Props

The props that I am including in my music video includes:

Make up brush
Wall Lights
Scarf
Necklaces
Jewellry hand

Filming completed

Today I filmed my music video with success. The weather was cold, but sunny, so I was able to use the beach as I planned to. However, I was unable to film during sunset on the beach but I was able to compromise and filmed all the scenes in the whole day and now just need to get on with my editing!

Codes and Conventions of a digipak

Digipaks for artists all have a similar style and layout. To create a professional looking digipak there are codes and conventions I need to include to make a successful digipak.
There are usually 2 or 3 compartments. If the album has 2 discs, which is usually for a compilation cd or a limited edition album with a dvd, then there will be 3 compartments, for which 2 will be for the discs and the other for the booklet. (Like image above). For a 1 disc digipak there will be a compartment for the cd and and the other for the booklet and front image.
All digipaks include:

• A visual image
• The band name and album name
• Track Listing
• Basic background information about the band/artist
• Sometimes, some digipaks include reviews from critics
• Bar code and the name and logo of the music label

The conventions of a digipak are found in similar places on each digipak.

Front Cover - The front cover includes a main image of either the band/artist or a piece of artwork which relates to the album title or the band name. This is the main attraction of the cover and is designed to catch the audiences eye. Also, included is the artist name and album title. The writing is usually big and bold to make it clear whose album we are looking at.

Here is an example of Biffy Clyro's album 'Puzzle'. It is clear what the picture is based on as the image is of a guy made to look like a Jigsaw to relate to the album name. Although the text at the top isn't very big and bold the background is quite simple which, after noticing the image, makes it clear for us to see.

Inside booklet - In most (if not every) digipak, you get a mini booklet with the cd. The booklet inside usually include either lyrics to the songs or images of band/related to album songs, a page from the band itself saying their thanks to the people who helped them produce the album, inspirations and general thanks. Also included at the back in the credits of producers, directors, music labels, and writers. Included in the booklet where the songs are listed, the names of who wrote the song, who produced it, who sung it and other credits to involvment in the song.

Disc and Inside - When you open the digipak you will see the disc and the back of the booklet. The cd usually include a printed photo or words, which most digipaks just use the same image which is on the front of the album cover. Behind the cd sometimes the theme of the album cover is usually carried onto the inside of the cd.

Here you can see The Killers digipak. Behind the cd you can see there is an image which is similar to the one which is on the disc. Most cd digipaks have a similar theme rather than keeping the background plain and to make it look more interesting.

Back of album - On the back of the album, the main thing is the track listing. There is usually a list or organised way the songs which are found on the album on the back. There is the barcode which is allocated at the back, usually at the bottom of the case, as most products do. Also found in small writing on the back is the credits, which are similar to what we see in the back of the booklet. Naming the record label, who produced the album, the musical directors etc.

Here is an example from The Beatles album ' Abbey Road'. Some albums also include another image at the back which associates with the album or artist. The image is usually similar to that on the front cover.

More location images

Garden Location Images

Blackpool Beach

Blackpool Beach is the main location that I will be using for the majority of my music video. I decided to use Blackpool Beach as I live close to the area and it's the only beach I could think of which created the right setting for my music video.

Here, I have added some images of the sunset at Blackpool beach. These show the sort of setting which I am aiming to use in my video, however it may be a little bit lighter or have to be during the day for the fact the lighting may clash with the cameras resolution.

Here is the part of the beach I will be using to shoot parts of my video. I will be using this part so that I can get the Blackpool tower in the back and the lights from the amusements.

Storyboard

Here is my storyboard so far. These are my completed sheets which cover most of the song. I only have 2 more verses left to plan.

The first two sheets are both for the introduction. The first one is of the sun setting. As I will be filming during sunset, I will not have time to film the sun setting aswell. So for my first edit I have decided to use another introduction plan and if I have time maybe come back to my initial idea after my first edit.

Statistics for Radioactive

Unfortunatly, there were no available statistics for 'Radioactive' so I searched on google and came across this on last.fm. It is not as detailed as the youtube statistics as in it doesn't show what the gender of the listeners are or the age. However it does show how popular the video and song are from the middle of August. It shows that the song was most popular before the video came out officialy on 3rd October 2011. The ratings then go down until the video is officially released. The ratings then drop slowly however not completley. Over this period of time there have been a total of 5,509 listeners. Maybe more on other videos which have been created for the video.

Shooting Schedule

As I am close to finishing my storyboard and planning, I will be starting to film my video this weekend from the 18th Novemeber - 20th November.
I will be at my dads that weekend where I can use my actress and also use my designated location in Blackpool.
I have already arranged with my dad and lizzie the times and schedule of filming for this weekend.
Plan:
I will be heading down to Blackpool around 2.30ish as the sun is due to set around 4.30. This will give me enough time to set up and go through any final ideas.
However, there is a problem, as the other scenes which do no require the beach need to be filmed around the same time to get the same effect. Saturday is the only day which I will be available to film at this time and Blackpool is my first priority as the weather temperatures may drop and it may become impossible to film on the beach.
So, I have decided that I will try to film both in the dark once I get back from the beach and during the day the scenes which require me to film in the garden and I will then use the editing suite to change the effects to see whether it is possible to create the same effect without the right light and which looks best.

Analysis of my music lyrics

More analysis on the sheets still to come!

Analysis of Digipak - Mumford and Sons

Mumford And Sons - Sigh No More

Location/Effects

The location of the album is quite simple, set in a town with the image of different coloured buildings which look quite like town shops. The lighting contrast is dim which gives a vintage, alternative look so just by the cover we can guess what the genre may be. There are four men stood in the building window which we suggest are the band members. However, at first glance it seems asif they are just mannequins as the building is the dominant image. The writing is presented as a swirly but simple font which goes with the image and the genre of the band. Usually the band are the main focus on the album cover which they are however they are mainly in the dark shades of the album and the light areas are around them.

Costume/Props

The band are dressed in outfits which shows their Britishness. It also gives them a folk/indie look which establishes their genre. We realise that it is the band we are seeing as they are stood against their instruments in the window.


Back of Digipak
The back of the digipak for Mumford and Sons is quite simple. They use a simple medium shot of the window and the white wall which makes the text stand out. It's asif we are looking at the back of the building we have just seen on the front of the album. They have used a white colour which makes the window and the song list the main attraction. It is set out to look realisitc.

Storyboard

"I am close to finishing my storyboard, I have one more page to do then I need to scan them onto the computer to attach on here."

I had almost finished my storyboard, however I changed my song at the last minute. I didn't have much to change on my planning however, my storyboard had changed. I am in the process of completing it.

Analysis of Album Cover

Rizzle Kicks - Stereo Typical


The front cover is quite basic. The image is of the two artists in the duo. I think the image is suppose to just show the artists as who they are instead of trying to show a specific image or character. They are showing both their alternative and hip hop side by their costume. They are wearing white t-shirts and grey hoodies which are quite casual but adding a reversed cap on one of their heads and one with hands in his pockets. It looks asif they are representing both their genres and characters. One alternative, one hip hop.
The lighting is very bright which gives off a warm and relaxed feeling. This works quite well with the music as it is described as 'Relaxed hip hop'. There is nothing else in the picture but the two guys which attracts all the focus on the artists. Even though the artwork may not look as appealing as other albums with it being so simplistic, it also makes it more interesting. The image used is a medium shot which shows both artists casually sitting down which could connote a relaxed sense to the teenage target audience.

Codes and conventions of my genre

Music Video Genre – Indie Pop/New Wave

The Genre of the song, which I am using to create my own music video, is a combination Indie pop/New wave. It has a mix of both new wave and indie pop conventions in the music video.

New wave emerged in the mid to late 1970's. It is described as an eccentric and quirky but also catchy and pop at heart. It is a mix of Punk rock, art rock, garage rock, glam rock, pub rock, ska, funk, electronic music, bubble-gum and disco. Such popular new wave bands include Blondie, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and The Killers. The genre of a music video is shown through its conventions. Common characteristics in new wave include the usage of synthesizers and electronic productions. The typical instruments of a new wave band include Electric Guitar, bass guitar, drums, synthesisers, and sometimes auto tune on the vocals. Such sounds can be heard in a lot of 80's pop music such as Pet Shop Boys and The Eurhythmics. Another convention identified for new wave is the video effects. In many music videos, the songs which were new wave used many brightly coloured and eccentric effects similar to that in Rihanna's music video 'Rudeboy'. In her video she uses a lot of neon bright effects which gives off a club effect. For the setting, a lot of new wave music videos are set in a studio because of the huge usage of effects. If the artist needed a scene behind them they could add this on through using a green screen, if not actually shooting outside.

Looking at Duran Duran’s music video for ‘Rio’, I am aware of the new wave conventions already at the beginning of the song. There is a use of bright colours throughout the video and special effect which were highly popular in the 80’s. I can hear the use of synthesisers at the beginning of the song.

Indie pop has a variety of definitions. The most obvious would be that it is a genre of music for bands who are on individual labels but yet are very popular, however maybe not so popular in the same way as mainstream pop artists (“The mainstream of underground media.”) such as Arcade Fire, Paramore, Bat For Lashes, City and Colour and Ellie Goulding. They are the artists which are widely popular but are not always landing a strong place on the main UK top 40 charts unlike as Tinie Tempah and Adele. Another definition is that indie pop is a sub-genre of alternative/indie rock music, which includes music that is lighter and less depressing than most indie rock. It is usually the music which the commercial radio people will end up buying after hearing it a few times, because of its first-listen appeal.

The conventions of an indie-pop music video are shown through the lighting and effects. In most indie pop videos the effects used are mainly monochrome and sepia to create a vintage type of effect. If not there are no specific effects to the video just a little more brightness to make it seem less realistic and more dream looking. Some videos use a montage of shots from scenes which together suggest a collection of memories. In the videos they use a lot of long and close up shots of the artists and use many pan shots to show the setting. The use of close up shots creates focus on the artist and to attract the attention of the audience. From looking at examples, I have seen a big use of tracking shots as in a lot of indie pop music videos, there is a story used and the artist is moving around a lot. Costume colours are a big convention for indie pop as the colours are usual neutral and white rather than bright colours. 

Audience research analysis

Looking at the poll's I created to find out what the preferences were for a music video and what the target audience would be, I have recieved quite a big amount of responses.

'What type of music video do you prefer?'

Narrative - 27%
Animation - 27%
Abstract - 9%
Performance - 36%

The majority of people said they prefer a performance based music video. This is a good result as it puts more attentions on the performer. Narrative and Animation recieved the same results.

'What is your age?'

10 - 15 = 20%
16-19 = 40%
20- 30 = 10%
31+ = 30%

The results show the mode age which have answered are between 16-19. This is good because they are the age group which artists target their music at as they are more likely to purchase it. Also they are able to create variety of music videos which apply to the audience.

'What is your favourite genre of music?'

RnB - 0%
Pop - 40%
Rock - 30%
Alternative - 30%
Indie - 0%
Old rock - 0%

These results show me that the genre which is most popular are those which would be found in the charts. There are no results for rnb, indie or old rock. This shows they are not as popular as the other three which i need to consider when creating my music video.

'What gender are you?'

Male - 20%
Female - 80%

The majority of people who answered were female. This tells me that more females are interested about what goes into the music video rather that males. My artist is female which is benefits as the majority of people who answered were female. My music video will appeal to my audience.

More planning and Ideas.

Lights
I was researching a few music videos to get ideas to adapt for my video to show radioactive.
Here is an image from Florence and the machine video 'Cosmic Love'. She is seen in a mirrored boxed room with lights surrounding her. I really liked the idea of using lights in my music video. My ideas are for lizzie to be either Lizzie could be laid on lights, wrapped with lights or surrounded by lights.

Storyboard

I am currently working on my storyboard and finalising my ideas for my music video. I started by timing the lines and verse's of the song in order to time the length of each shot. On my storyboard, I am writing down the different types of shots, drawing the mise-en-scene and writing the actions.