Storyboards

 

 

 

Final Digipak (2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Advert (2)

Group Advert Analysis

Harry's Advert

Advert 1

Advert 2

Harry's first advert is my favourite out of the two as it is straight to the point, simple and includes an image of the artist at the top to catch the audience's attention. Although Harry hasn't altered the image of the artist in any way, it looks really good sat at the top of the page with the all white background. The grey text isn't too stark against the white and the information is all perfect.

Advert 2 is less creative however still includes all of the essential information. The black and white stripe is effective however possibly less so for this genre.


Ryan's Magazine Advert

Advert 1

Advert 2

Ryan's magazine advert 1 is effective and simple. Having the whole imagery black and white of the instrument and then having the artists face at the front left is powerful and effective showing the importance of the artist. The red writing although a bright is effective as it would catch the audience's attention when flicking through a magazine and seeing this. The content is to the point and short with every bit of information needed except when the CD is out but it doesn't have an image of the CD cover.

However advert 2 is much better and shows a greater use of Photoshop. The background being black and white is effective and basic and not in the audience's face too much. The image used of the artist is natural and forms to the conventions of the music genre. The text is the same of which features in the album cover shown in the bottom right corner of the advert linking the two ancillary products.  The outer glow used on the text is vital to make the writing stand out from the black and white background.

Adam's Advert

Advert 2

Advert 1

 

The first advert sticks to a patriotic theme of being British with the red white and blue in the top right corner. By having this image of the artist right in the middle of the advert it makes the audience focus solely on his face and. I like the simplicity of the advert however to improve it I would of possibly used the same font for all words and made the name of the artist bigger.

The second advert is my favourite out of the two due to having the album cover in the bottom right corner but also the image of the instrument in the middle. It brings in conventions of the artist showing the importance of the instrument. The only thing that could possibly be improved is if there was more information on the adverts to promote the artist further.

Final Digipak

After looking through all of our digipak's as a group, we decided that the best person's to use was Harry's. This is because there is a consistent theme of the instrument used by artists of this genre throughout the digipak. The cover shows simply the artist in a natural environment and uses a plain white background. Although we used Harry's digipak we decided as a group to use Adam's double page of London to be part of our final digipak as we all liked this idea and having an image of London, where the music video was set, to be in the digipak showing the audience more about the artist, leading to connotations of where he lives. Each slide has various effects used on Photoshop like fade, the use of brightness dark and light and the use of the magnetic lassoo tool.

Group Digipak Analysis

 Harry's Digipak

In his digipak, Harry has used an image of a guitar throughout except on the cover of the album. This is effective as it sticks to a theme and concentrates on not materialistic things, but more natural and sticking to the music. It gives the digipak a more simplistic feel. My favourite part of the digipak is the thank you page on the bottom left. I like this because the artist's face is visible at the bottom but faded out.

Ryan's Digipak

Ryan's digipak is also simple and to the point. Ryan's digipak although basic is effective and has stuck to a black background theme. This album could be improved with more images of the artist and possibly by using the same font throughout the whole digipak just to keep it continuous and flowing. Although I admire the simplicity of the album, it doesn't necessarily form to conventions of the Alternative Pop genre. 

Adam's Digipak

Adam's digipak conforms to conventions of the Alternative Pop genre due to the use of colours and instruments. I like the image he has used for the artist on his front cover of the digipak however I do think that that blue, red and white colours could be changed to softer colours or greens to show nature. I think his disk could be a little more creative with possibly an image of an instrument or the artist himself. However the last image at the bottom of London is a double page. I like this idea and the idea of having an image of where the music video takes place.

Digipak Reflection

The digipak above is the one I created on Photoshop using images I had taken myself. Some images were taken from the footage and others from a photoshoot. I used an outer glow on the title of the album which is the artist name. I decided to use the name of the artist for the album title as it is simple and effective and directly to the point. I made the words spread out off the page to give it a different feel and make it the artist' 'thing'. I did this on all of my ancillary products to set this artist apart from the others.

For the cover of my digipak I took a picture from one taken from the photoshoot of the artist. I chose this shot because it looks natural, a convention to the genre that my I was trying to portray. I added an outer glow to the artist to make him stand out a little more from the background and did this also to the title of the album 'Justin Oakley' to make it stand out a little more. By using a natural shot it builds a better relationship with the audience as they won't see the artist's image as being fake, referring to Dyers Star Theory.

The image for this slide was taken from footage that had been taken in Hyde Park. On Photoshop I took the artist from the background using the magnetic lassoo tool and left the background a stark white allowing the artist to stand out. Once increasing the size of the artist himself, the image looked pixelated so I decided to add a cartoon effect. 

I needed an inside image of the artist but like the cover of the digipak I decided to keep it natural with wildlife like the cover of this ancillary product. I inserted the image on Photoshop and added a blur effect just to make it more interesting to look at.

For the disk I decided to use one of the most natural shots I could find of the artist. Using photoshop I was able to not only apply blur but also make the background of the tree's black and white, making the artist stand out. I faded out the colour of the artist's face making him look more angelic and then applied an outer glow around his head sticking with the theme of the cover. For the writing I just put the title of the album 'Oakley' in the same font used before and applied the outer glow too, to stick with the theme created and the to stand out from the black and white background.

This slide is the thank you page from the artist to the fans. I used an image of a cello that I had taken and changed the brightness to make it fade a little so the white writing in the middle would stand out. By using this image of the instrument, it conforms to conventions of the genre, staying simplistic and focusing on the music. The writing is short, sweet and directly to the point, not to complicate the simplicity.

For the back cover of my digipak I took an image from the photo shoot, and have used a plain background of just nature/wildlife. I increased the brightness of the image and added black and white and then increased the brightness again. I used the same font that is used throughout the digipak for the song names and put them in the middle of the slide. I then added an outer glow just to make it stand out a little more from the background and also just to flow with the rest of the digipak.

Planning Camera Shots

Using a variety of camera shots are vital to the overall look on the product. By introducing different camera angles and shots it makes the video more interesting to the viewer and can be used to show emotions from the artist.

Establishing shots are key in the opening of a scene. They help set the scene and show the audience where the following footage is about to take place. As my group and I plan to use a lot of different locations it will be difficult to use establishing shots everytime the shot changes. Therefore at the beginning of the music video my group and I hope to use an establishing shot of the artist arriving in London, possibly coming out of a train station. To start the relationship with the audience it is key to show them that the artist is ordinary like the rest of the public and uses public transport, however is extraordinary with the voice and song, shown a little further along in the music video.

Long shots are used to make it easier for the audience to see a full shot of the artist, his surroundings, props and clothing. For example a long shot my group and I planned will be of the artist coming out of a tube station holding his guitar. This shot will not only explain the artist whereabouts but also help the audience to see the generic conventions of an Alternative artist, shown in the casual attire and the guitar.

Close-ups of the artist are vital in the style of music video my group and I have chosen to do us on. Close-ups are the key to showing emotions through expression therefore I plan to use a lot of these throughout my music video. Close-ups can also be used to help build a relationship with the audience and the artist. For example, if I was to choose the artist to have a close-up shot I could put him in front of a plain black background so the audience focuses solely on the artist himself.

Mid-shots can be used for also showing facial expressions but also great for showing body language. They can also be used to help continuity and just to vary shots and make the overall product more interesting to the audience.

Lyric Analysis

The first verse of the song, the artist is expressing the love he has for someone. 'It's like watching the night sky, or a beautiful sunrise' shows that she brings the artist peace and that in his eyes shows his opinion of her beauty. The next four lines has possible connotations that she has had to pull through some hard times but has got through it and is in a better place.
The chorus starts with the song title ' I Won't Give Up on us'. This line possibly portrays that the couple have been through hard times but the artist doesn't feel like it's time to let go/move on therefore he sings I wont give up.
'Even if the skies get rough' shows that he is willing to stick by her through thick and thin and won't leave her.

The second verse shows the artist singing that even when his love needs time away to think, he'll be waiting for her and won't leave her, highlighting the chorus main line 'I won't give up'. 'I'll be here patiently waiting' shows that although the couple could have broken up, he'll wait for as long as she needs to make up her mind in the path she chooses to take.

In the next chorus it varies slightly however the artist refers to his love again as a star. In the first verse he sings 'Just like them old stars, I see that you've come so far' and then again 'Cos even the stars they burn, some even fall to the earth'. The bridge of the song is the longest section; the artist explains in this verse that he won't leave his love even when times get rough and that even though they are very different as a couple they can teach and learn from eachothers mistakes and grow as a people.

The bridge of the song is the longest and the most climatic part. The tempo gets faster and the lyrics are sung quicker. This part of the song shows how the artist has realised that the relationship has come to an end 'And in the end your still my friend' however believes they can maintain a friendship out of the relationship they once had. This verse also explains how he has learnt from the journey he has taken throughout the relationship as he sings; 'We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in, I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not, and who I am'.

The chorus is then repeated several times, this could connote that he still isn't over the relationship or possibly that he doesn't want the relationship to be over yet although he has learnt that it wouldn't work.

Planning the Editing

As a group we decided that we wanted the music video to be part performance part narrative so due to editing on Apple Macs with Final Cut Express. By using a professional software programme it gives us a chance to allow to make our music product as professional as possible. We were able to look back on the footage created and take the bad un-usable stuff away and add various types of transitions to be able to make it more interesting and entertaining for an audience.

I plan to use a series of techniques when editing which include speed, going to modify then speed allowing me to slow down or increase the speed of a piece of footage; black and white, this is something my group and I definitely want to add to help show the audience where there are flashbacks of the artist and his love. By doing these techniques and more, it will help to convey the artist in a better way to the audience and will also conform to the conventions of an alternative pop artist. The main thing to do is to make sure that I sync the footage to the music. This will be difficult to do as there are a lot of different bits of footage to try and link all the footage to the various parts of the music. Because a lot of the music video is performance based the audience can see the artists mouth moving therefore it is vital for the music to be in time.
I would like to try to include jump cuts in the music video to change from one clip to another swiftly. Although there are already close-up shots of the artists, by zooming on the face will possibly make it the image a bit clearer allowing the audience to see the artists expression more vividly. Being able to see the artists expression helps to see the artists emotions clearly, bringing in the relationship with the audience and the artist.

What is a Music Video?

A music video shows the artists interpretation of the lyrics and intended meaning of the song in a visual form. A music video allows the audience to not only build a relationship with the artist but also with the feeling and emotion of the song. Narratives help explain the song through a story while a performance based video fosuses solely on the artist and a concept video shows a clear message about the song from the artist to the audience. A music video is also to help promote, advertise and market the artist as an individual in the industry.

Music video's can be split into 3 different categories; performance, concept and narrative:
 

Performance (singing/dancing):

A performance based music video have specific purposes the main of which is to promote the artist. Modern music videos are made and used as a marketing tool with the intention of promoting the sale of music recordings.

Concept (selling the audience an idea):
A concept based music video is when there is a message in the video that the artist is singing about or wants to show the audience through their music video.

Narrative (telling the audience a story):
A narrative based music video is when the video tells a story mainly from the lyrics. This can also be combined with a performance running alongside the narrative from the artist. An example of a narrative music video would be Taylor Swift's 'You Belong With Me'.

In Christina Aguilera's 'Beautiful' music video shes uses the element of performance, narrative and concept to convey the message she is trying to get across to the audience, that it doesnt matter how different you are, but to believe that you are beautiful. It is a performance because we see Christina Aguilera singing to the camera but also a narrative because of the images we see of people who consider themselves imperfect.

 

Beyonce's 'If I Were A Boy' captures a lot of feelings and emotions through the lyrics which have been expressed well through visuals. The first noticeable thing about the video is that its in black and white which has connotations of memories or past times, however in this video is shows theoretically how she would treat a girl if she was a boy. The video is narrative based with only one close-up shot of Beyonce singing into the camera. Throughout the video she speaks in character of a man, stereotyping how men treat women 'put myself first and make the rules as I go'. As a man she feels as though they can do what they want therefore is how she portrays herself in the video towards her boyfriend. Clothing throughout the whole of the video isnt important or highlighted, only the earrings of which he buys Beyonce shine brightly showing possibly how he loves her. He is sad and unhappy which is actually the emotion Beyonce is singing about the whole way through the song so when the roles are switched at the end and the audience realises that she has just been acting like him to make the viewer understand her pain through him. There are a lot of close-ups throughout the video to express emotion through expression.
Beyonce's target audience is mainly of young independant women but being so powerful and so high in the industry she appeals to an extremely wide audience. As it is a common stereotype from a womans point of view that a man does do what they like and they are unaware of the females feelings in the relationship and expect them to be around all the time, it talks to an audience in relationships or that have been in relationships however because it is from a womans angle, it would appeal more to an audience of women than men.