Due to people being unavailable, it is not possible to use all of the band members within my digipak. However, I am still able to use the lead artist (actor) therefore this is an issue which can easily be resolved with some re-planning. I am on schedule as I have recently begun designing my digipak, therefore it should be completed by the deadline.
Time Management Update: Week of 25th December 2015
I have now completed majority of my research and planning tasks, however there are still one or two posts which I need to put onto my blog. I have begun working on the disc section and lyric booklet to my digipak, and will post screenshots showing my progress after this post. I am currently on track, however I still need to organise photography. As there are minimal photographs which I require and the difficulty of people being available as it is half term, I have decided to work on the areas where photographs are not required over the half term, and will take the photographs I need either this weekend, or the following Monday- depending on the availability of my actors.
I have decided to use a six faced design for my digipak, as majority of the layouts I have researched have also used this. I will design the front and back covers, and as well as this, I will design two extra faces, the disc to the digipak, and a lyric booklet featured within the diagonal cut in on one of the faces. In regards to how I reached this decision, I felt that creating more than a four faced booklet would appeal more to the target audience, as they are receiving something extra which will make them feel more engaged with the artist(s) on a personal level.
For my digipak, I am going to use the same people who were cast for my music video. This is because it makes the digipak recognisable in regards to the music video, and makes the band easily identifiable for the audience. This would be appealing to the target audience as images of the band members creates a more personal connection with them- they would like to know who the people are behind the music.
Band Members
CALLUM
Callum was the main actor within our music video, therefore I am going to cast him into the digipak to create a sense of star image and brand identity- making him recognisable to the target audience. He is stereotypical in regards to looks of someone within the indie genre, therefore I feel he will be successful in starring within my digipak coherent to the genre.
GEORGE
George had a small role within the music video as a member of the band, however I am going to use him again within the digipak to create an overall image of the band. He is again, stereotypical of the music genre, therefore I think he will appeal to the target audience.
MILO
Milo also had a small role in the music video, starring as a member of the band, therefore I am including both him and George within the digipak to create continuity. He again ties in with the indie genre due to his image, so again, I think he will appeal to the target audience.
Our Group has now completed our music video, however we have not uploaded it to our blogs year as we are awaiting more audience feedback. I have now made a start on the research and planning for my digipak, and will begin to create blog posts for my blog over the next week or so. Currently I am a little behind schedule, however I feel confident that i will catch up.
I am going to create coherence within my print work by creating a continuity of colours and fonts within the design. This will include dark colours, I.e. Black to reflect the concepts of a dark obsession within my music video.
I will include a sense of voyeurism, as in Goodwin within the sections of the digipak, for example, on the front cover will be a camera, with an eye positioned within the lens, which I have decided to use as it is rather entropic, and would appeal to the target audience. There will be a polaroid photograph on the back cover to include the track listing, emphasising the notion of looking, and reflecting the concept of 'stalking' and 'obsession' within the video. This ties in with Mulvey's theory, however I have taken the concept in a different direction by instead of conveying objectification (typically associated with women), I have adopted the approach of the notion of looking.
I may use a polaroid photograph within the digpak on a different section, however include an image of the artist featured within the video, or the band, stood miserably against a black background (reflecting the concepts of the song). This will also create the idea of star image linking in to Dyer's theory. Below, featured on the polaroid photograph will a line/chorus of handwritten lyrics.
The audience feedback I have received from the rough cut of my music video has enabled me to take into account changes which need to be made- proposed by my target audience of the genre. The audience which I used to collate this feedback are those within the demographic of the Indie/Rock genre- specifically in relation to my choice of song. Therefore the audience have an existing cultural capital so their opinion benefits the realism of my video in regards to improvements which need to be made.
One of the comments which a member of our audience gave is that he spotted some of the college locations we used to film, due to the easy access, and thought that this was not conventional of the genre. Therefore myself and my group will re-film these scenes in different locations which are stereotypical of the Indie/Rock genre, i.e. outdoor locations.
Another comment which was made was that the ending of the video was rather dark. However myself and my group decided that the idea of suicide was merely suggested and was not shown explicitly, therefore instead of re-filming this, we decided to leave it in, and increase our target audience age-range to 16-25.
Our target audience also commented on a lack of close ups of the artist and lip syncing, which we agreed with as these are typically common conventions of music videos, therefore needed to be explored in more detail. Therefore we will add some more shots in throughout the rest of filming time, and throughout the development of editing.
Overall, I feel that these comments have helped us to gain a sense of the conventions we need to include to create a realistic looking Indie/ Rock music video.
Today we collated audience feedback regarding our rough cut of our music video. We asked the following questions:
1. What target audience do you think the video would appeal to? 2. Can you describe what's happening in the narrative? 3. Is there enough lip singing? 4. Do you think there's a variety of shot types and camera work used? 5. Would you say the mise-en-scene is appropriate (for the Indie rock genre)? e.g. Locations and costumes 6. What are your thoughts on the ending? 16-25 is our target audience, does this ending seem too explicit for this age range?
Below are the responses we received to the questions asked, after having our target audience watch our rough cut.
Today we have produced a rough cut of our music video. We have worked hard over the past few days editing the footage and collecting excess footage to ensure we have a coherent music video. We have been one week behind schedule, however we are up to date at this present time, and our group aim to have a completed video by Friday's lesson. Below is our rough cut of our video.
Many Indie/ Rock music videos use outdoor settings, such as city streets, parks or fields. these outdoor naturalistic settings reflect the tone of the genre- outdoor settings connoting a calm and laid back sense. For example, the video below by The Killers, who are of a similar genre, is filmed mostly in outdoor, city locations, which reflects the tone and emotions of the song the audience receive.
COSTUMES
This image of Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) is an extremely stereotypical representation of a male costume within the Indie/ Rock genre of music videos. Males in videos tend to wear baggy clothing, jeans, tee's, leather jackets and hair products to convey the laid-back, rebellious image which reflects the interests of the target audience of this genre
This image of Hannah Reid (London Grammar) reflects the costume of women featured in Indie/ Rock music videos. The women in these videos tend to dress casually, wearing jeans, leggings, coats, boots etc. This differentiates from other genres, such as pop and rap, as it connotes a more neutral and down to earth sense, reflecting the genre of music.
PROPS
For Indie/ Rock music videos, there can be a variety of props which aid within both he performance and narrative of the video. For example, for the performance sections, there will be guitars, keyboards and other instruments.
For the narrative sections of a music video, there are usually a variety of props use, such as cigarettes, alcohol, make up, cars- anything which reflects the story of the music video, as illustrated in Goodwins theory.
LIGHTING
In music videos of this genre, there is a range of both high and low key lighting, however, in music videos I have researched, there is a majority of low key lighting. This is used to connote ideas and emotions to the audience. For example, when researching music videos, I analysed 'The Kooks: 'Naive', where majority of the video was in low key lighting, connoting the anxiety of the main protagonist.
NARRATIVE AND PERFORMANCE
From the music videos I have researched, there is typically one common theme which runs throughout the narrative: Love. Normally the narrative within music videos tells the story of a relationship- whether its from one persons point of view, the aftermath, a breakup, the progression, etc- It is one of the most common themes. Within the performance aspect, Indie Bands and Solo artists are normally positioned in one place, against a backdrop with props lip syncing.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
A wide variety of shots are used in the music videos I have researched. However the most common is the close up shot in regards to Goodwins theory about star image. All of the music videos I have researched include many close ups of the artist, for recognition for their target audience.
CONVENTIONS APPLIED IN MY MUSIC VIDEO
During pre-production, my group and myself decided to adopt many of these generic conventions to use within our music video to make it realistic- and create a sense of continuity between the Indie music videos we have researched, and the one we are making. We have used many close ups of the artist, outdoor locations, a variety of lighting, and a variety of cinematography to reflect the videos we have researched. The editing within our video is coherent with the genre- we have not used an extreme variety of techniques which would take away the realism- we are using filters, and a couple of editing techniques to enhance the video.
ANDREW GOODWINS FEATURES APPLIED TO OUR MUSIC VIDEO Within my music video, we have used a few of Andrew Goodwin's conventions to create a realistic video. There is a relationship between the lyrics of visuals, as the lyrics tell the story of a man who is not giving up on his partner, and the lyrics reflect this by the following/ stalking which is being portrayed. There is also a sense of voyeurism, as some of the stalking scenes have been filmed using a hand held camera, representing the idea that he is following the woman with a camera. Within the video, there are multiple close ups of the main artist/ actor, which creates a recognised brand identity for the target audience. There are intertextual references to cameras and computers (other media technology forms) within the music video. Andrew Goodwin's featured applied to our music video create an unpredictable sense- the use of voyeurism and the narrative challenge the typical indie rock music video.
REDUNDANCY AND ENTROPY Our music video conveys both redundant and entropic elements. For example, we have redundant elements such as locations, and the narrative of a relationship between a couple. However, we have also applied entropic elements such as the twisted idea of an obsession in regards to the relationship- an idea which is unpredictable for the audience, as is the ending, featuring the suicide of the actor.
RELATED QUOTES
Steve Neale “Genre consists of instances of repetition and difference”
i agree with this quote. Music videos can contain the same generic conventions featured in other videos- these conventions are coherent, and help to establish the genre of music- i.e. Indie/ Rock. However, there can be a difference which is unpredictable for the audience,- different conventions and entropic elements which make the music video unique, therefore capturing the audiences interest.
In our music video, we have instance of repetition, as in other music videos of the Indie/ Rock genre. This can include the outdoor locations, elements of both performance and narrative, and the costumes of the actors. However there is also a difference, with the concepts of the video, which challenge the stereotype of what audiences see in the media today.
Christine Gledhill “Differences between genres meant different audiences could be identified and catered to... This made it easier to standardise and stabilise production”
This means that each genre of music video can cater to a specific audience. A heavy rock music video with CGI, strobe lighting and all performance based would appeal to fans of that specific genre, and wouldn't appeal to pop fans. An indie Rock music video would include elements of performance, and narrative either amplifying or illustrating the lyrics, which would appeal to an audience of that specific genre.
Our music video would appeal to fans of the Indie Rock genre, as the features with follow the generic conventions of other videos, therefore maintaining a target audience of the genre as a whole.
Today we begun filming our introduction for our music video. we have decided to use create a montage for the introduction: depicting a happy relationship between the lead singer/ main actor of the video, and his other half. This is rather stereotypical of music videos I have researched, as most o them use quite common themes, i.e., the idea of love. In our music video however, we have adopted entropic elements, as the video shows the aftermath, what a mans obsession with his former love is like. The introductions montage will illustrate the lyrics, and will be edited in time of the beat, as explained in Andrew Goodwin's theory. Screenshots will follow of our progress of editing the introduction.
Over the past couple of days, our production team got together and practiced filming different shots to use within our music video. Below we have collaborated them together into a video. We used a variety of shots and camera work such as panning, tracking, high angles and close ups. the use of close ups are going to be consistent within our music video as they reflect Andrew Goodwin's fifth key principle of his theory- how close ups represent and convey a particular star image to the target audience of a music video. This was consistent in the indie/ Rock music videos we have researched, therefore we have made it compulsory that we include a sufficient amount of these shot types.
Below I have inserted a video on You Tube on how to shoot a music video, which has been helpful as the advice is something we are going to take into account as we begin to film.
Prior to filming, our production team created a risk assessment whereby we have outlined potential hazards and we will make sure under all circumstances that we try to avoid these hazards when preparing to film. Below is our risk assessment.
Today, we have managed to complete the animatic for our music video. Secondly, we took the camera outside and practiced filming shots for the performance scenes within the video. Myself, Dani and Victoria posed as the band members, whilst Katie did the camera work, and tracked back to show us walking down the street, which when filmed with the correct actors and edited to the beat, will look consistent and effective as it is an original performance style as the actors aren't stood still- they are moving around which will make the video aesthetically appealing to our audience. Below is a clip of our production team planning for the performance scene.
For
the second half of todays lesson, I begun experimenting with different
editing effects on Adobe Premier Pro. The first is a sepia effect. I
thought this oculd be used within the woodland scenes of the video,
conveying a vintage and eccentric image, and also reflecting the
sub-genre of Indie/ Rock music videos, as this is sometimes used, as
shown below.
The second technique is Black and White. I thought this could be effective within our music video in the flash back scenes towards the end, as it connotes an archaic sense: the idea that the memories were in the past. For example, we will be using a flashback scene of the male and female dancing in the woods, and this effect will soften th eimage, connoting a naturalistic moment.
The first section of our music video will show the main character from the band and his partner sat on the sofa together. They are positioned as though they are cuddling, connoting the idea that they are both content in love. This is typical of music videos with a romance based narrative; there are normally close up scenes of the characters who share a relationship within the video. This is quite a redundant image, as it portray's a stereotypical image of a relationship, however, it will contrast to the rest of the video, as the protagonist (the male) will be shown in a more entropic image.
The second section is going to be split into two halfs: one side showing
the man, the otherside showing the woman. The camera closes up to show
tears running down both of their faces, with the half way line between
them. In terms of star image, music videos we have researched include many close ups of the artists face- so this is following a typical convention.
The next section shows the main character (the male from the band) sat at a kitchen table in the dark, 'stalking' his ex partners facebook page. His head is down, staring at the screen, whilst his hands are shaking. He runs his fingers through his hair backwards, showing how angry he is. The lighting wil be dar, with perhaps a spotlight on his face, creating a negative atmosphere. When researching music videos of a similar genre, there is often low key lighting within to convey thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc.
The protagonist gets distressed whilst on his computer. He lowers his head, then as the lyrics state 'lift your head'
The final section will show the man and the rest of the band performing outside the womans window, however he looks in and sees she is with another man and walks away into the darkness.
Franz Ferdinand 'Take Me Out' is an extremely interesting music video. It is performance based, however is very entropic, as the performers have been edited to be shown as robots. Their movements amplify the beat of the song throughout the video, and many close ups are used to show the lip syncing/ band performing. In terms of star image, the image the audience recieve are that this band are eccentric. This matches the sub-genre of the music. There are intertextual references such as robots and the grainy editing which conveys a cartoon look. There is a variety of camera work shots, especially angles shown in diagonals, etc which is interesting as it adds to the entropic element of the video.
Last Friday, the production group got together and discussed when we were going to begin filming. These dates include:
Wednesday 21st October
Friday 23rd October (all day as it is a PD day).
Monday 26th October (My scenes)
Tuesday 27th October (My scenes)
Filming may continue throughout the rest of the Half Term- providing the actors are available. As I am on holiday, my scenes will be filmed on the Monday and Tuesday Costumes will be brought into college when we begin filming, as will props. Permission does not need to be asked for locations as we will be filming in Dani's house, and in Public spots. Myself and Dani have begun the animatic for the video, and will complete it this week coming..
Our concept of our music video will be about a man who becomes unhinged when he breaks up with his partner, and begins to obsess over her and stalk her. The girl moves on, however he obsesses over her as he follows her whereabouts. The video locations will be in the countryside, town and inside Dani's house.
1. Happy. The couple are together and portrayed to be happy (filmed in Dani's house).
2. An event has happened to make them break up. This is shown with dark lighting, tears, etc.
3. This is the start of the stalker phase. The man is sat in the dark on his computer, looking through photographs of his ex partner.
4.The man is running through the woods, chasing after the girl but can't seem to reach her no matter how hard he tries.
5. The man is outside the girls house with the rest of the band, lip syncing the song. However, he then sees her inside with another man, symmetrical to the first scene of the video.
I chose this video as my music video of the week as it challenges the stereotype of today's Indie/ Alternative videos. The video is performance based, however with some aspects of narrative thrown in. The most important key convention of this video is the editing; the intertextual use of comic books within the story. This technique is unique, therefore gains a wider audience due to its originality. The diagetic sound of whistling within the song matches the visuals, as this combined with the comic book 'look' conveys a sense of humour, therefore making it an enjoyable watch.
Below is the audience feedback sound recording for our pitch. Our audience was a focus group of three people, all who represent our target audience of college students who's favourite music genre is Indie/ Rock. We asked them a couple of questions regarding our pitch and areas to improve.
Week beginning 21st September 2015 As of today, I am currently on target within my research and planning. All of the given homework due in for the past week has been completed- apart from the extension tasks on Andrew Goodwin, which I will complete this weekend in my free time. This week I need to write to the artist of my chosen song, asking to use it due to copyright laws. I also need to create a blog post on the conventions of my music genre, which I have already begun, and create a post regarding 'Music Video of the Week' which I will consistently do throughout the process of my research and planning.
My moodboard consists of images which represent the chosen sub-genre and the lyrics of the song. I have included neutral/ warm colours such as oranges, browns and reds to convey the genre of Indie/rock. Some images represent the lyrics itself, for example, the crashed car and the angry facial expressions reflect the lyrics of the chorus, and the stone marked 'dont give up' reflects the bridge within the song. Some of the images I may replicate within my music video, for example the tears falling down someones face, which I will use close up shots to portray.
Creativity Creativity, in my opinion, is the ability to make something out of nothing but imagination. Whether it be Art, Words, Media or Science, most forms of product derived from someones imagination. For example, J.K Rowling created the wizarding world of Harry Potter- including many characters, elements and locations which exceed the boundaries of normality.
The only way to be more creative is to open your mind (Think OUTSIDE the box). If someones attitude is 'everything is what it is', then this limits their ability to expand their creativity. For example , John Martins painting 'His Great Day of Wrath', portrays his own image of the end of the world; the destruction of Babylon and the material world by natural cataclysm.
Creativity simply comes from imagination: and it is a wide imagination which can produce a unique, well made media product.
Ken Robinson on creativity
"Young children take a chance- they aren't afraid of being wrong: If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original. However, children and teenagers in schools are frightened of being wrong. Education systems are run so mistakes can't be made. As a result, this is educating people out of their creative capacities." "All children are born artists". - Pablo Picasso
I agree with Ken Robinsons statement. Children and teenagers within secondary school feel pressured to follow the guidlines/rules/ regulations to the exact image exam boards and teachers see fit. As majority of their adolescent years are spent within education, this limits them to expand their creative capacities. How to be more creative: A guide Sleep: REM sleep cycle boosts creativity, problem solving abilities providing us with answers to vexing dilemmas when we awaken. Excercise: Stimulates creative thinking. Daydreaming: Essential part of coming up with new ideas. Continuing education Challenges: Put yourself in nerve-racking situations- fear and frustration triggers initiative thinking. Notebook or PDA: Always carry one to record fleeting ideas.
For my creative task, I decided to draw a picture using the program 'Paint', relating to the ongoing refugee crisis.
Here is a copy of the lyrics to our chosen song for our music video. Around the paragraphs are connotations. The meaning of the song is in relation to a mans twisted idea of love, for example, 'I feel the walls around you are breathing' suggests the feeling of suffocation. However, as these lyrics are going to be difficult to illustrate, our video is going to amplify the song, as we will read between the lines.
Redundancy “…is that which is predictable or
conventional in a message… Redundancy is the result of high predictability…”
For example, saying ‘Hello’ is a predictable way of
greeting somebody… but low on information (it tells us a little). This is a
highly ‘redundant’ message.
“Redundancy is not merely a useful tool in
communication, it is absolutely vital… A degree of redundancy is essential to
practical communication…”
Entropy
Entropy is “…unpredictability”
A text is entropic if
it contains unpredictable elements
Coldplay- Paradise
Redundant Features
-Scenic, outdoor locations in terms of mise en scene
-Video is in the form of a narrative.
-Cutting in terms of editing is smooth and the beat
matches the visuals (Andrew Goodwin).
- Includes common camera work in Indie videos such as
panning/ tracking to allow the audience to follow the narrative.
-The
visuals illustrate the song, however the entropic elements also help to amplify
the song.
Entropic Features
-The mise en scene. The costume of an elephant is extremely
entropic as it challenges the typical stereotype of the Indie genre of music
videos. The costume is unrealistic, however the simplicity of placing a
character in this particular costume throughout the video intrigues the target
audience.
-The
high key lighting throughout the video is entropic as majority of Indie videos
have a combination of both high and low key, reflecting the sombre tone of
their music. However the connotations the audience receives from the warm,
orange bright colours suggest hope, aspiration and happiness.
- Instead of lip syncing, this video uses the format of writing the lyrics on cardboard to the audience. This is quite original for the particular genre of music, however the use of the elephant, the lyrics, and the choreography of the elephant conveys humour, and develops a likeability for the band- especially when the lead singer Chris Martin is revealed to be the man under the costume.
Gotye-
Somebody that I used to know (Feat Kimbra)
Redundant Features
-Typical genre characteristics (Goodwin) such as high
key lighting, lip syncing, the beat of the song matching the visuals.
-Neutral colours convey the sombre tone of music-
browns, pale colours, etc.
-Common camera work such as panning- to follow the
actions of the characters within.
-The music artists are performing within the video.
-Close up shots of the artist, developing a recognised
star image and meeting the record labels expectations.
Entropic Features
-Eccentric mise en scene. The performers aren’t clothed and there is no
particular location, other that the vintage/ art shapes forming over the
background and the performers.
-Time lapse editing to show the formation of the shapes
over the performers bodies.
-Slightly
controversial, however extremely original due to the entropic features,
therefore the video attracts a wider audience.
Kings of Leon- The
Bucket
Redundant Features
-Use of close ups of the artist (Goodwin), this
establishes the brand identity/ star image.
-The video is of a performance style. The mise en scene includes
all the elements which are typical of an Indie/Rock video, such as props
(guitars, keyboards,etc), the ‘set’ format
in terms of location, and the typical style in terms of star image (Baggy
clothes, rough hair styles, etc.)
Entropic features
-Editing. The use of montage/ split screen editing is
original, making the performance aspect more intriguing to watch.
-The
video includes some elements of bright colours, e.g. a multicoloured backdrop,
fireworks. This creates a retro atmosphere, reflecting the brand identity.
-The
montage/ Split screen editing could also be seen as a marketing device for the
band. The multiple images of the band members makes them more recognisable to
the target audience, raising their popularity.
