Final Magazine Ad

Final Digipak

Production Log- Week 11

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Production Log- Week 10

This week Bilal and I decided that we should stay behind after school some days and get some extra time to edit our music video and ancillary products, Bilal finished both and I am pleased as to how they turned out because the style and colours match our video to create this synergy for our products.

Due to some mis-haps during the week with not being able to film on the days we've allocated to film because of the weather. This issue was resolved as we chose a different location to film nearby after school which match the criteria for the type of location we wanted.

Re-filming at our back-up second location 

I made a lot of progress with editing as we had finally finished filming shots from our second location, as some parts were already put together in the video i just had to slot in the footage and cut them down to the right length of time. Though at some points this did become difficult as due to the fact that some of the shots didn't give the natural feel if it ran for too long or too short length of time, so we had to change some of the timing of some the shots so that it could piece together nicely and flow smoothly.

Production Log- Week 9

This week we focused on the editing of the footage that we had finished shooting. We looked forward to finally seeing some sort of structure to the video. Kieran took charge of the actual editing, and Bilal took care of putting things into place and giving opinions. This teamwork allowed an ease in the editting process. A huge help was the fact that we actually kept to the shooting script, so we knew where shots were supposed to be placed and how long they were supposed to be shown.

Bilal also improved upon the magazine ad. I showed my teacher the preview of the magazine (displayed Below) and a critique that was given was the fact that even though they are independent artists, they are too blended into the background. She believed that they should have some sort of importance that was not being portrayed through that chosen photograph. This was ok because we had taken lots of photographs previously so we displayed a range of photos, and we successfully found a photo that worked well.

                      changed the photo to
                              >>>>>>>

Production Log- Week 8

This week we had to ensure that we worked together well to ensure that we would finish and perfect all the products on time for the deadline. We both helped each other but we took specific roles that played to our strengths of technical abilities. This meant that Bilal worked on the ansillary products and Kieran worked on the editting of the footage. However near the end of the lesson we would come back and discuss the progress and any changes that are necessary.

In the creation of the ansillary products bilal was introduced to a new programme he has not used before, Adobe Photoshop.


However when looking through a video tutorial he had got the hang of it and was able to edit the photographs and text well.






This is the video tutorial that Bilal looked at to gain an insight on how to sue photoshop.

Kieran progressed swiftly with the editing however he had started to slow down due to a heap of other work, which lead to other groups progressing quicker. As a partnership this stressed us out a bit but after a pep talk with our teacher we felt better and was back on track. We sped the process up yet still paid extra attention to detail to ensure a slick video.

Production Log- Week 7

This week i continued to edit more of the video and see it coming along, putting the footage together isn't very difficult as we filmed more than enough footage to make the parts in the drama studio match and illustrate visually what we had planned with the shooting script. Though we had to re-do some shots in different angles as it didn't look great on screen.

Re-filming shots of Dominic and Alex

Bilal continued to improve on the prototypes for the ancillary products, which were looking good but we needed feedback to point the look of the two into the style of the hip-hop/soul genre. From the feedback we received we were told that its too plane in terms of colour and we needed a texture to it to make it not too simplistic.

Digipak prototype 2

Mag Ad prototype 2

Production Log- Week 6

During this week we had started filming. We booked days after school with the head of department of drama to use the studio. When we entered the studio we were very happy as we were able to alter the lighting to our satisfaction. The footage was exactly how we imaged it to be.

As well as this we also worked on the ansillary products, making sure that they were being updated with feedback from peers and teachers. While filming we have taken many photo's that can be used on both the digipak and magazine ad.

Kieran has been focused on editting the footage we have completed in the drama studio. At the present moment it is going very well, and Both of us are working well together with getting everything to cut on time and follow the shooting script.

Bilal has been helping Kieran with the editting, and has been updating the prototypes of the ansillary products. He has been asking peers and teachers for feedback and has offered the new updated versions on this blog to see the transitions.

Production Log, Week 5

Firstly we took pictures to improve on our designs of our flatpans. We were given feedback so we ensured we would improve on this as soon as possible so we don't have a lot to worry about after.

Also during this week we started shooting...

We shot the scenes of both actors in the drama studio. We felt if we got the performance 'lip syncing' out the way we could put more effort into the narrative outside when we are all free. It was a joy to work with Alex and Dominic. We took some photos of them that could be potentially used on our digipak and magazine ad.

Shooting Script

Production Log- Week 4

During this week me and my partner met up and started our shooting script. We ensured to complete this with great detail so we know what we are shooting on the day. It was a long task however we were pumped to start and put our ideas into practise so we ensured to complete it on time. Due to our busy timings during the week with our jobs, we were held back a tad with the completion of our shooting script however did as much as we could.

Aswell as this we completed the call sheets,production schedule and the location reccie which is all part of the planning and research section of the project, so we could focus on the actual production of the project.














Event hough we were held back we still ensured to make the most of lost time and we completed things at home and in our frees at school, while constantly updating and messaging each other to ensure that we were on the same page with any decisions being made.

Prototype Magazine Ad

Prototype 1

The black square in the middle of the magazine ad will be an image of the artists. We have an idea of including a dark photo,maybe a silhouette or dim lighting. 

We asked for feedback and improvements from our teacher and the feedback was positive overall. However we stumbled across the fact that I had included reviews from magazines that do not give star ratings and the magazines were too mainstream for our niche, independent record artists. So we changed this. 

Prototype 2

I have changed the reviews from magazine ads to a more niche targeted magazine that specialises in the soul/rnb genre that we have with our song choice. I have chosen, Blurt Magazine, Clash Magazine and Blues and Soul magazine and they all do star ratings so we researched these magazines in depth.

Prototype 3

This our third our third prototype. As you can see we have made many alterations to the original design. Some aspects that we have changed include, dulling down the orange, fiery colors in the album title and curly lines. We have added a photo of both artists in a rundown, leafy yet urban looking location being connoted through the hairs, metal fence and Dominic's costume.

Prototype 4

This is the fourth prototype of our magazine ad. We have changed the photo to a more gritty one which has synergy with the brand and colours that we have displayed in our video. We brought in a tad bit more colour with the photo because it looked a bit dull. I also changed the typography of the text.

Prototype DigiPak

Prototype 1

This is the first prototype of our digipak design. The black squares are where we will put in images of our artists. We have chosen to take a camera with us when we shoot in the forest and drama studio to take photo's of them to display synergy and continuity. The image on the front cover will be a silhouette of both artists. The image on the back cover will be of both artists in the trees. The image on the upper right and middle will be a large image that continue's on both sides. It will probably be of both artists in an embrace in the forest however we may choose a photo of the artists on separate sides shot in the drama studio.

We asked our teacher for feedback on our design and all together her response was positive, however we encountered a problem which therefore lead us to changing the layout of the template design. We have moved the CD holder spot to the middle of the top row so the Digipak can fold properly. Also we have enlarged the image on the inside to go along all three sides of the digipak. As well as this we were asked if our chosen magazine reviews actually give star ratings which is possibly not the case so we need to ensure that we include more valid reviews.  

Prototype 2

The black squares will be the images and photographs we take when we embark on filming in the forest and drama studio. As you can see we have taken images out and moved things around compared to prototype 1. The image alone the inside cover will be of Alex on one side of the shot and Dominic on the other side of the shot in the forest. The image section that is behind the CD holder will be the same as the image on the bottom right because of the way we will fold the digipak. We have taken out the review stars because it looks cluttered.

Prototype 3

This is the third prototype of the digipak and as you can see we have made a lot of changes such as the background and have added images. We believe that this prototype is the best it has looked compared to the original.

Prototype 4

Here's the fourth prototype we have submitted. We have added more depth and texture to the digipak through using a photo that continues along the three inside faces. The bottom right image is a duplicate of the middle of the photo with both artists in.The colours are dull and awkward like the discord in the song we have chosen. 

Prototype 5

We changed some things such as adding a pocket for the DVD which is a bonus addition for the digipak.We also brought in a bit more colour into the photo's because it looked a tad dull.

Logistics

Call Sheets


Production Schedule


Location Reccie

Final Treatment

Production Log- Week 3

This week me and my partner started our official Treatment for our idea and the shooting script of what we intend to shoot.

On the shooting script we have to include the information which includes, the shot type, length, and the connotations and representation of the artist. We were told to include lots of close ups throughout the music video and to make sure we have a lot of variation of shot types. This week we have started it and have ensured to meet the requirements. We are only a quarter way through but we intend to complete this by the end of next week, and I believe that this is achievable. We are going through this in thorough detail so if someone read the script they would be able to create our music video the same way we did.

In our treatement we followed the guidlines to cover certain aspects of our idea. For example the technology we intend to use, the logistsic (where will it filmed?, when will it be filmed? and who will be filmed?), a moodboard of ideas on how our idea will look like and who our original artist are. This treatment enables people to get a more depth idea on our idea, by intergrating both of our ideas together as a final product.

Production Log- Week 2

Jobs Roles

Pre-Production 

Location Manager/Reci – Bilal and Kieran
Casting Agent - Kieran
Costume Design - Bilal
Set manager – Kieran and Bilal
Photography - Kieran
Call sheet - Bilal
Writer – Kieran and Bilal 
Story board  - Kieran and Bilal
Flatplan - Bilal
Production Schedule -Kieran
Treatment –Kieran and Bilal

Production

Camera Operator - Kieran
Cast - Bilal
Lighting - Kieran
Director – Bilal and Kieran
Cinematography – Bilal and Kieran
Graphic designer - Bilal
Make-up artist - Kieran
Costume - Bilal
Copy writer - Kieran 

Post-Production 

Typography – Bilal and Kieran
Photo-shop – Bilal and Kieran
Editing - Kieran
Sound editor - Bilal 

3x Music Video Analysis

Focus Group Feedback+ Evaluation

This is a video of the feedback from our focus group. We chose to hold a focus group because we wanted to break our idea down in order for us to create a music video that would have a good appeal to our target audience. We chose these specific people because they are within the age range of our target audience and some of them are previous media students so they are aware of what is a good media product.

In this task we asked them questions which can be seen on my 'Focus Group Questions' post. We asked questions that we were unsure would work with our idea. We gave them some ideas and examples from other music videos and asked whether they thought it would work well with our original idea. We told them before hand not to feel afraid to completely scrap our idea, however everyone thought that our idea was rather good. As well as other music videos, we showed them images of our cast and our official song that we are creating a music video for. The feedback on our song choice was very positive so we are very happy about that.

Strengths- Everyone really liked our song and had come up with the idea of an Alice in wonderland theme or a surreal street vibe. Our idea does in corporate the idea of Alice so we were pleased that someone had picked that out in the song like we did. When we pitched our idea people liked the fact that the surreal song matched the 'mental/surreal' feel of the chase scene in our narrative. They also said that our idea was different and our aim and intention was to create a music video that was unique so we were pleased that people had seen that. They liked the cast that we had chosen and felt that they would suit and adapt to the role well. Dominic, himself said that he would be able to do that as he is quite known with rapping. They liked the fact we chose Alex for the female because of her bright hair and vibrant colour. With reference to costume they all liked the idea of dressing Alex up in a porcelain doll type of dress because they felt like it emphasised her mental behaviour. They really approved to the choice of location in a forest and felt like the dark song would tie in well with the dull forest.They also liked the fact that we had chosen the 'Rihanna- What Now' video as an example of how Alex could be dancing. They liked the sort of look that she was being 'taken over'. Due to this we intend on using the technique to speed her awkward movements.

Weaknesses- When asking about the idea of contemporary dancing in the breaks of the song there was a mixed response. Some people thought it was irrelevant and some people thought it would tie in well. So during the focus group we made a compromise and said what if we had the girl dancing 'crazily' around the protagonist in the original setting of the location and everyone seemed to like the idea very well. We just eed to ensure that we don't have too many things going on. We hadn't really thought of a good enough costume for our male actor.

Improvements- Some improvements that we will make include creating an actual story line that has a proper start and end. People in our focus group were a tad confused with what the actual plot of our music video was. However after we clarified and informed them of our idea in more depth, they wared to the idea and liked it. They also said that they would like some point of view shots which was something we didnt think about or include in our original idea. We have to make sure that we dress our actors appropriately in order to suit the roles. We are going to dress our male actor Dominic in an all black, casual outfit because our target group thought that would look best. They felt like we should make it a more calm, surreal feel to the music video.

I don't think any of the results from the feedback were surprising apart from one of the members who did not like the idea of contemporary dancing. We think that this would be a really good idea and would tie in well with the 'mental' and crazy vibe we intend to give off with the female singer.

This has greatly affected what we will do in our music video. We intended to do this focus group to give us a more firm base for our idea and I am glad that the members have shaped our idea to make it as appealing as possible. For example We will in incorporate contemporary dancing, a running chase scene with the actors Dominic Okus and Alex, where Alex will wear something cute like a porcelain doll dress and Dominic will wear something dark and casual. 

Meet My Audience

3x Digipak analysis

3x Magazine Ads

Production Log 1

This was our first week where we started researching for our idea. As part of this process I had to choose someone to work with on this project, and I chose Kieran. I was immediately interested in his idea since seeing his pitch because it intrigues me as there was similarities with my idea. I believe it was a good choice because we have integrated our ideas very well by taking some essence from my idea such as the cast and location.

Even though my initial idea was to use my choice of song and video, I am glad that we have used Kieran's song because I believe we could come up with a more unique, interesting music video. Obviously our idea as a pair has some flaws but we hope that through our focus group feedback, that we can get a more realistic, effective music video that is interesting and appealing for our target audience. I hope that we create a video that is different and something that people will want to watch multiple times.

This week we researched examples of digipaks and magazine ads that artists in the similar genre to our songs have had. I found this research rather effective because it allowed me to get a better understanding on what the ads and digipak looks like for our music genre.

Focus Group Questions and Stimulus

1) Play our song choice.  If you were asked to create a music video for this song, what would your idea be or what would the video consist of? 

2) Next we will then inform our focus group on our idea briefly. Do you think our idea for the music video fits with the song? How? If not, what would you change?

3) Pitch our idea about the 'mental' girl chasing our rapper. We will then display the Porter Robinson- Language video. Would the shot types and action portrayed in this video work for our idea? How? and why if it would not? What do you think would work better?

4) We will explain about our idea of contemporary dancing in our breaks where there is no singing/rapping. Do you think that this would tie in well with our idea or does it interrupt the story line? Do you like the performance aspect? If not then how can you improve it?

5) Show images of Alex and Dominic (People we have cast). Do you think that these actors we have cast suit the roles and voices of the artists that star in the song? Do you know anyone who is better suited to the roles, if so why?

6) How would you choose to dress up the characters chosen yourself? According to costume, make up and performance.

7) What kind of locations would you expect to see in this music video?

8) Show Rihanna- What Now. What kind of emotion do you think is being emitted  through her body language?

9) Show The Game- Martians vs Goblins + Earl Sweatshirt- Chum. We will talk about the differences between the abstract styles. Which of either the aggressive style or calmer style seen in these videos would suit our idea the best?

10)  Show Frank Ocean- Novacane. Do you think we would be able to imitate the faded out effects for our video? Do you think that this sort of effect would enhance our songs themes (Love, confusion and chaos) or hinder it? How? If so why?

Pitch and Pitch feedback

This is a video of my pitch for the song and video I wanted to produce for this project. I was rather nervous about doing this because I did not know what my peers would of thought of my awkward song choice. Even though I stuttered at points, I believe that I presented my idea very well.

This is a video of the feedback of my presentation. I believe the overall feedback was good as it gave me a range of both good and bad things about my idea to make it better. Some Strengths of my pitch that was brought up during the feedback was the representation of the actress I chose to be the singer in my video. I chose Alex who is a girl in my year. They all know of her as well and thought that her 'appearance' and 'reliability' was thought through very well. Another strength of my pitch was the narrative theme that I chose. In my pitch I displayed and described how I wanted a nature, alice in wonderland, fantasy feel to my video. Niraj said he liked the idea as it was 'different' and Kieran liked the contrast of the innocent girl and the dark surroundings that I wanted to portray in my video. They all felt that the themes were suitable for the age range I had chosen for my target audience. Some Weaknesses of my idea included the fact that my narrative was not 'engaging enough'. Ms Lownes said that my ideas was good however our aim is to create a music video that is unique and stands out so it gets lots of people talking about. However the thought of a video where a girl is just simply going through a forest is not engaging or unique enough to stand out above the music video competitors. Another weakness was the fact that my song was actually 5 minutes long which is rather long for a music video and the thought of seeing a girl in a forest for 5 minutes is quite mundane and monotonous. It would of been possible to ask for a radio edit however it would of just caused extra stress on top of my production. I also had to ensure that I did not make the video a pastiche where I copied Alice in wonderland. I only wanted to use the 'essence of innocence' as ms Lownes said. Some Improvements I tend to make with my idea is to maybe input a more engaging and interesting narrative where the actress is actually doing something rather than running about doing nothing.

I have chosen to work Kieran. We both had pitched different songs and ideas. We have agreed to work on his song choice because we believe it is the better idea where we can both integrate our ideas and display the best of our technical abilities. His song is called Acquired Taste by Ace and Pearl. The genre of music is Rnb/Hip Hop. We both know what we want to do and are always coming up with new, out of the box ideas. Some things that we have used from my pitch and idea is the actress 'Alex' that I intended to use for my idea. Pearl in Kieran's song choice has a very soulful yet timid voice which suits Alex's look almost perfectly. 

An example of a music video that we want Alex to sort of take ideas out of is:

We want Alex, the girl, to be mental. We both like the sort of crazy vibe Rihanna is giving off in this video. During the chorus, Rihanna's awkward angles and dance moves are sped up, this gives the look of a possessed, crazy girl which is somethings that would be good to recreate.


As well as the actress, we have also used the location of the forest/woods that I aimed to use in my idea too.

An example of a video that we believe that we want to take some ideas out of is: 

We both like this video in particular because in the 'forest' we want a running scene where our rapper 'Dominic' is running from the singer 'Alex' who is mental. In this video the protagonist is running in the forest, the type of shots such as close ups to her feet and her looking back would be something that we would like to recreate.


Even though both our songs have a different genre, I believe our ideas have complimented each other pretty well and I hope that we can get our ideas to practice in order to get the grade that we aim to achieve.

Music Video Pitch

Lyric Analysis: Amycanbe- Different

Lyrics

Act like you're different

Act like you're different oh please

Don't be a stranger now

Don't get too far from here

Act like a spider web

Act like a spider web for me

Show me the difference

Show me the difference oh please

Bring me some happiness

Bring me some happiness yeah you

I'll be your lioness

I'll be your lioness I'll do

(Instrumental)

No need for promises

No need for promises oh no

Show me the difference

Show me the difference oh please

Target Audience

Summary Of Song

From reading the lyrics there is not an exact meaning or narrative that you can get out of it, However when she sings it, you get the vibe as if she is singing this to someone. I believe that her aim in this song is to make her lover possesed under her power. She's asking them to 'act different, oh please' as if she is almost begging for them to act different. This quote suggests that she has some uneasy feelings towards whoever she is talking about as she is asking them to change. However it's almost as if during the song, the person she is talking seems agitated so Amycanbe sings 'Don't be a stranger' as if the person she was talking to was against her asking them to change. She then asks them for happiness and for them to show her the difference. This 'difference' is unknown to the listener as to what exactly this difference is. I believe though that this adds to the mystery and enigma of the song and makes it that bit more secret and personal for the artist which I love.

Analysis of Music and Tempo

The music is clearly indie which is a sub genre of rock. I know this because it includes acoustic instruments (a band) including a bass player, a drummer and a guitarist. The music itself is rather slow and gloomy. The dischord and high pitch guitar usage adds an eery, almost sinister feel to the song. The notes and instruments played are soft, yet when the instruments play together and increase in volume there are harsh connotations as it becomes more strong and less whispery. The snare on the drum is almost march like as if in war which also adds to the harshness (2.20). The singer sings at some points and then the band allows an instrumental to take place where the band plays (1.39). At this point you can hear every instrument. Usually with an indie band song you can expect the video to include shots of the band playing the instrument, however the mystery and enigma this video holds in this video doesn't require the artists at all. I believe that this type of song will only be complimented with the creation of a surrealist video.

How would I use the song in a video

The song itself is very slow and dark so in the video I aim to make it soft, slow and gloomy times that it is necessary. It changes constantly from harsh to soft and I will represent this through the weather and colours in my video.

Permission

My song Amycanbe- Different, was found on BeatPick which is a website that is part of the creative commons. 

Creative Commons are a non-profit organisation that allows people to download music that is copyright free. If I want to use this song I do not need to ask the artist for permission, however I do need to credit the creative commons website at the end of the music video. 

Narrative

Narrative Devices

Flash Forward- Skipping into the future.

Madonna- Papa Don't Preach

"Papa Don't Preach" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna in her third studio album True Blue. 

(0.33)

(0.36)

This shot displays a flashback from Madonna singing "Papa I know you'r going to be upset" to a time when she was a young child spending time with her father. The effect this has is a warm, reminiscing effect. It allows the viewer to get to know the artist in a bit more depth as e are exposed to more rather than just the present.

Restricted Narrative- The audience are limited because they are only following things from a certain perspective.

Porter Robinson- Language

"Language" is Porter Robinsons second single he released and shot straight to no.1 in the UK and US.

(0.03)

(0.12)

This shot includes the protagonist- main character running in a dark forest from a pack of wolves. The shots of this music video are mostly of her and are following her through her journey of escaping and discovering. This is seen as a restricted view because we are only seeing things in her view because we are following her journey. This effect allows the viewer to get to know the character better and understand their emotions to feel the music.

Pathetic Fallacy- Where the weather matches the mood of the narrative.


Micheal Jackson- Earth Song

"Earth Song" is the third single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book. 

(0.07)

In this shot the music is very slow, and soft so the weather is representing and emphasising it through the bright sun and the soft green leaves of the trees.

(5.01)

At this point in the music video, MJ is singing very loud and powerful, the music has sped up and he is almost shouting his words. The weather is bad, with gusty winds, dark clouds and thunder flashes. The weather is strong and powerful which represents MJ's words, voice and tempo of music.

Todorov

Todorov was a Bulgarian linguist publishing work on narrative since the 1960s.
Tzvetan Todorov suggested there were 5 stages to a narrative:

1. Equilibrium – A happy start
2. A disruption of this equilibrium by an event – A problem occurs
3. A realisation that a disruption has happened
4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption – the problem is solved
5. A restoration of the eqilibrium – A happy ending

She’s The One – Robbie Williams

1. Equilibrium – Shots of the ice skaters with their coach winning medals and smiling. The skaters in trainning. (0.03)
2. Disruption – The male skater falls over while they are practicing and injures his ankle so can not skate. (1.34)
3. Realisation –  The coach has memories of his first pair of skates and when he used to skate. He realises he may have to perform again. (1.52-2.18)
4. Attempt to repair the damage – The coach enters the competition and performs the routine with the female skater. (2.31)
5. Restoration of the equilibrium – The ice skaters get a high score from the judges. (5.01)

Mckee




Robert McKee has a simple 5 part structure for narratives:
1. Inciting incident
2. Progressive Complications
3. Crisis
4. Climax
5. Resolution



An example of a Music video is Beyonce- If I were a Boy

1)Inciting incident- There are doubts about faithfullness within their relationship, when Beyonce walks out in her uniform and doesn't show affection towards her man (0.39)

2)Progressive Complications- Beyonce is not picking up her mans calls because she is busy having fun drinking with another man (2.00).

3)Crisis- Beyonce is dancing with the other man infront of her boyfriend and when they confront, the boyfriend has literally seen enough and does not want to touch her (3.11)

4)Climax- At home they argue about the incident ad their faithfullness (3.36)

5)Resolution- At the end it twists so we realise that Beyonce played the part of her partner who was unfaithful to her. However even though they had just fought the previous night she still stays with him and acts like nothing has happened. (4.23)