Digipacks vary in both size and shape. The number of panels can go from 4 panels all of the way up to 10. They are usually constructed of strong card and lined with plastic; where the CD goes. Designs feature on most panels to truly engage with the reader. The designs are usually linked to the set design of the album; if this was not done confusion would be rife amongst the audience. Most packs use the CD as the centre panel and base the rest of the design around this central location.Thursday, 24 January 2013
Digipacks
Digipacks vary in both size and shape. The number of panels can go from 4 panels all of the way up to 10. They are usually constructed of strong card and lined with plastic; where the CD goes. Designs feature on most panels to truly engage with the reader. The designs are usually linked to the set design of the album; if this was not done confusion would be rife amongst the audience. Most packs use the CD as the centre panel and base the rest of the design around this central location.Soundtrack
Below is the soundtrack to my Music video. It is a piece of upbeat indie guitar rock music composed by my band; Back to Basics. It is a piece that was recorded in a professional music studio as part of our last album. It is a song that is only 1:39 in length; I wanted to a song that is short because I thought that it would be a challenge to fit a narrative into such a small space of time. I like a challenge.
Script/Lyrics
Below are the words that will be sung in my music video. The words were written by myself but in the video they are sung by my brother who is the lead singer of the band that recorded the song. No additional words will feature in this music video so this is all the words that re said. The lyrics within my video are to be sung on screen by the lead singer of the band. This will not be constant throughout the piece but will come around as one of the pain themes of the video.
Good - Words by James Reay. Music by Back to Basics
I Got up, Watched TV
Then I listened to an MP3
And that’s when I knew today
Would be a Good day
Got changed into swimwear jumped
In the pool after a dare
And that’s when I knew today
Would be a Good day
Because I‘m doing
These things on holiday
Yes, all these things
On holiday
Because I‘m doing
These things on holiday
Yes, all these things
On holiday
After the pool got out and had a drink
Then I asked my brother to play tennis
And he had a think
And that’s when I knew today
Would be a Good day
He decided to play tennis with me
Halfway though he it the ball as
Far as he see
And that’s when I knew today
Would be a Good day
Because I‘m doing
These things on holiday
Yes, all these things
On holiday
Because I‘m doing
These things on holiday
Yes, all these things
On holiday
Oh I wish it would stay
Stay like this for another day
Oh I wish it would stay
Stay like this for another day
Monday, 14 January 2013
Uses and Gratifications
Uses and Gratification is a theory that applies to media and it explains why audiences consume the media in the way that they do. It is an entirely audience orientated approach to understanding mass communication. It assumes that audience members are not passive but actively take part in the interpretation and integration of media texts.The basic model of this theory suggests that four branches are present; Identify, Educate, Entertain and Social interaction. All of these have there own reasoning behind it.
- Identify - The audience like being able to identify the people and the products that are put before them in the media text format. These people outline those who are most like them and they also outline who is the evil and who is meant to be the role model. Given the context of my music video; the audience will be able to identify who the people are within the video. They will be able to see who the drummer is and who the guitarist/ vocalist is.
- Educate - People consume the media in the hope that they will learn something from it or gain an understanding of something that they did not previously. Although the main point of a music video is not to educate the audience; those who are musically minded will be able to see from the footage of the music being played; what chords/ beats are being played.
- Entertain - Entertainment plays a big role in the media that we consume; what we watch has to be enjoyable and also provide some form of a escapism. Escapism is present so that people can just forget the worries that they have in the life they have and escape into the fictional world where other people are worse off than them. Music video's are conventionally constructed to advertise the song and to get it promoted but another aim of the music video is to entertain. I have aimed to make my video and entertaining spectacle; the music is quite upbeat and I have tried to match this with the visuals.
- Social interaction - When people watch a product of the media it allows them to talk to people about it and spread the opinions they have on it. In some cases this interaction happens outside of the friend zone that they have; a public conversation on the bus, for example. The vocalist is communicating to the audience as the video shows him directly speaking to the camer and therefore talking to the audience.
Friday, 11 January 2013
Moving image analysis
Below are work sheets that have been completed to analyse several pieces of moving images. These vary in the content that they have; some are short films and some are documentaries. I chose to analyse them in table format because it is easy to read back to ones self and also for others to read. I have completed each table to the best of my ability and skill so that I get the most out of each video and therefore apply more to my product. You can click on each table to read each of them closer up.
http://youtu.be/PArM9atP6nE - Loop
http://youtu.be/PArM9atP6nE - Loop
http://youtu.be/JVm7t1udP-g - Me and Orson Welles
http://youtu.be/LOMbySJTKpg - Zero
http://youtu.be/F_UxLEqd074 - Paranormal Activity
http://youtu.be/8cdBTGeJ2H0 - I am Butterfly
Thursday, 10 January 2013
The Hypodermic Needle Model and the Two Step Flow
The hypodermic needle model is the theory that the message of the media is simply just accepted by the viewer of it and they believe everything that they see. This theory is rooted in the 1930s before mass media was developed as a concept and is considered obsolete today because more recent theories have distributed its findings. It would on'y work if all of the audience was considered passive and since the development of mass media we know not all of the audience are passive because we can read peoples opinions of media products online and in magazines.
Ancillary task: Poster
Instead of creating a website, I made the decision to design a poster. This decision was taken on the basis that I did not have the knowledge to create a website and the time that it would take to construct would consume a lot of my time.Early on in my construction, I chose to create a poster that advertised both an album and a single; the best posters that have seen advertising music products have been advertising more than one product. The colour scheme of the poster was also set by this time. It was going to be the same as my digi-pack. This was done to keep the theme of the album campaign the same; consistency is key when dealing with designing an album campaign because without it the consumers will be confused. Essential information is present on my poster so that the audience know who the band and what the single/album is called. The font choice is consistent throughout; this is another way that I have kept theme consistent. It is present in all three colours of the colour scheme to add another dimension to the piece and give it an almost 3D look. The background of the poster white so that the colours present contrast it. This (<Left) was nearly chosen as my final design until I made the decision, based on the advice I'd been given, that it was too text orientated; this lead to confusion so I changed it.
Above you can see three variations on the top design; these were produced but not chosen due to various design flaws that are present with them.
The Final Design
In stark contrast to the design above; this image is not visually confusing due to there being too many words. The colour palette that has been used is the same as that has been used above as it is the same as the digi-pack that I have created. The font is also the same as that on the digi-pack. This design advertises one thing; I chose to do this after the disaster that I saw above. There is a solo image on this so that the poster has a focus; too many things on the previous design made people look in all of the wrong places. The essential information is all present just variations in said information are present. A similar repeat pattern has been used to so that people recognise that the two products are linked.
The Scenario
This is a short film that was created as a second round of editing practise but was also filming practise. It was a movie that was created for a specific brief but was shot and directed by a small group of us. As a group, we drew up a story board, a script and then shot it with one of us directing. Below you can see the script and the story board for the short film;
The youtube link of the final product can be seen below. It is not identical to what we as a group first intended via the script/ storyboard but it is as close as we could get it with the time and resources that we had to film it. Slides were added with the actors names on as was a credits roll at the end. We thought that this was a suitable way to both start and end the film. The film was shot on the walk way beside the river next to our college on a sunny winters day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjn7jjEYbyY
This editing practise helped me understand the program and how it works. I learned how to use the tools within the program and how to export the video after it had been completed. I had a very little understanding of how the program worked prior to completion of this editing practise. I have a full working understanding after this. The main thing I learnt from this is how to manipulate the timeline; in earlier sessions I did not fully understand how to chop and change the video present on it but now I know more than I need.
The youtube link of the final product can be seen below. It is not identical to what we as a group first intended via the script/ storyboard but it is as close as we could get it with the time and resources that we had to film it. Slides were added with the actors names on as was a credits roll at the end. We thought that this was a suitable way to both start and end the film. The film was shot on the walk way beside the river next to our college on a sunny winters day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjn7jjEYbyY
This editing practise helped me understand the program and how it works. I learned how to use the tools within the program and how to export the video after it had been completed. I had a very little understanding of how the program worked prior to completion of this editing practise. I have a full working understanding after this. The main thing I learnt from this is how to manipulate the timeline; in earlier sessions I did not fully understand how to chop and change the video present on it but now I know more than I need.
Results

Below are the results from my Facebook group questionnaire. It is a survey that I constructed to ask members of my target audience how they access the music that they consume and how they prefer the designs of the album sleeves. It is a survey that allowed me to make a judgement on how to construct my media products; album sleeve, video and advert. These results only provided a snapshot of the target audience because a small number of applicants responded. I still consider these results to be accurate and reliable because I trust all of the responses provided.


I have presented my results in a graph format. I have done it this way as I thought that it was the most suitable method of doing this. The bars of the results are in red as this colour was part of my colour scheme so that I continued my my theme. I created these graphs on Microsoft excel as I thought that this was the most suitable program to create them on.
I have taken on board the results from my questionaire becuase I was gonna create a performance video but they said that they prefer a narative and that's what I did I changed my plan. Some of the pieces of feedback I did not take on board as I thought that it went against what I wanted to be in my video. Overall my product is balanced between what I wanted my product to be and what the audience wants.
I did a class poll, which was of a verbal nature, on which CD design I should choose. I created two design based around the theme of my CD digi-pack. The class ended up choosing the design that I did not personally feel was the strongest. But in fairness I will chose what the audience wanted. I aim to please the audience and not myself.Monday, 7 January 2013
Moving Image Planning
My music video needs to have an uplifting tone to it as it is a song about having a good time and holiday and a dull video would not correspond well with this. I will portray happiness in this video by my bright use of colour and optimistic imagery. The tone of the music is also uplifting and this will asist the video in creating this sense of optimism. I will be filing the video as well as staring in it. My brother will also be staring in as well, as we are the band that the song is for. We will film scene that we are both in using a tripod directed towards us.We will we require a drum kit, a guitar, an amp and a microphone with stand.
The colour of the outdoor scenes will be naturally vibrant due to what I will be shooting will be of that nature. The colours of the indoors scenes will not be enhanced visually to improve colour because it will make it look fake and that is not the aim of my video. Briefing of the additional people that I require will be done prior to the start of the filming. Natural light will be my only light source because the use of lamps and other
lights will make the image look fake and artificial. Fake is not the image that I want my holiday song to look.
My video will be shot in two different locations; the indoor shots will be shot inside my music room and the outdoor shots will be shot in and around the sea front area down the bottom of my street on a sunny day. No backdrops will be present in my video as this will look out of place because the main focus will be on the instruments and the scenes out side so you would not see it and it would be a waste of a prop.
No make up will be present as the genre of the music not dictate that it will need to be present; Glam rock musicians wore maeup to make them look extravagent and this does not need to be the case for this band. Costume will match the genre of music; shirts and jeans. The aim will be for smart casual as this is the style that the audience for this song often boost.
The colour of the outdoor scenes will be naturally vibrant due to what I will be shooting will be of that nature. The colours of the indoors scenes will not be enhanced visually to improve colour because it will make it look fake and that is not the aim of my video. Briefing of the additional people that I require will be done prior to the start of the filming. Natural light will be my only light source because the use of lamps and other
My video will be shot in two different locations; the indoor shots will be shot inside my music room and the outdoor shots will be shot in and around the sea front area down the bottom of my street on a sunny day. No backdrops will be present in my video as this will look out of place because the main focus will be on the instruments and the scenes out side so you would not see it and it would be a waste of a prop.
The ‘Recce’
My shots will take place in two different locations and both locations are very different paces; outside and inside. The exterior has potential hazards such as traffic in the streets, other people as well as the camera equipment that is being used to aid in the filming. The interior will consist of a music room. This location has more hazards than the out doors. The band that are playing require guitar and microphone cables, stands for that equipment and the actual equipment. People could trip on these items as well as be hi by them.
Risks will be minimised by maximum observation. the staff and band members will be informed that risks are present and to be very careful that people don't cause damage to other people or things. It is very important that my shots are shot during a sunny day so that the impression that the scene is on holiday is given to the audience. This is done because my song is a song about being on holiday. My shots are going to be contrasting; the shots that are outside are going to be focused on space and the vastness of landscape and enjoyment. The shots that are going to be taken indoors, in the music room, are going to be shots that are quite confined and are going to focus closely on the guitar playing and drumming in the song as well as the singing.
I cannot control the lighting that I intend to use as it is natural; the time of day that I do film and the weather that I film in is the only way of controlling this. Flashes are very difficult things to control and make images/filming look unatural and that is not the aim of my filming. I want my footage to look and natural. I also fear that using a flash would reflect off of the guitar and that is another reason that I am not using it.
No permission will be required to film where I want to because it is outside in the public domain as well as being inside my house, which is a location that I own. A time will not be required for y shoot because I have access to the people that I require at any time during the day. People could pose a threat to my filming but I will just try to avoid them and if this is not possible I will kindly ask that they move for a temporary basis so that I get the shot and then they can move back.
All of the equipment that I require for my filming I own or is owned by by a member of my family. As for people I only require my brother and myself so both these people are regularly available. If my brother is unavailable because of serious illness or injury, I will step up and do his guitar and voice acting and use a tripod to film it. All eventualities have been thought of so that if something does go wrong that base is covered. No emails/ texts were exchanged to organise the filming of my video because it was all verbal. The main reason for this is I live with the band member that I had to do the filming with.
Risks will be minimised by maximum observation. the staff and band members will be informed that risks are present and to be very careful that people don't cause damage to other people or things. It is very important that my shots are shot during a sunny day so that the impression that the scene is on holiday is given to the audience. This is done because my song is a song about being on holiday. My shots are going to be contrasting; the shots that are outside are going to be focused on space and the vastness of landscape and enjoyment. The shots that are going to be taken indoors, in the music room, are going to be shots that are quite confined and are going to focus closely on the guitar playing and drumming in the song as well as the singing.
I cannot control the lighting that I intend to use as it is natural; the time of day that I do film and the weather that I film in is the only way of controlling this. Flashes are very difficult things to control and make images/filming look unatural and that is not the aim of my filming. I want my footage to look and natural. I also fear that using a flash would reflect off of the guitar and that is another reason that I am not using it.
No permission will be required to film where I want to because it is outside in the public domain as well as being inside my house, which is a location that I own. A time will not be required for y shoot because I have access to the people that I require at any time during the day. People could pose a threat to my filming but I will just try to avoid them and if this is not possible I will kindly ask that they move for a temporary basis so that I get the shot and then they can move back.
All of the equipment that I require for my filming I own or is owned by by a member of my family. As for people I only require my brother and myself so both these people are regularly available. If my brother is unavailable because of serious illness or injury, I will step up and do his guitar and voice acting and use a tripod to film it. All eventualities have been thought of so that if something does go wrong that base is covered. No emails/ texts were exchanged to organise the filming of my video because it was all verbal. The main reason for this is I live with the band member that I had to do the filming with.
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