Thursday, 20 December 2012

Evaluating Student's Digipak



Distorture
 

This particular digipak is quite effective as it looks professional  The group came up with a good idea and did not over use colours and instead kept it consistent  They stuck to a theme which seems to be blood and worked around the concept to come up with a digipak that revolves the colour red mainly. The images are quite simple but effective  The images and the colour scheme match nicely. The main image of the is album is of a bleeding hand and this is used number of times with different angles across the digipak. The title of the album 'Distorture' is almost used as a pun as it has the word 'torture in in and is also represented by the use of blood but however has the 'dis' in front which conflicts the meaning.The tracks are written at the back of the cover which shows that they have followed the conventions of a digipak. The position of the CD is in the middle is again another convention and they have thought about this carefully as the cover behind the plastic is simple and so has no important aspect that will be covered after placing the CD. The use of white and red contrasts each other providing a clear division which again is very effective.


End of Time


This digipak is again quite simple. In comparison to the one above, 'Distorture' this one looks a little less professional as they used one girl as the focus of the album and stuck to only that. I like the use of different angles of the girl  for the back cover as it looks like they are promoting the artist of the album. The concept behind this digipak is very simple as they used a very simple idea of the image of the girl in number of shades and tones. They did not think about making it original and complex by using unique close ups and other props for images, instead they stuck to the very basic which they have used successfully.The use of the autograph is effective as it acts as a signature for the vocalist throughout her albums and so again promotes the artist by providing the fans with something. The theme of the digipak is quite girly which correspond well with the images. They have used the autograph again on the back cover with the tracks listed over it. I particularly like the inside where the CD is embedded as it sticks to the theme of an image of the girl with her autograph once again. The front cover could have been better by only in cooperating one image of the girl in a particular angle which will be able to attract buyers instead of using the same image twice, overlapping them in different colours. This makes it look less professional and overly simple. 


Blame


This digipak is quite a poor quality. However they are some aspect that I like, for example the use of the close up  of the station sign is very effective as it only shows one angle and also locates the artist of the alum. The colours used throughout the digipak is earthy and dull which sets a mood for the album and its songs. I also like the panel that has the guitar leaning on the wall. It gives the album and indie feel and the graffiti behind it gives a sense of modern and relate able look which will attract buyers. The front cover is quite poor as it is very basic. The image is bland and simple. The use of black white is effective but may not accompany well with the rest of the digipak which has elements of different colours. There is not much originality on the front or back cover. The group clearly has not thought about this carefully before making the digipak as the middle section if the digipak where the CD will be embedded has the lyrics written over it which will be difficult to read after the plastic and the CD is placed over it. This has therefore gone to waste and shows that the group have not analysed it well before the making. The idea if having the lyrics across the panel is appealing as this digipak is promoting one single and not a album so it only consist of one song. Therefore by having the lyrics of the single will give the fans something to read and sing along. They have made the back cover look professional by having  a bar code at the bottom and the company logo. The text on the back cover informs about the rights reserved by the universal company and gives the digipak and good finish.

Monday, 3 December 2012

DigiPak

A Digipak is a type of CD box especially made for special editions and re-released albums.  The are essentially folded piece of cardboard in a number of panels with the CD embedded in the middle. Certain Digipaks may include posters, booklets and postcards relevant to the music content of the album or single to accompany the CD. 
The Digipak style became popular in the early 2000s as the idea of having extra illustration and information to promote Band, Artist or Record Label intrigued them. 
The are a number of purpose for using a DigiPak as it promotes the sales of the artist which therefore will enable more profit. Through adverts and images the album becomes more popular and so it is able to attract for potential buyers. It also gives the fans a reason to still buy a physical copy of  a CD instead of downloading them from iTunes. During this generation, the Internet has made it easier to purchase music through websites at ones connivence, however they lack the 'other content' which makes the album more personal and unique. Digipaks on the other had contains various photos, lyrics, autographs and other aspects that still remains to attract buyers into purchasing CD.   







Wednesday, 28 November 2012

Logo Designs

Possible Band Names


With the help of our individual ideas and Wikipedia's random articles, I came up with potential names for our band. Many of the unique and usual words interested me however they did not reflect our genre therefore we could not use them. We narrowed it down to more conventional names such as Indigo, Glass Eye etc. Finally we decided on 'The Format' which has been approved by the whole group and seems suitable for a band name of  a pop punk genre. 

Monday, 26 November 2012

Final Cut Express Trial



This demonstrated my final cut skills. We had a trial lesson on this to become familiar with the   advance tools of FCE. In this video I have illustrated how ton change the pitch of the sound, how to green screen in different backgrounds and also shown number of other effects that can be used to enter or exit the screen.

Floor Plans

Production Schedule & Contingency Plans


Permission Letter

Permisson Letter The Reply

Location Recce


Budget

A Level Budget Template

Casting

Audition Script



Boy audition…

(Scenario two girls like me not sure what to do, one is blonde and one is brunette) I don’t like any of them I’m just a flirty guy look for fun…

boy: (Talks on the phone to his friend) Ahh man I don’t know what to do, they’re both fit, but so annoying to  hang around with.

Friend: Just go along with it you’ll be fine

Boy: (hangs up phone cool kid impression walk off..) I’ve never been in love with anybody before, this is crazy, what if I’m falling for them both? Ahh I’m confuse man, wait why am I talking to myself?  This is crazy, well there might be someone else in the end; I’m just going to go along with it…


Girl auditions

(Scenario girl really likes a guy) I really like this guy, but arghh this girl she is always competing against me with everything! She likes him too what do I do!? I’m so confused and I just really want him!

Friend on the phone: Chase him up, make him yours! You can do it!!

Girl: Well I got to go back into college and do work I’ll talk to you after cool?

Friend: okay cool I’ll talk to you later

Girl: (talks to herself) I really need to get him! He’d make the best boyfriend; I’d show him off to my friends and GOSH he is soo fit! I can make all the girls jealous and I’ll show that girl who is boss!

Character Profile


Crew Requirement


Sunday, 18 November 2012

Costume, Prop & Equipment List

Costume, Prop and Equipment List

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

Target Audience

Target Audience Profile

Final Animatic

Final Story Board

Storyboards

Draft Story Board

Scanner@Harrissouthnorwood.org.Uk 20121109 124828

Shooting Script

Shooting Script

Lyrical Analysis

Lyrics Analysis 2

Mood Board


Inspirational Video- Green Screen

http://hasnmedia.wistia.com/medias/0029ovnvb8

Idea Treatment


Copyright Letter

Copyright Letter

Wednesday, 3 October 2012

Analysing Existing A2 Music Videos



 This is a good example of an A2 music video.The song is about girls ruling and therefore the use of only girls in the performance makes sense. The video shows a lot of passion and commitment as the video displays a lot of effort put into it. The technical aspects of the video is also very effective and impressive, they use quite a few flashing lights which is a convention in pop videos. The use of different camera angles is also effective especially the close up of the performers as they are singing. The costumes match very well with the concept of the song. The use of black outfits is perfect for a song that emphasise women power and all the performers have coordinating outfits. The location used were also good, the isolated fields in a great place for shooting as there is minimum disturbance however they could have experimented a little more. The use of the tunnel is really good as it looks professional and fits all the performers perfectly. There were some repetition in the chorus which could have been improved. The props used works according and are appropriate. The use of the megaphone towards the ending represents dominant. They also managed to use effects using the computer which is a bonus element as it shows that they are able to use cameras as well as advanced programming. The ending shot was quite dodgy though and could have been better.


 

 The Pretty Reckless zombie video originally falls under the Gothic genre.Therefore the A2 music video have met the criteria of the 'Gothic Horror Genre' The locations used match perfectly with the genre of the music, the use of forest and the church creates suspense and establish the mood of the music video.The outlook of the character also suits the genre of the music. The girl has piercings on her face and short hair which represents Gothic. However the acting was not that great as most of it look unprofessional and fake. The narrative behind it was quite simple but obvious, it went with the lyrics of the song. The flashing images in between the video that shows the girl in the dark was also effective as it showed a contrast between light and dark. The idea of the girl waking up in the jungle and being alone in the house is a little unrealistic. The props used were again appropriate for the genre, the use of fake blood was good however in some extent was a little unrealistic. The very last scene in the bath was one of the best parts of the video. I particularly liked the scene in the bath tub when the cross falls into the bath and blood appears. This is very effective and portrays a meaning. The last close up of the girl's hand slowly dropping into the bath is very effective and is a good end to the video.I wouldn't personally like to do a horror genre, however I still believe that was a good music video.




Finally the last music video I am going to be analysing in Lady Gaga telephone. I really enjoyed this music video as it both a smile to my face. I believe that entertaining the audience is a major aspect of all media text. This music video is lively and energetic and quite nice to watch however some of the aspects of the video could be improved. For example the use of locations could have been better, the use of streets is not that appealing, they could have put more effort into choosing the locations. Although the park is a nice place for the music video however it does not really go with the narrative and lyrics of the song. The camera work was pretty good as the camera was very steady however they could have experimented more with different shots and angles. The best part of the video were the roundabout shots where both he girls turn around and sing at the same time. I thought that was a interesting and effective idea. The props that they used were again appropriate, I particularly liked the use of phones in the middle of the park and using public phone boxes too. The repetition and pauses during the chorus was again effective but a little repetitive at times. The acting was not that great, one of the girl showed real enthusiasm and the other was not as much. The make up of the characters were reflective to Lady Gaga as she loves to experiment with her outfits and make up to a extreme level. The use of the hat was also a nice comparison to Gaga. I especially liked the ending of the video where the music stops but the visual continues for a few seconds. This is very effective and gives a real feel to the video.

Codes & Conventions

Codes & Conventions

Thursday, 27 September 2012

The Star Theory- Richard Dyer

The Narrative Theories

Vladimir Propp
Propp's introduced the theory that there are a set of characters which appear in every storyline these consist of 8 roles: 
- Hero- Person on the quest
- Princess- Prize for the hero, does not necessarily have to a women. 
- Helper- Helps the hero on the quest
- False Hero- somebody who believes are the hero 
 - Dispatcher- sends the hero on the quest
 - Father- Rewards the Hero
                                                      - Villain- attempts to stop the hero on the quest, interferes can be evil
                                                      - Donor- Provides an object to help the Hero on the quest 

Levi-Strauss
Strauss theory suggests that there are some sort of binary opposition in every media text or there is a conflict between the two opposites.The audience are aware of which side to support and this theory provides the audience with an interesting concept and allows them to make their own decision.For example:
- Good & Bad
- Rich & Poor
 - Love & Hate
 - Black & White

Todorov
This theory states that there are five major stages of every media text, these are as follows:
- Original Equilibrium- (Reality/ Normality)
- Disruption ( in the storyline or narrative)
- Recognition ( of the disruption)
- Attempt to Restore ( the original equilibrium) 
- New Equilibrium ( the final stage)



Roland Barthes
Barthes identified 5 different stages which engages the audience. These are in order of importance: 
- The Enigma code- the audience is intrigued by the need to solve the problem
- The Action code- the audience is thrilled and excited to see the problem being resolved
- The Semantic Code- an additional meaning by way of connotation that the audience is directed towards 
- The Symbolic Code- certain symbols set by the society and norms that                  makes the audience assume in certain ways. 
The Cultural Code-  the audience is aware of meanings that are accepted by the world in the same way.

Friday, 29 June 2012

Thursday, 14 June 2012

THE Brief

Today we've been issued with our brief for our A2 Media project, music video.  The brief is a promotional package for the release of a new album, which consist of music promo video, together with a website homepage for the band and a cover for its release as a part of a digipak.  (CD/DVD package). (=