For the studio setting we bought some wood patterned vac-form, we painted it brown to create a barn setting. We placed the hay bales around the setup and scattered some around. We then placed the instruments in position ready for the shoot. Because the lead singer/guitarist was taller then everyone else and was covering the band, we stacked some haybales for him to sit on which actually worked pretty well as we were going for a chilled "band practice' feel.
LIGHTING:
We set the lighting in a yellow-orange colour in order to give the effect of rays coming through the windows. For one of the blonde-heads we placed an opaque paper in front to make it appear natural.
-We have found a farm where we can get haybales from. We have ordered 8 haybales to fill up the studio and turn it into a barn setting.
-We have sorted out the clothes for the actors.
-Cast has learnt the song and is prepared for the shoot.
TASKS INCOMPLETE:
- A trumpet and a person who plays it.
-Left handed guitar.
-Buckets.
-Bubble maker
As the narrative part of the video is longer, yet because of the sundown we have limited time for the shooting; we are planning on taking 2 cameras out.
We will start the preparation of the studio setting on friday in order for it to be ready for monday.
We will take the AS cast from PS on the day of shoot.
There is some sound understanding here and it is concise work. I feel you need to be more exacting with your understanding of CD digipak conventions and more reflective on CD cover designs. Perhaps you would like to revise this post.
As the main concern of our band is promoting their genre and their music rather then their personal image, we will not include a photograph of the band in the digipak. Because their quite a vibrant and entertaining band, an arty, partially comical cd cover will be well-suited in my opinion.
The main theme might consist of graphiti like quick sketches on cardboard and packaging.
The images will be hand drawn and will be similar to these:
A digipak is a modern approach to CD packaging and is used for the inclusion of more information about the band/artist. The conventions are what the audience expects to see and is directly linked to the genre of music.
There are many decisions to be made when designing our digipak of which one is deciding wether we will use a 4, 6 or 8 side pak. We are leaning towards the 4 side digipak because we feel it will best reflect the simplistic image of the genre and band.
Here is an example of a 4 sided digipak template:
This is a good example of a 4 sided digipak by Jack Johnson. There are several specific things that work within this digipak which are worth considering. The vibrant colours attract the audience attention whilst the calm image on the cover gives a good example of the genre. The image reaches over the spine and on to the back panel. The title and the song list is written in the same font and is highly legible.
Looking at this digipak it is clear that the artist is not primarily promoting himself but rather his music as there isn't a clear photograph of him apart from the one inside the album which again is partially covered by a guitar.
To XL Recordings,
We are a group of A Level students working on an A Level project for a qualification in Media Studies. We are writing to request permission to use the following track as part of this project:
Vampire Weekend, Run.
With your permission the track would be used as the accompaniment to a short form video that is made purely for assessment purposes and will have no commercial usage. The video will be viewed only by members of the school community and the assessor of the examination board.
The artist and the copyright holder will of course be fully recognized in the pre-production and evaluation material that accompanies the project. We can also include a full copyright notice if required both in the planning material and on the video itself.
Yours sincerely
Niall Green, Talisa Bergsen and William Bodnar-Horvath
This is soundwork - there are evident clear accounts of your planning and research for your music video production day after half term There are one or two ways to develop the blog. First to begin using a wider range of blogging tools - there are lots of well presented images, but use of Flickr or powerpoint will increase the creativity that is shown on your blog.
Second the reflective comments that you make need to be developed further with key media concepts and theoretical ideas; for example, link the planning to star image, or how set design and lighting link to mise en scene and/ or what model's of lighting you are using in relation to your set - key, fill, directional, discuss the intensity and colour and what you are trying to represent about your artist.
Try to add more detaile to your blogs Begin to make the move beynd description - link ideas to real media, ie Star image/ Dyer
These are some of the possible paths and locations for the field shots:
We think that this will be a nice wide shot on the big crowd.
We will use this location for the forest shots, although the weather will be different on the shoot day, we still think that these trees will be effective. These shots are especially important for the narrative of the girl in the indian head dress.
Our studio set is of a barn. We drew a sketch of our idea of a barn:
The mise en scene is the band performing in a barn. They will only be practicing there so they will be in quite chilled positions, sitting on the floor, on haystacks for example.
This is an example of a barn which gives us an outline of the wooden structure required:
Here are some of the props we will be using in the studio setting:
Feedback from Dan:
When we went to Dan with our idea, he told us that it would be hard to give the feel of an actual barn in the studio, however it wasn't impossible. For the wooden walls, we will be using some sort of plastic wallpaper which would not be too expensive and easy to use. We will be using natural lighting coming in in rays ( through gaps etc.). The level of light will depend on the weather on the day in order for it to fit in with the shots outdoor. We will personally provide the props such as haystacks, buckets, saddles, shovels etc.
Our shoot date is the 14th of November. We are planning on shooting the studio part of the video in the morning from 8:50 am to 11:30 am, and the narrative storyline which is outdoors and on a field from 12:00 to 16:30 pm which is when it starts getting dark.
We might encounter some weather issues on the day of shoot, if it comes to this we will have to shoot the narrative part of the video on another date when the weather is better suited.
We will be needing more time on the shoot on the field as more shots will be required.
We also have to find time to drive to a nearby barn in order to have an establishing shot of the barn where the band will be performing.
Instruments
Studio barn setting:
-Acoustic guitar (Will B.)
-acoustic bass guitar
-drum kit
-keyboard (Rollo S.)
Field:
-horns (trumpet)
Clothes
Band:
indie, clothes from their own wardrobe
Farmer in the end:
-denim dungarees
-lumberjack shirt
-muddy wellies
Cast: own wardrobes plus:
-pink skirt (Aimee Watts)
-hats
-bandanas
-flowers and feathers for hair
-waistcoats
-crop tops
-playsuits
Extras
Studio barn setting:
-hay
-chairs
-old school battery radio (Niall G.)
Field:
-bubble maker
-native American headpiece
-bicycle (old school, thin tires)
-dog
-Pull-cart
Narrative (Field)
The list below is our cast list for our field scenes in the video, we need a fair amount of people for this part of the video to work as we need to create a crowd like atmosphere leading up the final scene outside the barn.
Ollie Baynham
Mina Hambro
Bella Speaight
Plum O’Keeffe
Jess Adam
Georgina Morton
Kyle Foreman
Sola
Charlie Lindsay
Will Barlow
Sarah Findlay
Lavinia Di Loernzo
Daniela Wild
Josie Fellows
Ellie Wilson
Simon Wood
Kate Boucher
Will Edgley
Lillie Resta
Sunshine
Jana Page
Aimee Watts
Lara Pitctet
Band (Studio)
Below is the list of band members we would like for our video.
To make this animatic storyboard, we first created a hand-sketched storyboard which we then filmed and edited using FinalCut Pro. During this process we noticed that we didn't have quite enough performance shots, which was a thing which we needed to work on. However because the production was now easier to visualise, we thought of good shots during our editing session.
Excellent concepts blogged. These are detailed and through and you have been creative with your blogs, I particularly like the use of art/technology. You have a secure knowledge and understanding of who you want your artist to be signed to; perhaps you could link this further by stressing the advantages that your artist has signed to the particular record label.Your clearly identify your target audience and have profiled them well.Excellent research into CD covers and you have a wide range of examples, and this would be developed further if you can link the real product to how it will influence your own designs.
After all my research on digipak covers, I decided to go with an artistic album cover for Cape Karoo. I used cardboard from a delivery box as base and drew a graphiti-like sketch on it. I distressed the cardboard on purpose to add a worn-off quality to the design. I carefully chose the font of the band, not too obvious, in order for it to blend in with the theme. When I transfered the design on to the computer, I played with the colour and tone slightly on photoshop.
This is my final choice of cover:
These are some of the other versions that I considered using:
Looking at similar artists, I have found that most of the indie bands tend to have album covers of creative photos, logos etc. rather than a classical photo of the band being "cool". Although normally it is more common and beneficial for the band to promote themselves using a photograph of the band, especially with their first album, and be recognized as individuals and with their star image, in bands like CapeKaroo it is clear that they put their creativity under the spotlight and not their personal popularity. This is another example that demonstrates that they are no where near to being a mainstream band.
Here are some digipak covers I looked at:
-Manic Street Preachers, Journal For Plague Lovers
This is quite an interesting cover choice because it is of the work of a famous artist, Jenny Saville. This tells us a lot about the target audience and the image because they are demonstrating how creative and alternative they are while addressing an art-following audience.
-Air, Moon Safari
Here the band Air have been witty with their cover choice. By having themselves in a cartoon version, they are both showing their indie and unusual look while promoting their faces as well.
-Beirut, The Flying Club Cup
Although in this cover there isn't much obvious information on the band, it actually reflects loads about the music they create. This very arty yet simple sepia photograph gives the Beirut-feel to the audience, this is what you picture when listening to Beirut songs.
-Kings of Convenience, I'd Rather Dance With You
This is the album cover of a single ' I'd Rather Dance With You'. It is a shot from the actual music video of the song. This is an simple yet unusual approach. The music video itself is also quite arty and creative therefore I think it was a good idea to use a photograph from it. The two mediums also reinforce and support each other making the theme even stronger.
Here is the music video of I'd Rather Dance With You
-Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues
Fleet Foxes are exceptional when it comes to album cover designs. It addresses an artistic audience. It is so interesting that it can even attract a buyer who isn't familiar with the band just by standing on the shelf in a record store.
This is also an unusual album cover. It shows that the band is humorous, interesting and edgy. This particular cover addresses a younger audience regarding its theme. It gives quite a young and "free-spirit" feel.
The record company that our artist is signed to: Domino Recording Company
Domino is a British independent record label. However as it has progressed quite swiftly, therefore it has wings in other parts of the globe such as in the US. Germany, and France. They are hardly a minor record label as they have signed many big names such as Franz Ferdinand and The Arctic Monkeys and are doing quite well as far as the indie business goes.
How the band could benefit from being signed to Domino:
-their reputation in the indie music industry will allow them to reach the target audience
-potential world-wide distribution
-online distribution
-it is a well-established label, therefore is able to provide the band with the necessary funds.
-they will allow the band to maintain their original creative and alternative image
For our music video to the song 'Run', we have come up with a rough profile of the potential audience in order to make a video which can address them directly therefore succeeding in the industry.
(The target audience for the band Cape Karoo, is a fairly specific and niche audience)
- Both male and female audience between the ages of 17-35.
- Underground and experimental music followers.
- Blog followers.
- Indie fans.
- People who prefer the use of real instruments used creatively rather then fully electronic-produced.
- Fans who appreciate music for the talent rather than the star image.
- Festival goers (Glastonbury, Isle of White etc.)
- Alternative and creative profiles ( artists, musicians etc.)
Another good reason to target a specific audience is to follow a more effective marketing pattern. For example, with this profile in hand we can advertise the band in popular blogs, festivals, trendy and alternative magazines, underground gig ambiances etc.
Alongside other music productions, we also came across some very useful intertextual reference examples during our research.
In the Levi's add Go Forth, there were some quite good shots of natural elements similar to the ones we are planning on using in our music video. We also quite liked the girl in the feathery jacket flowing in the wind.
Because we are planning on including some form of vehicle ( most probably bicycles and a vintage car), this Lucozade add caught our attentions. We thought that the band on the bikes, and skateboards was quite a creative and witty idea. We also very much liked the tricycle with the instruments and speakers on it. We are considering using the tricycle speaker idea in our production (if we can get hold of one that is :) )
You had produced some concise work with your blog entries.In order to develop the detail to your work you need to revise your class notes and add some detail to the comments you make, for example, look at the work on Dyer and Stars, Negus and the video as a promotional tool.You have been creative with and to an extent visually dynamic with your blogging – there is a clear sense of brand identity.
You have produced proficient work with your blog.There is a good understanding of what thetask demby providing more annotated points.
The song we are thinking of doing is Run by Vampire Weekend. The reason why we chose this song is because it has a lot of different instruments which sits perfectly with our music video theme of the marching band.
We are planing of using random retro shots such as children at play etc. We want to do these shots with an over exposed sephia effect to give it a ''home-video'' feel.
We will use the idea of a marching band in the field, like in the music video I Love Your Smile.
We also want to include shots of the environment like the field, bicycles, closeups on flowers etc.
We are thinking of using various cameras for our shoot, because the desired effect isn't a perfect, clean shot, but rather a retro, indie feel.
Because we have agreed on not having a particular storyline in our music video, we didn't have to analise all the lyrics, instead we divided the lyrics into a rough draft of what we are planning on shooting at the time.
Every dollar counts there is a musical intro before the lyrics, in
And every morning hurts this section we will have closeups and focus
We mostly work to live pulls on the field, then the bike wheels will
Until we live to work pass. the leadsinger will be first in the row
She said, "You know, and we'll shoot a closeup on him when the
There's nowhere else to go." lyrics begin.
But change in rows
It struck me that the two of us could RUN.
(Horns)
Worlds away from cars
And all the styles and bars
Where a little bit of competition means so much
And a little bit of change is all your little fingers touch
I said, "You know,
There's nowhere else to go."
But change in rows
It struck me that the two of us could RUN.
(Horns)
'Cause honey with you starting from here
Is the only honest way to go
And I could take two
But I really couldn't ever know
Honey with you
And a little powered radio
We could try.
So lead my feet away
'Cuz all they do is stay
And I don't think your eyes
Have ever looked surprised.
She said, "You know, to here we will have shots of the band
There's no where left to go." and their friends on the field, (marching
But we have found band)
It struck me that the two of us could RUN
'Cause honey with you
Is the only honest way to go
And I can take two
For I really couldn't ever know
Honey with you
And a little powered radio
We could try.
SONG LIST: Towers- Bon Iver
Mykonos- Fleet Foxes
Like A Hobo- Charlie Winston
Run- Vampire Weekend
Boat Behind- Kings of Convenience
I'm a Man- Black Strobe
In The Mausoleum- Beirut
These are some music videos we are looking into for our production:
Artist: Charlie Winston
Track: I Love Your Smile
In this video the things we particularly liked was the simple yet effective story line, and the random crowd and band walking on a field towards the end of the music video.
Artist: Beirut
Song: Postcards from Italy
The irrelivant shots and the foggy camera gives a home video effect, which we are considering for our production.
Artist: Bon Iver
Track: Holocane
Here we like the dominant brown and moody colours, and nature theme.
We looked at some websites of similar bands in order to have an idea for an album cover. During our research we found that the indie-folk bands tend to use pictures of nature, shadows, random objects or strangers to create an image rather than to have the band members on every photo.
A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:
a website homepage for the band;
a cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package);
a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package).
All material for all tasks to be produced by the candidates with the exception of acknowledged non-original sound or image material used in a limited way in video/radio work. Further guidance will be available in the support materials. For music video, permission should be sought from the artist for use of the audio track.
The centre will be expected to allocate marks according to four levels for each of three categories:
Research and Planning Construction
Evaluation
In arriving at a level for each category, teachers are advised to look for evidence of ‘best fit’. It is possible both for a candidate to be placed in different levels for each of the three categories and to receive quite different marks from other members of the same group responsible for producing an artefact, according to his/her contribution. Teachers are asked to support marks with written comments under the three categories on the assessment sheet.
According to Negus, music videos are merely "promotion tools". This is a very true theory seeing as music videos are not for sale, and are only there to help with the marketing of the product. Music videos construct, represent and sell the image of the artist or band.
Music videos can also be synergetic practices, for example; music videos which feature films.
Song: Playground Love
Artist: Air
Film Featured: The Virgin Suicides
The synergy between the two media, they are promoting each other and this is an example of cross-media convergence.
Today we made a mind map of the music industry. We separated it into two sections; major record companies which are generally owned by conglomerate companies such as Warner Music (Time Warner), and Sony, and independent record companies such as Domino Records, or Ghostbox. Major record companies tend to work with mainstream artists such as Take That or JLS, whereas Independent Record labels work with more talent focused artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen.
Some keywords that are well suited with the work that major record labels produce are:
MAINSTREAM, DISPOSABLE, POPULAR, REPETITIVE, POP, MANUFACTURED, SYNTHETIC
Key words for independent record labels:
CREATIVE, ORGANIC, AUTHENTIC, ALTERNATIVE
After our prelim shoot, we found through research that the band had created a video diary of their own on the shoot day. They documented their journey to Hurtwood, day of shoot, and the editing suite. In this video diary there is also their personal commentaries on the project which supports their desired star image.
In their car journey, they talk about the fact that they are in Surrey which is known to be a good area in not so positive ways, this gives them the image of not being so fond of the so called 'easy life'. This brings them closer with a certain group of listeners.
Also the fact that they have created a video diary invites the target listeners to visit their personal life, allowing them to see their personalities which definitely works in their favour.
Before planning our music video for the band "Acres of Life", it was essential to have a look at the bands image in order to achieve an effective product. The band had a MySpace and Facebook page which were quite helpful. www.facebook.com/acresoflife
Looking at the band, we noticed that their hairstyles and clothes were quite 'emo' and punk. We automatically presumed that they were influenced from punk-rock band. Listening to their tracks, we knew for sure that this was their choice of genre.
Although the band was not a particularly popular one, their general approach was confident because they are in the rockstar mindset. In conclusion, the star image of Acres of Life is a punk-rock band who are careless and are mainly concerned about making music and having hardcore fun.
After our research and general first impression, we decided that it would be most suiting to shoot a performance video. We initially thought of doing a stage performance where we could include groupies and fans, however because the band isn't yet big enough therefore addresses to an 'underground' audience, we came to the conclusion that a studio performance would bring them closer to their target audience and work more in their favour.
Kiss is a rock band of four and has a very strong and consistent image. They are known with their long black hair, scary face paint and extremely confident stage clothes. They take on the personas of comic book-style characters with their costumes and makeup. The band claims that the fans were the ones who ultimately chose their makeup designs. Kiss is a good example for star image because it is one of the few stable ones which lasted long which is one of the key factors in their success.
MUSIC VIDEO (ROCK'N ROLL ALL NIGHT):
The music video for "Rock'n Roll All Night" is a stage performance video which is quite fitted with the rock bands image. They are simply performing on stage with their daring makeup and outfits giving music to their fans. This video is a good introduction to the band Kiss because it underlines once more that they are all about the music and their fans.
Monday 27 June 2011
The reason why we chose a bull image for the band logo is because this image signifies rebellion, power and individuality because it addresses to the strong punk image that the band is targeting. Also the pastoral feel in the image reflects the name of the band.
Not only it is suitable to the star image the band is trying to build, but it is also visually strong and will therefore attract attention of people previously unfamiliar with the Acres of Life, this is an effective promotion.
This is the album back cover we made on photoshop for acres of life. We chose to use amplifiers, speakers etc. because this reflects the live band image. We used text font that we thought was quite indie and would appeal to the target audience which consists of indie-punk loving teens.
For our music video preliminary task, we had an unsigned teen punk band coming in. We had one day to shoot and edit their music video therefore we had a very limited time to produce a good quality video. Planning was essential, so we made a carefully prepared storyboard beforehand which consisted of interesting shots which could be achieved in the limited time we had in the studio. Each group had their own parts to focus on, therefore we had to work together in order to achieve fluidity between the shots and editing.
Acres of Life is the unsigned band we were shooting a music video for. We looked at similar videos beforehand in order to have an idea of what the professionals do. These are some of the videos and bands we looked at..
I have learnt a great deal in media this year. Perhaps the best way to prove this would be comparing my preliminary task to my media product.
To start with, I must say that one of the most obvious changes was in the process of planning and preparing for the sequence. As a group we had to come up with a story line, and prepare an intricate storyboard to go with it. We then found a suitable location, cast and made a list of props needed, whereas for our prelim we were handed a fairly simple storyboard which we filmed in the nearest class room. Our prelim took us about an hour to film, our title sequence however took us months only to prepare.
In terms of camera use, I feel I have made a massive leap since our prelim task. For our prelim task, we used the most basic shots such as wide shots, close-ups, and over-the-shoulder shots. For our thriller product however, we have used a wide range of shots at an extremely advanced level. Other then classic MCU's and wide shots etc. we also used underwater shots, slow motion shots and crab shots by placing the camera on tracks. It is quite clear that we now have more experience behind the camera, and are efficient to film rather sophisticated products. We also payed close attention to the camera rules such as the 180degree rule, and also when it came to frames we took advantage of the rule of thirds.
When we were done filming, we went straight to the editing suite. Now, for our preliminary task, it took us quite a while to get around the program Final Cut pro. It was difficult to understand the new technology and it was also a challenge editing for the first time. When it came to our thriller editing, we were very excited to get started seeing as we were now more familiar to the program. Our editing pace increased quite a bit as we got used to the technology. It wasn't long until we mastered Final Cut Pro.
Other then Final Cut Pro, we also used the program After Effects to add text and sound. We hadn't used this technology for our prelim task, to which the only sound was the one recorded on the camera. For our thriller in addition to the ambient sounds, we added all sorts of sound effects and non-diegetic tunes to reinforce the tension in the scene.
Our opening title sequence consists of several attraction methods. One of them being our shot qualities.
Other than our regular high definition shots we also had underwater foottage and slow motion shots which we used to add an unsettling feel. The fact that alot of thought was put into the characteristics of the production, will also be a key factor in attracting viewers who are very interested in cinema and quality of film.
The film starts off with a young girl swimming in a pool. This immediately addresses the male audience. As it has been proven several times in the past with many thriller movies, violence+girls in very little clothing is the perfect formula to get the attention of male viewers from the ages 16 to 40.
Another factor which provokes the audience to watch the film once seeing the title sequence is the feel of voyeurism one gets whilst watching the production. We have filmed it in a way which causes the viewer to feel like they're watching the girl without her being aware of it. As we did that, we used uncomfortable camera angles which gave the audience a feel of disturbance and pleasure at the same time.
Because the intruder isn't shown clearly, the mystery element would attract viewers who are interested in brainteasers. A similar audience to the tv series CSI for example.
Our media product is an opening title sequence to a thriller about an investigation on series of killings of teenage girls. As one can tell from the variation of shot qualities such as underwater shots, slow motion shots etc., it is obvious that it will be a stylized and complex movie therefore making the audience range wider. Our targeted audience would consist mainly of male viewers between the ages of 16-40. Because males have more tendency towards violence, this causes them to enjoy watching murder-based productions. Another reason for having a greater male percentage in the audience is because the victims are teenage girls. When we look at the history of horror films, we see that most murder themed movies consist of teenage girls, generally in very little clothing such as night gowns, being brutally murdered by male figures. This type of film has been the preference of the audience, thus showing this is what works in the media business. Overall, our targeted audience would be anyone who enjoys the feels of fright, unsettlement and mystery; filmed in a good quality and artistic manner.
Our media product could be considered as a high concept thriller which is targeted at a mainstream audience. Although it requires a certain amount of technology when it comes to special effects, it could be produced in a low budget and succeed.
Looking at the movie Monsters, which was distributed by Vertigo films, it is a high concept production yet was produced at a low budget making it a very similar project to ours. Monsters had a successful gross revenue which shows that Vertigo films is a company which is quite familiar with these certain types of projects.
I think that our media product would be picked up by Vertigo films because it is an independent company which tends to work with small productions, such as our own, which don't include A-list stars and address to a global audience.
