Digipak final draft

Digipak Draft

Magazine Advert

Indie magazine advert conventions

Our artist is a solo male indie artist. Here is a list of conventions that magazine adverts representing similar artist to our artist show.

• For solo indie artists it is typical to see the artist being the main focus of magazine ad. This promotes them as well as their album because their individuality is the main selling point of their music. The artist takes up the majority of the space in the photo, a medium shot is most common.
• The artists name is the largest text on the page to advertise the artist.
• Distribution outlets are listed at the bottom of the advert.
• Information about the album - the date it's released.
• Album name is obvious to see, generally being the 2nd largest text, after the artists name, to help consumers purchase the album
• The image on the advert is usually very similar to the image on the front of the album. Sometimes if the image is different on the magazine advert  small image of the album will appear on the advert. This is to help the consumer recognise the album, making it easier to purchase.
• Quotes from critics will be printed on the advert. Sometimes these are accompanied with star to show the rating.
• The mise-en-scene of the advert is used to reflect the lifestyle of the artist. In indie adverts, the background of the artist is shown or a representation of what their life is like now.

Analysis of album art - Jake Bugg

This is the album art of Jake Buggs album, Two Fingers. He is a young solo indie artist and similar to the artist we are trying to create. The image features the artist and his figure dominates image. It is a medium shot with a slight angle which creates a low shot. The mise en scene used shows the artists lifestyle and cultural background to create an identity. The narrow, empty street with terraced housing in the background creates a working class feel. the use of black and white ad to this theme. This helps him attract a working class audience by appealing to them. The guitar in he shot shows his attachment to music. This is common for many indie artists as they believe that the music should come above everything else that comes with being a musician. The text is relatively simple. The bold, block capitals clearly show the name of the artist and the album title. The black and white colours of the text fits with the black and white image to maintain consistency. The simple costume, black jeans and black jacket again keep the colour scheme consistent. The costume stays away from brands and mainstream fashion codes to help establish the indie nature of the artist. The simplistic editing of the image adheres to indie conventions. There I a link with this album art and some of the music videos. the song which shares the same name as the album has a video is which the mise en scene is similar. The streets and costume feature in the video. This consistency helps create the artists identity and makes him more recognisable to the audience. The shot has been arranged so that we can see all the way down the street. This makes the image more interesting to look at because the image has depth.

Problems involving actors

Our main actor has been enthusiastic for the project ever since we have asked him if he wanted to play the role however, finding other actors has proved to be a challenge. When we thought we had an actress ready and we had organised a time and location to shoot, it turned out that our actress was no longer willing to act. We eventually found an actress willing to play the role but her availability was limited. This required me, as director, to fill the cinematography role as at the only time when both actors were available, it was only me who could film. By adapting to the situation we have managed to film all the shots needed in the park location.

Analysis of Magazine Advertisements

The advertisement doesn't feature the artist, instead it is a point of view shot looking out at a festival crowd. I think the ad aims to ignite a sense of togetherness between the fans. It make the viewer think that there are many other fan out there and creates the feeling of wanting to be in the crowd so they aren't left out. The font used is reasonably bold and I think this reflects the character of the artist. Oasis are a well established band and I think this is why they don't feature in the ad. The large crowd reflects the artists success as this is the last album, they want to celebrate and show their success.

The album cover is the same image that is on the magazine ad. The only difference is that the magazine ad has been colour corrected. I think this has been done so that the album cover stand out more on the shelves to attract its audience whereas in a magazine it doesn't have to catch the audiences eye.

The magazine ad is similar to some of the music videos. One similarity is the use of black and white or colour correction that darkens the image. Colour correction is also used effectively in the music video Live Forever by Oasis.

    

 

Feedback on music video

Although we have not yet finished the editing process, we wanted to receive feedback on our progress so far. The feedback we received is overall quite positive but there are some issues that our audience feel need to be addressed. The filter we used for the memory shots need to be toned down and The lip syncing in places needs adjusting.

Filming 17th and 18th Oct

Due to the weather and problems of actors not having time to film, we have had to make other arrangements which meant changing our group roles slightly. As well as being director, I had to do the cinematography for all the shots in the park location. This was because I was the only member of the group that could work through lunchtime to get the shots we desperately needed. I filmed over two lunchtimes, totalling a time of around an hour to complete all the shots we needed. only a ten minute walk from our school. The shots I filmed needed lots of camera movement. I had to do tracking shots, panning shots and zoom in and out.

Mainstream Album Art Conventions

Mainstream album art is usually bold and very colourful, attracting the attention of the large audience it aims to appeal to. They usually feature the artist and depending on the image they are trying to achieve. The artist name features on the cover in a font that reflects the character that they are.

Indie Album Art Conventions

Mise en scene

• The album art often features the artist.
• Instruments often feature, the type depends on the genre of music
• Informal class clothing
• Dark clothing - dark jeans often feature, coats
• Colours aren't usually bright. Black and white, sepia, browns ad pale colours are common

Text

• Interesting unique font
• Names the artist and the album title
• Track listing is simple

Here are some examples

Shot List Notes

These are the notes I used during filming. They tell me what shots we have done, the shots we need to do and what the actors are doing in them and the locations. I use it as a memory trigger to the story board. I don't use the storyboard itself as it could get lost or damaged. I also find it easier to have all the information on one page.

Filming - 10th October

We shot in two locations today - North Bridge, Halifax town centre and on a bus. We had a short window to get the shots done at these locations. Planning was essential and I had planned all the shots we were to do and made sure the lip syncing was in the right place. I also had to obtain a guitar and a case to use in the busking shots. I gave our actor plenty of instruction and helped set up the camera and tripod. We completed all the shots in time and filmed several extra shots to give our editor more options at the editing stage. The shots on the bus were a little shaky because we had to film while the bus was moving. Another issue we found on the bus was glare from the bright sunlight and reflections in the window. This meant that we had to change the angle slightly so the camera wouldn't be seen in the reflection on the window. Overall, we made good progress and plan to finish the rest of the sots needed on Monday 14th October.

Mise en scene

The mise en scene we are planning on using will have conventions of indie artists. Our actor will be wearing dark blue jeans and a grey hoodie. This should connote originality and not follow the mainstream style of clothing that is found in shops such as Topman, Burton and River Island. The costume is simple but effective. The use of a guitar is also an indie convention. The guitar represents music and we aim to show that the music is a significant part of the artists life by having the artist play or carry the guitar throughout our video. The case of the guitar is also important. We have chosen a plain black case. This reinforces the idea of the music being more important than the look. The case will be shown in some of the busking shots. I am also planning to maintain this trend in the digi pack. When our artist is busking we won't be using a microphone, to show that the artist's music is pure. Our actor has also agreed to grow a beard. Many indie artists have beards, only the men obviously, and we thought that it fits the indie tone we are trying to create.

Location Recce

We wanted a quite setting for the shots of our artist remembering times with the girl. The beautiful setting will hopefully reflect the relationship at a time when they were close.

 

This location is used for the chorus. The artist will be singing off the bridge. The views off the bridge should be great and it adds variety to the video. The bridge also allows us to use different camera shots.

 

We have chosen a place to perform the busking. It is in Halifax town centre, a busy area that would be a realistic location to busk.

 

Photos taken by Elliot Walsh - http://www.elliottwalshmusicvideos.blogspot.co.uk/

Practice shots

Today we went to three of the four locations to do some practice shots. We wanted to see if the camera angles, we proposed in our storyboard, worked. On North Bridge we tried a tracking shot that rotates around our artist to get the view off the bridge in. It worked well. e also experimented with high and low shots from off the bridge looking at the artist on the bridge. We also practiced some of the shots on the bus. One shot involved the artist leaning on the window, looking out, we wanted to try zooming in to the window to show thee artist looking out but it didn't work because keeping the camera steady on the bus was too difficult.

We went to the location where our artist would be busking. We experimented with a few locations around the town centre. We also experimented with different shots to show our artist walking. Tracking shots, high shots and low shots are a few examples.

Performance Shots

We have planned close ups of our artist during the performance part of the video. This music video, featuring Jake Bugg makes good use of close ups with a variety of camera movements and angles. The use of lighting is carefully chosen. Transitions are used to good effect. Because the nature of the song is a slow tempo, the slow change in focus becomes effective. The close ups of the guitar will also be included in our video. The main areas of focus on the guitar are the strings and we will try to recreate some of the shots.

Storyboard

The opening shot is an establishing shot that sets the scene. It is followed by a high shot of the artist to show his vulnerability. Following this is a close up of his guitar, a convention of indie music videos. Then there is a close up of our artist lip syncing.

 

The close up shot is repeated. There is a  shot of a passer by  giving the artist some money and another shot of him walking away but the focus is still on the artist. Next is a low shot, having gained confidence after receiving the money.

The narrative is then broken up to go to a memory of the artist and the girl he is singing about. Then the location changes again to show our artist on a bridge, the camera tracks around the artist to show off the location but still  the focus is on the artist.

We return to the busking scene, and again our artist is lip syncing and playing the guitar. The artist then walks down the stet and the camera tracks behind him. Then there is a shot of his feet as he is walking. here is then a long shot of him standing at a bus stop. This then goes into another memory shot during the chorus.

The memory shot is finished by a stick breaking, symbolising the end of their relationship. This is followed by our artist on a bus. The camera then zooms out of the window. There is then another shot on the bridge where the camera pans around the artist. This finishes with a high shot to make him look vulnerable.

There is a shot of our artist getting off the bus and the camera and around to follow him. There is then a shot of him walking towards the camera. Then he starts running and the camera tracks alongside him, this should exaggerate the tempo. The video finishes with our artist at the door of his dream girl's house.

Lyric Analysis - Further Than Feelings

This is the song we have chosen for our music video. We feel that it has a good temp to work with and the lyrics allow us to create a clear narrative. Our main narrative is a love story. Our artist and a girl have broken up and our artist is now going to meet the girl again. he song revolves around feelings and we have interpreted this to mean his feelings for the girl. The chorus suggests that the artist wants to be closer to this girl and we have shown this in the narrative by him returning to the girls house at the end. While the love story is going on our artist will be busking during the performance shots. We have chosen to do this because of the lyrics weird, weird life. By busking we build up a representation of him as an unsettled character without structure to his life or a clear aim he is working towards.
 

 

    I don't know, I don't know if it's just me,

But my mind, feels like, a jazz bar on Southbank, almost all of the time,

Since you came, running skipping tripping over my weird weird life,

Now I wanna spend, all my days, rushing home just to hold your,

Pretty head in my chest at night, so,

  Come a little closer, I wanna know just who you are,

I wanna swim deep in your spirit, And then dry off in your heart,

I wanna throw away the butterflies, And grow eagles wings,

Cus that's how we see things,

yeah it's further than feelings... (x4)

            I don't know, I don't know if it's just me

But my mind, feels like, two feet walking in the snow, without the cold toes,

Since you made, something even more strange out of my weird weird life,

Now I wanna spend, all my days,

Laughing so hard I can feel your heart against my chest at night,

  Come a little closer, I wanna know just who you are,

I wanna swim deep in your spirit, And then dry off in your heart,

I wanna throw away the butterflies, And grow eagles wings,

Cus that's how we see things,

yeah it's further than feelings... (x3)

It's further than feelings.

My Role

I have been appointed director for the music video task in my group. I am responsible for creating the storyboard and shot list. I will also instruct our actors and set up the shots to make sure that they adhere to the storyboard. Giving direction to our actors is another part of my job. I will be organising when we will be shooting and making sure it runs smoothly.

Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory

Andrew Goodwin's theory states five common features of music videos:

• Thought beats - Seeing the sound. It's the music itself and its structure. It includes the artist's voice and helps promote individual identity and star image.

• Narrative and Performance - the audience only gets a hint of a meaning from the song and video combined which they then make their own assumptions. Narratives or more commonly performance shots are repeated in the chorus. Lip syncing has to make the story appear real to the audience. We are creating a love story. The narrative includes our artist busking and travelling to meet a girls while at the same time having flash backs of time spent with this girl. The audience can then interpret what the relationship between the two is.

• The star image - Mise-en-scene plays a huge part in portraying the artist as a star. We are going to focus on our artist throughout the video. Close ups and tracking shots that follow our artist will hopefully connote star image.

• Relating the visuals to the song - Illustrating the meanings of the lyrics. It includes genre. The three ways to do this are:

 

Our video fits into the illustrate category. The narrative reflects the lyrics.



• Technical aspects of music videos - Technical aspects hold the music video together through use of camera movement and angles, mise-en-scene, editing, sound and special effects. Mise-en-scene is of vital importance to fit the genre, build the star image of the artist and maintain the professionalism of the video. Music videos match the use of cuts with the beat and rhythm of the song.  A range of camera shots and movements will be utilised in our video. The mise en scene will be used to adhere to the indie genre.

Treatment

The song we have chosen for our music video is Joel Baker's Further Than Feelings.
To star we see our artist busking with his guitar. He then starts to sing the song and play it on the guitar. There will be a mix of close ups and medium shots, while someone gives him some money, showing he is successful at this level. This sequence will also include a close up of the guitar he is playing, which is a general convention of an indie music video and helps us create his indie image. Memories and flash backs will be included showing Jack and the girl character he is trying to get to, suggesting, as the song does, that he has lost this girl and desperately wants her back. These will be happy memories, of them taking a romantic stroll in a park. We plan on using a bridge to make the location interesting. We are wanting to rotate the camera around the artist to show off the location. Then, Jack gets enough money by busking tog and see the girl on a bus. We'll use shots of him on a bus and the end will have our artist at the door of the girls house.

Analysis - Jake Bugg Two Fingers

Jake Bugg - Two Fingers

 

The video has a strong and clear narrative that runs throughout and matches the song lyrics. It is almost a short film, showing conventions of films such as the opening credits, showing the actors and the title of the song. There is also an antagonist, shown by him arguing and fighting with the protagonist - the artist. This shows the artist as the star.

 

It is filmed in a working class setting with derelict buildings, railings, bus stops etc. The diegetic sound of the traffic at the very start of the video helps set the scene. The costume that all the actors wear supports the working class theme. The actors are shown smoking which is commonly associated with working class. The video shows aspects of the artists lifestyle such as family life, music and his social life which is combined with the theme which  the audience relate to the artist because they are familiar with the mise en scene and narrative. Symbolism such as the red wine on the wall which could symbolise blood. Symbolism is a convention of indie music videos. The performance shots show the artist performing live in front of an audience. This brings the focus away from the main narrative and back to the song. It shows people enjoying the music and encourages viewers of the video to do so also.

 

At the start of the video, there is a slow cutting speed and as the music builds, the cutting speed increases . This stops the video becoming repetitive and make it feel as if it is building up to something. There is a lot of slow motion used and this is used to emphasise parts of the narrative that are significant. It also helps change the pace of the video in relation to the song, used to stop repetition. The artist is brought into focus when in the foreground of the shot, which shows he is the star and adds depth to the shot.

 

At the start of the video long shots and establishing shots are used, this is to show the working class setting. Then, mainly close ups are used. Close ups of instruments and microphones give the video an indie feel, which is what the artist is trying to achieve. Close ups of faces help to make the narrative clear and are combined with slow motion to highlight emotions further. On several occasions the camera pans and tracks to follow the artist, connoting that he is the star.

Feedback on Indie Artist

• Need to expand some of the points into full paragraphs
• Could take our own photos and videos (maybe by concept sketches)
• Good photo editing
• Good use of links to our inspirations
• Lots of detail, very specific
• Strong, effective name
• Good collection of ideas
• The blog background distracts the eye
• The album cover is strange, but very Indie
• Like the links to artists at the end
• Good photoshop skills
• Good idea
• Good target audience
• Very detailed
• Could be more detailed instead of bullet points
• Examples of music videos
• idea is good
• could make own press release stories and photos