Analysis of a Digipak

Rihanna a world renowned artist that is from the 'RnB'  industry shows her girly side when it comes to the digipak of 'Loud' and you can tell that they want to show Rihanna in a nice light by the use of pinks and red. Not only does the colour of her hair and lipstick match, the producers of the Digipak obviously want to make a connection with the colours as the roses in the background and her hair match significantly.
The fonts show the 'RnB' side with being in Capitals and block letters. The words on this digipak is simple but the title 'Loud' also connects with the amount of red in the pictures and the effects put on the photo's. It also shows her audience that the songs in this album they are not about her break up with Chris Brown, all the song stay away from the stereotypical view on love and how women are meant to see love.
The images used is an extreme close up of Rihanna's face which shows her closing her eyes shows the emotion that will be shown through her music. Next is Rihanna lying on a rose bed, this shows the connection between the colour of the roses, her hair and her lipstick this shows that the album has a 'house style'. The CD itself is a white rose, this connects with the colour of the dress, which again adds to the house style.
The design layout, shows the producers thought about the pictures they had to work with and this is shown by the picture of Rihanna lying on the roses over the inside, this shows the wide shot photo was meant to be used for the inside of the CD case.

 

This cover has helped me understand a bit more into the music industry and this is through understanding the music industry that I will be able to create a digipak like this when I come to creating it. It is now my goal to produce a digipak to my music video like Loud and it shows emotion towards the music through images and the effects that has been used. 

Props List

In my music video I will be using a number of different props and they include the following that will make my music video.

• Clothing: (dress, school uniform, jeans, hoodies,ect.) The clothing will change with different characters.
• Art utensils: borrowed
• Textbooks: actresses books.
• Glasses

Although there is not many element to my music video in props wise it still shows up in my music video, which helps bring the music video together.

Location List

Location 1: Memorial Hall, Stage set with curtain drawn (red) with red lighting.

Location 2: Park, with bench.

Location 3: School hallway.

Location 4: Classroom, with art utensils.

Location 5: Home, living room

Location 6: School office

Location 7:  School Toilets

Location 8: Bus Stop

Location 9: School Classroom with teacher.

Location 10: Playground.

Crew list and shooting schedule

Director/Editor/Lighting engineer: Ailis Prowse (Me)

Main actresses: Jennie Martin + Jack Goodman

Extras...

Shooting Schedule

During free lessons when actresses are available to film from 4:00 till 4:45
Weekends and free time in the evenings between the hours of 7:00-9:00. Also during the day to shoot outside between the hours of 1:00-5:00.

Equipment List

During filming I will be using different types of equipment that will help me achieve my main task. To achieve the best for my main task I will need the following:

• Camera that has filming features
• Tripod (to keep the camera steady when in stationary positions)
• Tungsten light
• Portable music device
• Lyrical sheet (incase actress forgets words) 

Not only will this help me achieve a good music video this will make me feel more professional whilst making my music video, therefore will make my music video seem and feel more professional.

Storyboard 3

As you can see the story is changing, that's what I feel the song is about forgiving and moving on.

Class discussion about cameras and the different ways to use them.

During our last lesson, our media technician brought in his new camera and showed use all the elements that we could possibly use in our music video. Such like, the automatic focus when you press the shutter. Also the different type of lenses we could possibly use in our music videos to get different effects, such as the fish eye attachment that you would add to the camera. See below for an image.

 As you can see the wide lens and would create a wide image which would be in a circle type frame, therefore reducing the time editing to try an make the video frame in this format. Here is an image of what it could look like whilst filming.

Storyboard 2

During my second time story boarding I wanted to make sure that I got the narrative part of the video to a standard that my audience would understand, so I wanted to show the bullying at a high level to see how and where she got to in her later life.

Storyboard 1

 This is the first 6 shots that I will be creating for my music video of Christina Perri. As you can see it will be a performance and narrative based video.

Lyrical Content.

I can hold my breath
I can bite my tongue
I can stay awake for days
If that's what you want
Be your number one

I can fake a smile
I can force a laugh
I can dance and play the part
If that's what you ask
Give you all I am

I can do it
I can do it
I can do it

But I'm only human
And I bleed when I fall down
I'm only human
And I crash and I break down
Your words in my head, knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
'Cause I'm only human

I can turn it on
Be a good machine
I can hold the weight of worlds
If that's what you need
Be your everything

I can do it
I can do it
I'll get through it

But I'm only human
And I bleed when I fall down
I'm only human
And I crash and I break down
Your words in my head, knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
'Cause I'm only human

I'm only human
I'm only human
Just a little human

I can take so much
'Til I've had enough

'Cause I'm only human
And I bleed when I fall down
I'm only human
And I crash and I break down
Your words in my head, knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
'Cause I'm only human 

 

 

As you can see this song can be interpreted in a number of ways, my interpretation of this song is about bullying and the effects it has on later life.

Conventions of a Music Video

Conventions of Music Videos:

1. Conventions of narrative music videos: the music video contains a series of events that both
make sense to the audience and appear to be unified in time and space. So as to ensure
repeated viewings and the effective marketing of the band/artist and song, the narrative
code must be „loose‟ or simply „suggestive‟ rather than „realistic‟ or „detailed‟.

2. Conventions of the band performance: a degree of authenticity of the performance is sought
by the band and the director so we often find lip-syncing close-up, mimed playing of
instruments, repetition of chorus shots to enhance the video unusual camera shots and
angles (e.g. the micro camera shots attached to the neck of a guitar, sweeping crane shots to
film audience reaction to the band playing etc.).

3. Conventions of solo artist performance: many of the band performance conventions plus
choreographed dance routines to enhance the video. Also, a first-person mode of
address directly engaging the viewer through the camera which involves many close-up shots of
eyes rolling and gesturing and if the video is a hybrid form cutting between performance
and narrative then the solo artist or band lead singer often becomes part of the narrative story,
acting as narrator and participant at the same time.


I will use the conventions of the narrative music video and also conventions of a solo artist performance. I will be converging both of these conventions to produce my music video of 'Human by Christina Perri'.

Post- Research Questions

1. What has been your role in the research process? 

My role in the research process has not only been a very in-depth one but i have taken control as it is research for my main task. During my research I have watched a number of music videos of the genre of music that I am doing 'Pop' and analysed to get an understanding of different ways that camera angles can convey a certain mood.

     2.  Has your research been successful in helping you decide upon your choice of genre for your text? 

Yes. Not only has my research given me an insight into the 'Pop' industry but it has helped me understand how the era of 'Pop' came around and not only that but how it became so influential in the music industry. The song I have chosen is known as 'Power Pop' now this is a form of 'Pop' however it has shown influential meaning on the main target audience. (Human - Christina Perri).

    3. Through the research you have carried out, who is the target audience for your production? Explain why you have chosen this audience.

During this research, I have thought long and hard about the type of audience that I wanted to create my main task for; due to the nature of the song and the lyrical content, I thought this song would be best suited to those of the age 16-21, mainly aimed at women, however, it will have influences that will intrigued by men. 

    4. In what way has your research supported and informed your  production so far?

My research has made the realisation of making a music video a task that you have to go in whole heartedly; therefore, I not only will be considering the camera angles and shots but the hair, the make-up and the overall feel to my music video. In this music video it will show elements of the past and how people some people move forward with regret, without feeling loved. Now this theory can either be from bullying as a young child and not feeling like no one will ever treat you with the respect you deserve. This will be the concept my music video will show.

Questionnaire Analysis

During the process of analysing the target audience questionnaire I started to understand the thought process of my target audience and what they wanted from me as a director and producer of my music video.

Adhering Goodwin's theory of 'pop' and girl band type music videos I asked specific questions that I thought would benefit me as the producer, E.G. 'Would you prefer a storyline in the music video?' Two thirds said they would, this showed me that not all members of my target audience has the same opinion on music videos; therefore I need to be versatile in my thought process over the storyboard and main project. 

Target Audience Questionnaire

During this questionnaire I have come up with a number of questions to target a specific type of audience.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/929BK96

Target audience Profile

To get closer to my target audience I interviewed a couple of them to find out more about them and what interests them in music. This is the introduction to there part in my Media Coursework, so you as an examiner and marker can get to know what I have been looking for in my target audience.

Target audience description

The music industry sets out a target audience in which the artis/band/group should aim their music at. These are the features that the industry have to consider. 

• Age 
• Gender
• Social Demographic (ABC1-C2DE)
• Occupation
• Hobbies
• Style
• Media grouping- favourite films, favourite T.V. programmes, favourite aritsts/music
• What uses & Gratifications will your music video offer to your audience? 
• What solutions will your music video offer to their problems? (Utopian Theory)

My music video will consider these elements for my target audience. 

• 16-18 years old
• Both males and females 
• ABC1 the genre i have chosen is known more to middle class
• Occupation N/A
• Hobbies N/A
• Style Love/Pain

This target audience will be used throughout my coursework, and i will take every bit of feedback and criticism and turn it into a positive outcome. 

Letter for Copyright Holder

Song Choice

After careful consideration I decided to pick a song that I could not only show emotion but a song that I can use concept and narrative based theories. This song is 'Human' by Christina Perri, this song is about individuality, and that to be human we are and have to be individuals. Also it is about the separation of love in a life and how that has a significant effect on your life.

 

In this music video they focus on the individuality of Christina Perri, shown through the fact that she doesn't have any of her tattoos and her make up is plain and natural; whereas in videos such as 'Jar of Hearts' her style is completely embraced.

In my music video I will be embracing this view, whilst also considering the aspect of love.

How would you plan an effective storyboard to include a hybrid of two or more categories?

To plan an effective storyboard I would:

• Start off with a panning shot zooming in on the band or artist to set the mood of the music video,
• I would then carry on to a wide shot of my character and depending on the music genre I would choose either a high angle or a low angle.
• Furthermore, I would do flashbacks to the band in a dreamy effect, this would show the emotion of the band and also show extreme close-ups of the instruments. (Nickelback - How You Remind Me). Pictures below.
• This will not only create mood, flair and emotion it will give the audience someone to connect to. This increasing the target audience expectation.

Categories of a Music Video

Different music videos fit into divergent categories, there is three categories that they could be a part of; they are:

Performance Based Videos: is where the camera continuously focus' on the band/artists. Usually heavy metal bands use this type of video however, it can be a hybrid of different categories such as a performance and a narrative. Here is an example.

Narrative Based Videos: is where the video tells a story, links to a story or film. This is usually associated with Pop, RnB or Country. Again this could also result in a hybrid of the three categories. Here is another example.

Concept Based Videos: Based around a single idea. With this category there is two types of concepts Thematic concept: Metal bands - Performance, Rap- Street images, Pop - Dance Routines. You then also have the Symbolic concept: Build up of meaning, use of montage, lighting suggests moods, fast paced, pictures can support. Foo Fighters have shown an example of concept based music videos.

My music video, is a concept video which is supported by the lighting and the mood that is conveyed by the artist and the overall feeling of the song. 

Music Video Analysis 3

This video is super effective in many ways, but the prime factor has to be its uniqueness of a women so unhappy with life that she decides to just pack it all up and leave. This is the general feeling of the modern era as people want to just escape from the worries such as getting a mortgage or getting a job. This follows the hypodermic syringe model as it injects the idea that just leaving everything behind will make you feel better and lead to happiness.

This video also follows the forms and conventions of a Music magazine as it follows the music, which is a party like theme where the woman is going wild and partying on an island.

This makes the music video memorable to the viewer and imprints the image of a slightly large woman not caring about anything when you listen to the song. This may mean that when people are feeling down they will listen to this song as its something they can relate to.

The lyrics do not really match the visuals apart from the fact that "I can be the one to set you free" imply if you take the chance you can escape and be free of what you are currently doing or how you are currently living your life.

There are close ups but it is not a symbol as the actor is unrelated to the artist. But the notion of looking is there as although she may not be the prettiest or sexiest girl in the world she dresses sexually and entices you to think that whatever you look like you can have a good time. Unfortunately there are no inter textual references but the clip is performance based as you as you are watching what she doesn't rather than listening to her.

Music video Analysis 2

'Addicted to You' was released 27 November 2013, by Avicci. The video conveys life in the 1950's for women, how society wanted females to work and not go against the law. Goodwin's theory on the way females bodies should be conveyed through a music video, in this music video it is shown that in the 1950's women were shown to be objects.

The relationship between the lyrics and visuals, shows the genre of music; this music is from the era of jazz and liquor a dangerous era for women. Displayed as they are conveyed as being in a relationship together, which is different as the era they were shown to be apart of it was not seemed as the norm.

Close ups of the females show that they are the main characters and that people should feel a certain emotion towards the characters in this music video.

There is intertextual references as they are looking back to a different era in time, which shows the creative side to the director and producer.

This is a narrative-based music video, there is no sign of Avicci anywhere in this music video, therefore it shows that people will recognise his type of music.

I have looked at these techniques and I will try and use it whilst creating my music video.

Stop motion task

To understand how stop motion works we decided to take it a step further and make our own stop motion video.

We took a number of pictures and then edited them into a video to make one rolling film.

See below our attempt of Stop motion.

Stop motion

Stop motion is becoming more prolific, from one of the first stop motions video's in the late 1980's (Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel) stop motion is becoming increasingly becoming more popular, so much so artists like Coldplay and Bruno Mars are using such techniques to promote there music videos.

See below the different types of stop motion, and how they have improved over the years. Through improvement of technology and also the producers of the music videos.

 

In my own music video I will see if stop motion works with my genre. If it does then I will be adding it into the timing of my music's beat.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow's hierarchy of needs will help me to understand the differences between people in my target audience and also i will use this throughout my portfolio.

In my music video Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs will be relevant as the genre of my song shows a number of elements that have been mentioned, Spontaneity, self-esteem, Confidence, Sexual Intimacy, security of body, and also the feeling that life can go on so finally, breathing.

Research into the Industry

Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device; intended to promote the sale of music recording.

Music videos became prominent in the 1980

's, when MTV based their format around the medium.

Prior to the 1980's these works were described by various terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promo clip", "promo video", "song video", "song clip" or "film clip".

Music Video Stations

Without the music stations the music videos would not make such a big impact on the ratings and downloads, such as: 

These music video stations have defied and shaped the music video industry, without these major companies music videos wouldn't be where they are today.

Intertextual Music Videos

Intertextuality is the shaping of a text's meaning by another text. Through-out the history of the music video intertextuality has been used in a number of ways. It can be done by showing parts of a film through a music video; such as, in Whitney Houston's - I Will Always Love You. (1992)

 It is also shown in 'Material Girl' by Madonna, unlike Whitney's I Will Always Love You, she decided to wear the same thing as Marilyn Monroe from her movie 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'.

Furthermore, this was also shown in 'Californication' - Red Hot Chili Peppers , by making the music video to look like a video game shows great creativity. It brings in a new depth to animation and how you can do anything within music videos and how creative you want to be as a producer/director.

The history of the Music Video

Music video's believe it or not have been around since the 1920's when jazz had just come into the picture. Artists like Bessie Smith were able to perform but also make their music reach a far bigger audience then what they would have if cameras and television hadn't existed.

Look below to see my Music video history timeline:

Music videos have increase and have got more technically challenged, more and you see new tricks of the trade on chart shows; like animation, new transitional clips, one shot music videos and so much more.

All of these eras have inspired me to go out and achieve my best for my main task. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' has given me a thought about making my task unexpected and unique, I would like my main task to stand out and not seem like a normal music video.

Mulvey and her male gaze theory.

The Male Gaze.

The concept of male gaze is one that deals with the way the audience looks at the character on the screen. Mulvey made it clear that men look at females as objects, and not subjects how most women would like to be known as.

Mulvey not only came up with this theory for television but also music videos, take 'Single Ladies' by Beyonce this music video shows women to be only good for provocative and explicit images and that they need a man to get through the day.

Mulvey's theory will help me with the genre i have chosen, as i have chosen pop sung by a female singer I will try to add this theory to the planning and execution of my Music Video.

Music video analysis 1

Beyoncé - Single ladies

This Music video adheres to some of Andrews Goodwin's Theory, by being a 'pop' therefore it has the genre characteristics as a typical girl video as they are dancing (a form of movement).

The clothing in the music there is a lot of sexual connotation and the sexual dancing shows the theory of Mulvey of 'the male gaze'.

The lighting also shows the difference between the light and the dark of each woman's different persona and emotional side to themselves. It is also shown through the lyrics and visuals when the motif changes from the regular beat into the minor aggressive key.

In this music video there is use of camera movement and different camera angles, which help portray the song in the right light for their target audience.

The use of close ups on Beyonce and the different  dancers show the 'Single Ladies' in a way of looking for love and a man who will be willing to put a ring on it. This is also shown by the close up of the ring on Beyonce's hand (on her wedding finger) showing that the man should have put a ring on it before he left.

There are no intertextual references in this music video as the dnacers are in a plain room and there are no interruptions of the flow of the music video due to other movies or flash backs entering the music video of any given time.

This is a performance-based music video, there is no sign of any narrative or concept based shots in this video.

Overall, this music video has helped me to understand the different use of camera angles and lighting effects can turn a simple music video into a one of a kind music videos and I will be using these effects in my main task. As we did in our Karaoke task.

Andrew Goodwin Theorist of Music Videos

Andrew Goodwin said that, music videos demonstrate genre characteristics, such as stage performances in metal videos and dance routines for boy/girl bands.

He also said there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals, they could either be illustrative, amplifying or contradicting.

Furthermore, he also said "There is a relationship between music and visuals, either illustrative, amplifying and contradicting."

He additionally stated that "The demands of the of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artists and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style)"

Goodwin expressed "there is a frequent reference to the notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc.) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

He published that 'there is often intertextual reference (to films, TV Programmes, other music videos, etc.)

Throughout this year I will be using and practicing Andrew Goodwin's theory, this will make sure I adhere to the task at hand.

Evaluation of karaoke task

Our karaoke task went well, however as a team we felt like we could have improved on a number of areas and they were:

• Due to time we could not film enough footage therefore we had to reuse some of the footage making it seem repetitive. However we managed to hide this with the use of different transitions and different lighting effects.
• Furthermore, due to timing again we didn't have the time to choose different camera angles, this made us feel like we should keep a timing schedule and stick to it whilst filming our main task.
• Due to our actor not being able to come to all the filming sessions we had booked we were unable to proceed with the filming, we thought that when it comes to our main task that we should make sure that our actor/actors are available when we need them.
• As this was our first time using the software and we need to become more confident when using the software and using different transitional clips will make our main task look more efficient and professional.

We understand that there is areas that we need to improve on and with the help of our media technician we will learn how to use equipment and software to make our main task professional and also interesting for the viewer to watch.

Karaoke Task

This is our final Karaoke Task project.

Day 3 Editing.

On the 15th of September, we started the long task of editing our preliminary task.

We started by downloading the song on to the computer that we were using so we had the correct song for the footage.

We already had an idea of what we wanted and where we wanted it by the storyboard we had made, therefore it was easier to edit in the time we had to do so.

We then watched all the footage and determined what we could use and what we couldn't for the video, the basis on bad footage was lip syncing out of time and a use of a bad lighting.

We then spent countless time cutting and editing each of our videos to fit with the song and the mood we were trying to convey.

Overall the video came out well, however there is some areas that we could have improved on. Look up to see my evaluation.

Day Two : Karaoke Task

During my media lessons today, we set up our cameras and lighting system before filming so everything went as smoothly as possible. This helped by making our filming schedule stay on time.

We started the filming in a wide shot to show the scene; which we felt was the best way to open the introduction.

The next scene we did was a mid-close up of our actor which was to get some emotion and movement in the video.

Using a  tungsten light we managed to get the shadow perfect for binary opposites which for this song 'Lego house' felt like an appropriate effect to use.

Additionally, we thought what would be a good way of ending the song; what we decided was that the actor would look down when the camera was in a close-up position.

It was important to keep to our schedule and time keeping to produce enough video footage to start editing in the next lesson.

Day one: Karaoke Task

We started by brainstorming to figure out what we needed, for example; a set, electrical equipment, a song and an actor to help produce this task.

With the help of our ‘Media Technician’ we were able to understand the way we could make good use of our resources. Such as, figuring out a way of taking advantage of every tripod and camera that we have; which included producing the right angle to create the mood we are looking for.

We eventually made a decision on the song which was important as we needed the actor to know the words ready for production.

Finally, we went up to our set which in this case is a stage with blank red curtains and so on. We then got the actor to stand just off centre stage as we felt that the lighting was at its best there. We also played around with the tungsten light, which we agreed was the closest light to natural light; when in conclusion we made decisions on each scene. Therefore we are ready to start filming in our next session.

A2 Media Brief

The purpose of this unit is firstly to assess candidates' ability to plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills (AO3); secondly to assess candidates' application of knowledge and understanding in evaluating their own work, showing how meanings and responses are created (AO2; and finally to assess candidates' ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research (AO4). The unit requires candidates to engage with contemporary media technologies, giving them the opportunity to develop their own skills in these technologies. It also enables them to develop the skills of presentation that are required for further study at higher levels and in the workplace.

Candidate will produce:

• a media portfolio comprising main and ancillary texts;
• a presentation of their research, planning and evaluation in digital format(s)

The media portfolio will be produced through a combination of two or more of the following media

• Video
• Print
• Web-based
• Audio
• Games software

Each candidate will evaluate and reflect upon the creative process and their experience of it.

• A blog
• DVD extras
• a Podcast
• A powerpoint
• a website
• or a combination of two or more of the above.