,
Monday, 16 April 2018
Sunday, 15 April 2018
Tuesday, 10 April 2018
Thursday, 5 April 2018
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Linking all three of my products together I was able create a theme that surrounded the genre of music I was filming for, album design and poster design. Formulating a colour design that fits into both the genre of music and the colours that recur in my music video enabled me to contextually bind all of my products together. A visual representation of mental health can be seen through the representation of the silhouette on the person on my poster, the hands reaching towards one another on the front cover of my digipak design and the swirls and lyrics written on the top right inside design of my digipak and the shadows and lighting found in my music video. I also used imagery of hands from my music video and cooperated that with my digipak design. Throughout my music video hands are being used to clean my characters face, body and metaphorically, thoughts. The image of the hands touching is also influenced by Michelangelo's 'Touch From God' or a depiction of the Creation of Adam.
Tuesday, 3 April 2018
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In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
At the beginning of my planning stages for my media A2 coursework, I researched and analysed genre and non-genre specific music videos. Creating timeline analysis’ enabled me to expand my knowledge on the popular shots and angles used in music videos. Every director for the music videos I had studied addressed their narratives through a series of commonly used camera angles: mid shots and close ups. Depending on the style of music, i.e. ‘Formation’ by Beyoncé, which breaks the mediocre conventions associated with the Black American culture, and the role of women which contrasts with Pop culture, where bright colours such as yellow, pink and blues are regularly used to represent an un-realistic storyline (‘Bon Appetit’ by Katy Perry), Beyoncé's R&B style enabled her to project her music video through negative tones (blues and greens) to contrast with the original associations regarded with a female artist.
Lewis
Capaldi’s single ‘Bruises’ is recognised
as Alternative Rock,
the live recording that was filmed for Capaldi’s music video was held within an
enclosed room, with natural light appearing from a window positioned behind the
artist a dark atmosphere is presented. Where the artist stands in a static
position, the camera moves around the room. Contrary to the simplicity of this
filming, ‘Formation’ involves a mixture of storylines within the one music
video, the camera cutting between scenes with costume changes. This may reflect
the budget both of these artists had when producing these music videos,
although the similarity between the two soloists is through the message they
choose to portray/ the intent behind the music video is expressed through the
clothing and connotations found in their music vidoes.
I
applied the research I found into my own filming, following both the
traditional and non-traditional styles of shooting footage based on the genre
of music I chose. Inspired by the thematic colours in Lewis Capaldi’s own music
video for my chosen song, I applied a blue tint over the sped up footage at the
beginning of my music video to give an eerie, disturbed effect. The colour blue
also links into the theme of water and the referenced made to it in the lyrics. The
use of colour separated this time period from the rest of the clips in my music
video. The video then moves from black and white to colour, this change happens
when the character washes his face, this represents the actual beginning of the
non-linear storyline. The footage begins to fade which represents the
deterioration of the characters mental health.
Both
the designs for my digipak and poster use the same colour scheme that
correspond with the genre of the music, Alternative, which reflects the
intimate and emotional songs Lewis Capaldi produced for his album. The
purple-black colour is used for the silhouette on the poster and the background
to my album design, this challenges real media conventions as this colour isn’t
popular within media colour designs.
Andrew Goodwin’s five aspects to a music
video
ØThought through beat (analysing the
representation of what the lyrics mean through an audiences' mind)
ØRelationship between song and visuals
ØNarrative and performance of the song
ØTechnical aspect of a music video
ØStar Image (protagonist), camera shots
making him/her the centre of attention.
THE MAJORITY OF MUSIC VIDEOS TEND TO
INCLUDE A DEMONSTRATION OF TYPICAL GENRE CHARACTERISTICS
Seen
as a form of intertextuality, many music videos are also linked to film genres,
a typical example of this is displayed in the rock music videos that
are influenced by horror films.
(i.e.
a video of a stage performance is typically used for a metal video, a dance
routine may be used for a Pop artist/ group and bikini clad women by a pool
with expensive gold chains and sports cares are typically associated with rap
videos.)
THERE ARE FREQUENT REFERENCES TO THE
‘NOTION OF LOOKING’ AND THE ‘VOYEURISTIC TREATMENT’ OF THE FEMALE BODY
The
‘notion of looking’ follows an underlying position that includes either men or
women being portrayed seductively or through the broken fourth wall principle;
when there is eye contact made with the camera. The ‘notion of looking’ can
also be referenced through the use of props.
(i.e.
mirrors, television screens and cameras are commonly used within music videos.)
Voyeurism
is a term popularly used to describe actions that project a sexual appeal. This
convention is becoming commonly used within female artists music videos.
(A
good example where voyeurism is used is in Miley Cyrus’ music video ‘Wrecking
Ball’. Footage
filmed regarding ‘voyeurism’ within modern media platforms, is shown through
one repeated angle, specifically demonstrated with the women figure and body.)
THERE
IS A CLEAR RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS
Goodwin
states that the
majority of music
videos create a level of promotion for the song through the analytical
responses following the meanings and representations behind the lyrics, this is
then shown through a visual response.
(An
example of this is when a character in the music video follows the literal
meaning behind the song. This can be seen in ‘Congratulations’ by Post Malone: ‘but
your lighters to the sky’. In the music video a hand holding a
lighter is raised.)
THE
RECORD LABEL IN WHICH THE ARTIST IS ASSIGNED TO TENDS TO HAVE CERTAIN DEMANDS
Record
labels
often direct some of the content which we, as an audience see in a solo
artist’s or band group’s music videos. Regulations that have to feature in the
videos are specific shots and angles; close ups of the artist and a
clear shot of the entire artist. The artist or band also have to follow or
create an indapendant,
visual style that will be visible within their videos and when they present
themselves.
(An example of this can be seen in The
Weeknds’ music videos, he has created a style and aesthetic that reoccurs in
the most recent music videos he’s filmed regarding his up and coming EP ‘My
Dear Melancholy’. The 4th wall is also broken by the concept of
close ups and the performance from the artist, this makes it appear that the
artist is singing directly to the audience.)
INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES
Intertextuality
includes references that can be found in both music videos, films and
T.V programmes. One of the best ways for the audience to become engaged with
the artist and their movements is by making a reference that people can
understand as an audience enjoys understanding an ‘inside joke’.
(Examples
of this can be seen in Destiny’s Child doing ‘Independent Women’ referencing
Charlie’s Angles, Will Smith doing Men in Black for the film Men in Black and
The Wombats intertextualising a video game for My Circuitboard City.)
Erik Erikson
Relevant
to the character within my music video, the theorist Erik Erikson
created an eight stage theory based on identity and psychosocial
development. Erikson's work was heavily influenced by the
psychologist Sigmund Freud who explored three aspects of identity: ego
identity (self), personal identity (the personal idiosyncrasies that
distinguish a person from another) and social/cultural identity (the collection
of social roles a person might play).
Within my music video my character is trapped within a repeated mental circle
where everyday is the same and his mental health becomes to deteriorate. My
music video has the underlying theme of identity and self expression, the
character struggles to do this and expresses that by the repeated motions of
cleaning and the shots taken in the kitchen. Manipulating time is also a factor
in this, it disrupts the structure of the music video story line reinforcing the
non-linear structure. When sharing this music video online it will address the
social response and therefor the social identity and attitude towards the topic
I am addressing.
Stuart Hall
The
theorist Stuart Hall focus his theory around Reception and Mediation. This is a
process where all media products are read by an audience. Hall says that there
are three ways the audience receives media:
•The audience
fully accepts the preferred meaning, showing they agree with dominant values.
•The
audience takes a negotiated position, meaning that they only agree with
some-not all of the preferred meaning.
•The
audience takes an oppositional position, whereby they understand the preferred
meaning but decide to reject this and make their own interpretation
•An
extension of this is a fourth reading called the aberrant reading, where a
completely unintentional meaning is taken away by audiences.
I believe
that my music video fits into the second point made. Due to the topic I address
is a controversial topic, the public response towards this would be both
positive and negative. Studying the feedback I received from my final film, a
lot of them felt that the theme of mental condition was addressed clearly and
they began to feel sympathetic towards the character. Their awareness of the
mental health conditions was clearly received which, if exported onto Facebook
could have the potential of being shared to show the support that men are aloud
to express their emotions without being put down for it.
Main-Product Music Videos
Music
Videos are becoming widely accessible due to the spread of social media and the
internet. Although this enables artists and bands to connect with their
audiences, gain publicity and to increase the amount of income, it also
increases the chances of identity theft, illegal downloading and sharing.
Music
Videos are normally made for a single or if the album is a small EP. The videos
give the audiences a visual interpretation of what the lyrics mean. This can be
expressed through a dance choreography, the artist performing it, or through a
story line. The online platform,
YouTube, is a popular site where artists share and post their music videos,
this access enables artist to grow in recognition and for their audiences to
experience and share personal adaptations of the music video and the meanings
behind the lyrics to the song. Within my own video I used a variation of
colours, it opens with blue-tinted clips, then changes from black and white to
full saturation, to a slightly faded appearance.
The main inspirations for the style I created for my music video were 'Dusk Till Dawn' By Zayn and 'To Be Human' by Sia. Both of these music videos follow a story-like appearance, 'Dusk Till Dawn' including the title of the video, artist and credits which are design styles that aren't popularly found within music videos. Zayn's music video follows a linear story line, the sped-up, short clips that make the introduction to the video contradict this. Aside from the introduction that gives the audience an insight to what will happen in the music video, the titles featured at the beginning of the music video and the credits at the end are traits that are found in films. The different structure to this music video inspired by own editing for my music video as it fit into the aesthetic I was aiming to produce.
Sia's music video is a non-linear story line, time is manipulated through footage being fast-forwarded, slowed down and rewound. These colour tones have influenced the editing I have done over my own work; dark blues and greens also link to the references made to water in the lyrics and my own footage, the dark colours also project my characters mental health. The memories within the non- linear story line are made lighter and clearer while the current events for both the lovers are tinged in a both green and blue filters. The footage used for the music video ‘To Be Human’ by Sia, was from the film that the song was written for. The music video clearly shows the story line of the film, where two lovers are separated due to the husband going to war and they both end up living parallel lives, this is represented through the manipulation of time shown by the odd cuts between the clips to make a soft movement look jerky, clips sped and slowed down and others reversed. The idea of structuring a music video in the same way of a film would enable me to create a proper structure that would be stereotyped as a pop music video or one that doesn’t have a meaning.
The main inspirations for the style I created for my music video were 'Dusk Till Dawn' By Zayn and 'To Be Human' by Sia. Both of these music videos follow a story-like appearance, 'Dusk Till Dawn' including the title of the video, artist and credits which are design styles that aren't popularly found within music videos. Zayn's music video follows a linear story line, the sped-up, short clips that make the introduction to the video contradict this. Aside from the introduction that gives the audience an insight to what will happen in the music video, the titles featured at the beginning of the music video and the credits at the end are traits that are found in films. The different structure to this music video inspired by own editing for my music video as it fit into the aesthetic I was aiming to produce.
Music Video
USE
For
my music video I analysed the meaning behind the lyrics ‘Bruises’ and created a
non-linear storyline through the metaphorical references made. I also
incorporated a meaning behind my own footage; addressing the fact that men
struggle to express any emotions or personal struggles they may be experiencing
through social media as it is rejected due to the perception that it will make
a man appear weak. By creating a music video involving a young man struggling
with mental problems, I am able to share it across social media to bring
attention to the fact that it should be acceptable for men to have emotions and
to openly talk about them.
DEVELOP
My
music video develops conventions of real media products through the story line I
created. Some of the most popular content used in music videos recently include
the artist, whether they are the main protagonist or just performing. My music
video content has developed from the other type of music videos: ones with a
story line. Videos that include the artist capture close ups and shots that
break the forth wall, this enables the artist to reach out towards their
audience. The
idea behind a music video that follows a non-linear story line enables a visual
response to the meanings behind the lyrics. I wanted to follow this
less-popular route to develop the second variation of footage used for a music
video.
CHALLENGE
The
main inspirations for my music video were ‘Dusk Till Dawn’ by Zayn Malik and
‘To Be Human’ by Sia, both of these music videos follow a film-like structure.
This structure features titles and credits which is not usually found within
the structure of a standard music video. This challenges aspects of popular
media conventions that revolve around music video’s because the structure of my
music video doesn’t follow the Alternative Rock genre of the song, and the
popular Pop music video structure. Although a storyline isn’t uncommon, titles
and credits at the beginning and the end of a video are unpopular features.
Digipak
A
Digipak, or
the more commonly known name, Album Design, is one of the key selling items for
an artist. Normally, songs found on an album have a running or influential
theme, this leads the artist and their designer to base the design of the album
around the genre the music they are producing (i.e. the bright yellow of Jason Derulo’s album
‘Tattoo’ connotes forms of Pop music culture) or a message they want to portray
for
their audiences.
After studying three Digipak designs (‘Tattoo’ by Jason Derulo, ‘Formation’ by
Beyoncé and ‘Blue Neighbourhood’ by Troye Sivan) I learnt that the
majority of music albums revolve around the title of the artist rather than the
name of album. The name of the artist has a bigger selling point rather than
the title of the album, the artist name would be widely recognised and therefor
attract more attention on social media platforms. My digipak reflects the type
of music that can be found on the album, a purple under toned black softens the
appearance of the album.
I analysed and studied three different digipak designs that ranged from one another due to the music genre and type of artist. I learnt that the front covers are kept very plain, and a lot of artist either have a studio shot picture of themselves on the front cover or a design that fits into the genre of music that can be found in the album. Above is the template I referenced to when making and laying out my digipak design. I wanted my work to conform to the real life media product so that I could make my design and coursework appear professional and well-laid out.
I analysed and studied three different digipak designs that ranged from one another due to the music genre and type of artist. I learnt that the front covers are kept very plain, and a lot of artist either have a studio shot picture of themselves on the front cover or a design that fits into the genre of music that can be found in the album. Above is the template I referenced to when making and laying out my digipak design. I wanted my work to conform to the real life media product so that I could make my design and coursework appear professional and well-laid out.
Ancillary 1: Digipak
USE
The
design of my Digipak uses conventions of a real media product, I used a digipak
template which enable me to layout and design my Digipak accordingly. The template also enabled me to project a
clear layout of my design so that I could receive a variety of feedback
relating to my design. The setup of my album design became easier after I
researching into professional artists’ digipak structures and layouts, using a
similar template to replicate a real media product. I used a popular design
that is beginning to trend on the front of album designs: a line drawing. The
unique boho-esque appearance creates a home-made feel which is a detail that an
audience appreciate.
DEVELOP
I
creating a running theme which features in my digipak design, music video and
poster. A part of Andrew Goodwin's’
Theory states that certain music labels have certain demands, by
creating an aesthetic I was able to develop media conventions through adapting
the designs I created for my digipak.
After creating multiple designs and variations of my digipak design, I
asked for feedback so that I could create the best, combined design that would
receive the highest attention from an audience.
CHALLENGE
The
colours I chose for my digipak design are uncommon. Although a black
and white
colour scheme is popularly used on front cover album designs, I chose a purple
and off-toned black to be the base colour for my album. This softer colour
emulates a grudge-like appearance, it is also the same colour used for the
silhouette found on my poster design; if the background was a solid black
colour, it would have appeared too brusque and harsh. The colour scheme
challenges the conventions of this form of media product.
Poster
A
poster design advertising the artists album is a popular way to increase an
audiences awareness of an up and coming album release. Using bright colours to
insinuate important information, an artist is able to imply a sense of urgency
and attention towards the release (dates) of the album. The poster would also
increase the amount of income they may receive from the album. An increasing
popular trend featuring on poster designs advertising an artists album is a
‘#’. The hashtag is usually followed by the name of the artist/ band or the
name of the album, this is another form of increasing the awareness behind a
release of an album. The hashtag, when used on social media sites, will start
to trend. If it becomes popular and it will start featuring automatically on
peoples social media. A hashtag is also a way for an audience to interact with
their favourite artist. On my poster I used bright red to contrast with the
white, black and grey background, the red foregrounds the information about the
album. Analyzing JayZ's album poster 'The Blueprint 3' enabled me to focus on the amount of detail put into the poster. The colour scheme consisted of both bright and dark colours, the background included white, grey and lighter purple colours.
The font that was edited and overlaid across the background uses black and the triple bar across the centre of the poster is in bright red, though only slightly transparent the colour is darker in some places due to the background instruments. Contrary to this, the colour theme for the band Years and Years 'Sanctify' single consisted of bold and royal colours. The light grey neutralises the background, while the dark blue and bright red outline the poster. The black colour is used in the font, with the darker red outlining the black. The dark red is also used for the name of the band and the symbols written underneath each heading, sub heading and minor heading. The boldness of the black contrasts with the lighter background while the brighter reds and blues add a second texture to the advert without distracting the audience away from the information.
The template above enabled me to, other than analyzing what colours would best represent my album and which type of font would be appropriate, visibly seeing a structure of what a poster should be laid out to look like. Making a variation of designs, changing the font colour and position of the colour of the background image, I was able to receive a range of feedback that enabled me to design a poster that received the highest positive audience positive feedback.
The font that was edited and overlaid across the background uses black and the triple bar across the centre of the poster is in bright red, though only slightly transparent the colour is darker in some places due to the background instruments. Contrary to this, the colour theme for the band Years and Years 'Sanctify' single consisted of bold and royal colours. The light grey neutralises the background, while the dark blue and bright red outline the poster. The black colour is used in the font, with the darker red outlining the black. The dark red is also used for the name of the band and the symbols written underneath each heading, sub heading and minor heading. The boldness of the black contrasts with the lighter background while the brighter reds and blues add a second texture to the advert without distracting the audience away from the information.
The template above enabled me to, other than analyzing what colours would best represent my album and which type of font would be appropriate, visibly seeing a structure of what a poster should be laid out to look like. Making a variation of designs, changing the font colour and position of the colour of the background image, I was able to receive a range of feedback that enabled me to design a poster that received the highest positive audience positive feedback.
Ancillary 2: Poster
USE
The
layout of my poster follows the conventions of a real media product, after
researching and analysing four different poster layouts and design, I used a
traditional template to enable me to structure where the information that will
be featured on my poster where it would be placed. Studying other media
products enabled me to understand what was essential and what was not needed to
feature on the front cover of my poster. I also used the same colour scheme
from my Digipak design with my poster, like other artists and designers, the
same designs shows a connection between the two products.
DEVELOP
By
creating multiple designs and variations of the final design for my poster, I
received enough feedback to create a design that would have a higher and
positive response from an audience. I develop the forms of a real media product
by using the same colour for ‘ALBUM AVAILIBLE NOW’ and the name of Capaldi’s
website, I was able to reinforce the desire from the audience to want to get
the album to also visit the website.
CHALLENGE
My
poster challenges the forms and conventions of real media products through the
lack of identity through the use of a silhouette. The lack of identity enables
the audience to imagine a body and face that they see fit to represent the
album or artist. The popular media products typically feature either the artist
them self or an image that may be relevant to their carrier journey, or what
type of music can be found in their album (i.e. ‘Blueprint’ by Jay Z features
piled up, white painted musical instruments compared to ‘Back From The Edge’ by James
Arthur which features a mid shot of the artist.)
Monday, 26 March 2018
,
Researching further into my narrative I wanted to explore theorists that apply to it and my final music video. In the filming industry, reception and social media consumption are prominent aspects to producers and director, not only do they have to gain a positive feedback from their content, which would enable them to release their final footage online, but to also have the intended response regarding their content.
Blumer and Katz
The theorists Blumer and Katz use the 'Gratifications Theory' to explore how media has an effect over their audiences, because the audience has control over media consumption. This theory is relevant to my own work, because as a producer, I want my work to be received positively and to later be acted upon. My narrative follows a boy struggling with mental health, this is a topic that is scarcely addressed within the media, and through expressing a level of support and movement towards the lack of emotional awareness to men, I intend to bring this situation into the wider society of media and audience consumption. Media consumption is important for my style of media product, music videos become popular and can be distributed on Youtube, Facebook and on the artists website. Music videos project a visual image which enables an audience to become more engaged and to remember the running message and themes of the video.
Levi Strauss
Levi Strauss is a theorist that believed that the only way we understand certain words is through understanding the difference between the word and its 'opposite' or, most commonly called 'a binary opposite'. The representation of opposition and contradicting the 'norm' is a theme I use within the narrative of my music video and the editing. I present the emotional side to a man, this representation o a man is not popularity addressed within media and films. Men are traditionally seen as both the hero and villain, where in both roles, they are not weak. The portrayal of emotions is expressed as a more 'feminine' act, I used the theory of binary opposites when presenting the power of genre within my music video. Opposing this theory, Jacques Derrida argued that binary opposites are never equal and audiences are positioned to favour one over another.
Stuart Hall
The theorist Stuart Hall focus his theory around Reception and Mediation. This is a process where all media products are read by an audience. Hall says that there are three ways the audience receives media:
- The audience fully accepts the preferred meaning, showing they agree with dominant values.
- The audience takes a negotiated position, meaning that they only agree with some-not all of the preferred meaning.
- The audience takes an oppositional position, whereby they understand the preferred meaning but decide to reject this and make their own interpretation
- An extension of this is a fourth reading called the aberrant reading, where a completely unintentional meaning is taken away by audiences.
I believe that my music video fits into the second point made. Due to the topic I address is a controversial topic, the public response towards this would be both positive and negative. Studying the feedback I received from my final film, a lot of them felt that the theme of mental condition was addressed clearly and they began to feel sympathetic towards the character. Their awareness of the mental health conditions was clearly received which, if exported onto Facebook could have the potential of being shared to show the support that men are aloud to express their emotions without being put down for it.
Erik Erikson
Relevant to the character within my music video, the theorist Erik Erikson created an eight stage theory based on identity and psychosocial development. Erikson's work was heavily influenced by the psychologist Sigmund Freud who explored three aspects of identity: ego identity (self), personal identity (the personal idiosyncrasies that distinguish a person from another) and social/cultural identity (the collection of social roles a person might play).
Within my music video my character is trapped within a repeated mental circle where everyday is the same and his mental health becomes to deteriorate. My music video has the underlying theme of identity and self expression, the character struggles to do this and expresses that by the repeated motions of cleaning and the shots taken in the kitchen. Manipulating time is also a factor in this, it disrupts the structure of the music video story line reinforcing the non-linear structure. When sharing this music video online it will address the social response and therefor the social identity and attitude towards the topic I am addressing.
Erik Erikson
Relevant to the character within my music video, the theorist Erik Erikson created an eight stage theory based on identity and psychosocial development. Erikson's work was heavily influenced by the psychologist Sigmund Freud who explored three aspects of identity: ego identity (self), personal identity (the personal idiosyncrasies that distinguish a person from another) and social/cultural identity (the collection of social roles a person might play).
Within my music video my character is trapped within a repeated mental circle where everyday is the same and his mental health becomes to deteriorate. My music video has the underlying theme of identity and self expression, the character struggles to do this and expresses that by the repeated motions of cleaning and the shots taken in the kitchen. Manipulating time is also a factor in this, it disrupts the structure of the music video story line reinforcing the non-linear structure. When sharing this music video online it will address the social response and therefor the social identity and attitude towards the topic I am addressing.
Saturday, 24 March 2018
,
First Student: I liked how you did the rewind on the writing part, and I
thought the way you had the same shot in the kitchen showing his life was
boring and dull because he was doing the same thing every day was effective. I feel like there could have been more shots of the character appearing sadder, possibly could have framed him sat
against a wall with his head in his hands or something similar to that, but editing wise, I can’t
find a fault.
Third Student: The beginning and closing titles were effective and I liked how the blue colour suggested the idea of water which was heavily relevant and represented in the music video. The narrative could have been clearer but I understood the underlying story line. I understood that time was manipulated as the footage was shown in reverse time at the start of the video. And I liked the music as it was highly relevant and certain lyrics were synced to the footage at the right time. I liked the pace of the footage was played at and the order of it. The colours were all very similar like whites, greys and blacks. I especially liked the footage that was overlaid on top of the other pieces of footage.
Wednesday, 21 March 2018
,
To receive feedback for my final advert poster design, I printed out a hard copy and handed it out to four people. I voice recorded their responses and asked some questions along side this, this is their responses:
Monday, 19 March 2018
,
After creating the final designs for my Ancillaries I sent a digital image to a group of people asking for their feedback on my Digipak design. I asked a list of questions that they could stick to or use as influence to their own answers, the main ones being: What is your favorite part of the product? Is there anything you could improve? Does my design fit into the Alternative Rock genre? Does it look authentic?
First Response: I
like the simplistic colour scheme, and the overall aesthetic. I think the only
thing I would say is the track list looks slightly off, I can't quite put my
finger on it but maybe a different font? I'm not sure, anyway, I think it suits the
genre well, and it's got an effective branding, seeing this design from the receiving end, the overall design tells you what you need
to know clearly. I think it looks authentic, and the imagery suits the CD well, it's not overwhelming but it's memorable.
Second Response: My favorite part is the hand drawing design, I think they look eye catching and are definitely a bespoke design. I would
improve the one on the inside right design because the text seems a bit too small
compared to the picture. I think the digipak design clearly ties into the theme of the music video and looks authentic.
Third Response: My favorite part is the disc itself. It's simple and it
leaves the artistic side of things to be shown on the case it's self. Also if
you think about it having a simplistic design, it enables a wider audience to focus on the album music itself .As for what could be improved, I feel like more could have been done
with the hands artistic wise. The design isn't as eye catching as it could be for
a front cover. I feel it may need some of the spirals that you used on the inside right and left of the digipak design or something following a similar design to connect the hands to the rest of the design. It definitely fits into the alternative rock CD style design. Much like others, it follows the same style of being simplistic and abstract and it works well.
Fourth Response: I love the simplicity of the black and white colour. I literally couldn’t tell you improvements. I definitely think that it fits into the target genre as the swirl pattern is very alternative and unique in its style. I think that the design and overall aesthetic is beautiful and it looks very authentic.
Fifth Response: My favorite part is the fingers almost touching as it shows his struggle to reach out. The different boldness of the titles look really good and the swirls are very visually pleasing but are a bit confusing on how they relate to the rest of the theme portrayed throughout the album. The colour scheme fits really well into the theme of rock and roll. The design is peng and looks beautiful overall and very visually pleasing. The only thing is the swirls as they add to the style of the CD but I'm not sure what relation they have to the rest of the design.
Fourth Response: I love the simplicity of the black and white colour. I literally couldn’t tell you improvements. I definitely think that it fits into the target genre as the swirl pattern is very alternative and unique in its style. I think that the design and overall aesthetic is beautiful and it looks very authentic.
Fifth Response: My favorite part is the fingers almost touching as it shows his struggle to reach out. The different boldness of the titles look really good and the swirls are very visually pleasing but are a bit confusing on how they relate to the rest of the theme portrayed throughout the album. The colour scheme fits really well into the theme of rock and roll. The design is peng and looks beautiful overall and very visually pleasing. The only thing is the swirls as they add to the style of the CD but I'm not sure what relation they have to the rest of the design.
Saturday, 17 March 2018
Wednesday, 14 March 2018
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I chose this image from a section of my music video. This image of the character is powerful and represents the lyrics of the song and what my music video symbolises perfectly. The character is turned away from the character, although in the right and left images it appears that the character could be facing either forwards or backwards. Black and White and the general aesthetic of inverted colours, create a powerful contrast which separates the character from the background. The turned back symbolises the emotional turmoil the character in my music video is feeling. It also represents the underlining meaning behind the lyrics of the song 'Bruises', the loneliness and loss of love, and the general solemn tone created throughout my album.
These images were developments of my final idea, I wanted to expand on the design to compare and receive a visual response. These variations are too harsh and high in contrast to the point where the colour distracts from the actual design behind the image. I inverted the background colours and the shadowing of my character to experiment with the title fonts and how they change when the colour of the background and the foregrounding silhouette of a man swap over.
Monday, 12 March 2018
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Advert Design Background
The picture above is a photo I took when on set filming for my music video. I chose to use this snapshot which is set in the same area as one of the shots that feature in my music video because of the symbolistic attributes that come from this image. The closed body position suggests, in the case of my music video, the separation the character feels from society. The journey of the music video follows a man who struggles with portraying his emotions and therefor feels separated from reality and other people. He lives a lonesome life and every daily occurrence is a repetition of the day before, this is shown through the fast sped-up and slowed down clips and the change in opacity and over-laying of clips, these attributes re-enforce the mental state of the character and is a notion that hopefully a male audience can relate to through the oppression media and society has on the men not being able to express their emotions.
This shot captures the meaning behind the music video very clearly. Changing the shot to black and white and over contrasting it on Photoshop, I was able to create a powerful image by enhancing the silhouette of the man so that he can stand for the generation of men who feel unable to express their emotions because of the fear of loosing respect or the general sense of 'manliness'. The basic colours of black and white will enable me to use different coloured of font that will contrast and stand out from the background (i.e. red, white, black and grey).
The surrounding area behind the character, because of the contrast, is mostly white which will enable me to overlay text that will be visibly clearer to see and read. The varying amount of black lines across the white background reinforce that the character is standing in front of water, something that is mentioned throughout the song 'Bruises', contextually bounding the image to the song and album. The black lines showing the rippling of the water enable the background to become textured by adding in more dimension and patterns, this foregrounds the man standing in front of the water which enables the man to become more of a dramatic and meaningful symbolism for men.
Saturday, 10 March 2018
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I chose the colour grey for the title because it is a mid tone between white and black and in itself would stand out from the background. I used white font for the name of the artist and the advertisement of two of the songs that will be found on the album; 'INCLUDES NO.1 HIT SINGLE/ RUSH/ AND THE NEW SINGLE FADE'. The title of the two singles are written in a bigger and bolder font than the one used to introduce the singles. Inspired by the magazine adverts that I have analysed, I experimented with the size and style of fonts until I found one that worked well with the layout of my poster.
'ALBUM AVAILABLE NOW' and the link to the artists website are written in red. I chose to use this colour because it highlights the information that will increase the popularity of the artist and the amount of albums sold. The colour red will influence the public into wanting to buy the album because the colour connotes urgency. using red to highlight the artists website will enable the public to research and visit the website that could potentially have links for the audience to buy the music online or to merchandise. Overall I chose the colours carefully depending on the type of information I wanted the audience to receive first.
Monday, 5 March 2018
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The design of my poster for the artists album I will feature the album cover, artists name, album title, magazine review, release date, website and institution logo. These features will enable a public audience to receive the correct information on the release of the album with an attractive design which will attract a bigger audience.
These concepts are all typically found in adverts publicising the artist album; primary and contrasting colours are most popularly used to make the poster become more appealing to the public, an example of this is:
Using the template from above I designed some ideas that my album poster could take. The designs were influenced by the lyrics from the song I am filming for: 'Bruises' by Lewis Capaldi. Using images from online (all accept the bottom right which I ad taken from my own footage) I used the template shown above, to practise the layout I wanted for my Ancillary 2 digipak album poster design. I explored the connotations of the music and found images relevant to the themes 'lost', 'lonely' and 'mental health'. I used a variety of different fonts for both the title of the album and the name of the artist, though these posters are more focused around the music video itself rather than the album, I wanted to practise and with the features that make it onto a poster. The majority of these poster follow a colour scheme of black, grey, blue, purple and pinks. These pastel and contrasting colours express the emotion found within the song 'Bruises' and the representation behind my music video.
