This document provides guidance for students on a commercial music photography project involving designing CD covers. It instructs students to look at example CD covers to generate inspiration and consider questions about who, how, what, why, where, when regarding the covers. Students are then tasked with choosing a real or fictional band/musician as the subject of their project and filling pages with initial cover ideas through photos, sketches, collages and lists, taking early photos and being experimental.

1. YEAR 10
COMMERCIAL MUSIC
PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT
21st January
Cycle 1:
Generating inspiration

2. CYCLE 1: Who / how / what / why / where / when
& what is the Unique Selling Point?
Use these images of CD covers designed by young people to inspire your
own ideas. Think about the following questions:
• Who has been photographed? Can you tell who the musician is / are they
featured??
• How was the photograph captured? – studio / location / CGI / editing
• What is the style or message being communicated?
• Why is the image effective and memorable?– look at style and at details
• Where would you see a cd cover like this / where would the image have
been captured / where could you shoot images like this?
• When was it shot? – can you tell from lighting / atmosphere / props
• How does the cover make the musician stand out from the crowd – are
they sold as unique

7. Same artist but different styling

26. Action
• Decide on a subject for your project
• Choose a real band or musician (try to choose one you can
actually photograph)
• Or
• Create a fictitious one
Remember that original photography is essential – YOU
CANNOT USE ANY TAKEN BY SOMEONE ELSE
Fill several pages of initial ideas for ways that you could
combine photographs and text as CD covers and posters.
Take early photos
Sketch
Collage
List
Be experimental and take some risks too