Friday 16 December 2011
Tuesday 29 November 2011
Monday 28 November 2011
Digi-Pack 'In the Making Of'
Along side our practical work of organising and filming our music videos we also have a side project of designing the Digi-Pack. This design will be a representation of the band and the type of genre they are.
The name of our album is 'Burn Out'. I began with my first attempt a while back which was created before we had filmed the video or styled the band. I was simply designing the cover on the basis of the name 'Burn Out'.
(image of album)
After producing this album cover I showed it to the rest of the group who decided we should come up with some more design ideas. So for my second attempt I designed another album cover using fire. Although this is a typical convention for the title 'Burn' I think that It worked well for this project.
(front cover)
After creating the front cover I turned to the back cover which wasn't centred as much towards the design side, but instead the information that was needed. We had to come up with the names of the rest of the songs on the album. Also I had to add in the information that goes towards the production of the album, the barcode and the symbol of the record company.
All these factors were compiled together in order to create a realistic back cover.
(back cover)
Finally I created the two inside panels of the Digi-pack which consisted of a burnt out version of the front cover, and an image of the lead singer.
(Left and Right panel)
Once I had finished designing the four panels I put them together on a template of the digi-pack in order to show the final product of the album.
Personally I am pleased with the outcome. I think that it was a good idea to not go with my first design because it leaves more room for experimentation. Also the colour scheme of the album is consistent throughout, including the image of the lead singer which we took on the shoot day.
(finished template)
The name of our album is 'Burn Out'. I began with my first attempt a while back which was created before we had filmed the video or styled the band. I was simply designing the cover on the basis of the name 'Burn Out'.
(image of album)
After producing this album cover I showed it to the rest of the group who decided we should come up with some more design ideas. So for my second attempt I designed another album cover using fire. Although this is a typical convention for the title 'Burn' I think that It worked well for this project.
(front cover)
After creating the front cover I turned to the back cover which wasn't centred as much towards the design side, but instead the information that was needed. We had to come up with the names of the rest of the songs on the album. Also I had to add in the information that goes towards the production of the album, the barcode and the symbol of the record company.
All these factors were compiled together in order to create a realistic back cover.
(back cover)
Finally I created the two inside panels of the Digi-pack which consisted of a burnt out version of the front cover, and an image of the lead singer.
(Left and Right panel)
Once I had finished designing the four panels I put them together on a template of the digi-pack in order to show the final product of the album.
Personally I am pleased with the outcome. I think that it was a good idea to not go with my first design because it leaves more room for experimentation. Also the colour scheme of the album is consistent throughout, including the image of the lead singer which we took on the shoot day.
(finished template)
Friday 18 November 2011
Feedback
There are some good comments about the shoot day. Rather than have one length post, try 3/4 teasing out one point that you would like to make on each. I feel that the use of more images will help present the day in a much better light. What role did you have on the day of the shoot. This needs to have been blogged! You have such strong visual images - these need to be commented upon and linked to concept of mise en scene and star image?
Evaluation of Shoot Day
Looking back on our shoot day I found that it went better than I thought it would. I thought that, having three different elements of a video to shoot would be too complicated and time consuming and I was worried that we wouldn't be able to film it all in time.
However, due to an amazing performance by all of our band members who were focused and put in a lot of effort resulted in our music video becoming less stressful to film. Another aspect of the music video that I was worried about were the projections. Because we were dealing with a completely blank set we were relying on lighting and projections to create the USP of our video.
Fortunately we spent a lot of time compiling our projections and in the end we had four different sets of images which we used. This meant that we had different colour schemes being projected which created an abstract setting that was perfect for our video.
After filming the performance and abstract parts of our video we finished with the narrative scenes. I was also slightly worried that our band members would not be able to pull off the 'brain washed' face that was required when the projections hit them. However after filming those scenes I was pleased with the outcome.
One aspect that we incorporated into our music video that wasn't planned was the use of slow motion. In two cases, one being the smash of the lightbulb, and the other being the bucket being kicked and water pouring out were filmed in slow motion. Considering the fact that the song we chose has slow moments and high moments when the tempo picks up I think that the use of the slow motion shots will fit in nicely to either represent the climax of the tempo at that point, or be used during the slow parts of the song. Either way the footage will fit in well.
All together I am very pleased with the outcome of our music video. Looking back on the footage now I don't think there is anything that I would have filmed differently. Now that our shoot day is over we will now move onto the editing process, compiling our footage together to create the final result of our course work.
However, due to an amazing performance by all of our band members who were focused and put in a lot of effort resulted in our music video becoming less stressful to film. Another aspect of the music video that I was worried about were the projections. Because we were dealing with a completely blank set we were relying on lighting and projections to create the USP of our video.
Fortunately we spent a lot of time compiling our projections and in the end we had four different sets of images which we used. This meant that we had different colour schemes being projected which created an abstract setting that was perfect for our video.
After filming the performance and abstract parts of our video we finished with the narrative scenes. I was also slightly worried that our band members would not be able to pull off the 'brain washed' face that was required when the projections hit them. However after filming those scenes I was pleased with the outcome.
One aspect that we incorporated into our music video that wasn't planned was the use of slow motion. In two cases, one being the smash of the lightbulb, and the other being the bucket being kicked and water pouring out were filmed in slow motion. Considering the fact that the song we chose has slow moments and high moments when the tempo picks up I think that the use of the slow motion shots will fit in nicely to either represent the climax of the tempo at that point, or be used during the slow parts of the song. Either way the footage will fit in well.
All together I am very pleased with the outcome of our music video. Looking back on the footage now I don't think there is anything that I would have filmed differently. Now that our shoot day is over we will now move onto the editing process, compiling our footage together to create the final result of our course work.
Account of Shoot Day
On Tuesday the 15th of November we shot our video for the song 'My Medicine' by The Pretty Reckless. At 9am we rounded up our band members and went to the studio. We began with preparing the set for the performance shots whilst dressing our band members in their costumes and make-up. Unfortunately our lead singer was feeling ill due to her video shoot the previous day. However she managed to perform incredibly well when it came to filming so we were lucky in that perspective.
Our performance stage was easy to set up because we had a simple black set with just instruments and lighting as we had planned before the shoot day. Looking back on our planning we managed to stick to the original setting which was with the stage lighting as props along with another camera being used as a prop.
Using the second camera as a prop was an idea that I'm glad we used. It enabled us to get some interesting shots of our lead singer Talisa singing into the camera and it also made it clear to the audience that the band was filming themselves.
We spent a couple of hours filming the performance shots which consisted of wide shots of the whole band and close up shots of the individual members. Even though the set up wasn't that interesting it's helpful that we got that footage so we can use it when we have gaps to fill during the editing process.
After finishing the performance shots we moved onto filming the abstract part of the video. This consisted of us clearing up the stage so that we had nothing but a chair which our lead singer Talisa began sat down on at the beginning of the sequence. We then proceeded to setting up the projectors. In the end we only used four of the five projectors because we only needed to use four different angles of projections. Each projector was set up in a separate direction at a different level so that there was difference in the levels of lighting.
Whilst we were filming we had a tv monitor where we could view exactly how the footage looked. During the shoot we alternated our shots with using a tripod and also taking the camera off the try-pod so it was hand held.
For the narrative shots we used the tripod because we didn't require any movement, whereas when we were shooting the performance and abstract footage we also took the camera off the tripod in order to record some more interesting and different footage which would make our video more unique.
What I enjoyed filming the most were the abstract shots because they consisted of a lot of different levelled shots. We also used a lot of close up shots of Talisa in order to capture the clarity of the projections on her which as a result looked very dynamic and i was pleased with the outcome.
Our performance stage was easy to set up because we had a simple black set with just instruments and lighting as we had planned before the shoot day. Looking back on our planning we managed to stick to the original setting which was with the stage lighting as props along with another camera being used as a prop.
Using the second camera as a prop was an idea that I'm glad we used. It enabled us to get some interesting shots of our lead singer Talisa singing into the camera and it also made it clear to the audience that the band was filming themselves.
We spent a couple of hours filming the performance shots which consisted of wide shots of the whole band and close up shots of the individual members. Even though the set up wasn't that interesting it's helpful that we got that footage so we can use it when we have gaps to fill during the editing process.
After finishing the performance shots we moved onto filming the abstract part of the video. This consisted of us clearing up the stage so that we had nothing but a chair which our lead singer Talisa began sat down on at the beginning of the sequence. We then proceeded to setting up the projectors. In the end we only used four of the five projectors because we only needed to use four different angles of projections. Each projector was set up in a separate direction at a different level so that there was difference in the levels of lighting.
Whilst we were filming we had a tv monitor where we could view exactly how the footage looked. During the shoot we alternated our shots with using a tripod and also taking the camera off the try-pod so it was hand held.
For the narrative shots we used the tripod because we didn't require any movement, whereas when we were shooting the performance and abstract footage we also took the camera off the tripod in order to record some more interesting and different footage which would make our video more unique.
What I enjoyed filming the most were the abstract shots because they consisted of a lot of different levelled shots. We also used a lot of close up shots of Talisa in order to capture the clarity of the projections on her which as a result looked very dynamic and i was pleased with the outcome.
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Projectors
Today, being the 9th of November means that we only have five days until our shoot day. We thought that we should organise our projectors sooner than later. So today we have collected the three projectors from the theatre department along with VGA cables and stored them in the editing suite for the time being.
Tomorrow we are collecting the final two projectors and cables from the IT department and adding them to the rest so that we have the projectors ready for our shoot day. Now that we have organised our main element of the music video we can now focus more on the actual projections.
So far we have started constructing our image montage, which we should hopefully be able to finish by the end of the week.
Tomorrow we are collecting the final two projectors and cables from the IT department and adding them to the rest so that we have the projectors ready for our shoot day. Now that we have organised our main element of the music video we can now focus more on the actual projections.
So far we have started constructing our image montage, which we should hopefully be able to finish by the end of the week.
Digi Pack design
Now that we have established the style of the music video and the genre of the band it has been easier to design the album artwork based on these conventions. The title of the album is 'Burn Out' so we have centred the artwork of the album around the imagery of this title.
I spent time on the weekend designing the image. I decided to use rope to make the band logo, covered it in flammable oil and set it on fire. I then took images of the rope slowly burning out so that I had a documentation of the flame getting weaker. I then took the images to photo shop where i manipulated the design in post production to make it look more sophisticated.
I decided to use the rope in bright flames as the front cover, then the image of the rope burnt out as one of the inside covers. In order to keep continuity throughout the digi pack I then edited the background of the image to cover the whole frame for the back cover where the track listing will go.
I haven't designed the forth cover yet because I am planning on taking photographs of the band in the studio to use for the final cover.
So far these are the images that I have constructed for our album artwork:
Front Cover
Inside cover
I spent time on the weekend designing the image. I decided to use rope to make the band logo, covered it in flammable oil and set it on fire. I then took images of the rope slowly burning out so that I had a documentation of the flame getting weaker. I then took the images to photo shop where i manipulated the design in post production to make it look more sophisticated.
I decided to use the rope in bright flames as the front cover, then the image of the rope burnt out as one of the inside covers. In order to keep continuity throughout the digi pack I then edited the background of the image to cover the whole frame for the back cover where the track listing will go.
I haven't designed the forth cover yet because I am planning on taking photographs of the band in the studio to use for the final cover.
So far these are the images that I have constructed for our album artwork:
Tuesday 1 November 2011
Update
15 Days away from our shoot day we have started to finalise all the neccessary elements of our music video. Checking back over our costume and prop lists we have noted down what we have and haven't got already.
For the props, we have most of what we need on the list. However, the projection element is becoming more difficult to sort out. The projectors are the main point of focus, requiring them is a neccessity and we have asked different departments for them so we will have to return once they have found out if they can supply them or not, along with the USB cables needed to connect the laptop to them. We will also have to aquire five different laptops that we can stream the 'brainwash' content from onto the the projectors.
It is important that we keep revisiting our prop list because each time I might remember another object that we need to get for the benefit of our music video
For the props, we have most of what we need on the list. However, the projection element is becoming more difficult to sort out. The projectors are the main point of focus, requiring them is a neccessity and we have asked different departments for them so we will have to return once they have found out if they can supply them or not, along with the USB cables needed to connect the laptop to them. We will also have to aquire five different laptops that we can stream the 'brainwash' content from onto the the projectors.
It is important that we keep revisiting our prop list because each time I might remember another object that we need to get for the benefit of our music video
Sunday 23 October 2011
Shoot day Schedule
We've made sure to be as practical and efficient as possible when planning this shooting schedule, not wasting any of our own or castmembers' time.
Monday 17 October 2011
Copyright Permission
To legally use this song our group would have notify thwe copyright holders of the track.
The original band, The Pretty Reckless are signed to Interscope Records, who are owned by Universal Music Group. Therefore we wrote an email to their licensing department as shown below:
The original band, The Pretty Reckless are signed to Interscope Records, who are owned by Universal Music Group. Therefore we wrote an email to their licensing department as shown below:
Friday 14 October 2011
Feedback
This is really proficient work - there are evident clear accounts of your planning and research for your music video production day after half term. I like the way in which decision making is evident along with reflection and revisions - do let us know what these developments are on your blog.
Your cast list has been agreed and you need to be working on the set design and organisation of production. There are one or two ways to develop the blog. First to begin using a wider range of blogging tools - there are lots of well presented images, but use of Flickr or powerpoint will increase the creativity that is shown on your blog.
Second the valid, detailed and reflective comments that you make need to be developed further with key media concepts and theoretical ideas; for example, link the planning to star image, or how set design and lighting link to mise en scene and/ or what model's of lighting you are using in relation to your set - key, fill, directional, discuss the intensity and colour and what you are trying to represent about your artist.
Your cast list has been agreed and you need to be working on the set design and organisation of production. There are one or two ways to develop the blog. First to begin using a wider range of blogging tools - there are lots of well presented images, but use of Flickr or powerpoint will increase the creativity that is shown on your blog.
Second the valid, detailed and reflective comments that you make need to be developed further with key media concepts and theoretical ideas; for example, link the planning to star image, or how set design and lighting link to mise en scene and/ or what model's of lighting you are using in relation to your set - key, fill, directional, discuss the intensity and colour and what you are trying to represent about your artist.
Thursday 13 October 2011
feedback from Dan
This lesson we had the set designer Dan come in to discuss with us what we wanted for our sets. We pitched our ideas to him and he has noted down everything we require. Luckily for our group we have planned to only use basic sets so we can focus more on shot choices and lighting which will hopefully work to our advantage.
We are now a step closer in the process of producing our music videos
We are now a step closer in the process of producing our music videos
Set/Lighting Designs
For our music video we have composed different set and lighting ideas to alternate with during filming. We have divided these sets up in three categories; Narrative, Abstract and Performance.
For the Narrative sets we have come up with four different scenarios. Each scenario requires a fairly basic set because we are focusing mainly on lighting and the use of projectors. We have decided to use a black set for each scene so that the projections show up far clearer.
We have decided to show four mundane jobs which the general public might do in their everyday life, whether its their job or just a daily monotonous routine.
1st scene- We have someone mopping the floor with dirty water in a bucket. The set is blank, dark, with the use of water proof flooring so that you can see the water on the floor. The subtle light will be coming from an entrance from a door. The projector lights with be coming from on the front of the set.
2nd scene- Again the set is black and we are going to set up a desk with a computer and keyboard. Someone is working at the desk with the subtle lighting coming from the screen. Then the projections will turn on from the floor.
3rd scene- The 3rd scene is someone sitting at a desk with their newspaper, perhaps a subtle light from above them. the room is plain black and the projector will come on during the scene.
4th scene- The final scene is someone on a step ladder, with a box of lightbulbs on the floor. He is trying to screw in a lighting bulb from an extended cable from the ceiling. The subtle light is again from the door and the projector is on the floor.
For the performance set we require a plain black set. ALl that will be on the set is the musicians and their instruments, the stage lighting and the cameras. The lighting we have decided to use is an alternation between red and yellow in order to make the performance bold and dramatic. Stereotypically a rock band would use similar lighting for their performances so we are conforming to that stereotype.
Finally for the abstract scene we are focusing mainly on lighting again. The room will be black and we are using 5 different projectors in the same room. The dark room means that the different projections will be bold and powerful on the single figure (the lead singer) making her way across the room.
For the Narrative sets we have come up with four different scenarios. Each scenario requires a fairly basic set because we are focusing mainly on lighting and the use of projectors. We have decided to use a black set for each scene so that the projections show up far clearer.
We have decided to show four mundane jobs which the general public might do in their everyday life, whether its their job or just a daily monotonous routine.
1st scene- We have someone mopping the floor with dirty water in a bucket. The set is blank, dark, with the use of water proof flooring so that you can see the water on the floor. The subtle light will be coming from an entrance from a door. The projector lights with be coming from on the front of the set.
2nd scene- Again the set is black and we are going to set up a desk with a computer and keyboard. Someone is working at the desk with the subtle lighting coming from the screen. Then the projections will turn on from the floor.
3rd scene- The 3rd scene is someone sitting at a desk with their newspaper, perhaps a subtle light from above them. the room is plain black and the projector will come on during the scene.
4th scene- The final scene is someone on a step ladder, with a box of lightbulbs on the floor. He is trying to screw in a lighting bulb from an extended cable from the ceiling. The subtle light is again from the door and the projector is on the floor.
For the performance set we require a plain black set. ALl that will be on the set is the musicians and their instruments, the stage lighting and the cameras. The lighting we have decided to use is an alternation between red and yellow in order to make the performance bold and dramatic. Stereotypically a rock band would use similar lighting for their performances so we are conforming to that stereotype.
Finally for the abstract scene we are focusing mainly on lighting again. The room will be black and we are using 5 different projectors in the same room. The dark room means that the different projections will be bold and powerful on the single figure (the lead singer) making her way across the room.
Prop List
I have compiled a list of images showing the props that we require in our music video. Again this is another task that helps with our organisation in terms of preparation for our music video.
Wednesday 12 October 2011
Story board animatic evaluation
The story board animatic task was set in order to help each group visualise their music videos in a more helpful way before the actual filming takes place. The process of this task was first, for each group to draw out their story boards on paper, containing each shot that they want in their music videos.
However looking at the stages of the music video on paper is harder to visualise as opposed to making a video, composing all the images together in order so that we have some idea of exactly how we want to shoot our music video.
Our group began story boarding with our initial idea. However what happened to us, along with many other groups is that our ideas altered here and there. This made it difficult to story board because some peoples ideas changed altogether. Initially our video concept was based around a typical teenage house party, dealing with the social views on drug consumption, but we progressed with other ideas to end up with a completely different concept which has turned out to be more complex.
After we had drawn out our story boards we stuck all our cut out images on a big piece of paper in order. We then took a camera and filmed each image for ten seconds or so, continuing throughout the entire story board. After collecting the footage we took it to the edit suite where we downloaded the content onto Final Cut Pro where we edited the shots together in time to the music.
The animatic helped our group progress further with our ideas because is allowed us to take a step back and make the decision whether we wanted our music video to be exactly what we were watching now. After the animatics were completed and uploaded onto our blogs we showed them to the class and teachers in order to get feedback. What's happened with our video is that, we have received feedback from our teachers which we have decided to act upon. We were given ideas on how to improve our video further which has now altered the animatic we have produced.
However i do not consider our animatic to be a waste of time just because it isn't going to be exactly what we film. Instead i think that it was a crucial step forward into finalising our music video idea.
However looking at the stages of the music video on paper is harder to visualise as opposed to making a video, composing all the images together in order so that we have some idea of exactly how we want to shoot our music video.
Our group began story boarding with our initial idea. However what happened to us, along with many other groups is that our ideas altered here and there. This made it difficult to story board because some peoples ideas changed altogether. Initially our video concept was based around a typical teenage house party, dealing with the social views on drug consumption, but we progressed with other ideas to end up with a completely different concept which has turned out to be more complex.
After we had drawn out our story boards we stuck all our cut out images on a big piece of paper in order. We then took a camera and filmed each image for ten seconds or so, continuing throughout the entire story board. After collecting the footage we took it to the edit suite where we downloaded the content onto Final Cut Pro where we edited the shots together in time to the music.
The animatic helped our group progress further with our ideas because is allowed us to take a step back and make the decision whether we wanted our music video to be exactly what we were watching now. After the animatics were completed and uploaded onto our blogs we showed them to the class and teachers in order to get feedback. What's happened with our video is that, we have received feedback from our teachers which we have decided to act upon. We were given ideas on how to improve our video further which has now altered the animatic we have produced.
However i do not consider our animatic to be a waste of time just because it isn't going to be exactly what we film. Instead i think that it was a crucial step forward into finalising our music video idea.
Monday 10 October 2011
Sunday 2 October 2011
Research Into Album Artwork: Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship is an American pop rock band created by former Midtown bassist and lead vocalist Gabe Saporta in 2003 in New York. The group released their debut album, While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets in 2006, which they followed with ¡Viva la Cobra! in 2007. They most recently released Hot Mess in 2009. The group is currently perhaps best known for their singles "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)" and "Good Girls Go Bad".
This band are following the more pop scene as they have progressed. Especially with their most current album Hot Mess where they featured the well known actress from Gossip Girl, Leighton Meester. Again their album is quite upbeat and fun, but in a more grown up way as oppossed to All Time Low for example. In their album 'Nothing Personal' they have mainly focused on the teenage outlook on life, whereas Cobra Starship have chosen to write about the older age range of around 18-25 where the whole clubbing scene comes into play.
Again their album artwork represents the band as they want to be perceived by their target audience. The artwork would suggest a carefree and reckless lifestyle which is also shown in the music video of their single 'Good Girls Go Bad'.
This band are following the more pop scene as they have progressed. Especially with their most current album Hot Mess where they featured the well known actress from Gossip Girl, Leighton Meester. Again their album is quite upbeat and fun, but in a more grown up way as oppossed to All Time Low for example. In their album 'Nothing Personal' they have mainly focused on the teenage outlook on life, whereas Cobra Starship have chosen to write about the older age range of around 18-25 where the whole clubbing scene comes into play.
Again their album artwork represents the band as they want to be perceived by their target audience. The artwork would suggest a carefree and reckless lifestyle which is also shown in the music video of their single 'Good Girls Go Bad'.
Research Into Album Artwork: The Academy Is...
The Academy Is... is an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 2003. They are currently signed by the Decadence imprint of the Fueled by Ramen label. The band has released three studio albums, Almost Here, Santi, and Fast Times at Barrington High, and four EPs.
The band's third studio album, Fast Times at Barrington High, was released on August 19, 2008 through Fueled by Ramen. The title refers to the high school William Beckett, Adam Siska, and videographer Jack Edinger attended. The first single 'About a Girl' was based in high school where William Becket relives his experience there. The nerves and emotions that every teenager starts to feel with the opposite sex.
The Album artwork represents the music video in one image. The obvious awkward stance of William Beckett on the left and a girl that he supposedly likes on the right. Again the band have related their artwork and the narrative of the single's music video around each other.
The band's third studio album, Fast Times at Barrington High, was released on August 19, 2008 through Fueled by Ramen. The title refers to the high school William Beckett, Adam Siska, and videographer Jack Edinger attended. The first single 'About a Girl' was based in high school where William Becket relives his experience there. The nerves and emotions that every teenager starts to feel with the opposite sex.
The Album artwork represents the music video in one image. The obvious awkward stance of William Beckett on the left and a girl that he supposedly likes on the right. Again the band have related their artwork and the narrative of the single's music video around each other.
Research Into Album Artwork: VersaEmerge
VersaEmerge is an American rock band currently signed to the label Fueled by Ramen. They have three EPs - Cities Built on Sand, Perceptions, and the self-titled release. Their debut album, Fixed at Zero, was released June 22, 2010.
VersaEmerge is probably one of the smaller bands to research in terms of album artwork because they have only yet produced one album. However, 'Fixed At Zero' has a pretty dark and mysterious artwork to it which has been formed around the music video titled 'fixed at zero' also.
Generally you will find a lot of bands advertising their artwork in their music videos, especially the single of the album. This song is a good example to show the similarities in style comparing the music video and the album.
VersaEmerge is probably one of the smaller bands to research in terms of album artwork because they have only yet produced one album. However, 'Fixed At Zero' has a pretty dark and mysterious artwork to it which has been formed around the music video titled 'fixed at zero' also.
Generally you will find a lot of bands advertising their artwork in their music videos, especially the single of the album. This song is a good example to show the similarities in style comparing the music video and the album.
Research Into Album Artwork: Fall Out Boy
In 2007 the pop/rock band Fall Out Boy released their album 'infinity on High'. This was the fourth studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy, released on February 5th as the follow-up to the band's commercially successful 2005 album From Under the Cork Tree. Pre-production began in the group's hometown of Chicago, where writing and rehearsal sessions took place. It was recorded from July to October 2006 at the Pass Studios in Los Angeles, California and mixed at the Paramount Recording Studios in Hollywood.
The album marked a departure in Fall Out Boy’s sound in which the band implemented a diverse array of musical styles. As reported by Billboard, Fall Out Boy "drifts further from its hardcore punk roots to write increasingly accessible pop tunes," a slight departure from the group's previous more pop punk sound.
The album marked a departure in Fall Out Boy’s sound in which the band implemented a diverse array of musical styles. As reported by Billboard, Fall Out Boy "drifts further from its hardcore punk roots to write increasingly accessible pop tunes," a slight departure from the group's previous more pop punk sound.
Research Into Album Artwork: All Time Low
All Time Low, formed in 2003 is another band produced by Fueled by Ramen. In early 2009, All Time Low confirmed in an interview with UK magazine Rock Sound, that they had started writing new material for a third studio album and revealed they had collaborated with artists and producers to help co-write a number of songs for their new album 'Nothing Personal'.
I find their album artwork to be quite playful and colourful, which incidentally is exactly how the band choose to represent themselves on stage and off. Their songs are generally upbeat, talking about teenage issues and their personal experiences, but still maintaining their upbeat charisma throughout their songs.
I find their album artwork to be quite playful and colourful, which incidentally is exactly how the band choose to represent themselves on stage and off. Their songs are generally upbeat, talking about teenage issues and their personal experiences, but still maintaining their upbeat charisma throughout their songs.
Research Into Album Artwork: Paramore
The Album artwork of a band is very important in terms of attracting the target audience. The artwork of the album will generally represent the band. What attitude they have, how they want to be perceived by the public.
This also contributes to their 'Star Image'. The artwork that they sell will also act as their advertisement to their target audience. It's not just how they represent themselves in the way they dress, what they say in interviews. But it is also how they choose to design their album because it is going to be sold to every single fan that they attract.
For example in terms of Paramore-One of the most successful pop/punk bands around today, they released their album 'Riot' in 2007. The sales of this album just between the year of 2008-2009 the band sold over 250,000 copies in the Uk (reaching a gold certification) and over 1,300,000 in the U.S (reaching a platinum certification). If a band were to become this successful and sell as many copies they would make sure that their album artwork is exactly as they want it to be before it is sold to their many fans.
This also contributes to their 'Star Image'. The artwork that they sell will also act as their advertisement to their target audience. It's not just how they represent themselves in the way they dress, what they say in interviews. But it is also how they choose to design their album because it is going to be sold to every single fan that they attract.
For example in terms of Paramore-One of the most successful pop/punk bands around today, they released their album 'Riot' in 2007. The sales of this album just between the year of 2008-2009 the band sold over 250,000 copies in the Uk (reaching a gold certification) and over 1,300,000 in the U.S (reaching a platinum certification). If a band were to become this successful and sell as many copies they would make sure that their album artwork is exactly as they want it to be before it is sold to their many fans.
Who is the Target Audience?
The target audience of our band are similar to the target audience that Fueled By Ramen attracts to most of the bands they produce. Seeing as these bands mainly seem to fall under the same punk/rock genre of music the target audience remains the same.
Before we had started research into what record company would produce our band we had already decided what our target audience would be: The teenage pop/punk era who are attracted to the emo/rock style. We would say that our audience are typical gig and festival goers. Having music as their main passion in life and decide to represent that through their appearance and attitude.
Before we had started research into what record company would produce our band we had already decided what our target audience would be: The teenage pop/punk era who are attracted to the emo/rock style. We would say that our audience are typical gig and festival goers. Having music as their main passion in life and decide to represent that through their appearance and attitude.
Research Into the institutional context of your artist.
What record company is your artist signed to ?
Our band: Damned Reputation is signed to the record company Fueled By Ramen.
Fueled by Ramen was created in 1996. The president/co-founder of the label is John Janick and it has become one of the best record labels for signing the most popular punk-inspired rock/pop bands of our century. Janick initially conceptualized the label while attending high school, but it wasn’t until he enrolled at University of Florida in Gainesville and teamed up with Jake drummer/lyricist Vinnie Fiorello that Fueled By Ramen became a reality.
Fueled By Ramen is an American record label which operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is distributed by Atlantic Records. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida, is based in New York City and has an office in Tampa, Florida. Allmusic has called it one of the "epicenters of the emo-popmovement.
Here is a list to name but a few of the bands they have signed already that have made it:
-Paramore
-Fall Out Boy
-The Swellers
-Cobra Starship
-All Time Low
-VersaEmerge
-The Academy Is...
Our band: Damned Reputation is signed to the record company Fueled By Ramen.
Fueled by Ramen was created in 1996. The president/co-founder of the label is John Janick and it has become one of the best record labels for signing the most popular punk-inspired rock/pop bands of our century. Janick initially conceptualized the label while attending high school, but it wasn’t until he enrolled at University of Florida in Gainesville and teamed up with Jake drummer/lyricist Vinnie Fiorello that Fueled By Ramen became a reality.
Fueled By Ramen is an American record label which operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is distributed by Atlantic Records. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida, is based in New York City and has an office in Tampa, Florida. Allmusic has called it one of the "epicenters of the emo-popmovement.
Here is a list to name but a few of the bands they have signed already that have made it:
-Paramore
Friday 30 September 2011
Feedback
Your response is sound if a little incomplete. You have been creative with your blogs, I particularly like the use of images and texts in repsonding to the task set. You have a secure knowledge and understanding of who you want your artist to be signed to; perhaps you could link this further by stressing the advantages that your artist has signed to the particular record label.
You clearly identify your target audience and have profiled them, develop with the use of VALS. Good research into CD covers and you have a wide range of examples, and this would be developed further if you can link the real product to how it will influence your own designs. Add more researched album covers.
You clearly identify your target audience and have profiled them, develop with the use of VALS. Good research into CD covers and you have a wide range of examples, and this would be developed further if you can link the real product to how it will influence your own designs. Add more researched album covers.
Friday 16 September 2011
Feedback
Excellent blog - There is aunderstanding of what the task demanded. I feel you could develop your points further by using more links to real media examples and being more creative with the blog.
Excellent work through sustained blogging with all homework’s completed in detail. You make use of different blog tools and are able to link ideas to real media concepts. Well Presented
Well done! You could use lyricsmode.com
and embed lyrics as a scrolling tool on the blogsite.
Excellent work through sustained blogging with all homework’s completed in detail. You make use of different blog tools and are able to link ideas to real media concepts. Well Presented
Well done! You could use lyricsmode.com
and embed lyrics as a scrolling tool on the blogsite.
'My Medicine' Lyrics
Somebody mixed my medicine
Somebody mixed my medicine
You hurt where you sleep
And you sleep where you lie
Now you're in deep and
now you're gonna cry
You got a woman to the left
and a boy to the right
Start to sweat so hold me tight
Somebody mixed my medicine
I don't know what I'm on
Somebody mixed my medicine
But baby it's all gone
Somebody mixed my medicine
Somebody's in my head again
Somebody mixed my medicine again, again
I'll drink what you leak
And I'll smoke what you sigh
Straight across the room with a look in your eye
I got a man to the left and a girl to the right
Start to sweat so hold me tight
Somebody mixed my medicine
I don't know what I'm on
Somebody mixed my medicine
But baby it's all gone
Somebody mixed my medicine
[From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/p/pretty-reckless-lyrics/my-medicine-lyrics.html]
Somebody's in my head again
Somebody mixed my medicine again, again
There's a tiger in the room
and a baby in the closet
Pour another drink mom
I don't even want it
Then I turn around and think I see
someone that looks like you
You hurt where you sleep
You sleep where you lie
Now you're in deep and
now you're gonna cry
You got a woman to the left
and a boy to the right
Start to sweat so hold me tight
Somebody mixed my medicine
I don't know what I'm on
Somebody mixed my medicine
But baby it's all gone
Somebody mixed my medicine
Somebody's in my head again
Somebody mixed my medicine
again [x8]
Somebody mixed my medicine [x3]
Somebody's in my head again
Somebody mixed my medicine
again [x3]
Somebody mixed my medicine
You hurt where you sleep
And you sleep where you lie
Now you're in deep and
now you're gonna cry
You got a woman to the left
and a boy to the right
Start to sweat so hold me tight
Somebody mixed my medicine
I don't know what I'm on
Somebody mixed my medicine
But baby it's all gone
Somebody mixed my medicine
Somebody's in my head again
Somebody mixed my medicine again, again
I'll drink what you leak
And I'll smoke what you sigh
Straight across the room with a look in your eye
I got a man to the left and a girl to the right
Start to sweat so hold me tight
Somebody mixed my medicine
I don't know what I'm on
Somebody mixed my medicine
But baby it's all gone
Somebody mixed my medicine
[From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/p/pretty-reckless-lyrics/my-medicine-lyrics.html]
Somebody's in my head again
Somebody mixed my medicine again, again
There's a tiger in the room
and a baby in the closet
Pour another drink mom
I don't even want it
Then I turn around and think I see
someone that looks like you
You hurt where you sleep
You sleep where you lie
Now you're in deep and
now you're gonna cry
You got a woman to the left
and a boy to the right
Start to sweat so hold me tight
Somebody mixed my medicine
I don't know what I'm on
Somebody mixed my medicine
But baby it's all gone
Somebody mixed my medicine
Somebody's in my head again
Somebody mixed my medicine
again [x8]
Somebody mixed my medicine [x3]
Somebody's in my head again
Somebody mixed my medicine
again [x3]
Thursday 15 September 2011
Group Ideas
Artist: Test Icicles
Song: Boa Vs. Python
Music Video Treatment: The main theme was a cowboy stand off so the whole video would be similar to a old western film. However our video would have a comedic take on it. To relate to the song name, one of the cowboys would be called Boa, the other Python which would be shown using text overlay.
The narrative starts in a western style bar where they are both drinking followed by a young beautiful woman entering and causing the stand off between the two, in order to win over the woman.
Song: Boa Vs. Python
Music Video Treatment: The main theme was a cowboy stand off so the whole video would be similar to a old western film. However our video would have a comedic take on it. To relate to the song name, one of the cowboys would be called Boa, the other Python which would be shown using text overlay.
The narrative starts in a western style bar where they are both drinking followed by a young beautiful woman entering and causing the stand off between the two, in order to win over the woman.
Proposal For A New Popular Music Artist
Band Name: The Dammed Reputation
Genre: Pop/Rock
Type of Act: Live performance act
Star Image:
- Youthfulness
- Sexual Magnetism
- An anti-authoritarian attitude
- creativity/talent
- a slight disregard for social values relating to drugs, sex and polite behaviour, success against all odds.
Target Audience: Teenagers/young adult (15-25)
Choice of Track: My Medicine
Genre: Pop/Rock
Type of Act: Live performance act
Star Image:
- Youthfulness
- Sexual Magnetism
- An anti-authoritarian attitude
- creativity/talent
- a slight disregard for social values relating to drugs, sex and polite behaviour, success against all odds.
Target Audience: Teenagers/young adult (15-25)
Choice of Track: My Medicine
Wednesday 14 September 2011
Album Artwork
Flyleaf's most recent album cover is for the album 'Momento Mori'.
I decided to find out what the meaning was behind the album cover because it would give some more insight into what the band's views are and what they represent.
'Memento Mori' meaning "Remember you're mortal". And whenever the king would came back from a war or battle, there would be a parade. But a slave would be behind him saying "Memento Mori", meaning, "You're just like the rest of us. Remember, you will die one day. You don't exceed that rule". So the king is on the front, and there are trumpet players for the "parade" and the Lacey (The lead singer) is the slave saing 'Memento Mori!'.
However, for The Pretty Reckless first and only album cover at the moment the meaning is not as intricate as Flyleaf's. A quote from Taylor Momsen (the lead singer) says...
Taylor: '“Light Me Up” seemed like a steady title, it’s the first record. You know starts fire, lights up. The album art is actually a reference to a photo of myself when I was two years old so I got the idea from that. The picture is me on this little baby motorcycle with this leather jacket and Ray bans. I think I was actually three, I had this leather jacket that I wore like every day. I was obsessed with it when I was kid.I kinda got it from that picture, she’s lighting something.
I decided to find out what the meaning was behind the album cover because it would give some more insight into what the band's views are and what they represent.
'Memento Mori' meaning "Remember you're mortal". And whenever the king would came back from a war or battle, there would be a parade. But a slave would be behind him saying "Memento Mori", meaning, "You're just like the rest of us. Remember, you will die one day. You don't exceed that rule". So the king is on the front, and there are trumpet players for the "parade" and the Lacey (The lead singer) is the slave saing 'Memento Mori!'.
However, for The Pretty Reckless first and only album cover at the moment the meaning is not as intricate as Flyleaf's. A quote from Taylor Momsen (the lead singer) says...
Taylor: '“Light Me Up” seemed like a steady title, it’s the first record. You know starts fire, lights up. The album art is actually a reference to a photo of myself when I was two years old so I got the idea from that. The picture is me on this little baby motorcycle with this leather jacket and Ray bans. I think I was actually three, I had this leather jacket that I wore like every day. I was obsessed with it when I was kid.I kinda got it from that picture, she’s lighting something.
Research into similar artists
The band that I have chosen for my initial idea is 'The Pretty Reckless'. A girl fronted rock band that has only recently entered the music industry.
Whilst researching into different bands of a similar type I decided to look at the band 'Flyleaf'. Again, it is a female fronted rock band, however this band is a lot more religion orientated. They have been on the music scene far longer and have therefore progressed further into their career as becoming a successfull band.
Seeing as Flyleaf have been around longer than The Pretty Reckless they have produced more music videos of a somewhat similar nature. One similar characteristic of both bands concerning music videos is that the footage is mainly concentrated on the female lead.
You could argue that this is purposely done so to present and sell the image of the band. Whilst the rest of the musicians are presented to be similar to one another the female lead singer will stick out more due to their own personal style which is sold to the audience.
Whilst researching into different bands of a similar type I decided to look at the band 'Flyleaf'. Again, it is a female fronted rock band, however this band is a lot more religion orientated. They have been on the music scene far longer and have therefore progressed further into their career as becoming a successfull band.
Seeing as Flyleaf have been around longer than The Pretty Reckless they have produced more music videos of a somewhat similar nature. One similar characteristic of both bands concerning music videos is that the footage is mainly concentrated on the female lead.
You could argue that this is purposely done so to present and sell the image of the band. Whilst the rest of the musicians are presented to be similar to one another the female lead singer will stick out more due to their own personal style which is sold to the audience.
Monday 12 September 2011
What is a Music Video?
Today we discussed as a class what actually is a music video, apart from the obvious analagy that it is a video, it's got music with it, therefor it must be a music video.
First of all we discussed how it acts as a 'promotional tool'. Creating a music video will promote a series of aspects;
The first being the band and the song. An audience will more likely listen to an artists work if it is put into video form. This is because, due to viral marketing the video can be played on popular music channels, posted onto youtube and on various websites such as: facebook, myspace, twitter etc. Giving the song a wider spread of advertising.
The image of the band is also promoted through music videos. Seeing as, mainly for major label music video productions, the image is such a huge part of the success of the song this means that the image is presented to the audience in a visual form.
The record label is also promoted through a music video. A lot of music videos that I have watched on youtube have a small clip before the video starts, introducing the record label. This means that the audience, after watching the music video will perhaps be more interested in what other videos have been produced by this record label, depending on if they liked the video or not.
A music video also acts as marketing for other media products such as films. This is called 'synergy' which is when a piece of media is cross-promoted across different types of media. An example of this would be the song 'Decode' by Paramore which was produced particularly for the hit film 'Twilight'. It so happens that, due to the books becoming incredibly popular (another form of syngery) the films were produced, and songs were promoted through the film.
Another way to describe a music video is that it is simply a creative artefact of interest in itself. Before I began media I wasn't as interested in the filming techniques used in music videos. However now that I have been educated more into the matter I am far more interested in the filming and production of a music video as opposed to the song itself.
First of all we discussed how it acts as a 'promotional tool'. Creating a music video will promote a series of aspects;
The first being the band and the song. An audience will more likely listen to an artists work if it is put into video form. This is because, due to viral marketing the video can be played on popular music channels, posted onto youtube and on various websites such as: facebook, myspace, twitter etc. Giving the song a wider spread of advertising.
The image of the band is also promoted through music videos. Seeing as, mainly for major label music video productions, the image is such a huge part of the success of the song this means that the image is presented to the audience in a visual form.
The record label is also promoted through a music video. A lot of music videos that I have watched on youtube have a small clip before the video starts, introducing the record label. This means that the audience, after watching the music video will perhaps be more interested in what other videos have been produced by this record label, depending on if they liked the video or not.
A music video also acts as marketing for other media products such as films. This is called 'synergy' which is when a piece of media is cross-promoted across different types of media. An example of this would be the song 'Decode' by Paramore which was produced particularly for the hit film 'Twilight'. It so happens that, due to the books becoming incredibly popular (another form of syngery) the films were produced, and songs were promoted through the film.
Another way to describe a music video is that it is simply a creative artefact of interest in itself. Before I began media I wasn't as interested in the filming techniques used in music videos. However now that I have been educated more into the matter I am far more interested in the filming and production of a music video as opposed to the song itself.
Sunday 11 September 2011
Preliminary Task Evaluation
The Preliminary Task for me, wasn't as hard as I expected. But I think that's because when we were set the task we weren't given much time to plan our video. Also, we were restricted to what we could do in terms of filming because the studio was the only place we could film, with a pre-prepared set and a limited amount of time to film our section.
However I think the fact that we were set the task like this without much freedom was a good lesson. This is because, after seeing the end result I now know that If not enough thought and effort isn't put into the preparation of the video we won't be able to achieve what we want.
Unfortunately the group that I was in went last which meant that we were rushed for time the must. I had been watching the other groups in the morning to pick up on what they were doing in order to get their footage. We had originally prepared a shot list, which in the end wasn't needed because your ideas change when you appear on the real set. I liked that factor of filming because it meant that everyone in the group could chip in with their own ideas of what might look good.
All in all I think that the shoot was fairly successful. One point that I did remember though, that was for a lot of people filming this genre of music wasn't everyone's favorite. That meant not everyone was motivated to the highest level because we didn't know how exactly to film for this genre. That was why I think everyone just went with their gut instinct at the time, focusing on close up of each member of the band and their instruments and collaborating them together to make the music video.
I think that, when we start filming our own music videos everyone will be more motivated and inspired to be as creative as possible because for one, we'll be familiar with the song. And secondly we have now become more comfortable with creating a music video thanks to this task. It was good to have a taste of what it's going to be like when it comes to our shoot day, so that we will be prepared for a busy day ahead of us.
However I think the fact that we were set the task like this without much freedom was a good lesson. This is because, after seeing the end result I now know that If not enough thought and effort isn't put into the preparation of the video we won't be able to achieve what we want.
Unfortunately the group that I was in went last which meant that we were rushed for time the must. I had been watching the other groups in the morning to pick up on what they were doing in order to get their footage. We had originally prepared a shot list, which in the end wasn't needed because your ideas change when you appear on the real set. I liked that factor of filming because it meant that everyone in the group could chip in with their own ideas of what might look good.
All in all I think that the shoot was fairly successful. One point that I did remember though, that was for a lot of people filming this genre of music wasn't everyone's favorite. That meant not everyone was motivated to the highest level because we didn't know how exactly to film for this genre. That was why I think everyone just went with their gut instinct at the time, focusing on close up of each member of the band and their instruments and collaborating them together to make the music video.
I think that, when we start filming our own music videos everyone will be more motivated and inspired to be as creative as possible because for one, we'll be familiar with the song. And secondly we have now become more comfortable with creating a music video thanks to this task. It was good to have a taste of what it's going to be like when it comes to our shoot day, so that we will be prepared for a busy day ahead of us.
Preliminary Task
For our preliminary task our group filmed 'Jane Doe' which is a 6 member band that I thought belonged in the genre of a slightly jazz/folk sound but in a more modern era. Their style resembled an alternative vintage look. The main singer in particular dressed with a sort of 30's pin up look that complimented the style of music.
As a band they reminded me of some other artists/bands that I thought were similar. The first being Amy Winehouse.
I think that both her appearance and style of music were similar to that of 'Jane Doe's'. One of the techniques that they have used in this video was that concerning the set. I enjoyed the fact that the setting was simple, with only a few props, so that the video mainly focused on lighting and close ups of the artist.
Originally before starting to think about my own music video I knew that I didn't want to build my own set because I think that it would look tacky if it isn't done properly. The only exception to using a set is similar to what was used in this video. Keeping it either plain black or white, so that the video looks more sophisticated.
Another music video that I thought was similar was 'Aint No Other Man' by Christina Aguilera. Before we started shooting the preliminary task we were told to look at similar music videos, this being one that we looked at. I think that in this video style is a main attribution, again looking at the iconic pin up look.
Unlike Amy Winehouse's video this one is far busier, with it's main focus points probably concerning the dance routines, costume and setting even though the song was very popular in itself. I was interested in the dancing technique to bring more interest to the video, and I thought that trying to recreate something alike in my own music video wouldn't be impossible to achieve.
Friday 9 September 2011
Initial Idea
Band: The Pretty Reckless
Song: My Medicine
Band Image: Grunge/Glam Rock
Treatment for the music video: Narrative plays on the title of 'My Medicine'. The band possess a non-descript pill being their 'medicine'. You see them pass out the pill to various teenage party goers on set of the location (perhaps a house party, skate park...etc.) The camera follows the pill being passed out throughout the song, documenting the change in behavior of the users as the song picks up tempo. Towards the end of the song the band are the last ones standing due to their fimiliarality with the 'medicine', the rest are passed out on the floor from a night's taste of the band's 'rock n roll' life style.
To give you an idea of the image of the band here's a video of a song they have already produced. 'Make Me Wanna Die'
Song: My Medicine
Band Image: Grunge/Glam Rock
Treatment for the music video: Narrative plays on the title of 'My Medicine'. The band possess a non-descript pill being their 'medicine'. You see them pass out the pill to various teenage party goers on set of the location (perhaps a house party, skate park...etc.) The camera follows the pill being passed out throughout the song, documenting the change in behavior of the users as the song picks up tempo. Towards the end of the song the band are the last ones standing due to their fimiliarality with the 'medicine', the rest are passed out on the floor from a night's taste of the band's 'rock n roll' life style.
To give you an idea of the image of the band here's a video of a song they have already produced. 'Make Me Wanna Die'
Thursday 8 September 2011
Introduction to Advanced Portfolio
So far we have completed half of the course during AS which is 200/400 points in total. Now that we have started A2 we need to begin the other half of the course.
This year we have two halves to the course, the first half being the Advanced Portfolio which is worth 100 points.
- This will involve producing a main artefact, two ancillary artefacts and an accompanying blog containing your research, planning and evaluation materials.
The main artefact that we have been set to produce this year is a music video, the two ancillary artefacts being; to create a cover design for its realease on DVD and a magazine advertisement for the DVD.
The Deadline for this is in 13 weeks.
The second half of this course is the Critical Perspectives in Media (Media Theory)
which is also worth 100 marks.
There are two sections;
A - Theoretical Evaluation of Production (50 marks)
B - Contemporary media issues (50 marks)
This year we have two halves to the course, the first half being the Advanced Portfolio which is worth 100 points.
- This will involve producing a main artefact, two ancillary artefacts and an accompanying blog containing your research, planning and evaluation materials.
The main artefact that we have been set to produce this year is a music video, the two ancillary artefacts being; to create a cover design for its realease on DVD and a magazine advertisement for the DVD.
The Deadline for this is in 13 weeks.
The second half of this course is the Critical Perspectives in Media (Media Theory)
which is also worth 100 marks.
There are two sections;
A - Theoretical Evaluation of Production (50 marks)
B - Contemporary media issues (50 marks)
Wednesday 30 March 2011
Sunday 30 January 2011
Task 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?
1. Preparation and Planning
In terms of planning our preliminary task and our main task there was a big contrast in the amount of work we had to put in to each one.
One preliminary task was the first piece of shooting most of us had ever done so we were all given guide lines to follow. We were given a script for our actors to read, told how to set up our filming equipment and not given a choice where to film. This made it easy for every group to do this task because we had been given instructions to follow.
As for time the preliminary task was far quicker to produce. Instead of planning our shoot day (when, where, what angles, what props) we were given one media lesson to go off in our groups, find two actors around school and use them to be in our preliminary task. This meant that we had to think up different shots on the day, decide how to arrange the scenery and work out how to interpret the storyboard in our own way.
Moving onto our main task it is easy to see that a lot has changed in terms of preparation and planning. It took a couple of weeks at first to just come up with an idea, which was refined down to another idea, and another, until we all agreed on our final pitch. Once we had our final idea we could then move onto the planning of producing our thriller. We had to take into consideration the location, the actors, the shoot days, the time limit, the script- all of which needed far more work than the preliminary task. If we had planned our main task in the same time period as the preliminary task we would have ended up producing another amateur piece of work.
Preparation also took longer than the preliminary task because our main task is part of our exam so we had to make sure everything we needed was there. Seeing as for one of our shoot days we shot off campus it was crucial that we had all the equipment and props we needed with us. Luckily all went to according to plan due to good preparation. Our second shoot day was shot on campus so it wouldn’t have been as much of a disaster if we had forgotten anything, but again we luckily had we needed with us and everything went according to plan.
2. Development of your film-making skills
In the preliminary task we were all given a storyboard to follow with a basic story line already set out for us. This gave room for some interpretation but with everyone focusing mainly on the technical side of the task it left little time to develop a good story to be told visually rather than with dialogue.
Seeing as in between the gap from filming our preliminary task to our main task we had learnt a lot more about film-making during lessons we had gained more knowledge of what to include in our main task as apposed to our preliminary task. I think that the fact we had a lot more time to concentrate on our story board for our main task meant that we had a much higher chance to produce a more sophisticated sequence with a visual narrative.
3. Use of camera
Looking back at our preliminary task and comparing it with our main task it was easy to see that we had become more familiar with the camera and were able to include a lot more shots in our task. In our preliminary task we were all fairly new to the camera and with the short time limit we were only able to produce four of five shots maximum. It was also easy to tell that with more experience we could have made those shots better if we were to re-do our preliminary task now.
Our main task is a good example to show how we have improved in terms of camera work. At the beginning of the year we weren’t aware of the different shots and the rules behind them. However now that we have learnt about such things as the 180 degree rule, framing for eye line matches and use of close ups we were able to incorporate a lot more in our main task which as a result would make it look more visually appealing and interesting to watch.
The shots we used in the preliminary task were basic and made the sequence altogether rather slow and jumpy to watch. Over time we have learnt how to decide what shot would be best to use in each part of our main task which would make the sequence flow better and look more professional.
4. How you use of sound has developed
In terms of sound our preliminary task was very basic, consisting of just dialogue and the ambient noise in the room. This was because when it came to editing our preliminary task it again was new to most of us. This meant we didn’t have the experience or knowledge yet to include sound effects or edit the existing sound from our footage.
However when it came to using sound in our main task we had a longer period of time to develop our knowledge of using sound. This meant we were able to incorporate different sound effects which might have been a non-diegetic sound track to create an element of fear or suspense. We also had the option of adding in sound effects that we perhaps weren’t able to achieve on our shoot day such as rain fall or passing traffic. This meant that we could save ourselves a lot of time when it came to editing, instead of using a microphone to record these sounds we had them at hand on the computer to use instead.
5. Demonstrating your ability to master new technology
When it came to editing our main task we were re-introduced to Final Cut Pro and also introduced to Sound Track Pro. We had originally first used Film Cut Pro when we were editing our preliminary task. However at that point in time not everyone got to spend very long using the programme and coming to grips with how to use it.
Personally I found editing our main task to be what I enjoyed most out of the whole production of our thriller. We were allowed to go up to the edit suite and use Final Cut Pro on our own. Sound Track Pro was fairly similar to understand just as Final Cut Pro had been. Again, it just took time and practice to learning how to use this new piece of technology but over time it became easier to use. Being given the time and permission to go up to the edit suite whenever we wanted meant I had time to learn how to use the programs through trial and error, learning how to use different tools etc.
There was a massive difference in terms of editing from our preliminary task to our main task because we weren’t as experienced when it came to editing our preliminary task. However with our main task we had far more footage and time to edit our sequence together. That meant we spent longer going over our sequence again and again to make sure everything was edited properly together and as a result produced a higher quality sequence.
In terms of planning our preliminary task and our main task there was a big contrast in the amount of work we had to put in to each one.
One preliminary task was the first piece of shooting most of us had ever done so we were all given guide lines to follow. We were given a script for our actors to read, told how to set up our filming equipment and not given a choice where to film. This made it easy for every group to do this task because we had been given instructions to follow.
As for time the preliminary task was far quicker to produce. Instead of planning our shoot day (when, where, what angles, what props) we were given one media lesson to go off in our groups, find two actors around school and use them to be in our preliminary task. This meant that we had to think up different shots on the day, decide how to arrange the scenery and work out how to interpret the storyboard in our own way.
Moving onto our main task it is easy to see that a lot has changed in terms of preparation and planning. It took a couple of weeks at first to just come up with an idea, which was refined down to another idea, and another, until we all agreed on our final pitch. Once we had our final idea we could then move onto the planning of producing our thriller. We had to take into consideration the location, the actors, the shoot days, the time limit, the script- all of which needed far more work than the preliminary task. If we had planned our main task in the same time period as the preliminary task we would have ended up producing another amateur piece of work.
Preparation also took longer than the preliminary task because our main task is part of our exam so we had to make sure everything we needed was there. Seeing as for one of our shoot days we shot off campus it was crucial that we had all the equipment and props we needed with us. Luckily all went to according to plan due to good preparation. Our second shoot day was shot on campus so it wouldn’t have been as much of a disaster if we had forgotten anything, but again we luckily had we needed with us and everything went according to plan.
2. Development of your film-making skills
In the preliminary task we were all given a storyboard to follow with a basic story line already set out for us. This gave room for some interpretation but with everyone focusing mainly on the technical side of the task it left little time to develop a good story to be told visually rather than with dialogue.
Seeing as in between the gap from filming our preliminary task to our main task we had learnt a lot more about film-making during lessons we had gained more knowledge of what to include in our main task as apposed to our preliminary task. I think that the fact we had a lot more time to concentrate on our story board for our main task meant that we had a much higher chance to produce a more sophisticated sequence with a visual narrative.
3. Use of camera
Looking back at our preliminary task and comparing it with our main task it was easy to see that we had become more familiar with the camera and were able to include a lot more shots in our task. In our preliminary task we were all fairly new to the camera and with the short time limit we were only able to produce four of five shots maximum. It was also easy to tell that with more experience we could have made those shots better if we were to re-do our preliminary task now.
Our main task is a good example to show how we have improved in terms of camera work. At the beginning of the year we weren’t aware of the different shots and the rules behind them. However now that we have learnt about such things as the 180 degree rule, framing for eye line matches and use of close ups we were able to incorporate a lot more in our main task which as a result would make it look more visually appealing and interesting to watch.
The shots we used in the preliminary task were basic and made the sequence altogether rather slow and jumpy to watch. Over time we have learnt how to decide what shot would be best to use in each part of our main task which would make the sequence flow better and look more professional.
4. How you use of sound has developed
In terms of sound our preliminary task was very basic, consisting of just dialogue and the ambient noise in the room. This was because when it came to editing our preliminary task it again was new to most of us. This meant we didn’t have the experience or knowledge yet to include sound effects or edit the existing sound from our footage.
However when it came to using sound in our main task we had a longer period of time to develop our knowledge of using sound. This meant we were able to incorporate different sound effects which might have been a non-diegetic sound track to create an element of fear or suspense. We also had the option of adding in sound effects that we perhaps weren’t able to achieve on our shoot day such as rain fall or passing traffic. This meant that we could save ourselves a lot of time when it came to editing, instead of using a microphone to record these sounds we had them at hand on the computer to use instead.
5. Demonstrating your ability to master new technology
When it came to editing our main task we were re-introduced to Final Cut Pro and also introduced to Sound Track Pro. We had originally first used Film Cut Pro when we were editing our preliminary task. However at that point in time not everyone got to spend very long using the programme and coming to grips with how to use it.
Personally I found editing our main task to be what I enjoyed most out of the whole production of our thriller. We were allowed to go up to the edit suite and use Final Cut Pro on our own. Sound Track Pro was fairly similar to understand just as Final Cut Pro had been. Again, it just took time and practice to learning how to use this new piece of technology but over time it became easier to use. Being given the time and permission to go up to the edit suite whenever we wanted meant I had time to learn how to use the programs through trial and error, learning how to use different tools etc.
There was a massive difference in terms of editing from our preliminary task to our main task because we weren’t as experienced when it came to editing our preliminary task. However with our main task we had far more footage and time to edit our sequence together. That meant we spent longer going over our sequence again and again to make sure everything was edited properly together and as a result produced a higher quality sequence.
Saturday 29 January 2011
Friday 28 January 2011
Task 5: How did you attract/address your audience?
Seeing as our thriller is aimed at the age range of roughly 15-30 we thought that choosing our victim to be around the same age range would address our audience because they would be able to relate to her charactor. Also, from a male point of view choosing a female charactor of 18 years of age would offer an element of attraction towards them deciding whether to watch our thriller or not.
In terms of mis-en-scene we thought that by dressing our actors in appropriate clothing would attract our audience. For our 18 year old actress we decided to dress her mainly in black to make her look mature and attractive to our audience, as for our actor we made him present himself in a way that would make him appear dangerous and creepy so that he would have that effect on the audience.
Seeing as our thriller is based around the idea of unlicensed taxis it was one of our top priorities to have a real taxi and a fake one in our title sequence. This was done so that the audience could easily tell that our victim was about to get into an unlicensed taxi and something bad is bound to happen. This will attract our audience because they will be able to relate themselves with the fear of getting into an unlicensed taxi.
In terms of mis-en-scene we thought that by dressing our actors in appropriate clothing would attract our audience. For our 18 year old actress we decided to dress her mainly in black to make her look mature and attractive to our audience, as for our actor we made him present himself in a way that would make him appear dangerous and creepy so that he would have that effect on the audience.
Seeing as our thriller is based around the idea of unlicensed taxis it was one of our top priorities to have a real taxi and a fake one in our title sequence. This was done so that the audience could easily tell that our victim was about to get into an unlicensed taxi and something bad is bound to happen. This will attract our audience because they will be able to relate themselves with the fear of getting into an unlicensed taxi.
Thursday 27 January 2011
Task 4: Who would be the Target Audience for our film?
The target audience for our film would most likely be between the age range of 15-30 because our thriller is crime orientated. Crime films often entail detectives, action and a slightly obscure plot that people perhaps below the age of 15 would not appeal to. Generally the older generation prefer to watch well known good-quality films so they perhaps would look over the choice of watching our movie because it is a low-budget film.
I would say that our target audience would be attracted to our film because of the genre that it is. Thrillers always tend to have an interesting plot whether they be high or low budget. Also the actors chosen to be in the film might attract people of a certain age, for example casting a good looking 18 year old girl would attract a lot of teenage boys to watch the film and vice versa.
The age group of our target audience might have other interests that allow them to have time to watch our film. 15-24 year olds would generally have studying/work to do at home where they can put on a DVD at their own leisure. This age group would also spend a lot of time going out into their towns for shopping etc where they can purchase our DVD at such stores as HMV who supply a range of all budget films.
Our film would probably attract our secondary audience of 25/34 year olds because that’s only 4 years over our primary audience. People that age would most likely still be interested in thrillers. The action would be one aspect that would appeal to the male audience whereas a good looking cast member would also appeal to both genders. I would say that our film is probably aimed more towards the male audience because crime and action would appeal to them more. However the plot would appeal to both genders if there was an underlying romance entailed within the story line for the females.
I would say that our target audience would be attracted to our film because of the genre that it is. Thrillers always tend to have an interesting plot whether they be high or low budget. Also the actors chosen to be in the film might attract people of a certain age, for example casting a good looking 18 year old girl would attract a lot of teenage boys to watch the film and vice versa.
The age group of our target audience might have other interests that allow them to have time to watch our film. 15-24 year olds would generally have studying/work to do at home where they can put on a DVD at their own leisure. This age group would also spend a lot of time going out into their towns for shopping etc where they can purchase our DVD at such stores as HMV who supply a range of all budget films.
Our film would probably attract our secondary audience of 25/34 year olds because that’s only 4 years over our primary audience. People that age would most likely still be interested in thrillers. The action would be one aspect that would appeal to the male audience whereas a good looking cast member would also appeal to both genders. I would say that our film is probably aimed more towards the male audience because crime and action would appeal to them more. However the plot would appeal to both genders if there was an underlying romance entailed within the story line for the females.
Wednesday 26 January 2011
Task 3: What kind of media Institution might distribute your media product and why?
Miramax Films is an art-house/independent film production company that both produced and distributed films. Disney owns Miramax and this allows them access to better production and distribution facilities that would enable my film to have a better chance of success.
Miramax produces many thrillers such as ‘Gone baby gone’ and ‘Hollywoodland’ which have similar concepts to our film so perhaps Miramax would wish to make our film. Miramax also produced a film called ‘Happy-go-Lucky’ which is classed as a comedy-drama but there was a hint of thriller in part of the film when she gets stalked by her driving instructor which we took into consideration when choosing this company.
Our film in summary is about unlicensed taxi drivers picking up venerable woman who are taken to be sold on in the sex slavery trade. Our film focuses less on the actual gruesome nature of the abuse and more on the mystery being solved by detectives. This is perfectly encapsulated by ‘Gone Baby gone’ and ‘Hollywoodland’. We think that Miramax would be a good company to create this film because they produce similar films with plot stories such as kidnapping, murder and crime.
Our film would fit in with the ethos of this institution because they produce some low budget films also by first time directors, such as ‘Gone baby Gone’ which was directed by a first time producer-Ben Affleck and was a relatively low budget film.
Seeing as low budget films don’t have a reputation of receiving a lot of marketing to promote a film which isn’t very popular Miramax would probably market and make money out of our film by DVD sales.
Miramax don’t necessarily specialize in a particular genre of film seeing as they range from films such as ‘Kill Bill’ and ‘Hostage’ which are both considered as thrillers.
Seeing as Miramax produce a range of genre of films they would target particular audiences according to the genre. If they were to produce our film I would say they would choose a target audience of around 15-30 year olds.
Miramax produces many thrillers such as ‘Gone baby gone’ and ‘Hollywoodland’ which have similar concepts to our film so perhaps Miramax would wish to make our film. Miramax also produced a film called ‘Happy-go-Lucky’ which is classed as a comedy-drama but there was a hint of thriller in part of the film when she gets stalked by her driving instructor which we took into consideration when choosing this company.
Our film in summary is about unlicensed taxi drivers picking up venerable woman who are taken to be sold on in the sex slavery trade. Our film focuses less on the actual gruesome nature of the abuse and more on the mystery being solved by detectives. This is perfectly encapsulated by ‘Gone Baby gone’ and ‘Hollywoodland’. We think that Miramax would be a good company to create this film because they produce similar films with plot stories such as kidnapping, murder and crime.
Our film would fit in with the ethos of this institution because they produce some low budget films also by first time directors, such as ‘Gone baby Gone’ which was directed by a first time producer-Ben Affleck and was a relatively low budget film.
Seeing as low budget films don’t have a reputation of receiving a lot of marketing to promote a film which isn’t very popular Miramax would probably market and make money out of our film by DVD sales.
Miramax don’t necessarily specialize in a particular genre of film seeing as they range from films such as ‘Kill Bill’ and ‘Hostage’ which are both considered as thrillers.
Seeing as Miramax produce a range of genre of films they would target particular audiences according to the genre. If they were to produce our film I would say they would choose a target audience of around 15-30 year olds.
Tuesday 25 January 2011
Task 2: How does your product represent particular social groups?
The two social groups that we have chosen to represent in our media product are; teenagers and our driver who is suppossed to symbolise the underclass immigrant community. We have focused on using the idealogy that in society you do come across the unreliable taxi drivers who sterotypically do seem to be from a foriegn community. Then you also do have the sterotypical naive teenagers who will get into any taxi without thinking twice.
In terms of choosing our actors we have tried to portray these two sterotypical social groups through their appearance and their actions within the title sequence.
This is an example of how we were trying to portray our actor 'The Driver' as a suspicious looking charactor which in reality are easy to find within the taxi driver community.
In the case of our victim we tried to portray her as being naive as most sterotypical teenage girls are.
Police charge Vincent Tabak with Jo Yeates murder
Jo Yeates's body was found on Christmas Day A man has been charged with murdering landscape architect Jo Yeates.
Avon and Somerset Police said Dutch national Vincent Tabak, 32, who was arrested on Thursday, will appear at Bristol Magistrates' Court on Monday.
Miss Yeates, 25, was found dead on Christmas Day, eight days after going missing from her home in the Clifton area of Bristol.
Her body was found next to a country road in Failand, three miles from where she lived.
A post-mortem examination revealed she had been strangled.
Miss Yeates, who was originally from Ampfield in Hampshire, was reported missing by her 27-year-old boyfriend Greg Reardon on 19 December when he returned to their home after a weekend away visiting family in Sheffield.
She disappeared on 17 December after going for Christmas drinks with colleagues at her architectural firm.
Mr Tabak, an engineer, lived next door to Miss Yeates on Canynge Road.
Earlier this week a reconstruction for the BBC's Crimewatch programme was filmed, tracing Miss Yeates's last steps.
There have also been a number of public appeals from her family.
When we were coming up for ideas for our thriller we thought that searching news reports would be a good idea. This is because we thought basing our thriller on an event that has happened in reality would incorporate a larger sense of fear to the audience, knowing that what we are showing them could easily happen to anyone.
In terms of choosing our actors we have tried to portray these two sterotypical social groups through their appearance and their actions within the title sequence.
Police charge Vincent Tabak with Jo Yeates murder
Jo Yeates's body was found on Christmas Day A man has been charged with murdering landscape architect Jo Yeates.
Avon and Somerset Police said Dutch national Vincent Tabak, 32, who was arrested on Thursday, will appear at Bristol Magistrates' Court on Monday.
Miss Yeates, 25, was found dead on Christmas Day, eight days after going missing from her home in the Clifton area of Bristol.
Her body was found next to a country road in Failand, three miles from where she lived.
A post-mortem examination revealed she had been strangled.
Miss Yeates, who was originally from Ampfield in Hampshire, was reported missing by her 27-year-old boyfriend Greg Reardon on 19 December when he returned to their home after a weekend away visiting family in Sheffield.
She disappeared on 17 December after going for Christmas drinks with colleagues at her architectural firm.
Mr Tabak, an engineer, lived next door to Miss Yeates on Canynge Road.
Earlier this week a reconstruction for the BBC's Crimewatch programme was filmed, tracing Miss Yeates's last steps.
There have also been a number of public appeals from her family.
When we were coming up for ideas for our thriller we thought that searching news reports would be a good idea. This is because we thought basing our thriller on an event that has happened in reality would incorporate a larger sense of fear to the audience, knowing that what we are showing them could easily happen to anyone.
Monday 24 January 2011
Task 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media produtcs?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)