29. Initial Ideas ‘A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the three options; a website for the band, a cover for its release, a magazine advertisement’For this option there are many different video’s I could create with different types of music involved. I think that one of the most effective options could be to do acoustic music as I can make the footage very simplistic and yet still successful. There are two copyright-free songs in particular that I would like to choose if I decided to carry out this brief; Up for breath by Broken Ladder or Otherside by Sophie Lagan. Both of these artists perform mainly with vocals and guitar.
30. Initial Ideas ‘A promotion package for a new film, to include teaser trailer, together with two of the following three options; a website for the film, a magazine front cover, a poster for the film’ If I chose to do this option, I would most likely chose the horror genre as I think it would be the easiest for people to act. I could also use lighting and editing to create things look more tense and scary than on the original footage. This option means that I would not need to look into non-copyrighted music and could instead use sound effects from online websites
31. Initial Ideas The idea that appeals to me most is the music video brief. I think that this would be really effective as simplistic footage can be used. Both of the songs I looked at are similar in the fact they are simple. This means that my options as to what I can record are really widely spread. I think that videoing something even as basic as landscapes could be effective; especially if they were from rural area’s showing contrast between rich and poor for example. Creating a manipulation of time with footage from two different times can also be successful. Adding on a sepia tone in both of these cases could create more meaning to the footage and would be a good visual for both of the music video’s. Music video’s created for acoustic artists are conventionally very straightforward and calm, often also including footage of the artist themselves playing. Together with this option, two of three options also needed to be completed; the two I intend on making are the cover and also the magazine advertisement for the song. I chose these two rather than a homepage for a band as I believe they are more conventional for the genre of music I will be using.
43. Johnny Cash- Hurt Lyrics I hurt myself today to see if I still feelI focus on the pain the only thing that's realthe needle tears a hole the old familiar stingtry to kill it all away but I remember everythingwhat have I become? my sweetest friendeveryone I know goes away in the endand you could have it all my empire of dirtI will let you down I will make you hurtI wear this crown of thorns upon my liar's chairfull of broken thoughts I cannot repairbeneath the stains of time the feelings disappearyou are someone else I am still right herewhat have I become? my sweetest friendeveryone I know goes away in the endand you could have it all my empire of dirtI will let you down I will make you hurtif I could start again a million miles awayI would keep myself I would find a way Cash playing guitar in a dark room Image of American flag cuts to house of cash museum. Close’s up on Cash when ‘pain’ is said. Hands are shown on piano. Close up to museum with ‘museum closed’ Begins showing past memories. Manipulation of time as it is in black and white Walking on the beach alone Cuts to a photograph on the wall of Cash’s wife Images of Cash playing guitar when he was younger. Then shoots to an empty room Footage of all broken records smashed on the floor then to a prison cell with Johnny Cash in it Table set for two with a big meal prepared. Eyeline match at liar’s chair Close up of a dead fish Memories from the past Shows a picture of Cash and his wife on wedding day Cash playing guitar with his wife standing behind him ‘ghostly’ Footage of Cash with his wife and kids from the past Cash pours wine on table of food then cuts to trophies and awards Wife looks disappointed and Cash looks sad. Shows Jesus on the cross Cash crying and flashbacks to hammer hitting nails . Cars travelling and birds flying Ends with memories from the past
51. Jose Gonzalez Jose Gonzalez was born in 1978 in Sweden. He is known for his solo classical guitar with his soft vocals. It was Jose’s song Heartbeats that helped him become a recognised singer after Sony Bravia used the song to advertise it’s televisions. Jose claimed he did not want to write about love but instead themes that interested him (after being inspired by a biologist’s book)
52. Jose Gonzalez- Heartbeats Music Video One night to be confused one night to speed up truth we had a promise made four hands and then away both under influence we had divine scent to know what to say mind is a razorblade to call for hands above to lean on wouldn't be good enough for me, no one night of magic rush the start of simple touch one night to push and scream and then relief ten days of perfect tunes the colors red and blue we had a promise made we were in love to call for hands of above to lean on wouldn't be good enough for me, no to call for hands of above to lean on wouldn't be good enough and you, you knew the hands of the devil and you, kept us awake with wolf teeth sharing different heartbeats in one night to call for hands of above to lean on wouldn't be good enough for me, no to call for hands of above to lean on wouldn't be good enough for me, no The clip begins with aerial shots of the city with birds flying through the sky, damaged bikes and old-fashioned houses. There is a long shot as power balls are thrown down a big hill Extreme long shot as the power balls bounce from over where the camera is positioned so it looks as though the camera is shooting from a low angle. We see a side view of the balls rolling down the hill and then a close up of the balls so that the area looks like a blob of colour. Extreme Long shot of the sky as you see power balls bouncing up into the air. A woman sticks her head out of her window. A bouncy ball hits on the bonnet of a car The camera rotates 360 degrees showing stop painted on the floor and shown on signs. Balls are shown in an XLS bouncing in sync with each other. Power balls are shown piling up on the floor, no longer bouncing. Remainder of some balls bouncing in slow motion down the last section of the hill. Red balls seep through a small gap and then a frog jumps out of a pipe A dog is shown sitting on the ledge of a window. The bins at the bottom topple over and then we see all power balls sitting un-moving at the bottom of the hill.
60. Taylor Swift Taylor Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in Pennsylvania. She has become a well known county-pop singer and songwriter. Swift is currently ranked the 69th most powerful celebrity after earning $18 million this year. Teardrops is one of her newer songs, being released in Taylor claims she wants her fans to know that she is still the same girl she was when she released her first album except for now she is not high school and has a different schedule. She is still down to earth.
61. Taylor Swift- Teardrops on my guitar Music Video The clip begins with a short amount of dialogue between Taylor Swift and the man that she has an interest in. Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't seeThat I want and I'm needing everything that we should beI'll bet she's beautiful, that girl he talks aboutAnd she's got everything that I have to live withoutDrew talks to me, I laugh cause it's just so damn funnyThat I can't even see anyone when he's with meHe says he's so in love, he's finally got it right,I wonder if he knows he's all I think about at nightHe's the reason for the teardrops on my guitarThe only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing starHe's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I doDrew walks by me, can he tell that I can't breathe?And there he goes, so perfectly,The kind of flawless I wish I could beShe'd better hold him tight, give him all her loveLook in those beautiful eyes and know she's lucky causeSo I drive home alone, as I turn out the lightI'll put his picture down and maybeGet some sleep tonightHe's the reason for the teardrops on my guitarThe only one who's got enough of me to break my heartHe's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I doHe's the time taken up, but there's never enoughAnd he's all that I need to fall into..Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see There is a variety of shots from close-up to long shot of Taylor Swift An extreme long shot of Taylor Swift lying in bed holding onto her guitar Zooms into a close-up of Taylor Swift’s face Taylor Swift is in the library with the man and they are both laughing Librarian shouts at the two people as they are being too noisy There is an extreme long shot of Taylor Swift lying in bed and the camera pans around her in a circle from aerial shot The camera zooms out from a close-up Shoots to Taylor Swift in school again however this time she is working on a science experiment The man walks past Taylor Swift and touches her on the shoulder There is a close-up of Taylor Swift so you can see her eyes Extreme-long shot of Taylor Swift standing side on to the camera as she is being blown by the wind wearing a long blue dress. She begins to cry in her room Man walks past her in school and ignores her. Close up to him and the other girl looking at each other Close-up to long shot of Taylor Swift lying on the bed in her room
69. Lyric Analysis Upfor breath-Broken Ladder I woke up this morning, and wanted to go back up for breath. Intoxicated epiphanies, late nights, then lonely bed. Regurgitation of all the day's long hard thoughts. Then comforting silence in not having to think at all. A sweet man, head full of regret. Tries to face a new day, head into the wind. I don't think anyone can see through this smile. Do you hide too? Do you hide too? I hope they can't see that I’m breaking inside. I’m smiling. I’m hiding. I’ve got some friends. They tell me that I’m okay. I shrug and nervously laugh, and slowly I turn away. I’ll go out later for a long soothing drive; gaze toward the land, and catch the tears in my lap. It’s raining, and it won't ever end. I wish i could go back, and live life again. I turned into me, now how could this be? I’d gladly improve myself by wiping out all memory. I want to find a mirror image of me, struggling to hide from reality. I’ll fight the sorrow and ride out the pain. I won't die. I won't die. Under the ocean and begging to leave, I’ll be here, yet I’ll sing.
70. Lyric Analysis Otherside- Sophie Lagan I’m seeing you, back in the day,when I would hold my hands out to you.I’m feeling you and then you say,don’t you know that I can see right through you.The past is gone you know I can’t hold on to you.But all along I knew I was so wrong I’m on the othersideBut it’s the wrong sideYou know I gotta be with you babyI’m on the othersideBut it’s the wrong sideYou know I gotta be with you baby The promises, you never madeI put it to the back of my mindThe peace I feel in your warm embraceFound other ways to occupy my time You know I gotta be with you babyI’m on the othersideBut it’s the wrong sideYou know I gotta be with you baby Fully grown adult walking alone down a street Two kids playing by a tree hold hands Fade to the adult walking past the same spot Close up to singer standing by a post Kids racing on their bikes and playing rugby. Grab her by waist Look at him holding ball smiling Close up of face Kids on balcony together Standing alone on Close up of face Kids sitting in tree holding hands Crossing legs on balcony alone Ends with birds flying overhead
71. Audience Survey I decided to use Radiowaves to make a poll as I was unsure on what song to use for my music video. The two songs I needed to decide between were Otherside-Sophie Lagan and Up for Breath-Broken Ladder
72. Audience Survey From reading the lyrics of ‘Otherside’, what first comes to mind? After asking this question, I received a few different answers however a lot of people thought of the same things. Some said that they thought it meant about how the grass is always greener on the other side, others said they thought it was talking about past relationships and then finally a couple of people said they thought it was about drug abuse. What types of characters do you like to see in music videos? Almost every person answered this question to say that it would depend on the style of music. When I told them it was acoustic, they explained they would chose characters who has a very peaceful aura about them. Do you prefer videos with a narrative or ones with live footage? Almost 70% said that they preferred videos which had a narrative. A couple of people did also say that they think it would also be effective to have flashbacks to the singer during the video. Do you think that sepia or black and white imagery is most suitable for flashbacks? Only 20% of people said that black and white imagery was most suitable for flashbacks as they believed that sepia tones made the footage look as though it was older. What music videos have caught your eye in the past and why? The music video that most people chose was Johnny Cash-Hurt as they believe that the lyrics combined with the footage made a very touching story. In your opinion what makes a music video interesting? For this question I received a variety of different answers including colours, mise-en-scene, characters and also the narrative
73. Audience Survey What type of camera shot do you think is most suitable for an album cover? Almost 90% of people said that they thought that generally a medium close-up is the most effective shot for an album cover as it shows the artist clearly Do you think the image on the front cover of a CD case should be of the artist or a still image shot from the video? Every person I asked answered ‘the artist’ for this question as they believed it made the album easier to find in a shop Do you think that the name of the artist should be positioned at the top or bottom of the album cover? For this question I received mixed answers as people were not sure where the text should be positioned on the album cover. If an artist was displayed in an advertisement in a magazine, which out of the following shots would be most successful: close-up, medium shot or long shot ? The majority of people believed that a close-up or a medium shot would be most successful. Only one person chose long shot. I think this is likely to be because people prefer to see the expression of an artist up close and it also means that the artist is recognised quicker. What is your favourite music magazine for the acoustic genre? For this question, I did not receive many answers as people were not really sure which magazines suited the acoustic genre. What colours do you feel are suitable for the acoustic music genre? Lots of people said colours such as green, brown and cream. These colours are linked to nature and therefore this is why they may have thought about these. Do you believe that the image or the text is more important in a music advertisement in a magazine? 65% of people said that the image was more important however that essential information was still very important
75. ‘Found other ways to occupy my time’ 1.49- Singer alone on balcony she played on as a child ‘You know I got to be with you baby’ 1.53- Close-up of singer ‘I’m on the otherside’ 1.55- Singer alone inside house looking out of the window ‘But it’s the wrong side’ 1.57- Kids playing together on a field ‘You know I got to be with you baby’ 2.32- Kids playing together in field
84. Adult walking down a long street Kids playing together by a tree Adult walking past tree Adult singing Kids racing each other on their bikes Kids standing on a balcony Shadows of a fence Adult walking past houses Kids hugging Adult alone on the balcony Adult looking out of window of a house Kids sitting on grass Birds in the sky Shooting List
86. Small Street with terraced housing A field with a dominant, large tree The singer standing against a wall A balcony/rooftop A house with a large window Mise-en-scene
88. Ancillary Task- Album Cover Mock ups I made several mock up album covers so that I could see which I thought was most effective. Here are two styles that I think I am likely to use. One is a shot of the artist next to the tree which I think is suitable for the acoustic genre of music as it is a very calm neutral setting. The other is a close up of the artist as I found when researching, many album covers used this type of shot.
89. Ancillary Task- Album Cover Fonts I decided to look up different fonts for my album cover to see what would be most suitable for it. I wanted fonts that weren’t too simplistic and therefore here are some of the fonts that interested me. When I create my album cover, I will be trying out all these different fonts to see which is the most effective.
91. Ancillary Task- Album Cover Photographs These are the photographs I took for my first draft. I used a girl with an acoustic guitar so that the image fitted in with the genre of music. I do not however think that the images are likely to fit in well with the video production and therefore for my main draft I may re-take these shots in a different surrounding I think that the best two shots are the first two as the angle and body positioning is more friendly and therefore the audience will feel closer to the artist. They also both look very calm which fits in with the acoustic genre of music. If I re-take the photographs I think I will do them in a similar mise-en-scene to that of the music video setting so that the two can be associated with each other.
92. Ancillary Task- Album Cover First Draft This is the first draft of my album cover. I like the way the artist is positioned on the cover and also the fonts that have been used are effective. I do not however like the mise-en-scene of the shot as I do not think it fits in with the genre of music. I like the shadow on the face of the artist and also on the wall and think if I use a similar composition to this one just in a different background then the shot will be much more effective.
94. Ancillary Task-Magazine Advertisement Research I did not find any advertisements for albums similar to my similar texts however I found this advert for a new single and album by Frank Turner which features an acoustic guitar. I think that although the colour scheme and fonts are not suitable for my single, the general layout is something that may be effective.
95. Ancillary Task-Magazine Advertisement Research Again this is another advertisement that I like the layout of because it is appealing and attractive to the eye. I do however again know that it is not relevant to my style of music.
96. Ancillary Task-Magazine Advertisement Research I believe that this type of advertising is going to be the most effective for my genre of music as it is a lot calmer and more peaceful looking. I think I will set my photographs in a natural area like in this advert however I may try and use a layout more like one of the previous two advertisements.
97. Ancillary Task- Magazine Advertisement Mock ups This is the mock up of how I will layout my magazine advertisement. I chose to use this space to advertise the album and also some tour dates at the bottom. I think this layout is effective as it catches the eye and also, it is very clear to the audience what the advertisement is about.
98. Ancillary Task- Magazine Advertisement First Draft This is the first draft of my magazine advertisement. I think that the general layout of the advertisement is effective however I do not think it looks professional enough to go into a magazine. I also think that the fact the main image on the advertisement is similar to the one on the album cover and therefore I will need to do another photo shoot to improve this. I do really like the text at the top of the page however I think that I could give it a white outline to help make it stand out more than it does at the moment.
101. Feedback-Analysis 90% of people said that they thought the text was clear 97% of people said that the text was the right colour with one person saying red may be effective 100% of people thought that the text was positioned in the right place for the angle of the photograph.
102. Editing After obtaining some footage, I cropped sections of it and then added in my music. The first piece of footage that I used I decided to add text to display the name of the artist and her song. I also applied a filter meaning that the image was de-saturated slightly (which I also added to the last set of frames). For most of the transitions between scene changes, I used ‘fade in fade out’ as it gradually blended the two pieces of footage together.
103. Editing When putting together my first draft, I ensured that I used a variety of shots from extreme long shots to extreme close ups as it is likely to be more engaging to the audience.
104. Editing I also made sure that the mise-en-scene and clothing was varied so that there was a manipulation of time.
105.
106.
107.
108.
109.
110.
111. Ancillary Task-Album Cover Redraft I decided to redraft the album cover as the person I had used in my first draft was not used for the music video. I like the colours that have been used in this cover and also think that the text is quite feminine looking and therefore fits in with the song. The overall picture is very peaceful and therefore the genre matches well with the image. I think that for a new draft, I will need to ensure that I use the same camera as it has produced a high quality image.
112. Ancillary Task- Advertisement Redraft Again, I redrafted the advertisement so this too would fit in with the new person I was using in my music video and album cover. I think that the layout of this draft is quite good however I think that the texts do not look effective enough. I like the way the legs are bent outwards and this matches up with the way the album cover has been tilted on the advertisement. As the album cover is much brighter than the background image, I think that it makes both stand out much more as they are very contrasting.
116. I think my digipak composition is similar to the style of Taylor Swift’s album. Both feature the artist and text in the bottom half of the layout. I think that this is most effective because of the medium close-up shot that was used and also because of the framing of the shot.
117. Although the three albums I looked at did not follow this convention, I felt it was suitable to bring nature into the creation of the digipak. I feel that leaves and trees are very symbolic of the acoustic genre. I also ensured that the base colour of the digipak was brown to give people the idea that it was created from recycled products.
118.
119. I think that the colours I have used in my advertisement are representative of the style of music in my production. I again used mise-en-scenes that were bright and natural.
120. Two of the advertisements had white writing and therefore I followed this convention however I chose not to add tour dates as I found that this distracted the attention away from the single release.
121.
122. Although my production is not similar to any of the texts I researched, I still think that it is conventional for the genre of music.
123. Again I think that my production is most like the video for Taylor Swift-Teardrops on my guitar as both feature the artist playing on her guitar with a more basic storyline. My music video
124.
125. I carried out research using people of the ages 16-21 as I felt these would be the people most interested in the style of music I was using for my production. I then used the information that was given to me to create a music video most suitable to this age range.
126. I found from this research that people wanted characters that seemed peaceful and therefore I used teenagers and children in my production. I also ensured that the setting was natural.
127.
128. 90% of the people I asked said that they believed a medium close-up would be the most effective shot to use on an album cover as it shows the artist clearly. This is therefore the type of shot that I used.
129. For the magazine advertisement, only one person thought that a long shot image would be the most effective as most chose a mid-shot. After drafting however I found that the long shot photographs did work better and therefore I used one of these photographs to create my final draft.
130. 85% of the people I asked believed that the image was more important in a magazine advertisement than the text and therefore I ensured only the essential text was shown on this advert.
131.
132. The people I received feedback from were all teenagers and therefore from looking at my media product, I think that it does not follow the typical stereotypes associated with this age group.
133. As results showed in my research that the acoustic genre comes across as very relaxed and peaceful, this shows throughout my work and therefore could reflect on the people who would listen to the music (the target market). The mise-en-scene in each of my productions is very peaceful and therefore it fits in with the conventions that people would expect.
138. I found it easier to sync the footage to the music than I did to edit the footage as I was not used to the way the program worked.
139. Although the editing on my music video is quite simplistic, I think it is effective for the style of music that I have produced.
140. I extended my knowledge within Photoshop particularly when making the digipak and learnt new things that I hadn’t come across before such as curving the edges in the photograph and using more original brushes than the pre-loaded ones on the system.
141.
142. When looking at the pieces of work I had done and comparing them, I was able to redraft to ensure that they all followed the same codes and conventions.
