We have decided on several things when it comes to our misc en scene. These things relate to our need to fit in with our decided the narrative of a break up, plus the decision that we wanted a narrative, a performance and a closeup performance. These are the decision we have made:
1. SETTING
When it comes to setting there is very little we can do with our budget (that is non-existant) to chose a setting that would really meet the misc-en-scene of the kind of video we are trying to create. If we had the millions that some of these music video directors have to use then we would have been able to think about where a bit more but we simply had to go with what we had. In working with what we had we still had to pick carefully places in the local area that fitted in with our misc-en-scene.
You can see more information on location here:
We have decided on four main settings:
a) The house
We want to use an small and average house, which fits in with the idea of a couples first home. We therefore have chosen to use a resumbly old fashioned bunglow which fits in with our character leaving their shabby life behind. This shabbyness has almost become a style in some of Katy Perry's videos, especially when looking at the "past" scene in her music video for "The One That Got Away". To get the ultimate effect we used the inside
b) The Club
We wanted a club as part of our narrative. The "Old Windsor Club", which we filmed in was chosen (not only because Jodie has family connections which meant we could film in for free) but it emunates all the things that are expected in a club. There is a very obvious bar, stage (for performance) and dance floor. All this elements are also extremely traditional, in the sense that the stage has red curtains, the bar is made of thick dark wood.
c) A field
We wanted a walking away scene. In choosing Stag Medow we had captured a large fielded area with woodland. It looks like it is the middle of no where with a stream and everything.
d) A road
The road we have chosen really fits in with the misc-en-scene we are going for, sparce and yet still with residential properties all around - you will clearly know what it is and that it leads away from "the house". (This is the innital stages of Jodie walking away).
2. LIGHTING
We havent got acess to actual to the same sort of lighting equiptment that is actually used in proper music videos, and as we have a none existant budget we cant afford to higher any. We have therefore decided to film entirely in the day time (especially the exterior scenes).
In the club we will be using a disco ball and light effects that the club already have in place. This will fit in with our misc-en-scene by adding to the idea of the location being a club in the first place. To help the special lighting in the club scenes we will also close the curtains in the main club room. The bar is going to be kept lit meanwhile because then closeups will be easier to see in the more dramatic scenes of the bar.
3. COSTUME
We have looked in great detail into costume and that can be found here:
http://windsoradvancedportfoliogroup1.blogspot.com/2011/11/costume-make-up-research-ideas.html
Basically we are keeping everything very plain and simple in the narrative part of our video. Then in the club scenes everything will be much more dressed up.
4. ACTING
We are going to try and act as best we can. Jodie being an ex-drama student should do the job. Admittidly though the music videos which we have researched exhibit signs of exagerated acting, we will therefore go for over acting rather than under acting, but where possible we will keep the acting natural.
Monday, 28 November 2011
Costume & Make-up Research & Ideas..
We chose to look at 3 pop rock genre artists, Pink, Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry, we looked at what their costume & make-up was like and what elements we may include in our music video.
These images below show some examples of their make-up from various released music videos:
These are some still images of the main artists/ singers. These are mainly close-up shots so you can see clearly what their make-up is like.
Katy Perry: From looking at these photos, her average look tends to be the black eyeliner, mascara and thick, obvious lipstick. This emphasises her femininity and gives her a sex appeal, adding to the male gaze. This heavy make-up reflects her genre of pop, as most pop genre singers go for this look. The colours of her eyeshadow, especially green, are very bold and prominent- this draws more attention to her eyes. Obviously her make-up changes throughout the video, with obvious links to the narrative e.g. the 'wedding' photo she has smeared make-up down her face; this shows she is upset (as explained in the visuals). As our theme runs alongside a sad break-up.. we may consider this make-up idea.
Kelly Clarkson: Kelly Clarkson's look is opposite to Katy Perry's, she tends to stick to the natural looking make-up style. As you can see from the pictures above, she has no prominent lipstick, or outstanding eyeshadow. This look also reflects her genre- with some of her songs having emotional lyrics and undertones, using this neutral make-up gives the video a serious tone- her videos having no humour as such. As the majority of Clarkson's videos tend to be narrative, this neutral look also helps build the life-like scene and story.
Pink: Pink has a general reputation as a singer, and in her videos, for being a strong character with attitude, this mirrors in her make-up style. Excluding some of the photos where she is playing a character (e.g. the bottom- left photo with glasses), her main look seems to be bold lipstick, heavy black eyeliner & mascara. Much like Katy Perry's, this look emphasises the pop/ rock genre. Her outstanding make-up style brings attention to her face, and puts the focus on her facial expressions.
All: None of the following make-up styles, I've noticed, show blemishes or imperfections- they all have an even skin tone- using foundations & powders. As most pop/ rock videos want the viewer to see the typical 'perfect, beautiful' singer, they give the make-up artists give them an airbrushed look. We would consider this when designing the make-up for our main lead.
These images below show some examples of their costume from various released music videos:
Pink: Pink's costumes, much like her make-up, vary throughout the video. Again, because she is a pop/rock genre artist, her look tends to be aimed more towards dark colours and garments associated with punk rockers. A good example is number 5 above, this look shows the 'rock' leather jacket, dark shades, red and black leggings and white heeled boots. This really stands out for the conventions match typical genre of music. The other outfits she wears suit the characters shes plays, e.g. number 1: she is outside with a chainsaw- wearing clothes appropriate for outdoor activity (dungarees). All her clothes are carefully thought out and match the narrative in the video.
Friday, 25 November 2011
Ancillary Task- Rihanna Magazine Advert
Magazine Advert This is the magazine advert for Rihanna's album 'Loud'- also the Digipak I looked at. From a quick skim through, it seems to contain all the relevant information. In a large font is the name of the artist, album title, and date of release. This is the main information people will want to know, therefore important for it to be in the largest font.'The New Album' is slotted inbetween the artist and album, this makes it 100% clear to the viewer. Underneath this, it informs you about what featuring songs the album has; the song they chose, 'Only Girl (in the world)' has been on the charts, played on the radios, and an all round a big hit. Advertizing this song makes more sense than using one noone has heard of.
This is all the information they cover on the advert. Making it short and sweet- but in enough detail to attract the viewer to consider buying it. The image and colour scheme used, is the same as on the front cover of the CD and digipak- the repitition of the image would then make life easier for the customer. By this I mean when the customer goes to buy it, they know what they're looking for.
This is all the information they cover on the advert. Making it short and sweet- but in enough detail to attract the viewer to consider buying it. The image and colour scheme used, is the same as on the front cover of the CD and digipak- the repitition of the image would then make life easier for the customer. By this I mean when the customer goes to buy it, they know what they're looking for.
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Looking at misc-en-scene in music videos
(Some extra research looking directly at the misc-en-scene in music videos. We have already done this partially but we have not fully decided upon the misc-en scene for our own video in comparison to the pop - rock genre)
1. KELLY CLARKSON - MR.KNOW IT ALL
a) Lighting
The lighting is bright in the foreground of the image which means that the light is fully on the artist of Kelly Clarkson herself. The space around the artist is kept out of the light and is often very dark in comparison to the rest of the image. In general though the lighting is not that intense especially when compared with that of the singular genre of, Pop. Different coloured lighting comes into play, with blue and pink lighting being used.
b) Setting
The settings used are considerably unrealistic in the sense that they are for the most in the midst of hudge empty studio. They are also sparce and only ever have a couple of props included within them.
c) Costume
Kelly Clarkson wears only a couple of different costumes. These all fit in with the sense that her target audience are approximatly 15 - 20 year olds. She thus wears partyish but late teenage guises. She is wearing a considerable amount of jewellary throughout the video. Dark colours also become very apparent in the choice of colour with little other than black or grey being worn.
d) Acting
Kelly Clarkson is the key actor in the video as the artist of the song. The acting meanwhile is not that melodramatic in the sense that it is not like Katy Perry in her videos where everything becomes extremely exagerated.
2. KELLY CLARKSON - MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU
a) Lighting
There is divirientations between theat of the flashbacks and that of the rest of the video when it comes to lighting. The lighting in the flashback is very bright. During the rest of the video the image is more dark although any lightting is again fixed on the artist. Lighting is used as an affect when it comes to the peformance scenes - strobe lighting is used profoundly.
b) Setting
The setting again is in three different places: a play park, an apartement and a empty performance area which again has empty film studio like qualities. These settings accept that of the performance are realistic in the sense that both are plausable places. The main issue of notable interest when looking at the setting as being plausable is that they are all extremely clean - sparklingly so.
c) Costume
The costume is again very much the same. Contempoary and fashionable. Also partyish.
d) Acting
The acting is again slightly melodramtic but not over the top completly like what is expected in simply pop videos.
3. KATY PERRY - FIREWORK
a) Lighting
Everything in this video happens at night time which means that the lighting is generally dark and the light is again directed at the faces of not only the artist but also the "main characters" of the narrative. There is a lot of contrasting lighting throughout the video, particulaly in the city scenes. When Katy Perry is singing it is white lighted while the chunks of narrative are warmly lighted and yellowish. Plus there in the inevicable light created with the apparition of the fireworks, which then become a comparitive piece of light to the dark surroundings. The lighting is also multicoloured by the end section of the video when the dancing takes place, this adds and suggests a party like atmosphere.
b) Setting
The video is set in a city but there are lots of different narratives within it. The settings involved:
-Hospital
-Pool party
-Club
-House
c) Costume
Katy Perry looks very elegant and old fashioned at the start and later changes to a more casual outfit while the rest of the characters in the video are not wearing anything eye catching, their costumes are typical of what you would expect to find in an American city and fit in with their particular setting.
d) Acting
The acting is slightly melodramatic in the sense that everything is slightly exaggarated. Katy Perry is not the best actress but she is primarily a singer so of course the acting is not oscar winning. It is Katy Perrys dancing that is the less impressive part of the video - at the end it is all a little strange.
4. KATY PERRY -THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
a) Lighting
There is two different types of coloured lighting involved in this video to difurentiate between the "past" and the "present" of the narrative. The "past" has an orange/yellow glow which associates itself with the sun. Where as a pale, silverish glow is given to the "present". We really like the way that this works and would quite like to use something of the same affect in our own video.
b) Setting
There are a couple of settings involved in this video. They include:
- An expensive modern day house
- A shabby flat
- A town hall -ish building where a elderly party is going on
- A road with cliff
c) Costume
Katy Perry is shown in the "present" to be an ederly women and she both wears makeup and prestetics to make her look like she is in her eighties. Where as in the "past" the clothes that the main two characters wear are very much rock-grunge, both wear dark clothing that is stylishly well worn and rough, plus Katy Perry is shown with black hair and very dark makeup. The elderly people at the party are wearing clothes representative of the 50s.
d) Acting
The acting is again exagerated which fits in with the pop side of the genre involved in this video.
1. KELLY CLARKSON - MR.KNOW IT ALL
a) Lighting
The lighting is bright in the foreground of the image which means that the light is fully on the artist of Kelly Clarkson herself. The space around the artist is kept out of the light and is often very dark in comparison to the rest of the image. In general though the lighting is not that intense especially when compared with that of the singular genre of, Pop. Different coloured lighting comes into play, with blue and pink lighting being used.
b) Setting
The settings used are considerably unrealistic in the sense that they are for the most in the midst of hudge empty studio. They are also sparce and only ever have a couple of props included within them.
c) Costume
Kelly Clarkson wears only a couple of different costumes. These all fit in with the sense that her target audience are approximatly 15 - 20 year olds. She thus wears partyish but late teenage guises. She is wearing a considerable amount of jewellary throughout the video. Dark colours also become very apparent in the choice of colour with little other than black or grey being worn.
d) Acting
Kelly Clarkson is the key actor in the video as the artist of the song. The acting meanwhile is not that melodramatic in the sense that it is not like Katy Perry in her videos where everything becomes extremely exagerated.
2. KELLY CLARKSON - MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU
a) Lighting
There is divirientations between theat of the flashbacks and that of the rest of the video when it comes to lighting. The lighting in the flashback is very bright. During the rest of the video the image is more dark although any lightting is again fixed on the artist. Lighting is used as an affect when it comes to the peformance scenes - strobe lighting is used profoundly.
b) Setting
The setting again is in three different places: a play park, an apartement and a empty performance area which again has empty film studio like qualities. These settings accept that of the performance are realistic in the sense that both are plausable places. The main issue of notable interest when looking at the setting as being plausable is that they are all extremely clean - sparklingly so.
c) Costume
The costume is again very much the same. Contempoary and fashionable. Also partyish.
d) Acting
The acting is again slightly melodramtic but not over the top completly like what is expected in simply pop videos.
3. KATY PERRY - FIREWORK
a) Lighting
Everything in this video happens at night time which means that the lighting is generally dark and the light is again directed at the faces of not only the artist but also the "main characters" of the narrative. There is a lot of contrasting lighting throughout the video, particulaly in the city scenes. When Katy Perry is singing it is white lighted while the chunks of narrative are warmly lighted and yellowish. Plus there in the inevicable light created with the apparition of the fireworks, which then become a comparitive piece of light to the dark surroundings. The lighting is also multicoloured by the end section of the video when the dancing takes place, this adds and suggests a party like atmosphere.
b) Setting
The video is set in a city but there are lots of different narratives within it. The settings involved:
-Hospital
-Pool party
-Club
-House
c) Costume
Katy Perry looks very elegant and old fashioned at the start and later changes to a more casual outfit while the rest of the characters in the video are not wearing anything eye catching, their costumes are typical of what you would expect to find in an American city and fit in with their particular setting.
d) Acting
The acting is slightly melodramatic in the sense that everything is slightly exaggarated. Katy Perry is not the best actress but she is primarily a singer so of course the acting is not oscar winning. It is Katy Perrys dancing that is the less impressive part of the video - at the end it is all a little strange.
4. KATY PERRY -THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
a) Lighting
There is two different types of coloured lighting involved in this video to difurentiate between the "past" and the "present" of the narrative. The "past" has an orange/yellow glow which associates itself with the sun. Where as a pale, silverish glow is given to the "present". We really like the way that this works and would quite like to use something of the same affect in our own video.
b) Setting
There are a couple of settings involved in this video. They include:
- An expensive modern day house
- A shabby flat
- A town hall -ish building where a elderly party is going on
- A road with cliff
c) Costume
Katy Perry is shown in the "present" to be an ederly women and she both wears makeup and prestetics to make her look like she is in her eighties. Where as in the "past" the clothes that the main two characters wear are very much rock-grunge, both wear dark clothing that is stylishly well worn and rough, plus Katy Perry is shown with black hair and very dark makeup. The elderly people at the party are wearing clothes representative of the 50s.
d) Acting
The acting is again exagerated which fits in with the pop side of the genre involved in this video.
Monday, 21 November 2011
Ancillary Task- Rihanna Digipak
This is an analysis of a digipak.
 |
Text The name of the artist I am researching into is Rihanna, a well known pop, hip-hop and RnB singer. The digipak album is her most recent of 2011, this is the one I've decided to look at. The title 'Loud' is written in a thin white font along the bottom of the front cover. This title is short & bold, and for that reason easy to remember. The name of the artist in the same font but a smaller size, this is along the top of the front cover. This may not be as prominent as the title, but considering  There is bonus material available on separate disc. Websites, credits and other information are shown on the reverse side, along with the track list. This information, including company logos, and other participants involved, appear in a very small sized, white font. It is not the most obvious part on the page, nor is it the most important, but still present. The track list is slightly bigger than the information, and in a pale red font. It is clear to see it's the track list- with the track titles down the right-hand side of the page. Writing & text on this digipak is not as strong as you may expect. Rihanna, as a talented artist, seems famous enough for people not to need the obvious hints of her name and the clear hint of her new album. Pictorial/ Design The images on her digipak are what really draw in your attention, overpowering the writing. Her front cover is a close up photo of her face. You can sense the emotions in her face- the way her eyes are closed and the emphasis on her lips and hair. The picture inside, spread across the 3 panels, is also linked to the front cover. With the same hair and make-up, but a wide shot of her and showing her surroundings. There is no logo present that catches your eye. All company logos and the bar code are situated on the back cover, the bar code in the bottom right-hand corner, an industrial, factory position for bar codes to be placed. The dominating colour of the whole digipak is red. This colour is strongly portrayed with Rihanna's hair, lips and the roses; all being the same deep red. They use this powerful, red colour to portray emotions of love, passion and romance. All the colours and photos used are vibrant, clear, and catch your eye. Even the discs have images of roses printed on them; these types of flowers add to the essence of romance. |
Ancillary Tasks Ke$ha Digipak Analysis
The digipak of Ke$ha's album Animal & Cannibal
Text
The artist I have chosen to analyse is Ke$ha who is an American singer-songwriter and rapper who specialises in electropop. This digipak is the re release of her first album Animal (originally released on its own) combined with Cannibal. Her style is reflected in this design, the colours are quite dark and menacing which suggests a darker theme of music than the general pop rock genre we have been looking at. The dark colours also create a space type theme, which again is dark and complicated.Her name on the front of the album is written in eye catching gold lettering with the title Animal & Cannibal written in smaller scrunched up writing that is more difficult to read and less noticable. There are two track listings on the back, one written in the same font as the title Animal and Cannibal but the same gold colour as Ke$ha, and the other written in the same coloured writing as the title but in a bolder and clearer font. There is no price anywhere which suggests different distributors can decide what price to charge. The front cover has a warning about the language some of the songs contain while on the back there is a bar code and the name of the record company, RCA Records. The album includes her hit singles, Tik Tok, Blah Blah Blah (featuring 3OH!3), You're Love Is My Drug and We R Who We R, while bonus tracks include VIP, Dirty Picture Pt. 2 (featuring Taio Cruz), and The Sleazy Remix.
Pictorial
The front cover is a close up of Ke$ha's face with a rip through the middle that splits it into two different pictures to represent that this is a collabiration of both the Animal and Cannibal albums. Her facial expression emphasises the sinister theme of the design as do the other pictures on the digipak. Her poses are all quite sexual but also have a theme of danger about them.
Ancillary Task Ke$ha Mag Ad
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This is an advert for Ke$ha's single Tik Tok which was released on 7th August 2009 as the lead single to her album Animal. The song has been described as an upbeat dance-pop song with elements of electropop in its beats. Ke$ha's image is dark, menacing and mysterious but she also has elements of a typical party girl image which is reflected in the use of glitter in her hands and hair on the advert and the fact that her name and the title of the song is written in gold glittery writing, which is a good contrast to the black behind her. The single was released as a digital download and a CD single on the RCA label. The main image of the track is a photograph of Ke$ha in a typical party girl pose, she has glitter in her hands and hair, her hair is messy and she has heavy eye makeup on. This sets the mood for a pop/dance style to the song. The set colour scheme is black with the contrast of gold and glitter, the use of gold and glitter is commonly used in representation of dance, pop and general party themed songs. The track recieved generally good reviews and was praised for its lyrics and celebration of the party lifestyle. Ke$ha's other songs are available on her official website.
I have chosen to look at Ke$ha because her style is unique, she is not typically poppy and girly like Britney Spears but she is not as quirky and different as Lady Gaga. I find that her style uses bits of both of these artists to create a different style of music.
Saturday, 19 November 2011
Initial Digipak Cover Ideas: Costume
In our research, we found that Katy Perry's costumes for her album covers and in adverts were revealing which acted on male gaze, such as for her teenage dream album, she only has a cloud of candyfloss covering her. This sort of image is unsuitable for our actor so we had to think of other costumes that would still fit the genre and conventions with out being as revealing as this. Revealing outfits are a common of the pop rock genre so we will have to incorporate this convention into our mag ad and digipak images in a way that will make our actor comfortable but still fit the conventions such as with an image that would still act on male gaze but not be as revealing as some of the images below.
Images such as these would be more appropriate for our actor but still fits with the conventions.
Images such as these would be more appropriate for our actor but still fits with the conventions.
Ancillary Task- Katy Perry Digipak
This is a digipak for Katy Perry's most recent album 'Teenage Dream'.
Text
The track listing is on the back of the digipak. The writing is clear to read as it is pink and stands out from the background. The letters such as the O's are replaced by a circle of candy, this goes with the sweet/candy/cake theme of the album design, along with the CD design.The price is not displayed so the distributors can sell it at their own price. There is bonus material on the second disk and a list of the content of this CD is also displayed on the back panel of the digipak under the track listing of the main CD.There is the web address for www.katyperry.com, her official website displayed at the bottom of the back panel along with other information. There is a separate booklet with pictures and more information on recording, credits, producer, writers and where and when it was recorded. The title of the album is not clearly labeled on the front of album cover. The artists name also isn't shown. As she is such a well known artist she is recognisable, but not having the album name on it is unusual.
Pictorial
The photographs are of the artist Katy Perry. There is a range of shots of her such as a mid shot, wide shot and close-up are used on the panels shown. These images clearly show who the artist is and many people would recognise her as she is a well known artist. The images fit in with the theme as there is alot of sweet/candy and cake images.The artist is portrayed to act on male gaze as her outfits are revealing but would this album would also appeal to girls and woman with all the pinks and feminine colours and the artist is typically feminine In the booklet provided with the digipak, it shows the album logo and the logo her name is usually displayed as.The barcode is shown clearly on the back panel along with the track list etc. This is in a position sometimes used on CDs so although isn't in the normal position of the bottom corner, it isn't unusual.There is a parent advisory logo on the front cover to show that there is content which may be unsuitable for children.
Design
The colours are very feminine with the pinks and reflects on how the artist is a typical girl. This fits with the pop genre as it appeals to a main stream audience especially females. From this digipak, it is clear to see it is pop with the pink, bright colours and how the artist is acting on male gaze. The outfits are conventional of the pop genre too. This digipak unfolds easily and isn't of a complicated design so is easy and simple to use. The disks have slots to hold them in place on the inside panels and there is a sleeve to fit the booklet in. This is a CD sized digipak and is made of tough card and plastic covering to keep it strong and protect the contents.
Initial Digipak/ Magazine Advert Ideas
The first thing we did having culmanated our research was to do a rough sketch of vaguly what we wanted to include.
It having been decided that we needed photographs of Jodie we instantly started discusses what she should wear and how the makeup should be. For continuity's sake Jodie dressed in the same outfit as exhibited in the performance/bar scenes of our video. The makeup (escpecially when it came to eyel makeup) should be dark and bold to fit in with the artists we have looked at. We decided also that we wanted a plain background but we decided that no wall/ screen that we could find would be perfectly plain in colour, plus we didn't have the correct lighting to make it so. It was agreed therefore that we would use any wall and we would photoshop out the background.
On the day we took the photographs it was decided that they should be taken outside because the lighting was pretty much perfect that day:
This is a smiple middle -ish shot of Jodie who is looking straight towards the camera. The expression is quite "fierce" which fits in with the look associated with powerful female artists of the pop-rock genre.
This is an angled shot of pretty much the same expression accept of course in wide. We took this incase we decided to incorprate the brick pattern into our work, as we liked the brick affect on seeing it.
This is a slight high angled shot that allows us to see more of the wall incase we wanted to use in the sense of a background. Jodie's expression is less "fierce" more serious here. This would probably word best for back of the digipak.
We then took some images of Jodie sitting down on the ground. We thought these my be used for the reverse side of the digipak. The expression is especially good in the one on the right.
This is another shot of Jodie sitting down, it is more amusing in composistion and ties in with the idea of her drinking in the music video we made. The humour in the video may fit with Katy Perry's style but firstly it is less pop-rock and more pop, secondly it may be offensive in the sense that it advocates drinking.
This again advocates drinking although it has a nice expression and angle.
This image has a really nice expression involved, maybe a little too distant for the rock side of our rock-pop genre.
It having been decided that we needed photographs of Jodie we instantly started discusses what she should wear and how the makeup should be. For continuity's sake Jodie dressed in the same outfit as exhibited in the performance/bar scenes of our video. The makeup (escpecially when it came to eyel makeup) should be dark and bold to fit in with the artists we have looked at. We decided also that we wanted a plain background but we decided that no wall/ screen that we could find would be perfectly plain in colour, plus we didn't have the correct lighting to make it so. It was agreed therefore that we would use any wall and we would photoshop out the background.
On the day we took the photographs it was decided that they should be taken outside because the lighting was pretty much perfect that day:
This is an angled shot of pretty much the same expression accept of course in wide. We took this incase we decided to incorprate the brick pattern into our work, as we liked the brick affect on seeing it.
This is a slight high angled shot that allows us to see more of the wall incase we wanted to use in the sense of a background. Jodie's expression is less "fierce" more serious here. This would probably word best for back of the digipak.
We then took some images of Jodie sitting down on the ground. We thought these my be used for the reverse side of the digipak. The expression is especially good in the one on the right.
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Evaluation of Magazine Advertisement and Digipak Research
We thought it was an appropriate idea to combine the ideas that came about while researching for our magazine advert and digipak. We reallly want to capture and aknowledge the different conventions involved with pop-rock genre in both products. We have listed those conventions bellow:
1. Colour
- Bright contrasting colours seem to appear in the majority of the digipaks and magazine adverts.
- Black and white photographs have begun to be used in more recent digipaks and magazine covers.
- If black and white photographs haven't been used then they are of a high quality and have a great ammount of contrast involved.
2. Text
- The text has got to be different from other text in the sense that it captures peoples attention (therefore we really should try to avoid using Arial etc. - at least for the artist name which does need to take presedent)
- The name of the album should reside in the left hand cornor of the digipak cover so that people read it first.
- The digipak cover should only contain the words of the artist name and the album name.
- The text for the artist name should be much larger than that of the album name.
- The text on the magazine should go in size order of:
- Name of artist
- Name of album
- Bonus material
- Release date
- Website (if they have one)
- Music producers logo
- Copywright information
3. Image
- The main images involved should be simply of the artist.
- The images should show mainly the face of the artist (especially on the front cover of the digipak and magazine cover).
- The images on the digipak cover and the magazine advert should match up because you should be able to look at the magazine cover and have an idea of what you are looking for when you go to buy it.
1. Colour
- Bright contrasting colours seem to appear in the majority of the digipaks and magazine adverts.
- Black and white photographs have begun to be used in more recent digipaks and magazine covers.
- If black and white photographs haven't been used then they are of a high quality and have a great ammount of contrast involved.
2. Text
- The text has got to be different from other text in the sense that it captures peoples attention (therefore we really should try to avoid using Arial etc. - at least for the artist name which does need to take presedent)
- The name of the album should reside in the left hand cornor of the digipak cover so that people read it first.
- The digipak cover should only contain the words of the artist name and the album name.
- The text for the artist name should be much larger than that of the album name.
- The text on the magazine should go in size order of:
- Name of artist
- Name of album
- Bonus material
- Release date
- Website (if they have one)
- Music producers logo
- Copywright information
3. Image
- The main images involved should be simply of the artist.
- The images should show mainly the face of the artist (especially on the front cover of the digipak and magazine cover).
- The images on the digipak cover and the magazine advert should match up because you should be able to look at the magazine cover and have an idea of what you are looking for when you go to buy it.
Accilary Task - Pink Digipak Analysis
Having looked at Pink for my magazine advert analysis but unfortunatly I have found that Pink as an artists dosen't have an actual digipak so I have decided to look at the simple cd covers, and back covers of her work.
1. Front Cover
PINK TRY THIS
1. Colour
The colours are extremely dark, with the actual image being in black and white and the writing be red. The ideas of the colours involved are somewhat gothic in comparison to the much brighter and high volume colours that are associated with pop rock.
2. Text
The text involved is more punk and grunge than anything else. Shown in a almost random font that has big and small letters of different casses assorted randomly. The name of the artist is again shown in a larger text than that of the name of the album.
3. Image
The image is like on the magazine advert I looked at shown on the left hand side of the image and the full image of Pink's face is not actually seen. The left hand side is to the western hemisphere at least the first thing we look at in the sense that we read from left to right. The choice has again been made to simply show the artist. The closeup shot also allows Pink through expression, makeup and costume live up to her rock- pop persona.
PINK GREATEST HITS... SO FAR!
1. Colour
This is the actual album that the magazine cover was trying to advertise and they have therefore kept some of the colour scheme - with the pink (which obviously ties into the name of the artist - Pink). The image is again in black and white that almost asscociates itself with the fact that this album is looking back at Pinks career and is a compillation of her greatest songs. Also the black white choice makes a bold image.
2. Text
The text has also continued on in the sense that it has the same boldness even if it isn't the exact same text of the magazine advert. There isn't any other text included on the front cover apart from the name of the album which is again shown in the top left hand cornor where the posisitioning choice gives it its importance.
3. Image
The image actually contains a closed in midshot of Pink. She is wearing a simple white t-shirt which is contrasted highly to the amount of make up she is wearing especially when it comes to eye makeup. The image does still show the persona of Pink in the sense that she is bitting a chain.
1. Front Cover
1. Colour
The colours are extremely dark, with the actual image being in black and white and the writing be red. The ideas of the colours involved are somewhat gothic in comparison to the much brighter and high volume colours that are associated with pop rock.
2. Text
The text involved is more punk and grunge than anything else. Shown in a almost random font that has big and small letters of different casses assorted randomly. The name of the artist is again shown in a larger text than that of the name of the album.
3. Image
The image is like on the magazine advert I looked at shown on the left hand side of the image and the full image of Pink's face is not actually seen. The left hand side is to the western hemisphere at least the first thing we look at in the sense that we read from left to right. The choice has again been made to simply show the artist. The closeup shot also allows Pink through expression, makeup and costume live up to her rock- pop persona.
1. Colour
This is the actual album that the magazine cover was trying to advertise and they have therefore kept some of the colour scheme - with the pink (which obviously ties into the name of the artist - Pink). The image is again in black and white that almost asscociates itself with the fact that this album is looking back at Pinks career and is a compillation of her greatest songs. Also the black white choice makes a bold image.
2. Text
The text has also continued on in the sense that it has the same boldness even if it isn't the exact same text of the magazine advert. There isn't any other text included on the front cover apart from the name of the album which is again shown in the top left hand cornor where the posisitioning choice gives it its importance.
3. Image
The image actually contains a closed in midshot of Pink. She is wearing a simple white t-shirt which is contrasted highly to the amount of make up she is wearing especially when it comes to eye makeup. The image does still show the persona of Pink in the sense that she is bitting a chain.
Pop Rock Genre
The Pop Rock genre can be described as an upbeat variety of rock music or a sub-genre of pop music that uses catchy pop songs which are typically guitar based. It was first developed in the 1960s in the UK and USA, it has become more mainstream and is a popular music genre at present with well known artists such as Avril Lavigne, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Green Day and the Jonas Brothers. Older artists include Elton John, Madonna, Robbie Williams, Cher and Michael Jackson.
Typical instruments used are: Electric guitars, bass guitars, drums, synthesizers, keyboards and vocal.
In the pop-rock genre, the artists usually have an individualist clothing style which often include black and/ or very bright, bold colours.
Typical instruments used are: Electric guitars, bass guitars, drums, synthesizers, keyboards and vocal.
In the pop-rock genre, the artists usually have an individualist clothing style which often include black and/ or very bright, bold colours.
Ancillary Tasks- Research of Magazine Advert
This is an magazine advert for Pink's album that was being newly released last year. The advert shows clearly the presentation of Pink's character and persona as part of the pop-rock genre that we have been looking at in consideration of our music video. This advert shows the rock-genre through:
1. Colour Scheme
The use of pink and yellow works together to create an extremely bold contrast of colours - which is very pop-rock. As it is accesivily eye catching which is undoubtidly the foundation of what a pop rock is about in the sense of his music.
2. Text
There are four main types of text used within the magazine advert. The main and most important text is the name of the artist, which is shown in extremely large yellow letters - of which the "N" is missing and yet still assumed enough to be left out. The text of the name is not just simple lettering that resemble something of the Arial variety - instead it is slanted and the letters are completly filled in which includes the hole usually associated with the "p". The other styles of text are also extensively bold and written in gradually smaller writting where size is comparitive to importance of the information e.g. "Raise your glass" is the second largest text which is the name of the song which is considered most popular and therefore the one that is selling the new album that is being advertised. The text is also written in white, silver and yellow: the difference of colours and sizes seperates out the different information.
3. Image
The image involved in this magazine is simple and just shows Pink from the shoulders up. She is dressed up in almost stereotypical rock clothes of a black sequened jacket with dark make up and spiked up blond hair - this all adds to her perosona and the persona of the music which is pop rock. The image of Pink is also shown as an slightly off screen.
Ancillary Task- Katy Perry Mag Ad
This is an advert for Katy Perry's album 'One of the Boys'. It shows that it was released 22 September as the date is in clear white bold writing. Although it doesn't have the year on it, when this was first advertised it would have been clear of what year.
A photograph of Katy Perry is the main image with her off centre to the left. The text is written to the side of her, but as she is still the only other large image on this advert, she is still clearly shown as the main image. The main colour scheme is pink and white with other colours such as blues, purple, green and yellow. These colours however are more in the background and don't take away from the main colour scheme.
There is a smaller image of the album cover shown on the right along with the rest of the text. This is shown as the main image on the advert is different to the image on the album. However the images are still closely related in setting and style so it is clear that this is related to the album theme.
The artists image and style is clearly pop as the colours are bright and pink is a main colour. This would appeal to girls and women as the images are targeted at girls, but this advert also acts on male gaze as her outfit is revealing.
Only one song 'I kissed a girl' is featured, but as this was her first successful album, only this song had been a hit at this point and was a well known song. It doesn't clearly state whether it was available for both download and CD, but would most likely be advertising for the CD.
There is a web address 'www.katyperry.com' which is her official website. There is text showing ' Include the #1 Smash hit', this is the only critical quotes shown on the advert. The record company is not represented on this advert.
I chose to look at a Katy Perry advert as she is the artist to our track. We could then find if there were any conventions and styles that were uniquely her own.
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Contacting the Artist..
This is the letter we sent to Katy Perry's management, asking for permission to use the track. We made it very brief and to the point so there is not pages of irrelevant information.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windsor Girls' School
Imperial road,
Windsor, Berkshire,
England, United Kingdom
SL4 3RT
7th November 2011
Katy Perry,
Direct Management Group, Inc
947 North la Cienega Blvd,
Suite G,
Los Angeles, CA 90069
USA
Dear Sir/ Madam,
We are writing to you as sixth form media students from Windsor Girls’ school. Our A2 project is to make a music video, and we chose Katy Perry’s unreleased track ‘Time’s up’. We are contacting you incase there are any issues on your part regarding our video.
If you are interested, you can view the finished project at: http://www.windsoradvancedportfoliogroup1.blogspot.com/
Thank you very much for your time and we hope to hear from you soon.
Yours sincerely,
Jodie Clark, Mollie White, Jade Rainbow and Chloe Roche.
Initial music video ideas..
Some initial music video ideas:
Location
Location can be an element of mis-en-scene that requires lots of planning and permission. But some locations we have taken into consideration are; the 'local' pub, a normal family home, the park, by the riverside etc. These are very brief locations at this moment in our research. Having a few locations will keep the video flowing and interesting to the audience. We will have to work on the plot of the narrative story before discussing further with settings.
Costume & Make-up
Seeing as Katy Perry's videos have a very basic form of make-up and fashion- we would use this as a rough guideline with our costume and make-up. By this we mean that we wouldn't go over the top with outstanding costume and heavy make-up- we would stick to the suttle look that Katy Perry's videos have. An example would be thin black eyeliner, pink/red lipstick and an even coat of foundation. Whereas with costume we've considered using clothes that are in fashion now- but this all depends again on what narrative we choose and who we are casting, as to what they wear. By following this, this may make our music video blend with her style.
Storyline/ Plot of Narrative
- We want the lyrics and visuals to link- so the storyline roughly about a girl who has had enough of a boy for something he has done wrong (linking to the lyrics suggesting 'times up' and 'it looks like its the end'). One example would be a man who has a drinking problem and his partner not putting up with it anymore.
- The storyline would have to be deeply thought about in more detail to then link in all the elements of mis-en-scene.
Camera shots/ angles
- We will have plenty of mid/ wide shots, preferably of important events happening in the video.
- Close up shots of peoples' faces to emphasize emotions and other parts that need the full attention of the audience. We would also use close-up shots for direct narrative.
- Moving shots may also be interesting to put in. Panning and tilting may create a different impact than just plain still shots of things occurring.
- A good selection of different types of shots will keep the audience entertained by seeing things from different perspectives.
Casting
We would like, as Katy Perry's videos include, your average teenagers in our cast. This for us will then be easier to find as we are of that age ourselves, and to make things a lot simpler. This depends on what storyline we focus on, as to who is cast- so if for example we wanted a husband and wife teenagers may not be best suited than if we casted adults. But by including teenagers or adults of around 20/30s, it would appeal more to the target audience as this is the age range most likely to listen to the song and watch the video.
Overall, our rough guideline of looking at Katy Perry's videos and analysing them helped us get a brief understanding of what we want to include in our music video & our first thoughts on what we will include.
Monday, 7 November 2011
Researching the Target Audience
When looking towards who our song and thus our music video would be adressed we had to look at Katy Perry and her contermporaries fans and who their fans are. It is difficult to say with any degree of accuracy what the exacting age range is but the innitial impression is that is mostly teenage girls from the age of about 13 - 17. Although of course there are clear exceptions of this rule for a considerable amount of younger and older fans exist.
This age bracket exists also with other pop rock artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Avril Lavigne who we have also researched. Pop rock compaired to just pop has older fans because of the darker more edgy themes involved in their music. This means that the fans are more likely to be 15 - 20.
Also when looking at Katy Perry and the other artists work they are very much orientated towards female fans. With most of the themes being about a womans reaction to a break up with a man.
This age bracket exists also with other pop rock artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Avril Lavigne who we have also researched. Pop rock compaired to just pop has older fans because of the darker more edgy themes involved in their music. This means that the fans are more likely to be 15 - 20.
Also when looking at Katy Perry and the other artists work they are very much orientated towards female fans. With most of the themes being about a womans reaction to a break up with a man.
Friday, 4 November 2011
Analysing the Lyrics
These are the lyrics for Katy Perrys 'Time's Up'
I've played the song,
Now it drives me crazy
I've run the race
Now I'm too damn lazy
This love of ours
Is a fading photograph yeah yeah
Now I must approach to life today,
Seems a little different,
Hard to say,
But it looks like the end.
Time's up
Promise this time I'll get it off
Better we slam the door shut
Didn't you know if nothing
Changes nothing changes.
Time's up
Promise this time I'll get it off
Better we turn the lights off
Love is a train we wait for it
Even when it's gone.
We've surfed the wave
Now we've hit the short end
We've squeezed the fruit
Till there's no more juice left.
We're both so good
Good at keeping up the lie yeah yeah
Hey but no one's got to die
We can get it in prospective,
Kiss my lips
Life is what we make it.
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/katy-perry-times-up-lyrics.html ]
Time's up
Promise this time I'll get it off
Better we slam the door shut
Didn't you know if nothing
Changes nothing changes.
Time's up,
Promise this time I'll get it off
Better we turn the lights off
Love is a train we wait for it
Even when it's gone.
As I'm waving you goodbye
I want you to smile
Save a picture in your frame
File it right next to my name
I'm willing to die
For love willing to try
But not willing to lie for love
I know that this cakes already baked
Now it's burning burning.
We can get it in prospective,
Kiss my lips
Life is what we make it
Time's up
Promise this time I'll get it off
Better we slam the door shut,
Didn't you know if nothing
Changes nothing changes.
Times up,
Promise this time I'll get it off
Better we turn the lights off
Love is a train we wait for it yeah yeah
Even when it's gone.
Time's up,
Promise this time I get enough,
Promise this time I'll get it off
Love is a train we wait for it
Even when it's gone
This song is about a relationship that is failing and she is sick of him. She talks about this relationship coming to the end as nothing changes. But they seem to try and work the relationship out, but doesn't work out. This is a break up song and is about love, so we need to encorperate this into the narrative so there is a link to lyrics and the narrative.
I've played the song,
Now it drives me crazy
I've run the race
Now I'm too damn lazy
This love of ours
Is a fading photograph yeah yeah
Now I must approach to life today,
Seems a little different,
Hard to say,
But it looks like the end.
Time's up
Promise this time I'll get it off
Better we slam the door shut
Didn't you know if nothing
Changes nothing changes.
Time's up
Promise this time I'll get it off
Better we turn the lights off
Love is a train we wait for it
Even when it's gone.
We've surfed the wave
Now we've hit the short end
We've squeezed the fruit
Till there's no more juice left.
We're both so good
Good at keeping up the lie yeah yeah
Hey but no one's got to die
We can get it in prospective,
Kiss my lips
Life is what we make it.
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/katy-perry-times-up-lyrics.html ]
Time's up
Promise this time I'll get it off
Better we slam the door shut
Didn't you know if nothing
Changes nothing changes.
Time's up,
Promise this time I'll get it off
Better we turn the lights off
Love is a train we wait for it
Even when it's gone.
As I'm waving you goodbye
I want you to smile
Save a picture in your frame
File it right next to my name
I'm willing to die
For love willing to try
But not willing to lie for love
I know that this cakes already baked
Now it's burning burning.
We can get it in prospective,
Kiss my lips
Life is what we make it
Time's up
Promise this time I'll get it off
Better we slam the door shut,
Didn't you know if nothing
Changes nothing changes.
Times up,
Promise this time I'll get it off
Better we turn the lights off
Love is a train we wait for it yeah yeah
Even when it's gone.
Time's up,
Promise this time I get enough,
Promise this time I'll get it off
Love is a train we wait for it
Even when it's gone
This song is about a relationship that is failing and she is sick of him. She talks about this relationship coming to the end as nothing changes. But they seem to try and work the relationship out, but doesn't work out. This is a break up song and is about love, so we need to encorperate this into the narrative so there is a link to lyrics and the narrative.
Environmental conditions
Although the British weather can often be unpredictable, we would prefer to film when the weather is dry and sunny so that there is plenty of light and we wouldn't have to worry about getting light sources from lamps etc whilst filming. It would be easier if the weather was dry as we would then not have to worry about protecting the camera from rain and getting clothes wet from being on the wet ground. It would also mean that we wouldn't have to go through mud to film some of the scenes in the field.
Even though the weather was sunny, it was still cold as it was the autumn season. Our actor wore a vest top and jeggings which is more of a summer outfit so she was cold during this shoot at times. This could have been difficult as in some shots she could have goosebumps or shivering etc from being cold but in others she would be fine. We luckily didn't have this problem. Even though it was cold outside, it wasn't clearly visible and we used this costume as it was a style that would be used in a music video of this genre.
Wind was something we had to think about. f it was too windy and we repeated filming some shots on a different day, in some shots it could be clearly windy with the actors hair getting blown around whilst in others it wouldn't move. The wind could create a good effect but it would need to be the same level in the shots of the same scene.
Even though the weather was sunny, it was still cold as it was the autumn season. Our actor wore a vest top and jeggings which is more of a summer outfit so she was cold during this shoot at times. This could have been difficult as in some shots she could have goosebumps or shivering etc from being cold but in others she would be fine. We luckily didn't have this problem. Even though it was cold outside, it wasn't clearly visible and we used this costume as it was a style that would be used in a music video of this genre.
Wind was something we had to think about. f it was too windy and we repeated filming some shots on a different day, in some shots it could be clearly windy with the actors hair getting blown around whilst in others it wouldn't move. The wind could create a good effect but it would need to be the same level in the shots of the same scene.
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Evaluation: Filming. Monday 17th Oct.
Originally we were planning to film all the scenes that the guy was in; this includes the scenes in the pub and the interior shots in the house. Unfortunatley our male actor pulled out at the last minute and deadlines meant we couldn't find a replacement in time.
We therefore improvised by altering the narrative so his scenes were no longer necessary. It wasn't what we had set out to do and we did lose the image we had planned of a dramatic break up between a man and a woman. Instead the male character was left to the audience's imagination- having left a note.
The new narrative showed the fiance getting back from shopping and finding the note. She waits for him, goes to sleep and finds that in the morning the male character has still not returned. She gets very angry, packs her bags and leaves.
All in all the filming worked out well, we got plenty of footage and could then invision our new story linking to our previous ideas.
We therefore improvised by altering the narrative so his scenes were no longer necessary. It wasn't what we had set out to do and we did lose the image we had planned of a dramatic break up between a man and a woman. Instead the male character was left to the audience's imagination- having left a note.
The new narrative showed the fiance getting back from shopping and finding the note. She waits for him, goes to sleep and finds that in the morning the male character has still not returned. She gets very angry, packs her bags and leaves.
All in all the filming worked out well, we got plenty of footage and could then invision our new story linking to our previous ideas.
Photoshop
We used photoshop to edit a picture of our choice. This was to help us to get familiar with and learn how to use the software to prepare us for when we create our magazine cover.
Having never used Photoshop before, we found there were hundreds of options to edit our photos. We used only a few of them, for example: the cutting tool, the layering technique, the warp tool, and some others.
With further experimentation we will be able to finess our magazine and digipak.
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| This is the original photograph we used to practice our Photoshop skills. |
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