Preliminary Task - Final Video

Here's our video for Daniel Poulter's Bad Day

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I feel that we learnt a lot from the production of our preliminary task, and developed many skills that we will be able to use in the production of our music video.

I was really pleased with the way our editing went with this piece, especially with the editing of the lip-syncing sections of the music video. This is a useful skill that we will be able to use in our music production, and this should be a good feature of our final video.

If we did this again, I would perhaps consider using more shots in the final edit, to give the video more pace. I also feel that we should perhaps be a bit more creative with the theme behind the video, and perhaps consider using amplification or disjuncture, to make our video more interesting.

Preliminary Task: CD Cover

Here is the CD cover I made for our preliminary task:

Click to see Larger Version. Produced for Educational Purposes only.

Our preliminary task music video was based upon the song 'Bad Day' by Daniel Powter. This gave me the opportunity to practice my skills in making a CD cover, which is one of the ancillary tasks that we will need to complete for our main piece of coursework.

I based my work on many professionally produced covers that use the 'Photo Feature' technique, which uses a simple photo of the artist on the front cover to draw attention to the product - something that artists such as Amy Winehouse, James Blunt and One Direction have done in the past (see covers below). This technique is often effective, as the simple design often draws people in, encouraging people to buy the album.

When making the front cover of my CD Cover, I found the photo of Daniel Powter from the internet, and used photo editing software to remove the background from the picture. Although the end result is quite effective, when we make our CD cover for our coursework, I would recommend that we take photos specifically for the purpose of using on the CD cover, so that we can ensure that the photos used best suit our requirements. 

I also used the photo editing software to apply a Black & White effect to all of Daniel's body, except from his face. I feel that this would help the cover to stand out from many of the other CD's on the market, whilst also creating a talking point on social media sites. 

I feel that the black background with a white glow on the front cover is effective, as black is a colour usually associated with depression and negative thoughts, which fits in with the album title 'Bad Day'. The white glow suggests that Daniel is stuck in a lonely and sad place, with no way of getting out, which again fits in with the title of the album. 

Taking inspiration from other album covers, I decided that the title of the album does not need to be too big. This draws attention to the photo, and also fits in with modern branding conventions. In addition, I used the '>' symbol before Daniel's name, which helps to create a unique trademark identity, which could perhaps be used across other forms of marketing for the album. The use of the hashtag '#>DanielPowter' or '#>DP' could also be encouraged from the official Twitter account, which could also be used as an effective marketing tool. 

The rear of the cover features a photo strip at the top, with photos of the artist. I chose to keep to a black and white theme on this side of the cover, as this also adds emphasis to the effect applied to Daniel's face on the front. 

Conforming with convention for modern CD covers, I chose to leave an area of space blank on the back cover. Again, this represents purity and simplicity, and helps to keep the back cover in line with the styling on the front of the CD case, ensuring consistency is maintained. 

The bottom section includes the Daniel Powter logo, and, in line with this styling, I have added the Warner Bros production logo, which is coloured in a similar way. At the bottom, I have included the official website address for Daniel Powter, and have added bold formatting to the 'D' and 'P' of the website address, which also creates a unique brand identity. Reference is also made to Daniel's Facebook & Twitter account, and I have coloured the social networking icons using the same colour scheme as Daniel's logo, which maintains consistency throughout the design. 

Overall, I feel that this task has enabled me to develop the skills I will when producing our actual CD cover, whilst also learning how I could further improve my design in the future.

Preliminary Task: Storyboard

Preliminary Task: Shot Planning

Prelimary Task: Prop List

• Cup of Coffee
• Exam Paper with 'F' on front
• Moped
• Whiteboard

CD Cover Analysis

CD Covers have, over the years, been instrumental in encouraging the sales of CD's and records for bands and artists. Even though more people now tend to download music from the internet, the cover of a CD is still very important.

Although styles of CD Covers have changed over the years, Take That used a very modern style of cover design for their album Progress, which was released in 2010. The background of the case is a pale yellow colour, which is used to attract attention to the CD when it is seen in a shop. It also creates a unique brand identity, which can also be shared across other forms of advertising, including posters, billboards and TV/internet videos.

The text used on the front of the case is very simple, with just the words 'Take That' and 'Progress' written in the top left hand corner. The red/brown colour scheme used is extended into the cover artwork, which portrays the idea of evolution, showing how humans have developed over time. The artwork features all five band members in different positions, amplifying the theme of  'Progress' that is dominant throughout the album.

More information is included on the back of the case, although the colour scheme and theme still extends onto the rear of the disk. The text once again is kept very simple, and although the font size could have been bigger, the designers chose to keep the text so that it does not cover the entire area of the cover, still allowing for areas of yellow to be seen. This gives a feeling of simplicity, which is dominant across all of the marketing material for the album.

The rear cover also includes the barcode, and logos of the band and the production company, along with legal copyright information. Again, these have been coloured to fit in with the colour scheme of the cover.

I feel that the CD cover for this album fits in with the genre of music they produce. The cover does not feature any controversial material, and is clean, fresh and modern, which is an image many pop bands strive for.

Junior Senior - Move your Feet

The music video for Junior Senior's Move your Feet uses animation to advertise the song. Lots of time and effort has gone into creating the video, which has a retro feel, with 1960's, 70's and 80's themes and ideas being portrayed in the video.

This video uses very pixelated graphics, which adds to the appeal of the video, by making references to some older video games that use this format. As movements from the characters are not smooth, this makes the video slightly comical. 

The video uses amplification to represent the theme of not being able to stop doing something, and this is represented in a variety of ways, from not being able to stop at some traffic lights, to not being able to stop dancing.

Some performance elements are included in the video, with some of the characters singing some of the lines. In addition, some characters can be seen playing the guitar & trumpet at some points, although as this is an animated video, using performance does not really have the same effect as it would in a more traditional music video.

The shot above shows how the animation gives a retro feel to the video, which the use of the block colours, turquoise blue and 2D visual effect. The edges of the legs appear to be very jagged and pixelated, again adding to the 1960's/70's feel. However, the movements of the leg are very fluid and in time with the music, which is a stereotypical feature of music videos.

In the shot above, the word 'everybody' can be seen in the background. This amplifies the lyric that is being sung at that time, and is presented in way that is associated with this type of video and animation.



The above shot shows a character dancing in a spotlight, which is created using a green and brown background. Although it would have been possible to do something better using modern animation techniques, this is done to highlight the limitations of 2D animation, which further adds to the appeal of the video. In addition, this could also be seen as an intertextual reference, as many people may associate this style with some of the very first video games that were created.

The final shot is shown when more than one voice can be heard singing a line of the song. This represents the fact that more than one person is singing at that time, whilst still being in keeping with the style of the video that has been sustained. The use of the different background colours also attracts the audience's attention, whilst helping it to retain a retro feel.

Ed Sheeran - Lego House (Stop Motion)

A stop motion version of the music video for Ed Sheeran's Lego House has been created. This video uses stop frame animation to recreate the video out of lego blocks.

I like this video, as it is a successful marketing tool for the company, which will have been very popular with the song's target market, and creates a talking point for social media use. In addition, the final shot in the video, which shows how the singer aspires to be like Ed Sheeran, is particularly effective, as it confuses the audience, whilst also creating a point of comedy for people to relate to.

The shot above shows how lego has been used to recreate the scenes from the actual music video. It shows how effective the animation has been in rendering the background and characters to appear as realistic as possible. In addition, all movements appear fluid and almost human-like, which will encourage people to watch the video.

The above shot is a good example of how special effects have been used to make the animated character's mouth move, which allows performance to be included in the narrative of the video. The environment has been successfully created to appear as though it is very similar to the actual video, whilst still making it obvious that it is built out of lego.

The shot above shows how camera positions and shot types have been used to successfully convey information in the video. The over the shoulder shot shows the two singers writing letters, and this has been successfully replicated in the animated version.

 

The final shot in the video, which can be seen above, shows the singer holding a cardboard version of Ed Sheeran. Although this could be used to confuse the audience, it shows that anyone can aspire to be like somebody else if they want to.

Overall, I feel that this video uses unique techniques and features to make it an effective advertising tool for the song.

Bjork - All is Full of Love

The video for Bjork's All is Full of Love is a concept video, which is set in a very clean environment, and uses robots to represent the characters. Special effects have been used in this video to make it appear as though the faces of the characters have come alive.

I like this video, as it represents love as being very mechanical and clinical, suggesting that couples come together in a very structured, planned process. The variety of shot types used allows the audience to appreciate the way the faces of the robots appear human, whilst showing the environment, which is not dissimilar to something that people may associate with the workshop of a space rocket.

The video also amplifies the lyric 'All is Full of Love', by suggesting that anything, whether it is human or not, can fall in love with  anything else. It also shows how love makes a person grow as a person, as pieces are added onto the robots by mechanical arms as they fall further in love.

OutKast - HeyYa

• Originally known as Two Shades Deep
• Formed in 1992
• Album: Speakerbox
• Most downloaded song in iTunes for the software's first year of service

Narrative

• Uses live performance
• Mimicks 1964 Beatles Show
• Made to look as though American band had invaded UK
• One man is made to appear as though he is playing all instruments

Mise-en-Scene

• Old televisions
• Fan girls

Editing

• Black & White Filter - ages footage, and links back to the video by The Beatles

Camera

• Variety of shot types used
• Low angle shot shows the drum kit

Sound

• Narrative begins the video, showing the journey the band has made from the US to the UK

This is War - 30 Seconds to Mars

• Starts with words - very unusual.
• Use of words 'If we don't end war, war will end us'. Introduces video, and catches attention on black background
• Uses a variety of shots, including long shots, mid shots and close up shots. Few extreme close up shots
• Makes it seem like the start of a movie
• Use of real fottage
• Historical footage from past wars
• American Rock band
• About fighting for what you believe in
• Fighting when anything is possible
• Shows the way that people manage to remain calm in the face of danger and death
• Two different videos for the song allows people to interpret it in the way they want to
• Uses lighting effects to show countries that are effected by war and those that haven't
• Video uses amplification - the theme of war and battle
• Links to the use of satellites
• The song builds up at the start of the video, and reaches its crescendo at the start of the song
• Chorus is always much louder than the verses - this is the most important part of the song, and shows that this is the focus of the visual action