Research and Planning: Fonts for my Digipak

 

I have chosen a few fonts from the website 'Da Font' to use for my digipak. Da Font has hundreds of fonts and themes to choose from, but I chose these as I thought they suited my genre best. The 'Birth of a Hero' font is unsuitable for my digipak as it resembles a rock/metal genre more than it does an indie/alternative. The 'Moon Flower' font I likes as it was simple with a little style to it. However, I'm not sure yet as to whether it may appear to feminine. The font beneath the previous two may be a bit too fancy for the front cover. It may be hard for the audience to read what the textual information says. Also if the digipak is on a music stand or shelf of some kind, you'd want to be able to read it instantaneously, rather than having to glance back more than once.

 

Two of my favourites are the 'Edmundsbury' and the 'Impact Level' fonts as they are bold and clearly readable. They are relatively simple, but I believe that fits in more with my chosen genre. Also the font will need to represent my target age group; therefore, I think these two are appropriate. The 'Alphabits' font may not target my audience due to the higher age range and the genre of the music. The audience would expect a down-to-earth, more naturalistic approach, rather than focusing too much on the styling (like in pop music).

 

I think I will use the 'Impact Level' font for the main title and the 'Edmundsbury' font for the track listing on the back of my digipak.

Research and Planning: Colour Palette for my Digipak

I have decided to use a range of neutral colours in my colour scheme ideas as the song/artist will appeal to both male and female audiences. I have chosen to use an array of red and orange palettes as the colours both connote a sense of warmth, love and comfort. I thought that this would be fitting with our chosen song for the music video 'comfort you'. Hopefully the colour would illustrate the title and lyrics of the song. However, I think the all red palettes may appear quite dull and could possibly merge into one. I'd rather use the reds with a contrasting colour in order to make the textual information stick out and be bold. The blue palettes may not be suitable for my digipak as blue is a colder colour which doesn't really fit in with the main song on the album.

 

After researching other CDs and Digipaks of artists who are of a similar genre to mine, I have decided to choose a colour palette of just one or two colours, rather than three of four. For example, Ed Sheeran's album uses orange, whereas Ben Howard's majority colour is blue. I will also need to make sure that the colours resemble the colours within the digipak front cover photo in order to ensure consistency within the digipak. The palette in the left hand corner, is too wishy-washy for what I want to create - I need stronger colours that will make my text stand out and will fit in with my chosen image.

Here is an example of Ben Howard's album. The album cover has only used two main colours, which are blue and white. However, the blue colour palette does incorporate different shades.  

 

Ed Sheeran mainly uses just orange and black for the album title. There is a small white cross in the right hand corner.

Progress Update

I have finished the research and planning task on print adverts and digipaks. I have analysed three of each by using different technologies; such as: webcam, PowerPoint and blog post. We also managed to finish filming the performance section of our music video, all we need to do now is fill the performance section around the narrative and make sure we edit it to at least 30fps. We still need to gather feedback on our rough cut; however, we are having trouble finding people who fit our target audience.

Analysis of Abba Digipak

Analysis of John Butler's Trio Album

The digipak features three CDs and a couple of leaflets, it opens up  into three segments, which each feature one of the three CDs.

 

 

The colour of the digipak is black which is quite unusual for an indie/alternative genre. Black connotes power, edge and darkness which would stereotypically be associated with a rock or heavy metal genre. Black is the majority colour on the digipak - the fact that it is a block colour is quite redundant as the audience wouldn't be shocked by it; it's what they would expect. The three arrows symbolise the name 'Trio', therefore, that also makes the digipak quite redundant as the feature is predictable. The other colours used are red and white which create a juxtaposition with the black. Red connotes danger and fire, which gives the digipak and album feeling an edge.

 

The trio are featured on the left hand side in black and white. The use of black and white is quite an entropic feature as you would expect most images of artist's to be illustrated in colour. The central man is larger than the other two which suggests that he is more important as he is the lead singer.

 

The digipak features the track listing on the back which is also a redundant feature as it is a common feature among albums and digipaks. The lion on the front cover is quite entropic as the audience may not have expected to see it. Lions are viewed as the 'Kings of the Jungle' which suggests that's what they want for their brand identity and star quality. However, it is also entropic that the artist's are not featured on the front of the digipak. This could suggest that they are more interested in their music, rather than their brand identity - which is a common feature within this genre.

The digipak features different coloured discs, which is entropic as most CDs would have the same design with the feature of 'Disc 1, Disc 2' etc. It also features a leaflet for the audience.

Analysis of Florence and the Machine Print Advert

 

Time Management: Update

Unfortunately filming didn't happen on Monday evening as some of the group couldn't make it. However, we have re booked it for Thursday night between 5.30 - 8. We will make sure to use all the time to ensure that we are able to capture enough footage needed for our performance section. The filming will definitely happen as this will be our last chance. 

Research and Planning: Print Advert 2

The images of the artist's challenge most genres as the artist doesn't immediately catch the audience's eye. They have also been placed at the bottom of the advert which suggests the album is more important than the band. Also one of the band members is holding a picture of the album, which reinforces this. The fact that the artist's are looking away causes the audience to feel disengaged from them. It also suggests that they don't really feel the need to make contact with the audience; a belief that they are already popular with a large following. The majority of artist's are facing straight on, which suggests that this chosen image is an entropic feature. Entropy has also been used in the form of pop art - the image resembles pop art due to the bold and contrasting use of colours.

The clothing which is a part of mise-en-scene is laid back and casual which supports an alternative/indie genre. The artist on the left seems to be more formal as he is wearing what looks like a suit jacket. The others are just in a t-shirt and a vest-top. This may emphasise the fact that he is the lead singer of the band, which is reinforced by him holding the album and the others looking directly at him. There is a distinct juxtaposition of colours as blue connotes: tranquillity, naturalism and peace, where as black connotes power and domination. Their body language is also relaxed and casual which supports their genre. It also makes the audience feel as though they could be accepted by the band as the gestures connote friendliness.

The advert is quite creative as it resembles a film poster. It also features reviews in the form of stars which may increase the sales of the album as the audience can see that others have thought it was good. Due to the creativity and the use of bold colours, it makes it stand out amongst other adverts as it immediately catches the audiences eye. The colour yellow connotes happiness and fun (which is also the name of the band), the colour is also associated with the sun and the beach, which would help the advert appeal to a wider target audience.

The font is large, black and bold, therefore, it is clearly readable and helps it to stand out.The fact that the font decreases in size as you read down, suggests that the information has been put in order of importance. The name of the band contradicts the image as it suggests that the brand identity is important to them as it has been placed centrally on the advert and is at the top. Then it is followed by the name of the album and the hit singles. Also the font is all in uppercase which makes it stand out and will easily catch the audience's eye. The title of the album has also been repeated twice which is quite an entropic feature. It has been written on the album and centrally on the advert.

For the target audience, it looks as though it would appeal to a creative audience due to the pop art element. Females may be more interested as three men are featured on the advert. The colour palette used is unisex; therefore, the target audience may include: males and females from the age range of 20-25.

Research and Planning: Print Advert 1

I have analysed a print advert for Ben Howard as it is similar to my chosen genre. I have also included a video of one of Ben Howard's songs.

Video Feedback for Rough Cut

Focus Group Feedback 1 

Feedback 2 

The overall feedback for the rough cut was positive. The feedback we got for the narrative was good as they said it was clear; however, they did say that it was made better by the ending shot of them coming together, which established the connection clearly. Also the genre was clear for the audience as Kirsty said that due to the mise-en-scene, it appeared very realistic and simplistic and is therefore a generic convention. However, an improvement that we need to work on is the lip synching as it isn't clear in some places what he is exactly singing. Therefore, I think we need to re film the last 30 seconds of the artist lip synching in order to boost the quality.

Feedback on Rough Cut

Rough Cut

Rough Cut of Narrative Footage

So far we have managed to create a rough cut for our narrative section. We have removed the performance footage as we are re-filming it tonight; we decided we needed more close up shots of the performer and a clearer vision of the lip syncing. We have now managed to stretch some of our footage that were surrounded by black borders, however, we would like some opinions on whether the story of our narrative is clear. We are anxious as to whether we have conveyed it clearly to the audience, therefore, we have created some questions that will hopefully gain us useful feedback. 

Research and Planning: Locations

Tonight we are re-filming the performance footage; however, we have had to use a different location. Instead of using Ludlow Assembly Rooms, we are using the Drama Studio at Ludlow College. This will be beneficial to us as it's spacious, and we have the ability to use spotlights. By using the spotlight it will improve our footage compared to our last footage, which was far too dark to use. This time, as well as using fairy lights we will have a spotlight on the performer. 

Health and Safety:

• Being aware of lighting cables on the floor as it could result in a trip hazard or an electric shock. To minimise the risk we could tie the cables up with gaffa tape.
• The fairy-lights may be a hazard if they overheat; it could result in a fire, therefore we need to be careful and observe them.

Overall the location of the Drama Studio is safe to use and doesn't highlight many dangers. 

Here is an image of the drama studio we are going to use, the seating will have all been removed and the lighting will be ready for us to use. 

Time Management: Calendar

Extra Feedback: Facebook Focus Group

Facebook Group 

Our group have created a facebook focus group in order to gain more feedback on our pitch and on a rough copy of our music video. I have added people over the age of 20 so that we can gain feedback from our target audience; however, we have also added more people around the age of 18 because we didn't know that many people that fit our target age group.

 

This screenshot shows our video which has been successfully uploaded onto the Facebook page. I posted a comment explaining why we needed the feedback and questions for them to answer.

 

The top banner of this screenshot shows some of the people who will be giving us feedback on our pitch and on our music video.

Comments:

Editing: Slow Motion

Our group had a problem of converting a video clip in iMovie to slow motion. In order to gain the desired effect, we typed in YouTube 'How to use slow motion in iMovie?' The tutorial was very helpful as it allowed us to input the effect onto the narrative clip that we wanted to alter. We achieved the desired effect, which was the man walking slowly whilst looking sad. The slow motion emphasised the connotations of sadness and loneliness.

Editing Update

We have made a rough cut on our music video; however, there are some areas that we need to improve on:

Narrative:

• The new footage we filmed of the girl needs to be stretched to fill the full screen, we will be researching tutorials to learn how to do that.
• We need a shot of the 'Father' and 'Daughter' holding hands in order to make the link clearer to the audience. Our group decided that the storyline and the link between the two people are a bit too vague; therefore, it needs to be established more. We thought about filming the two of them holding hands at the end and walking away in order to show that they have found one another.

Performance:

• We need to make our performance clips shorter as we need to follow the media conventions of music videos...due to the genre of our music video, we have decided to aim for 30fpm.
• On Monday we are re filming some of our performance as we need more close ups of the performance and more shots of the performer lip syncing to the music.

Time Management

Last week, we managed to edit over a minute of our video; however, our group have found out that we need to capture more performance footage. We realised we didn't have enough close ups of the performance which meant that the lip syncing couldn't be seen very well. Also we will need to improve on the lighting as the lighting in the Assembly Rooms was too dull.

 

Our narrative footage is now complete, which means we can carry on editing our narrative footage whilst we film the rest of our performative.

Filming: Day 4

After editing some of our video, our group decided that we needed to capture more narrative footage. Today I filmed the girl narrative section to our music video.

I filmed at the Arches which is near to where I live...the location suited our genre as it is surrounded by woodland and lakes.

This image is of the girl who is starring in our music video. Overall filming was successful as I was able to film a variety of different shots.

Time to Edit

As we have filmed all our narrative and performance section, our group is now ready to edit our footage to construct our music video! For this, we are going to use Final Cut Pro 7. We have had previous experience of using this software, therefore, I am confident about using it next week. Our video will not feature many effects as it will not fit in with our genre - which is indie/folk. Instead, our video will feature a vast majority of straight cuts.

 

 

Time Management

 

I have chosen to do another November calendar post as we are slightly behind schedule on editing. On the previous calendar, our group said we would already have started to edit earlier this week; however, due to having trouble gaining all our footage, we have been set back a week. By Monday's lesson, all the narrative filming will have been captured and we have already gained our performance footage. As a group, we have decided on Monday to split jobs - half of us will start editing and the other half will capture any footage that we may still need.

 

On Tuesday, we are staying behind after College to catch up with our editing, which will enable us to get back on schedule. Last week, we shared our research and planning with each other, I am now up to date with all of that.

Performance Footage

put in some performance footage and explain why it is not suitable for the video

Research and Planning: Organisation

 

I have taken a variety of screenshots to show that our group has been organising our work and filming effectively and efficiently. I find that using Facebook is the most effective way for arranging things, as the group message enables each participant to see what everyone has said. It was also useful because one of our actor's didn't go to our College, therefore, it was easy to communicate with him over Facebook.

 

Email Evidence:

 

Our group have been sending emails to each other to share our individual research, shots of filming and arranging days to film.

This screenshot shows that Amy and I have been sharing our work with each other as it will eventually need to be put onto our blogs. By using email, it means that we can all get the research efficiently and we can all share it effectively.

 

Facebook Evidence:

 

We have created a number of Facebook groups in order to arrange when we are going to film. This group message was to arrange filming for Day 1.

 

This group message contained shots of filming that we shared with each other on Days 2 and 3 of Filming.

Time Management Update

Day 3 of Filming was very successful, we have managed to get over 30 clips of footage for the performance section of our music video. We have finished filming for our performance section; however, we are behind slightly on gaining footage for our narrative section. On Wednesday's lesson we have decided to film more of our other actor for the narrative part, then I need to film the last part of our music video from home. Ideally, filming will be finished by Thursday this week.

Filming: Day 3

For the performance section of our music video, we hired the 'Oscars' room in Ludlow Assembly Rooms. We were able to use the stage and lighting which made filming more successful. We lit lanterns, and placed them around the bar stool in order to connote a more intimate feeling which resembles our chosen genre. We managed to gain all the footage we needed for this section of our music video.

 

 

 

We filmed a variety of different angles in order to allow us to work with more footage when it comes to editing. Harry played guitar and sang to the song, which enabled the lip syncing to look more effective. We used two cameras which increased our efficiency and allowed us to get a lot more footage.

 

We wanted to gain a few close ups of Harry so we could capture his facial expressions. Due to the song, Harry had to look sad in order to illustrate the music and visuals of our video.

 

We had a large space to use; however, we only needed to use the stage for our performance section. This image shows the spot lighting that we used in parts of our video as well. We dimmed the lighting to increase the intimacy, which we often found was the case in music videos when we researched similar artists.

 

This image shows Amy and Jamie filming low angle shots as we wanted to create a variety for our video.

 

The original set up before we started filming. We decided to arrange the lanterns in a different way so that it wouldn't look so 'staged'.

Research and Planning: Time Lapse

Time Lapse: Practise Shot

 

 

 

We have decided to practise time lapse shots as we would like to incorporate them into our video. The shot could symbolise the time that has gone by from when the Father has missed his Daughter. This time lapse of the clouds passing by is only 3 seconds long; however in our music video it will be slightly longer. Overall our group is happy with this shot as it has worked out successfully.

 

Ideas for Time Lapse Shots in Our Video:

 

The Sun rising and then going down

Weather change

Clouds passing by

Leaves falling from trees



Filming Day 2

 

 

For day 2 of Filming, we decided to get some scenic footage as our actor's weren't available to use on the day. As our genre is quite naturalistic we wanted to incorporate trees, water and leaves. We decided to film different angles of the water flowing, we then zoomed into the bridge and filmed the water flowing under there.

 

Although we managed to get some footage, we decided that the filming today wasn't as successful as Day 1, due to the weather being considerably different. The Autumn colours were not present here, yet our footage on Monday consisted of blue sky and Autumn colours.

 

 

We later zoomed into the bridge to capture the water running underneath it.

We didn't like this shot as the water looked murky and the colours all looked dull.

 

The shot of the bench is symbolic as it connotes loneliness as no one is sitting on it. This is a common feature of our music video as the 'Dad' is shown to be alone. We also have previous footage of one of our actor's sitting on a bench; therefore, this creates a juxtaposition which emphasises the loneliness.

The use of the branches is effective here as it is a different viewpoint.

We chose to film a couple of minutes of footage here, so we could capture the flow of the water and any wildlife that may pass by.

Time Management Calendar

Time Management: Update

We originally decided to start filming last week in the half term; however, we couldn't manage to get everyone together. During Monday's lesson, we went up to Whitcliffe in Ludlow with one of our actor's and filmed the narrative section. On Wednesday's lesson we had some problems as it was dull and rainy, which was the complete opposite to Monday. However, we are on track and have managed to book the Assembly rooms for our performance section on Sunday. Filming should be completed by the end of the week.

Filming: Day 1

Originally we thought that filming day 1 went really well; however, we came away with nowhere near enough footage for the whole video. We liked the idea of using the outdoors as we found it to be a generic convention of our genre. For example, 'The Girl' by City and Colour...and 'Old Pine' by Ben Howard. The setting is naturalistic and down to earth which is what the indie genre is all about. 

I liked the idea of having him sit on the bench as it connotes loneliness, however, we struggled to think of way to bulk the video out as we didn't just want him to be sat down throughout the whole video. 

We made sure we shot a variety of close ups as that was an important generic convention. However, it wasn't as effective in the narrative as he is not lip synching. 

The lighting was too low key; therefore, we decided not to you this footage as you can't see the emotion on his face. 

Risk Assessment

 

A number of dangers could occur from our choice of locations; however, overall each of our locations are a relatively high safe place to film for our music video. The main dangers we will need to be cautious of will be the fire, especially as it is in a building and the electrics. Each of these dangers could result in serious injury; however, as long as we take the correct precautions our group should be fine.

 

These images illustrate some of the dangers that were stated in the table above. As you can see, we are choosing to use the lanterns on the stage and surrounding our performers feet. We will need to be careful that he doesn't knock the lanterns over as it could result in a potential fire hazard.

Time Management

Testing Shot Types & Lighting

Lighting: 

For our performance part of our video, we have chosen to film the performer inside in a low key lighting room. For our test shots, we used a dark room in a photography apartment. In the first clip we used two lamps that were situated behind the camera. We found that the two lamps would not work as the lighting was too high key for what we wanted to achieve. We need to achieve a low key lighting in order to connote sadness, loneliness and heartbreak. 

For the second clip, we turned the red lights on in the room and used one lamp which we covered with a tray. The room immediately became low key; however, we decided that the red lighting would not be suitable for our music video. Therefore, we have decided to bring in some fairy lights to wrap around the stall. This will hopefully highlight the stall and the performer, whilst also achieving a successful low-key lighting effect. 

Variety of Shot Types:

The first shot we tried out was a low level tracking shot. We did this by securing the camera onto a tripod and holding it downwards onto our foot. By using this technique, we achieved a hand held shot effect which connotes realism; therefore it would be effective in our music video. The pace would need to be slower in order for the visuals to match the music in the video. By referring to Goodwin's theory, this technique would be effective for our music video as it would connote sadness and the isolation due to the slow pace of walking. 

Next we filmed a panning shot, which panned from left to right. The shot worked as it appeared smooth; however, the pace of walking would need to be slower and also the pace of the camera movement would have to be too. We would need to create continuity with the pace as half way through the pace of the camera movement sped up in order to keep up with the walking. A panning shot is good to use as it will enable our audience to have a clear view of the background as well as the performer. 

We were really happy with the outcome from the 360 degree test shot. The pace could perhaps be slightly slower and the camera could be situated a bit higher in order for the audience to gain a larger visual aspect of what is surrounding the performer. The high angle will also connote a vulnerability which links in to the theme of our chosen song as well. Overall it was a successful shot to use which was achieved by a camera on a tripod. 

We decided to film a variety of tracking shots as this will be a common shot type for our music video. Due to the narrative taking place in a woods, the camera will spend much of the time tracking the performer walking through leaves, trees and the woods in general. Therefore, we needed to try a range of different tracking shots in order to create a variety that would be more interesting for the audience. 

The first tracking shot we tried was the camera on a tripod wheels following the performer from behind. This worked well and will be featured in our music video. Again the pace would have to be slower in order to match the visuals with the music. The next tracking shot we did, was having the performer walk towards the camera, whilst the camera tracked backwards. We liked this shot as it connects the audience to the performer as they are seen to be walking towards them. 

The tilt shot followed by a zoom in wasn't very successful as the camera jilted even though it was on a tripod. We decided that it may be better to have some movement from the performer, which could have made the shot more successful. As the camera zoomed in, the performer could have walked towards it. The tilt shot at the end of the video was more successful as the pace was suitable and it showed the bar stool, performer and some of the surrounding location. We decided to have the camera tilt up from the feet in order to connote sadness, this is then amplified by the expression on the performer's face, as well as the lyrics in the song. 

Research and Planning: Shot List

As a group we have produced a shot list, outlining a rough plan of the shots we plan to use in our music video. 

Completed shot list from Charlotte Frazer

Time Management Update

I have already completed the costumes and props research on time; however, I just need to apply some more theory to it. So far we know what our performers and actors will be wearing and what props  we are going to use. I have also managed to complete the stars and stardom research and I have posted it onto my blog. By the end of today's lesson I need to complete my shot list and post it onto my blog. I will also need to complete my audience profile work on prezi; I haven't been able to complete it yet as prezi wouldn't work on my laptop at home. 

Storyboard

Research and Planning: Locations

Location ideas from amy950

Whitcliffe - is located in Ludlow, the section we want to use is looking out onto Ludlow itself and is surrounded by trees.

Although it doesn't appear to look dangerous there is a road behind, which often has fast cars going by. We will have to be cautious of the cars and pedestrians that are walking across the pavement. If we go down into the woods, we will have to watch out for branches on the ground, slippery surfaces from the rain and steep declines of hills on either side of the path.

Overall, I would say that Whitcliffe is a fairly safe place to film as it is relatively quiet and it is local to our College.



Ludlow Assembly Rooms - For the performance section, we are going to film in the Assembly Rooms. In terms of danger, we would need to be cautious of electrics (from the lighting) and anything on the floor as we are filming in a dark room. Also we have decided to use lanterns, which could be a potential fire hazard.

Actor's

 

Male Actors:

 

 

Harry will be our actor for the performance section of the music video. We chose him as he fits in with our chosen genre and is reliable. He has also learnt the song on guitar for our music video which we can use in our video. The style of clothing we want him to wear is similar to what he is wearing in this picture. We want the outfit to be laid back and casual. For example, we are going to ask him to wear: jeans, or some casual trousers, a polo shirt or checked shirt and possible a hat.

 

 

We have chosen James to be the main actor for our narrative section as he resembles the folk/alternative genre and he has a similar style to what we are looking for. In this image, he is wearing what we would like him to wear in our music video (not the sunglasses). James also goes to Ludlow College, which means he is reliable as he can meet us easily if we need to film a section.

 

Female Actor:

We have chosen to use Izzy to play the daughter in the music video. The mise-en-scene we are using consists mainly of winter clothing. (Similar to what she is wearing in this picture). We want her to wear a coat, scarf, gloves in order to denote that it is winter and also to connote comfort. We want her to wear colourful clothing in order to connote a girly feel, as well as happiness that she will bring to the Dad when he finds his daughter again. Her face won't be revealed until the end of the music video.

Choreography

The majority of our music video is made up from the narrative concept, rather than the performance; therefore, the choreography will mostly consist of walking and slow movements, rather than a complex dance scene. The slow movement and walking will help to construct the majority of our music video. The pace of the choreography must be slow in order to link in with our chosen genre and the theme of our music video - which is sadness.

 

During the narrative section, the male actor will walk slowly through outdoor areas, such as: woodland and will sit down on benches. The walking is important as it will show the journey from the start of our music video to the end, where the story will be resolved. The girl in our video will also be walking and running through the woods.

 

 

 

There is also a large section of performance. For our performance section, the choreography will consist of the performer sitting on a bar stool and playing a guitar. We hope the simplicity will come off as effective.

 

 

 

We decided not to include any complex choreography as it will not resemble the research that we did for our chosen genre. Our chosen genre does not feature many dance routines, but rather elements of walking to establish a story.

The choreography is an important element as it gives the viewers a clear understanding of what is happening in the video. It is also a key element in making the video look professional and neat. For example, if he characters are out of time with the music or not positioned correctly within the screen then it can lead to an untidy cut.

Ben Howard: Keep Your Head Up

 

This video is an example of a similar genre to our video and it shows well thought out choreography that we hope to also achieve in our video.