EU - Digipak

At the moment I am having some real troubles with our didgipak design. We have our front cover and back cover sorted out but the inside is still tricky as i dont know what will look good. My original idea was just generic shots of London but i dont think it really means anything to our song so now i am trying to get the perferct close up shot of a rose some how mixed with a briefcase to sybolise the two parts of our narratives life.

JH - work so far

We are making good progress with our video and things are really starting to come together now and give us all an general feeling and insight in to what the finished piece will look like which is exciting. The editing is coming along nicely and we are spending most free periods in moving that along.
My personal progress is also pleasing. So far I have dirceted and filmed large parts of both the narrative and performance. I have been editing the footage on premier along with the other two and have also finished my advert. I helped Oli with his advert in return for his help with mine, in which I took the photo of him he needed and cropped and resized it on photoshop and also edited and enhanced the colouring and lighting of it.
So far we are where we should be and after our final small shoot on friday we wil have all footage and have most print work completed, leaving the rest of the time to continue and finish editing which is pleasing.

JH - Short analysis - Bruno Mars - Grenade

This video was deffinately worth watching and relevant in terms of relating the general theme and mood to ours. Most of the video contains a strong narrative which similar to ours involves the loss of a loved one and is connoted in a similar sense with a strong theme of depression and lonliness. It also shows an idea of the main character travelling and on a journey to the loved one and is done with use of various locations and a fast cutting rate which is again what we set out to achieve.
Things we can include and use in our own video after watching this one is a constant use of meat shots which was frequently a key facotr in this video. There was also a good idea at the start of the video that we are thinking of including which consists of the main character holding a photograph which before the video even starts shows his loss or what he is missing. This could help the audience understand our concept and give them a bit more of an insight in to the motive behind our narrative. Apart from that, watching the video was extremely useful and supported most of the ideas we have already tried to use and has been used successfully in this video giving us a certain level of encouragement and reasurance that it will work in ours.

EU - Progress

We are making real progress with our music video. We have got a couple of minutes down now in order due to us all putting in alot of effort. I have been making advances with the digipak aswell but we still need to get two more photos to put inside it. apart from that the front cover and the back are perfect.

feedback - CF

Guys - these posts should have embedded clips or at least some screen shots.
Take care with presentation / Use of ICT for L4

OH- Gyptian- Hold you

This video has reinforced to me the importance of meat shots, making up a vast majority of performance, however there are some shots that aren't really close ups and there still effective and look very good. so even though we don't have any meat shots, the shots that we have at the moment are very good, that's why we will be going back to the church to film some more meat shots, however I'm not sure if using first person mode of address is essential to the video, this is because I feel the artist is quite a emotional artist and the lyrics connote loneliness to me, and since in the performance I'm not singing to anyone that he is kind of in his own little world just playing to no one because the lyrics are personal he doesn't really care who hears them, he just wants to sing them because they mean something to him, and since he inst singing to anyone I dont feel first person mode of address is appropriate.

OH- Production work

I have done both of the call sheets and risk assessments that we needed to do.

Also I have edited about forty five seconds of the video at the moment, but since I have lots of frees over the next few days I will be able to contribute more to the editing.

I have started on the advert of my own, but haven't gotten very far with it.

With the add jack is doing, to save him some time I cut out Eddy's body from the picture, got rid of some of the colour, making it black and white, but then erasing some of the darker layer so the only colour on Eddy's body is the redness of the rose.

Our Lady Peace - Innocent

Looking at this video it makes me think that we are really on the right lines for an American Indie/Rock video. This video shows some classic characteristics of the video we want to create. For example the use of sped up shots mixed in with slow shots so add emphasis to specific moments and connoting that other things in the narrative arent as important. It also seems to cut seemlessly between the narrative and the performance with it sometimes being connected with the singer in the same location or shot as someone involved in the narrative. These are all things that I really like about music videos and things we are trying to incorporate in our video.

Anamatic

JH - Third shoot analysis

On our third shoot we filmed our performance side of the video for the first time at the planned location of Speldhurst church. We immediately found the location to be as good as expected, if not better and were more than happy to shoot there. Firstly we filmed some shots outside the church which actually were still part of the narrative that we needed to end the video with and then we got straight on to the performance.

There was one main change to this from what we had planned which was that rather than myself and Oli performing as the band, that Oli on his own would bout play the guitar and sing. This was a joint decision and was based on a number of things. This included costumes, in the way that we didn't look like a band or produce a good band image and instead looked like two completely different artists. We also thought that Oli would suit this role better due to the overall grain of voice and the singer/guitarist image. Finally we thought as the performance aspet of our video would be around 60% overall that we wanted to get it perfect and therefore thought that having both myself and Edd directing this with different ideas and styles would produce a better finish.

The filming itself went extremely well and we were pleaed with our decision. We ended up filming Oli performing the whole song from a number of different angles before doing any other individual unique or orignal shots to make sure we had enough footage to create a fast cutting rate. We also made sure that the camera was constantly moving to keep the shots at a fast pace and intensity and made sure there was a good use of lighting in all our shots. After leaving the church we all agreed it was a successful shoot and wanted to upload and edit our footage before deciding whether we would need to have a fourth shoot.

During this shoot Oli was performing throughout which left me and Edd to both film and direct the whole performance.

JH - Second shoot analysis

At the weekend we went on our second shoot in the same location as before of london to finish filming our narrative side to the video. Overall the filming session was very pleasing and went very well and all agreed we wouldnt need a third shoot in London. We made sure we increased the number of shots we could use but also filmed some new ideas that we thought of on the spot and repeated this idea throughout the day which consequently will be a big part of the narrative.

This idea was increasing the costumes that Edd wore with use of a number of different props which was used to connote different days of the week he was going to work. This meant we fimed the same location 4 or 5 times but with Edd looking noticably different and therefore showing it was a different day of the week. This idea will be used frequently used throughout the narrative and should show how each day involves the same routine and highlights his boring and depressing lifestyle and should hopefully empthasise the fact he is missing someone. We got this idea from the All American Rejecets video, 'move along' which proved to be extremely effective.

We also managed to re-shoot certain parts of the video that didnt look quite right once we had uploaded and edited them but wanted the same idea, and successfuly filmed them this time by learning and improving on what went wrong.

During this shoot Oli took a role of dirceting certain shots and Edd was clearly the one being filmed whilst i spent the day filming the shots as the camera man.

OH- Further Video ideas

After filming some shots last Saturday we were looking back and although we got alot of good shots, we wanted to further show that the performer "Eddy" in the narrative is more alone than we have portrayed him to be since his partner has recently died, so we wanted to further show his depression.

When watching the music video "Move along-All American Rejects" we were inspired by a particular scene that we strongly wanted to use in our video, it connotes loneliness and looks very effective, the song is also a similar type of song and the under lining meaning behind it is similar, about wanting to break out of your day to day job and move on from someone you have lost, although its hard because of the depressing feelings you have. I think that the LS establishing shot of him eating at the table has to be my favourite shot, the table is set for two, connoting he has prepared for two people to eat.

however he is the only one eating, as if he doesn't want to let go to that person and doesn't want t accept there gone. Also the shots of how the person at each table would see each other I think is very effective. We will definitely be constructing this setting on Saturday and I think it will be very effective in our video.

Discussion about our narrative

To differentiate from different days in our narrative we have decided to use different props and shirts. For example have the same shot with eddy at work or on the tube with a different shirt and maybe a newspaper or a sandwich. Just to show time passing.

OH- deconstruction of Mock Up

The rule of thirds applies heavily in this advertisement,Both heads of the artists lie in the top right and left hand corner of the rule of thirds, this is effectine because the leading line of the advert goes from either the top of mine or eddys head and leads down our boddies to either the release date or the website, and since the title of the band is so obvious attention is drawn to it straight away so the artist's name has alot of attention.
The text will actually be semi gothic in look, its that same as the text that jack has used for his advert mock up. The general image that the advert is seeming to portray is that the artists are the mainstream soft rock kind of artists, such as jason mraz and Paulo Nutini. The guitar and roses are visual signifiers, the guitar signifies the artists tallent and the roses relate to the video and could connote that the place that the artist is walking is important, could be for a good or bad reason since the chosen flower is a rose.
There arent many social myths that could be implied from the advert in my eyes, there appearing to be a fairly mainstream artists, and walking down a road, a MS of the artists, similar ideas have been used many times before with artists like this. I think that we just need to make sure that there is no weird meis-en-scene such as other people looking at the camera or like weird cars that look very out of place, also that the road parting line is directly in the center of the road.
Indexical signs in this advert are obviously the guitar, possibly the clothing that the band wears but the main one is the guitar. This would meen that people may become inspired to start a musical instrument so that they could become like these mainstream artists.

OH- Evaluation of first shoot.

The first shoot went very well, I did all the filming however we both directed how we wanted the shots to pan out, i.e. we would take a shot, if it wasn't up to scratch we would re shoot it taking into consideration what both of us had to say about how to improve the shot, possibly seeing if there would be a better oppertunity for a CU or a MS or whatever we thought was appropriate for that shot. The shoot locations that we did were the flat and going to work. We got pretty much all the shots that we needed for those two locations, we have an amazing shot that will be sped up of Eddy standing at a crossroads. We also have great shots of in the flat. Although some of the shots weren't story boarded, we adapted some shots and added some to make them appropriate for the set.

I think that we have probably shot about 45-60 seconds of the final piece, i'm very pleased with how it has gone so far, we were organised, got there early so it was all good, however occasionally a few foreign people thought we were filming for the TV so got in our show a few times, but eventually they went away so we were able to finish getting some of the shots that we wanted, the lighting in pretty much all shots is good, and there isn't much annoying meis-en-scene, so im very pleased with the first shoot.

Step 1 -

• Firstly there are obvious linguistic signs embedded in this cover, one of which is his name, Asher Roth, at the top of the cover and secondly is Asleep in the bread aisle.
• There are also a number of iconic signs included which consists of the photo in general which denotes him lying in the bread aisle of what appears to be a supermarket. His clothing in general is an iconic sign and his facial expression which opposes and challenges the idea of breaking the forth wall and first person mode of address. The font is also included in this and how it is positioned. His name is in the biggest font, followed by the name of the album underneath. This allows you to start at the top of the advert with the image and follow his name down to finish with the album name. The font seems to be of a bold and masculine style which also looks playful and relaxed and is presented in a way that it could have been drawn on and shaded in with pencil.
• There is little non - representational graphic signs however there is a logo in the middle of the 'o' in his name.

Step 2 -

• The overall image combined with the text ‘asleep in the bread aisle’ adds to the stars meta-narrative and adds to his overall star image. The idea of him sleeping in a supermarket connotes his relaxed and lazy outlook on life and possibly his unusual and random nature. This may be look funny and cool to the target audience and consequently present the artist in a positive light. It could also be looked at in a rebellious sense due to the unusual and troublesome antics he is involved in which would surely not be encouraged or allowed in a supermarket.
• The fact that his non-verbal language also support this and confirms his laid back and easy going nature and also opposes the usual idea of first person mode of address and Dyers paradoxes, showing a sense of originality. However, this originality also introduces Dyers second paradox which suggests a stars image is ordinary but at the same time extraordinary. The fact that he is wearing young, casual clothing shows how he could be seen as a typical teenager and therefore similar to many of the target audience, but then the activities he is involved in and the unusual nature of this presents a sense of extraordinary actions, amplifying how different he really is.

Step 3-

• There are certain social myths and ideologies present in the cover that may appear subtle but do connote some meaning. Firstly his clothing is of a relaxed and youthful nature as he is wearing a grey hoody and what looks like red tracksuit bottoms, connoting a sign of relaxation and laziness. This challenges the common ideology of pop stars being wealthy and therefore being able to afford the latest fashion trends whether it is clothing or accessories to add to their star image.
• The colours in the advert also support this with use of greys and blacks and a other dull colours, which again signifies that boring and lazy ‘teenage’ outlook on life. The location used also could be seen and associated with a sign of rebellion as a local place like a supermarket is certainly not a place for people to sleep and would be look at as troublesome and wrong.

Step 4-

• This overall image of ‘coolness’ and rebellion is appealing to many of a particular audience. This image relates to his genre of music which is alternate/original and may encourage people not only to buy in to his music but also to feel like they are buying in to his image when purchasing his album or even buying a poster/advert.
• This creates a strong indexical sign and due to the overall representation of youthfulness, rebellion and originality may encourage audiences to believe that by listening to his music and buying his albums allows the artist and fan to connect and share similar values and beliefs as well as the style and image that is signified.

Feedback #5

Jack - where is your Ad analysis?
Oli - you haven't done the changes to yours that we mentioned.

Hope shooting goes well this weekend. Remember to post an evaluation of the shoot as well as bring in the digipak designs.

OH- Digipack ideas and layout

We are planning on making a simplistic digipack, one that simply opens out, like a CD case would, so we need to create four ideas to place on it. The idea of what mages we would like to go onto The digipack are very clear in our mind.

Our main idea is a man standing there in a suit, a MS of his neck down to his feet, seeing a suitcase and a Bunch of roses in his hand, the whole image will be in black and white except the roses that will be a deep red colour, drawing attention to them. This will go on the front of the digipack, on the back of the digipack we will have one of two pictures that eddy took on our loaction recci to london, either one of a siloueted shot of london bridge or a shot of the center of two roads with no cars round. giving the digipack some

influences of all parts of our video.

When opening the digipack There will be a double page spread of Myself and jack walking away from the camera down the road with a guitar on my back, were not sure whether to have this in black and white or to keep some colour in it. Although we have some ideas that were not quite one hunderd percent on. The ideas in our heads are very clear and im confident that our digipack will turn out to be a success.

EU - Deconstruction of an advert

1. When looking at this advert for the first time one is drawn to the flame coming out the robots mouth at the very top of the advert. Then your eyes travel down the robot and to the "killa" and then to "kela". This is a good way to introduce the artists name because without realising it the audience has already related the name of the artist with something obscure and impressive. Finally the eyes are drawn down to the "elocution" title and the album information. This leading line gives all the information and style of the artist in a quick direct way.
2. The artist image is firstly constructed by the word design. The artist name "killa kela" is done in a graffiti style font. With a masculine angular shape and it looks as though the word has been painted on to wood and it is peeling slightly. This gives the words a slightly worn and authentic look and feel. Also the name "Killa Kela" has no meaning to us so this makes the artist more obscure and interesting but the names does however incoporate the word "Kill" so this gives him more of an edge and mystery. Keeping this graffiti trend in mind and looking at the main image it looks as though it could be a pertcular piece of graffiti photographed, this is most probably what it is and again adds to the star motif of an authentic not glamerous artist that audiences can relate to. The robot is an industrial looking thing with its dirty black colour and the smokey fire coming from its mouth it gives the classic "industrial corporate robot" look. it has lots of different arms spreading and winding around the picture which not only can take up space and give a nice looking pattern but it also makes the robot into a sort of monster with tenticular arms trying to control everything. One of these arms has a pot of American flags in it and this connotes quite an obvious anti-establishment message. it also adds to the star image of Killa Kela because it shows him as an individual and this in turn makes him a sort of icon.
3. The social myths of this advert are associated with the classic anti-establishment message and people buying or linking themselves with this artist, for example buying the CD or going to see the artist in concert, will show others they have the same view that is connoted on the visuals of the advert.

OH-Deconstruction of Advert.

The advert is very appealing, due to the obvious feminism that’s initially obvious from the wash and artist. The Reading path starts at her face, due to the over exposure of the lighting that is on it, the leading line is then drawn down her body towards her guitar, then drawn down her legs to the text, this is also the same colour as the guitar which draws attention back to it.

How the artists image is constructed
The artists image is being constructed quite obviously as an independent singer/song writer, this is constructed by the use of a guitar and mice, showing her musical talent, where as her hat is quite masculine, which doesn’t conform to the generally feminine image that is being portrayed from the rest of the poster, this could possibly challenge the stereotype that women need a man to be successful and happy in there lives, where as this woman appears to be doing well and succeeding in her life independently. The set being a hotel corridor connotes that she may be on the move, possibly on tour and gives the impression of her being more independent than first perceived by the use of the particular mise-en-scene.

Text
The text Font and size is very appropriate for the general view of the feminisms being portrayed from the poster, the font size is appropriate, not too big, not attention grapping like you may find in a pop or rock video, however the text is a little bit torn a the edges, and looks feminine and which is reinforced by the use of the colour pink for the colour.

Social myths
All of the signs of the advert signify that she is on tour, the image being portrayed that she is a feminine, sexy, independent female artist, who is obviously full of talent. There are a few social myths being portrayed, the independence that is being portrayed shows that she doesn’t need a man to be happy and have a full filling life which is going against most stereotypes of women needing men to have a fulfilled life.

Indexical signs
There are also a few obvious indexical signs in the advert. The obvious feminism being shown and independence could influence her fans to in printing these characteristics into their lives. The hat shows masculinity and independence, many people may think that the wearing of a hat makes them different. not wanting to conform to the pseudo individualised image that most pop stars portray. where as the guitar and mic show obvious talent that people can relate to it, and possibly allow more of a musical influence to come into there life and possibly be inspired by some artists and commit there lives to music

EU - Digipak Ideas and research

On the interent i have looked up the 100 best album covers of all time and came across the rolling stones 100 best album covers. Number 1 was sergeant peppers lonely heart by the beatles, this cover didnt perticualrly impress me as i found it quite boring but i think it is so liked because its a classic.

I really like the random covers like "jamie T panic prevention" and "led zepplin physical graffiti". these album covers have a nice authentic feel. however i dont think it would be appropriate for our song as ours is more mainstream.