Ancillary texts - Digipak

I decided to try out a few ideas for the front cover of the digipak, I kept my ideas focused on the word 'CLOCK' because this is an instant link with the name of the song I choose. I used Photoshop to produce these ideas, on this software I put filters on my original image to create different effects. I would also like to experiment with photography and alos merging the two together.

Representation Theory

Richard Dyer (1983)
Represenatation enables us to understand a media text, without representations texts would be meaningless and have no message.
Dyer talks about how media textxs represent themselves to society, he says how we are seen determines how we are treated and how we see people comes from represenatation and therefore how we treat them is determined by how society sees people.
Richard dyer created a set of questions when studying represenatation:
1. What sense of the world is the media making?
2. What does it imply/ is it typical of the world or deviant?
3. Who is it speaking to ?
4. What does it represent to us and why? how do we respond to the representation?

How does this theory relate to my product?
I can relate this post to my blog by applying the questions above to my music video.
1) The video has a realistic sense of the world, the message that the video is portraying is something that happend everyday, its about a relationship
2) it implys that people of this sorrt of age and style are in relationships but it also implies that the relationships dont always work out. It is a typical situation as it happens often.
3) the media is speaking to young people who prwfer this genre of music and lifestyle but it does speak to anyone who is listening to the music as it can apply to most people.

Filming Schedule

Thursday 12th December
Start filming outside - I have checked the weather forecast for thursday and it is not due to rain so filming outside shouldnt be a problem except for the temperature that could be very cold.

Sunday 15th December
Filming some more outside and start filming inside.

Monday 16th December
Start Editng

Wednesday 18th December
Make sure I have a camera to use for the Christmas Holidays

Location shots

 

White background - My house
Because most of the shots that require a white wall are close ups I can either film against this wall or if that doesn't look good then I can hang a white sheet off this wall and also place one on the floor to create the white background.






High angle shot -  this shot is taken from a window upstairs in my house, for this to work properly I will have to hold the camera out of the window to insure that their is not a reflection in the window, like the bottom photo which is my favourite. Also the below picture shows the handle on the window, I need to ensure I open the window wide enough to not get it in the shot.

The shot of the house - This shot isnt used until then end of the video and is to reinforce the idea of home.

There are different areas of the park that I am going to use, these include the trees in the park, the path and the open field:



The Trees - The trees are used frequently throughout the music video, type of shot varie thoughout the video; from close ups, mid shots and long shots, these are used mostly when she is lip syncing.



The path -  The path is also used frequently but what I realised after I had taken these photos was that I should of walked further up the path so that the green fence wasnt in the photo.

 

The Field -  The field is a good loacation, because there is a lot of space for us to use and it isnt very busy so is perfect for filming.

Storyboard

Digipak design examples

Rihanna - Loud
I like the use of photography on this design, thier is a clear colour scheme running right the way throug, the colour red connotes romance but it is also very sophisticated compared to a pink which would suggest something much younger and fun. The idea of romance is also shown through the roses that surround her, the image of her floating around the roses in a white dress connote s innocence and purity, the discs with white roses also connote the same. The name of the album is 'Loud', Loud suits the imagery as when we look at rihannas hair it is very vibrant and very noticeable suggesting loud. On the other hand the text is very slim and widely spaced, this suggests the opposite to what it is saying to us as the discreet wording doesnt suggest loud it is the very opposite of the word loud. This could be suggesting to the audience the music is not quite all the same and is not what we expect.
I think although this disc is not along the same genre as my product I will use the use of photography and cinematography by taking some close ups for the cover.

 
Oasis - Morning glory
I also like this CD cover again the use of photography is very simple and yet very effective, the colours used and quite pale and dull, this is carried through in the costume that is also very dull, to conrast this is the title of the album 'morning glory' this suggests that complete opposite of what the photo tells us. as when we think of morning glory we think of sun and bright colours, not an urban dull street.
the CD design better fits the genre of music I have chosen than Rhiannas album but phography is used throughout them both.

Narrative theory

My product links with Todorons theory. Todoron says that every narrative follows this structure. He starts by saying there is always a protagonist and antagonist and between these two there is an isuue or conflict, although my video only has one person in it there will be a protagonist  the girl who we see and the antagonist who we dont see but we will have a bit of an understanding.
Todoron then goes on to say that after we meet the protagonist and antagonist there will be a disruption. The disruption in my video is her when she gets angry with her ex who we dont meet.
He furthers his theory with the quest, the quest is when she starts to think about him and search for him as she runs back.
Finally there is a resolution, when the problem is solved. this is when she arives back home.
Although there a slight differences between my video and Todorons theory it does cross in many ways.

Audience theory

Joseph Klapper (1960) - Selective filter model
Klapper states that the media can only be effective / have an impact on an audience once it has undertaken 3 stages:

Stage 1 - Selective exposure
The audience can choose what media they are exposed to.
Stage 2  - Selective perception
The audience can choose wether they want to accept the message being conveyed.
Stage 3 - Retention
Then the audience has to remeber the message, it has to 'stick' in thier mind. However research tells us that audiences remeber the things that they agree with and are more interested in.

How can this theory relate to my product?
Because this theory tells us that the audience choose the media they are going  to watch or listen therefore my product has to appeal to the target audience to ensure that they will selectiely be exposed to my product.
relating to stage 2 of selective perception, the audience can chose wether to accept the message, therefore the message needs to be clear
and finally stage 3 the audience has to remember the message so I need to make the message something that the audience will agree with and be able to relate to.

Props List

• Costume
• water in buckets
• Photo of her and the ex boyfriend that she will rip up at the beginning

Intentions of my music video

The idea that I would like my audience to take away from the video is the idea of a girl who is missing her ex, she will start of been sad and angry with him. (he is the voice that is singing about her) as the video goes on she starts to get happier. at the end of the song he is singing about 'home' at this point in the song she will start to run back home to where he is.
The main themes in the video are:

• Loneliness
• Emotions that change throughout
• The idea that they both miss each other

Narrative structure:

• Starts off her been lonely and sad
• she gets angrier as the video goes on
• she starts looking for him
• she runs back home when she realises she doesnt need him

Camera work:

• Lots of contrast between close ups and long shots
• zooms and also long shots, mid shots and close ups consecutivley to create a slower zoom effect.
• mixture of low angles and high angles

Mise en scene :

• White background very bland
• Busy street
• Field and trees

Editing:

• Fades
• Straight cuts
• Slow motion

http://youtu.be/5JvmqRYZ56Y?t=1m11s

The use of cinematography and editing will create the abstract narrative that I would like to portray through the video.

Digipak design examples

Here are some examples of digipaks that I have found on the internet. The ones I picked are closely linked with the genre of my music, therefore I can see how other artists of the same genre would design thier packaging.

Digipak INITIAL research

What is a digipak - a digipak is the packaging that a CD arrives in. how the CD look is is important if it looks dull and boring then people may be less likely to buy the CD if the packaging is interesting, a reflection of the audience and attractive then people may be more likely to buy the CD. A digipak can hold more than one disc and it is important the the disc itself also has some imagery on it.

It is important to be thinking about digipak designs now, as to give me an idea to be thinking about. ifi can get some Ideas now this should help me later on to produce my digipak quickly but also to a good standard without having to also do some research at other examples. Here I have just got some ideas of templates that I could use for the digipak, some of them are very simple and others are a bit more unusual and complicated.

Risk assesment

It is important to have a risk assesment because it allows me to find out and analyse the risks that I may discover when filming. Therefore to identify them previous to filming is important as I can also work out how to control and avoid the potential risk. If something did happen during the filming process then this could negativly affect the production of my music video, therefore it is vital that we take care and stay aware of possible risks throughout production to reduce the chance of my music video been affected.

Actress/ model singer

My music video only requires one female to play the part therefore I am trying to weigh up and decide who would be the best person to choose:
Joanna is keen to play the part, she is trustworthy and reliable and is very dramatic so I know she will get involved in the part that she would be playing. She is a very close friend so I know I can trust her to turn up to filming, she will also suit the genre of the music that my video is based on.







Kayleigh is not as keen to be the singer/actress but she would suit the genre of music that I would like, I know she will turn up to filming as she is reliable and trustworthy, kayleigh lives closer to me so this would be more convinient.



I have decided to use Joanna as the actress in my music video. This is because she is the most willing to play the part. we are going to do most of out filming on thursday afternoons because we need to film during the daytime. We will also try to fit time in where we can to get it done. The main problem is that Joanna lives a 30 minute Journey away from the location and she will have to get a train and a bus so it is harder for her to get here. Hopefully this wont be too much of a problem and we will get it done.                                                                                         

 

Costume is important in this video the costume has to represent the genre of the music and the audience that my video would hopefully attract. therefore I have chosen costume that i know my audience will relate to and therefore this could draw them in.

Alternative rock - Audience profile

 

 

Questionaire results

The results from my questionnaire allow me to understand my audience and their likes, dislikes, hobbies and lifestyle. This is important as knowing this gives me an idea of how to produce my video to the taste of the target audience.
It also tells me what props, clothing and activities I should include within the video in order to make it realistic and relatable for the audience. If I represent the people I am aiming it for in the music video they will understand it more and perhaps even enjoy it more if they see it applied on their own lifestyle.

Questions I have included in my questionaire

Questionnaire

I will only ask people who I think are mostly likely to listen to alternative rock music. This will be people aged around 14 – 25.

Also I won’t ask people who don’t like alternative rock so that I can get a true representation of my target audience.

1.       Are you:
Male
Female

2.       Who is your favourite alternative rock band?
3.       What is your favourite clothes shop
4.       What would be your most common outfit – for example an average college day?  
5.    Would you say that your appearance is important to you
6.       What is your favourite TV programme?
7.       Do you go to concerts/ gigs?
8.       How often?
9.       Do you enjoy sport
10.       If yes are you involved in any sporting clubs (please specify)
11.   Are you often spending time at parties?
12.   What do you do in your spare time?
13.  Do your friends have the same music taste as you?
14.   Do you have a particular hobby or interest?
15.  Do you play a musical instrument?
16.  What are your aspirations for when you finish college/ future?
17. do you drink alchohol
 

I am asking these questions so that I can build up a profile of my target audience, this way I know how to portray the audience in my music video.

Lyric timings - Re done

I choose to have another look at the timings of the lyrics to make sure I have them exactly right. If the timings aren't right then when I produce the music video will not be synchronised and wont look as good. it may affect my video especially when lip syncing is required.

Poll results

My Idea

For my music video for the song Clocks, by Coldplay I am going to produce an abstract Video. I like ideas I have seen in other abstract videos! The idea I am going to focus on is confusion and feeling like your in the wrong place. I am going to do this by the use of cinematography, for example cantered angles, zooms and pans. Quick edits will also be used.
In the editing stage I would like to make sections of the film look like they are in slow motion. These sections will only be a few seconds long but will add to the effect of been confused.
The video will involve a female teenager. she will play the main part as his reflects what he is singing about; his relationship, therefore he will be singing about the girl he loves.

Abstract videos - Kasabian , Days are forgotten

I really like this video by kasabian. This is because of the use of Perfromance is very conventional of rock videos so therefore they have stayed with this convention. But they have also added an effective touch by adding animation.This makes the video really unusual. Although I think for me to use this effect would be very complicated and time consuming and it may be worth investing that time in making sure I create a music video that is of a good quality. The black and white effect is also conventional, and I would like part of my music video to be in black and white to show a change in her mood and feelings.
the cinematography uses many wide shots! this isnt something that i am going to include in mine so much because the majority of my filming will be cose ups, mid shots, and long shots with her as the central focus.

Abstract video - coldplay, The scientist

This is another alternative rock abstratct video, this time it is a video by coldplay. The video starts off as you would expect a typical music video, two people in a car. The video then changes tone and starts going in reverse. Again now I have seen this is an alternative rock bands video I know that I can include reverse filming in parts of my video. I would do this when it comes to editing the video.
The mise en scene in this video is outdoors like the previous video by Radiohead. Therefore I can say that this could be a convention of alternative rock music videos that I could possibly include in my own.

Abstract video - Radiohead, Spirit

The abstract video by Radiohead called 'spirit' is good to look at for research  because Radiohead are an alternative rock band so it helps me to see how other alternative rock bands would produce an abstratct music video. I like the idea of the edits fading from one to another. It also adds to the feel of an abstract video been surreal, it doesnt necessarily have to have a specific meaning that you can relate to your own life.
also the colours in this video make the video seem not quite real as it is black and white. Its as iff we are looking at the meaning from another angle rather than a worldly angle.
I also love the fact that in this video there is a slow motion effect at certain points throughout.

Focus Group

I filmed a group of 4 people answering my questions, this is to give me some feedback and ideas for when I produce the music video.
Questions
1. Have you ever watched a music video that has made you love the song even more, what is it?, why do you like it?

2. Would you say you like Alternative Rock music? is there any specific artist you like?

3. If you were creating an Alternative Rock music video, would it be abstract, performance or have a narrative, why?

4. Is there any major features you think should be included in the music video for the song Clocks by Coldplay?

5. What aspect of a music video do you think is most important? Mise en scene, Cinematography, Editing or the music itself and the sound used.

6. What is your favourite genre of music?

7. Is there anything you would say is essential in an an alternative rock music video?




I did a focus group to recieve feedback about my ideas and also to find out what the audience think I should include. This was useful as it clarified some of my ideas and themes.

Initial ideas

Alternative Rock mood board

Lyric analysis

 

 

 

 

 

Skills development essay

Over the past year in media studies I have produced many pieces of work, each time I have produced a piece of work it should show development. This is because each time we started a new piece of work I learnt new skills and techniques to make my work better and improve the quality. I also gained time to practice these skills when producing drafts and mock ups. I know that I haven’t always necessarily shown my skills in work when I haven’t worked hard enough and put enough effort into it. There are also times when I have worked harder to expand my development.

When I first started my AS year at college I had to produce a perfume advert, this was the very first project and was the first time for me to show any skills that I already had in media. Now when I look back at this very first project I realize my skills were very weak and the perfume advert was very simple and basic. The camera used was of bad quality and this is shown through the final piece, I hadn’t used Photoshop much when starting my AS year so the program was reasonably new to me, I was getting to grips with the tools and effects that can be used on Photoshop.

I tried to be creative with this project but when I look back to it I think it looks very bland and boring, there was also no real story been told in the image. I did try to link the name ‘funn’ with an image of someone holding a balloon as a balloon can be related to parties and childhood.

In reference to research and planning for the perfume advert there wasn’t much at all, I gathered images of other perfume adverts and then drew out my own plan of how I wanted mine to look, if I was to repeat this I would have done more research such as a questionnaire and maybe gathering feedback off some initial ideas. The lack of research meant that my perfume ad was not specifically aimed at any particular audience and therefore had no real meaning.

Because my convention research was not in any depth I then did not use the codes and conventions in my work. This is a big mistake as codes and conventions have to be used for a piece of media work to look right, sometimes codes and conventions are broken for reasons, examples of codes and conventions that could be used in a perfume advert are to use a close up shot of the model, to stick to a particular colour scheme and not include many more colours in the image.

The next piece of work we moved onto was a college magazine. The digital technology here didn’t show a great amount of progress from the perfume advert. I was disappointed with the final outcome of this piece of work. The photo its self was not too bad. I used a medium close up of a student sat working at a computer. When I started to use the image to create the front cover, I used limited tool on Photoshop. I didn’t edit the photo, in order to create the magazine I just added boxes and text on top of the main image. My Photoshop skills were very limited and I didn’t put enough effort into making this piece of work look a good standard.

The piece of work isn’t very creative and was basic; I produced a college magazine front cover that was no different to any other. I was creative in the fact that I chose a colour scheme that would suit both male and female of college student age.

I put more research and planning towards this than I did the previous piece of work. Firstly put together a mood board of all the immediate ideas that come to mind when thinking about college, this included things such as folders, Books, phones, friends, stationary and other things. I then created a digital mock-up of what my magazine front cover should look like, this is useful when you come to actually put the magazine together as you already have an idea of where everything will go and how it fill fit onto the page. The next thing I did was look for existing college magazines and analyse them in regards to conventions, this helped me to spot things that were good and not so good so that I could take that information and produce my magazine accordingly. It was useful to put more research into this task as it gives you a better idea of what you are going to produce and means you can deal with any issues that you may come across quicker, research leaves you in a more confident position as you have a better view of what the outcome may be.

After producing the magazine I had to evaluate it, saying the good points, the bad points and what I would change if I was to do it again. When I was doing the evaluation i could of asked people for feedback to found out what other people thought about how it could be improved, this would of strengthened my evaluation as it would of told me what the target audience thought was good and bad about the magazine and how they thought it could of been improved.

The next piece of work we had to do was the big coursework piece. This is where I had to really push my skills forward. For this piece of work I had to create the front cover, contents page and double page spread of a music magazine. To create the magazine I had to use my own original photos, so this meant going out with a camera and taking photos that related to the genre of music. I chose rap so I had to take photos in the style of a rapper. I don’t think my photos looked professional enough because i didn’t have the right costume and props for m model, I think if I had spent more time looking for a costume that was Cleary in the right style and genre then the photos would have made the magazine better. Once I had got the photos I then edited the best ones on Photoshop ready to be used for my magazine which I also produced on Photoshop.

I tried to be creative with my ideas, I choose a genre that not many other people had chosen and also one that i thought would be fun to create. I tried to use the skills I had learnt over the year creatively, using tools in different ways and trying to use different effects, this can be seen on my final piece but I think I could have practiced and used these skills even more to improve my work.

Research and planning was essential to create a good magazine, I knew that a lot of work and time should be put into this and know this is a major area of the task that I didn’t put enough time into, my questionnaire didn’t work properly so I never got answers from it, I did do a small focus group to find out what people thought of my ideas, this helped but wasn’t enough. Researching other rap magazines was really helpful as this told me what codes and conventions are commonly found in rap magazines so that I could use these conventions in my own work, when it came to production I did follow the conventions of rap magazines to the best of my ability.

In regards to the production, I believe my skills have shown improvement from my first draft to the final piece, each time I finished a draft I took the feedback on board and I therefore would alter and change the magazine accordingly. By the end I had themes running through each page of the magazine had taken new photos, I had learnt more skills over the process and was able to include these.

Codes and conventions of the rock genre

Timeline of Rock music

Textual analysis 3 Muse starlight

Cinematography - The camera work throughout the video consists of many different angles, firstly there is close ups, close ups are used to show us the band members as primarily the reason the audience are watching is because they want to see the band, close ups are also used to show us the instruments when they are been played. Long shots are also used in this video. long shots are rarely found in music videos because the band are usually more importamt than the setting, in the case of this video the setting is abstract asitis set on a ship. high angle shots are also used to show us the ship, on the other hand low angle shots are used to make the band members look bigger and more powerful.

Editing -montage editing is usedin this music video,the cuts are quick and move around very efficiently. Some of the edits cut with the beat of the music, to emphasize the sound, for example the drum beat means a straight cut to another shot.

Textual analysis 2 - Coldplay

Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Cinematography - The Cinematography throughout this music video involves lots of close ups of the musicians/bandmembers, but also lots of close ups of the instruments, this means that we dont realy see the setting that the video is in, but this doesnt matter becasue the setting is graphic. low angle shots are used frequently to make the band members look bigger and more powerful, high angle shots are used aswell, they make the video seem surreal. the only time wide shots are used are when we see the whole band playing together to emphasize that they are a band as the majority of the other shots are individul close ups.

Editing - The editing in the music video is different to other rock bands, although coldplay is slighty different in the instruments they use been more classical than conventional rock. the cuts are frequent there is no fading just straight cuts to the next shot. the cuts fit in witht the beats in the music. they are slower than other rock bands. the cuts get quicker at the end as the music speeds up and gets louder.
Editing is also used in the sense of the graphics in the background, no real settings are used, A green screen would of been used to create the effects in the background, also the effect on top is like scrumpled paper making the video seem older, this idea is backed up by the sound of the music with the cello and violin that sound older and more traditional.

Conventions - Conventions used throughout the video include the close ups within the cinematography, The quick cuts, that arent used as frequently, also within the music there is a constant beat running throughout which is something that we do relate to the rock genre. On the other hand this video doesnt stick to the conventions of rock as much as other rock music videos as there is not as many instruments thst would suggest this. also within the editing the colours used fopr the backgrounds dont strike out as rock and maybe suggest more classical.

Connotations - At the beginning there is a red rose which connotes love suggesting that the song may have something to do with love. The bell that we see been rang suggests the music video is older, this along with the background and the other intruments suggest an older setting or maybe a church as the bells in the background sound like church bells ringing.

Audience - The audience for the music video is younger adults.This is because of the style of music and the band itself that has a large younger fan base.

Textual analysis 1 - You me at six

Reckless - you me at six

Conventions of the genre - conventions of rock music videos tend to include live performances, behind the scenes; this is known as 'thematic' and also 'performance'. the videos often include the band rather than actors playing something else. the band members dont pretend to be someone different they just act as they would on stage or in every day situations.

Cinematograophy - Cinematography in this music video involves lots of close ups and pans, the reason for this is so the audience can see what thier doing but it also infers that this is thier life as the pans go from one thing to the next. a bit like a home video that you might make with friends of family. Its very informal and gives the impression that this is nothing new to the band members.

Editing - Cuts are very fast paced during thier live performances, because its rock, its busy and every beat has a new shot. The lighting is as you would expect at a live performance. lots of flashing lights. the cuts tend to go with the beat of the music and the lights to emphasize the rock beat. All steryeotypical of rock bands.

Connotations - we automaticlly conote tattoos with rock bands because that is what the media shows us,there was lots of shots throughout the music video that showed the audience the artists tattoos.  They were all holding a pint glasses at the beginning, This is another connotation of rock, the instruments they have connote rock, such as the guitars and the drum kit.

Meaning of the video - I think the meaning of the video is shown throught the name 'reckless' the video infers that thry are laid back and chilld out people, when they are on stage they just enjoy themselves and have fun. I think the video is trying to portray the idea that thier lives are fun and by doing what they do they are able to let go.
Representation - Within the video they represent themselves as band members, they have the tattos, the concert, the instruments. if we didnt have these we wouldnt understand the video, the representation gives the music video meaning.

My chosen genre of music is Alternative Rock and the song I have chosen is 'Clocks' by Coldplay

Brief

To create a promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with a cover for its release and a magazine advertisement for its digipak.
The genre I have chosen is Rock

Storyboard