting which gives the ‘flawless’ and ‘glamorous’ appearance that is used to promote the artist. The use of a close up creates quite an intimate bond between the artist and consumer as they are immediately introduced to Rihanna’s star image. I like how the image goes across all of the panels and so this creates a link between each of them. The prominent use of red has the connotations of love, passion, lust and danger and so this creates a form of voyeurism and so there is there the element of sexualisation. The roses on the CD’s also maintain the continuity as they link with the roses in the image on the digipak as well as also having the connotations of beauty and love.
 

I think that by looking at different digipaks I have been able to come up with different ideas that will allow me to help our group with the layout of our digipaks. Star image and band signatures are important within the production of album covers and digipaks as they help to promote the artist/band. I have also found that the use of colour can help to give suggestions to the genre of an artist/band.

DIGIPAK RESEARCH

Digipaks are a protected style of DVD or Blu-ray disk that are presented in a book style format and is an alternative to the original jewel case which is commonly used for most CDS. They are often used for singles or special editions CD albums and also the tall DVD sets. Digipaks were originally owned by the company, IMPAC Group, INC and than were acquired by MeadWestvaco (MWV). In 2000 the company folded it into its AGI MEDIA division and then the name and designs were licensed to manufacturers around the world. Then in 2010 MWV sold to AGI media to Atlas Holdings where it then purchased Shorewood Packaging from international paper and merged the two companies together to create AGI-Shorewood. Digipaks are made of paperboard or card stock outer binding with either one or more plastic trays that are made to hold a CD which is attached to the inside.

 

As the digipaks often wear easily, a protective UV coating was recommended for the production of the digipaks so that the raw printed paper is more protected from wear. Over the years digipaks have been developed so that environmental impact is reduced and so they now include recycling components. Digipaks are used to promote an artist especially if images of the band or artist are on the digipak as it creates a star image and also a band signature. Their songs can also be promoted because often song lyrics are printed within the digipak so that the consumer can familiarise them self with the song and so this may lead to more exposure to the band. I have found that continuity to also be important within a digipak as the audience and consumers can familiarise themselves with a band or artist’s iconography, signature or star image.

 

Continuity can also be used throughout the digipak and also in the website, this means that all of the distribution methods have some think within them and so this allows consumers and the audience to easily recognise the artist or band. I think that looking at the manufacturing and production of digipaks has proved helpful as it has allowed us to think of different layouts for our digipaks which will make it quite unique and different from other artist or band digipaks. It also matches the indie genre as it will incorporate a star image and a song list which will give an insight into the genre.

SPEED CHANGES

When we came to editing our music video we found that some of the clips played quite fast and were too quick for the pace of the music and so we altered the speed of the clips so that it matched the speed of the music. We thought that this was particularly effective especially at the beginning of the music video where the tempo of the music is quite slow. We also found that some of the clips where Shqipdon is on his own to be quite fast and so we decided to slow these down as well as the tracking shots around Shqipdon and Ella because these shots show Shqipdon’s memories and also these are significant points in the narrative and we wanted to make them prominent within the narrative for the audience so that they fragmented narrative was clear. The slower speed also suggests a sad and lonely atmosphere which makes the audience feel sympathetic towards Shqipdon. Although we slowed down some of the clips we still wanted to maintain the fast pace within the rest of the song and so we cut the clips so that they had a short duration so that the pace of edit still matched the song.

KEYFRAMES

Within our music video there are a range of different shots where the camera is still and so to add a sense of movement we used key frames in motion. We began by selecting the beginning of the clip and then clicking on the ‘keyframe’ button and then selecting the centre of the clip and sliding on the scale option. We then moved the clip to wherever we wanted it within the frame, we thought that we should keep to the rule of thirds when moving and scaling the clip. Using this technique has helped us to edit our clips as there was some unwanted details within the scenes that would distract the viewer from the subject and make our clips appear unprofessional. This technique makes the clips more interesting as it adds the sense of movement and adds pace to the music video which creates a relationship between the visuals and the song as it matches the speed of the song.
 

FILMING FOR OUR NARRATIVE SCENES 2

After we filmed the second half of our narrative section for our music video we found that you can tell that it is filmed in college and so this doesn’t give the professional look that we are trying to achieve. We also couldn’t hire out the lighting and so this really made a difference to the mood and also the effect that we were trying to achieve. Using the music room for the location meant that it didn't look like a bedroom and so this contrasted the standard of shots that we had been shooting in our other filming sessions and so this made our music video appear quite amateurish and less professional. As we reviewed our clips we soon realised that we needed to re-film in an actual bedroom. We used the college as we wanted a basic room that didn't distract you from what was going on, however this location appeared too basic and didn't fit the mood or atmosphere of our music video. These are some screenshots of the scene that we filmed; the shots appear more amateur as you can see that the scene has not been filmed within a bedroom.
 

 

 

 

RISK ASSESSMENT CONTINUED

Location: Suffolk One Music Room

What could cause harm?

Studio lighting wires, unnecessary objects within filming area, broken glass and drawing pins.

What is the likelihood of this happening?

Proper attention must be paid especially in the event of broken glass and could be quite likely if attention is not paid. Likelihood could be minimal especially if footwear is worn and also glass is cleaned up properly. Flying broken glass could go in to someone eye if the photo frame is smashed without care.

Who or what would be harmed?

Anyone that is participating in the production could be harmed.
Flying glass could lead to major injuries.

How much harm?

Dependant on incident, burns could occur if falling on lighting or major to minor injuries could occur through broken glass.

After considering the idea of having the breaking photo frame another risk assessment should be completed as this could avoid accidents and injuries occurring especially as they could be quite serious in this section of the filming process.

EDITING

For the editing process we used ‘Final Cut Pro’ where we dragged our clips onto the timeline. We then cut the clips so that we just had sections of the clips that we could put into our music video. This allowed us to fit the clips together and formed the basis of our music video as we were able to see how we could fit the clips together. In order to help us with rhythmic cutting we counted out the beats of the bar and placed a marker at the beginning of every bar so that we could create the technique of rhythmic cutting. As the song begins at a slow tempo we decided to use fades in and out so that the speed of the editing matches the tempo of the music. We were going to use the desaturation effect and then we decided to use the black and white effect with lots of contrast. The connotations of white are purity and innocence and so the connotations of black contrast these. These connotations juxtapose each other as the female’s actions are not so innocent and so this juxtaposes Shqipdon who is the innocent and vulnerable within the narrative.
 

PHOTOS WITHIN OUR MUSIC VIDEO

As the song is called ‘Photographs’ and the lyrics relate to the song we decided that we would incorporate Goodwin’s theory by creating a relationship between the visuals and the lyrics. We wanted to incorporate the use of photos within our music video so that they would symbolise the character’s relationship. After filming our first shoot of the narrative scene in the music room we decided that we also needed love letters and items that relate to love and relationships because the board appeared quite plain and boring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the planning process we decided that we wanted Shqipdon to rip up the photos and then have a close up of one of the photos ripped up in half so that Shqipdon and Ella we on opposite halves of the ripped photo. This is to suggest that their relationship is over and shows the distance between the characters. It also complements the shot where Shqipdon and Ella separate their hands and walk in opposite directions as the distance between the two has grown so much that have split up.