This is my final advert design to accompany my digipak and final music video. I wanted there to be a clear link between the three products, and the object of the Jenga game has an underlying message about the video (which i have explained about in another post on my blog). I think the colour scheme of this advert also links in with the colours on the digipak. I particularly like the way the advert and digipak can be interpreted in many ways, yet are very simple designs, which is how a lot of indie/alternative rock adverts/digipak covers are designed in the modern day as they often provoke more thought rather than having an image of the artist, which would be more what a pop genre would do.
This is my final digipak design. As you can see, the colour scheme matches on each picture and all the images link together and show the tower block in a different perspective. It can also be interpreted as if telling a story: on the front cover, the game is shown sturdy and strong with no intention of being knocked down. Then, as the digipak is gradually unfolded, each picture shows the process of the block being knocked down. This can be a metaphor of the relationship situation in the video, as explained previously in another post about my Photoshoot ideas. My digipak doesn't just need to be 6 panel, it also needed certain features that you would expect to see on a digipak design in the shops, including a barcode, copyright information, QR scan, artist name, album name, track listing (on the back cover) and text on the spine. I have also decided to include a metallic silver sticker that some album covers include sometimes showing that the album includes a top chart hit that will attract more people to buying the album if they recognise the song. In this case, I have decided to use the song that I did for my video to increase popularity amongst The Temper Trap. Some issues I had with the digipak were that during my photoshoot, I used not only one of the Digital SLR camera provided by the college but I also used my phone to achieve some of the photos 'in action'. This caused a change in colour from the different types of cameras so I had to change the saturation in the colouring to match the rest of the photos.
Due to issues with copyright with my original record label logo, I had to make a new one making sure I did not use any images from Google. Instead, I decided to use Photoshop brushes on the website www.brusheezy.com to make sure there was no issues involving copyright.
I found a brush set I liked which had lots of musical instruments and equipment and thought this linked in well with the indie theme as it is a very authentic and instrument based genre. Lots of indie bands rely on their instruments and they often appear in the indie music videos, so to make it clear what my personal record label enticed I decided to use one of these as a main image on the logo.
I decided to use the image of the amplifier because it fit in well with the size and shape of the logo. It also links in with the idea of 'stage performances'. I originally was going to use an image of a guitar like my original logo but then thought that guitars are often associated with acoustic music and not all indie music is necessarily acoustic. E.g. The Temper Trap are not acoustic yet still fit under this category.
I then started to edit the logo in Photoshop software. I put two black strips on the top and bottom of the logo to make it also fit in with the theme of 'movies', as this coursework is mainly based on a music video. I then put the text to the left of the image. I used the same font as on my digipak and advert so that all my conventions fitted in well and always linked back to the record label. I also had to make the text size of 'TTTA' bigger than the word 'records' as 1. it wouldn't ll fit onto the canvas size and 2. it make the name of the record company more bold and striking.
This is the final version of my new record label in the form of a .jpg file. I think it looks better than the original logo. This may be because my knowledge and skills on Photoshop have improved since the beginning of the project.
On this third complete cut, I decided to put the parts of Grace lip syncing back in to the second verse instead of having Ramsay all the way through. I thought this would make the lip syncing more interesting and show the story from a different perspective (Grace's). I also thought this improved the flow of the video as the lip syncing of Ramsay wasn't as good as the lip syncing of Grace, and by showing alternating lip syncing of them both together it would help bring the story and the ending together.
This is my second version of my music video where there are no gaps where footage needs to be inserted. As you can see, it is slightly different from the last complete cut as I have decided to adjust some clips to improve it. I have shown this on my blog to show the gradual process of improving the final version, even if these changes are very small.
In the first lyric of 'our love was lost and hope was gone', I decided to cut the lip syncing where before the camera continued to move to the left. I thought this looked better as it showed the lip syncing in more variety and showed that I had also included movement in the process.
I also decided to change the ending as mentioned before (before the beach) the shot was a bit shaky. I decided to make this into a cut zoom in to eliminate the shakiness of the handheld camera.
This is the first version of my video where there are no gaps to fill in. It may not be the final edit, but the fact there is no more bits to fill proves the final is in sight. There are a few tweaks I need to make before submitting the final version - for example the last shot at the end (before the beach) is very shaky where I zoom in and I may have zoomed in for effect while filming that part but in reality it looks messy. I don't think this bit will need to be refilmed, as I took this shot a few times, just this was the only bit I zoomed in. I have also changed the last points for improvement: I have removed the shots that I had added and replace dit with the original ideas as I personally think it looks better and makes the song flow nicer. I have also replaced the lip syncing parts with the new ones which is a lot brighter and clearer but still hold the torch effect idea and creates a secluded, 'personal' feel to the video which will have more of an impact on the audience. There is also one bit of lip sync near the beginning where I tried to add some movement. This also looks quite messy although proving to be a good idea at the time, so I will have to tweak this part.
Last night Ramsy came round my house to do some bits for the photoshoot (photos with him with the Jenga game, as he wasn't available for the first photoshoot). These photos were successful overall. I used my own digital camera at first but it didn't have a great effect as the photos were way too over exposed with the flash on but were very blurry without it, therefore the best photos were taken on my phone, as my phone has quite good camera quality.
As well as taking some photos we also refilmed some lip syncing moments of the song (as Sally suggested as they were quite dark before when we filmed in college). These looked much better and were a lot brighter and clearer, yet also kept the torch effect. This time round I made sure the footage was a lot clearer. The only thing I wish I could have improved on is the amount of space I had (I filmed the lip syncing at the top of my stairs to match the white background previously but this was quite narrow so it didn't look as spacious as before in college) and the stillness of the camera - there was not enough room to set up the tripod so I had to try and match the previous footage that had been recorded on a tripod as best as I could.
I also took this opportunity to film the last scene of the video - where Ramsay reflects on the moment when Grace leaves and how he shows his feelings through his facial expressions and actions. Ramsay is not the best actor - this was an issue - but I tried to get him to do certain things which people would associate with being angry instead (e.g. banging on the wall). To make his emotions more real we also produced 'tears' by putting water on his eyes. This wasn't very visible on the footage though. I think Ramsay's acting skills will not be an issue for the final product - good performance will obviously make the whole video better but the way I will edit it will make it less noticeable.
This is my latest rough cut. I have sorted out the second half of the video as there was a big gap where the second chorus was and I had to think of what to put there. I was a bit worried as I needed a lot of footage that would out the strong points in the song, but I had already used a lot with the fountain and on the balcony. However I think I have filled this gap in well. I have added more thought beats before the 'silent' point in the song and I think this reveals more about the background of the song and the couple's past relationship (shots of them looking at each other/in the arcade together). I also particularly like the shot of the birds in reverse - it supports the build up at the end of the chorus yet also adds to the 'silence' bit. It all happens fairly quickly though so a lot of these are hard to notice unless you paused the video. Some areas for improvement:
I need to film parts after Grace leaves as I need to bring out the anger and frustration in Ramsay to finalise the song before the happy ending. This filming will be completed tonight and then edited in shortly after.
There are some bits near the beginning of the video where I have added extra shots in to add more of an effect but I personally think the video flows better without it (less is more), so in the next rough cut I will take these out and leave it how it was originally.
Some lip syncing parts of Ramsay are quite dark and not very clear, so when I film the last scene tonight I will do some extra lip syncing and replace these bits.
In the second chorus there is a long shot and track movement of Ramsay walking along - this will be taken out as I only added this bit in to test out what it would look like.
To bring out my creativity in this coursework I have been advised by my Media teacher to try and come up with a different album name and band name for my work instead of using the original names 'The Tempter Trap' and their album name 'Conditions'. Although I think my work would still suit the original names I have took this advice on board as I want my work to be unique and show that my work is original and I have put a lot of thought into the process. Although it is still a real name of a song by The Temper Trap, the song 'Trembling Hands' is a good name for my album, as I think it links in with the concept of the game of Jenga on the products as it requires a steady hands. But as my actor feels the way he does in my video it means he may have 'Trembling Hands' as he is upset and depressed about losing his loved one. I am yet to think up a band name. I like the name 'Blocks' yet I think this will take the idea of the block game too far. After a long discussion for band names with help from my peers, I have decided on the name Old Pine as it links in with the idea of nature and fits the indie genre.
This is my draft advert design. I have left spaces where the text will go and have deliberately took into consideration the framing of the photo so that I can put text in places where there is a plain background. I haven't yet took this photo but this will be taken as part of my final filming shoot later on. If for any reason i am unable to take this photo the way I'd like or it doesn't go to plan due to the type of camera i have I will have to think up another idea or maybe use one of the photos I have already taken on my main photoshoot. Although I do think this photo will be achievable. The font I will use will be one from the list of those I found on dafont.com (see Font Experimentation post).
I really like the idea of putting reviews on the blocks of the Jenga game as I think this is quite creative and a good place to put them. I will have to make sure I use a black front or a dark coloured font so that the text is easy to ready, especially if some of the background isn't necessarily white like the photos from my photoshoot.
This is a drawing of my digipak design. This is just a draft for now as I haven't yet thought of an idea of how to design the cd itself but I think this is a good draft for what the final digipak will look like as I have based all the pictures I have drawn on the photos I have already taken on my Photoshoot. Some of them I will take when doing my final bit of filming very soon, as I want my actor to be in at least one of these photos and also in the picture of the advert. I like the third bottom photo design, as I think the framing of the photo will be good to put the track listings on. I made sure I thought about framing when taking my photos as I didn't want the text to look messy over a main part of the photo. I made sure there was a lot of white open space to put things like barcodes, titles and artist names. I also like the bottom first and second photos. These photos are quite blurry but I did this on purpose to show the blocks going down in action and think this will have more of an impact and will show the development of it falling down across the design of the digipak, leaving the audience thinking about what this may mean and intrigue them to the underlying meaning of the album photos. I am not quite sure what to have on the actual cd itself, as I forgot to actually put the cd on the digipak design. This may be kept as the same image as the one on the top second panel, to look like when you pick the cd up out of the cover it will also link in with the photo itself of picking out the block in the tower. I will think about this more when I get down to designing the final digipak design.
While drafting out my advert and digipak designs on paper I had to take into consideration what style of font I would like to use on the final products. This is quite an important element to think about on my digipak and advert as the font could say a lot about what type of genre the artist is based under. If I used a sci-fi style font it would come across as confusing and wouldn't suit the theme. As my chosen genre is indie/alternative rock, I would say this has features of authenticity. Indie is very 'nature' based, and very original. Therefore I quite like the idea of the album font looking as if it has been handwritten to add a personal touch. I have searched for fonts on dafont.com to get more ideas and have picked out these fonts in particular as I believe they will make the album come across as more 'one of a kind' rather than a popular chain of font which may be used to promote a pop album:
My favourite fonts in this list are probably 'Coffee' and 'Janice Hand Ink'. I like the Coffee font as the black background looks a bit like fingerprints and this will link in with the album name 'Trembling Hands' (taken from a name of one of their songs - this also links in with the idea of the Jenga game as you need steady hands to play the game). The other font looks very handwritten and messy but this suits in with the theme. For the artist name, Blocks, I may choose another font which has the letters in blocks themselves so that it might highlight the name of the band more, however if I keep using different fonts it may make the products messy so I will try to stick with only one or two.
This is a calendar to show my plans for the December month. I am using this way of planning of time to help me stay organised and aware of deadlines to make sure they are met.
FRIDAY 30TH NOVEMBER - This date I am hoping to submit my third rough cut to show firther progression with editing my video. This should have no black gaps where footage is needed to be added and should flow well, yet may need a few adjustments on certain effects, transitions and narrative story.
FRIDAY 14TH - This date I hope to have finished my final version of either my digipak, advert or poster. I think this will help if I get one of these done by this date as it will ease the pressure to finish all of them for the next few weeks. If I finish one, the other 2 should be finished quickly and easier as they will all have the same layout and presentation to show they all have a connection with one another and it doesn't look messy.
FRIDAY 7TH - This is the deadline for the FINAL CUT of my music video. This means my music video should be done and completed by this date. I do not think there is a problem to not meet this deadline if all my previous plans from November go ahead. This is also the deadline for my advert, digipak and poster designs, but as mentioned above, if I balance out the editing and print designs I should be able to get these all finished by this date. WEDNESDAY 5TH - This is a WORKSHOP WEDNESDAY day. This means I can use this day to catch up with any coursework. This wednesday is particularly ideal as it is the last wednesday I can use before the deadline of the final cut. WEDNESDAY 12TH - This is also a WORKSHOP WEDNESDAY afternoon. This wednesday will be ideal to try and finish off one of the print products - either digipak or advert.
WEDNESDAY 19TH - This is the date we break up for our Christmas break. I should have all the practical work of my coursework done by this date, including digipak, poster and advert designs alongside the final cut of the music video. I should be prepared to start my evaluation when I return to college in the new year therefore could be starting to think about questions for this part of the coursework in this time off.
This is a calendar to show my plans and deadlines for my coursework in November 2012. As you can see, important dates I have highlighted in yellow.
MONDAY 5TH - This is the date we return back to college from our October half term break. I plan to have all my filming for my video finished by this date. I think this should be done as I won't have left all of the footage for the half term anyway, so I will only use the half term break to finish off or add any more footage that I think will be useful for when I return to college.
THURSDAY 8TH - This is the date I travel to go down to visit a university, and will therefore be away for a full college week. It is vital that I organise my work around this week off as I don't want to end up being behind when I return to college. I plan to start a lot of my editing in the three days before I go away so that when I get back I won't be under too much stress. I am also planning on taking a camera with me for the week in case any oppurtunities to film arise and I can add extra establishing shots into my video to add to the setting, even if my actor/actress isn't in this footage.
FRIDAY 16TH - This is the date I return back to college from my week off. I will try and catch up with as much editing as I can when I get back.
MONDAY 19TH - This is my first deadline to submit my first rough cut onto my blog. I think meeting this deadline will not be an issue as I only need to submit 30 seconds of editing and I will have hopefully done this in advance anyway knowing I go away. This is also a good time to start thinking of ideas for my photoshoot for my digipak.
WEDNESDAY 21ST - This is the deadline for my photoshoot for my digipak. Again, I don't think this will be an issue as I will be up to date with my editing by this point and can dedicate this lesson to doing the photoshoot, and thinking of ideas for it in advance will come in handy as I will be prepared and know what I am doing. Wednesday is also a half day at college so it is an ideal day if I need to catch up on any work in the afternoon.
FRIDAY 23RD - This is the final day we are allowed to do any filming, as we have already gone past the deadline for filming yet people still need to refilm or haven't done all their filming yet. If I need to refilm any parts for any reason, this shall be all done by this date. This is also the deadline for a second rough cut to be submitted, but I think I shall meet this deadline fine as I will be balancing out the work between photoshoots and editing and will be on track with my editing and will have hopefully progressed in that week from the last rough cut.
For part of my lip syncing footage I had the idea of shining a torch on my actor/actress' face for a 'personal' effect. This also links in with the idea of a torch being associated with if someone is lost: if they can't see their way, they use a torch. This gives the lip syncing parts of the video more of an edge and makes it more unique compared to if they were just stood by a plain white wall singing the song. I personally think the torch effect definitely supports the mood of the video by having the 'spotlight' on the actor and showing the audience how he feels about the girl and the situation of them breaking up.
This is an example of my footage with the torch effect. I think this idea brings out the lyrics of the song and makes the audience think more about what they mean and what they mean to the actor. The video by the XX - Crystalised inspired me with this idea with their idea of reflecting images onto their faces to give the video a more psychedelic/artistic feel:
My original idea was to not use a torch on the actor/actress' face but to reflect an image onto their face just like this idea. I was going to reflect an army like pattern or an image of the world to reflect upon the idea of being 'small in a big world' and feeling lost and not knowing where to place oneself. I then changed this idea as I thought it was too like this original XX music video and didn't think it would be very clear to my audience. I also thought the idea of the torch effect was more creative as it was very easy and simple to do yet it had a great impact and brought out the feelings and emotions in the storyline.
After rethinking some ideas for the flashback I came to a conclusion that I needed some sort of effect to be put on for these bits of footage, as if I just left it as normal without any black and white filter etc then it wouldn't be very clear.
I took some inspiration from one of my favourite music videos: Always like this by Bombay Bicycle Club. I noticed that they made a lot of their video look vintage and authentic by using a film burn effect and tv screen framing around the footage to make it look more dated. I thought this would be a nice way of showing the two's past relationship.
I achieved this effect by searching old film burn effects online on youtube and effect websites. I found the one I am currently using on http://www.digitalcinemafoundry.com/2010/02/19/free-film-burns-exclusively-here/ which were free to download. This definitely made the footage and narrative more clear but I also liked the idea of the footage being 'projected' or shown on a TV screen, so I then found a TV frame on Google Images, saved this in Photoshop (after erasing the inside on the frame), added it to my timeline on Final Cut and overlayed it over the film burn and original footage.
This is a print screen of my footage with the film burn effect and TV screen overlay:
I think this definitely adds authenticity to the footage and makes it seem more special. Even the mise-en-scene changes the overall mood of this particular scene as both actors are laughing and smiling together which shows they were once both happy together adding a contrasting mood to the theme of the song. As well of it being very similar to Always like this it also reminds me of a particular scene in the film 500 Days of Summer where the character's emotions and feelings are shown through a split screening of 'Expectations' and 'Reality' although I haven't used split screening, I have just used similar framing and vintage effect:
Today in the lesson I did my photoshoot for my digipak, as today was the dealine for this task. I bought a game of Jenga a few days before. I then went into the photography studio with my friend Jenn who takes Photography and didn't mind helping me.
I then set up the game of Jenga on a white wooden block and adjusted the lighting for a shadow effect. I wanted the white background and white wooden block to make the pictures look very simple and plain for more effect.
These are some of the photos we took:
Some of the photos we took were quite blurry from not using the flash, although there were enough altogether for the digipak. I also used my phone camera for the photos of knocking the tower blok over as my phone had a special shooting effect that would take 8 photos in a row and this was more suitable for what I wanted to try and achieve.
Alhough the photoshoot was time consuming due to having to keep stacking up the tower blocks, I think these photos are okay and I will not have to take them again.
The photos I have circled are the ones I like in particular and that I think I will end up using a few of these selected photos in the final products.
This is definitely an improvement from the previous rough cut. I spent a lot of time on editing the video yesterday in college so I did get quite a lot done. There are fewer gaps to fill where I need to add footage and I am hoping I should finish the final cut within the final deadline.
There were some issues with some parts of the footage where Ramsay is lip syncing as most of that footage is too dark, therefore I have decided to try and refilm these parts as it won't be too much effort and we will not need to come all the way to college especially to match how dark it was, this can be done at home instead which is more practical as Ramsay and I live round the corner from each other and it saves him walking a long way to my college and back. I am hoping to still have the same effect with the torch but it will appear a lot clearer on the video and won't need too be brightened (which could make the footage appear grainy and unprofessional). I am hoping to do these bits of refilming tonight if my actor is available.
I also have some issues with the last scene where Ramsay and Grace are arguing. This drags on for way too long and needs to be shortened so that the flow of the song is stable. However, after discussing it with Sally she suggested I do not have to reveal everything about why Grace leaves, I could create an enigma and leave the reason why she leaves for the audience to interpret which could make it more interesting and mysterious. I may do this by cutting out the footage of them both arguing and Ramsay slapping Grace, jumping straight to where she packs her bags and leaves.
Today after college I went to the town centre and bought the game 'Jenga', a stack of wooden blocks that you have to pull out whilst trying not to let the tower fall over. I like the idea of using this wooden block tower as a metaphor of Ramsay's life in the video, being that the tower block can represent his life and can easier fall over and 'fall apart', explaining how he feels without Grace in his life. I think this is an interesting way of interpreting his situation. The simplest past time family game can highlight Ramsay's feelings, showing that in life you build things and then sometimes something can happen and when it is near enough perfect everything can go wrong and it can knock you back down again.
One issue I have with this idea however is that my audience may not understand why I have used a wooden tower block game as the front image on my digipak. The only way I can think of making this clearer is by including footage of Ramsay actually playing the game in the music video, so that people will see a connection with the video and its album cover. I have decided that I will do this while doing my digipak photoshoot the upcoming Wednesday. From doing some research on digipak album covers, I've noticed that a lot of the albums categorised under the 'indie', or alternative rock, genre do not always the most eye catching images. Depending on the artist, some like to keep it more simple to provoke thought and allow their audience to interpret the album in their own way. This style of simple album cover includes some of the following: Rolling Stones - Sticky Jeans
XX - X
Arctic Monkeys - Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
However, in other genres, such as Pop, the artist is almost always present on the front of the album creating a 'star image' and being an icon for its fans. For example, pop artist Prince uses an image of himself on his album covers:
So far I think my video is going quite well. As this is the first rough cut there are a few big gaps where I haven't finished the entire video, but these will be filled after when the final video is posted. I have decided to stick with my storyboard on the first 30 seconds of the video with the Thought Beats reflected in lots of different cuts and jump cut edits. I think this makes the video more interesting from the start which will hold the audience's interest and create an enigma. I also like the idea of not revealing much of Grace's character until nearer the end of the video. This means that I will take out and replace the shots of her walking within the first 10 seconds of the video as I think this makes it more confusing for the audience. Areas for improvement:
I can't use a lot of the darker shots with the torch as they are too dark to see, so I may consider re-filming this so I have clearer footage of lip syncing.
I will change the part where Grace and Ramsay are sitting on the tree stump looking happy in a flashback as Grace looks directly at the camera making the video look unprofessional.
After the first chorus, I would like to change the black gap into a fade out transition so the video flows better.
I will change all the parts where Ramsay and Grace are together to black and white or in a sepia effect so that it's clearer that they are flashbacks and not the present day in the video.
This is my animatic for the planning of my music video. Although the visual doesn't match the song exactly, this is roughly the storyboard I would like to follow. Some shots I have accidentally missed out, and because of the way Final Cut works it would have taken a lot of time just to add them back in. But the structure of the shots still follows the ideas I have.
This is my Timetoast Timeline. I have decided to use this as a way of keeping organised, and to see what I have already completed and when. I like the format of Timetoast as I think it's very clear and can easily be edited, instead of typing all the tasks I need to complete and when I completed into Microsoft Word for example. Timetoast has definitely helped me to be more organised and I particularly like the way it shows you what you have done over a specific space of time. I discovered Timetoast last year so I decided I would use it again this year.
This is my structure for the order of my shots. This is to help me be more organised when constructing and filming for my music video and will allow me to refer back to the type of shots I plan to do. This is similar to my storyboard, but in written form so it may be more clear and easier to understand when out filming, and it is less sheets than the storyboard.
This is my storyboard for my music video.These ideas are bound to change as it is my first draft and when I actually film I may change my mind on the structure. Some of these shots require a track and dolly which is quite a big bit of equipment and therefore I will have to do the tracking shots by hand and will have to make sure they aren't wobbly. This storyboard is not yet finished but I plan to add more ideas soon.
In this lesson we experimented on PhotoShop for our digipaks. I am not very confident with PhotoShop so I stuck to the beginner's tutorials. Above I have applied the Lomograph tutorial on my image with a radial blur effect. 1. How successful have you been in applying the tutorial to your work and what do you do still need to complete until you are finished? Overall I think I was a bit better than when I first started after gaining help from Beth and Jenn who already take Photography. The more steps I did in the tutorial the easier it became because it was easier to know my way around the software. 2. Identify two techniques/tools/effects which you have learned this lesson and how this will impact upon your final construction of your digipak. I have learned how to use the radial blur effect to make the image look a bit psychedelic (above) and how to do a light trail using the gradient tool (below) and editing the lights colour by adjusting the Hue and Saturation. I think with more practice on these types of tutorials, I will gain confidence in PhotoShop and hopefully be able to make my final digipak look professional.
Today I was meant to film with my actor and actress but due to bad weather this plan didn't go ahead as weather is one of my risks on my Risk Assessment sheet. It was raining quite heavily which could have also been a risk to the equipment as it could have got wet and may have broken. Instead of filming today we have moved the filming day to next Wednesday where hopefully the weather will be a bit better, especially because we are visiting the beach location where the weather needs to be decent.
This us a short presentation to show the progress of editing my practice footage. I have included print screens of using final cut in this too. As the video on the presentation doesn't play in that format I have inserted it below to show you the outcome:
I like the way this shot is filmed in a slight low angle. I also like Ramsay's expression as he isn't laughing or anything and it shows he is deep in thought and isn't looking directly into the camera. This shot is a bit wobbly as it filmed it handheld so I would have to retake it but I quite like the angle and framing, especially with the clock tower above. If I was to redo this shot I would try get more of Ramsay in the shot rather than just his head as I don't think it looks very professional. This shot is quite hard to film as it's so low down I couldn't see what I was filming. This close up of Grace could come later on in the video when I reveal more of her character. I will do this to drip feed the whole narrative to the audience and not reveal it all at once at the start. I may also ask her to not smile as the whole concept of the video is quite serious as it's about a break up and the facial expressions and body language should match the lyrics. Similarly, I like this shot, especially how Ramsay looks down and then directly at the camera. I think this shot would be good right at the start of the song before the clap thought beats kick in, as it reveals his character to the audience and makes him intriguing. I may however film this type of shot again as I believe the framing and background could be improved. I really like this shot and the framing. I like how we can see both the character and his POV shot, revealing the 'indie' location in the background. I also love the idea of him sitting on the bench on his own, which shows he is alone. This could be shown directly after the shot of both Grace and Ramsay on the bench together to show both the past and now the present. I like these shots of Grace walking away. I could either improve this shot in my overall final video by making it into a jump cut, or making her fade out completely to tell the audience she has gone and the relationship is no longer, which would be more interesting than this shot dragging just watching her walk off.
Again, I could improve this shot with the points above. I made sure they both walked off in different directions to make the camera movements more clear and help the audience understand it better, as if they were both walking down the same path it wouldn't look right.
I like this shot as it shows Ramsay deep in thought and looking up at the sky, which is a relaxing thing to do. It shows the audience that he doesn't care about his own life anymore now that Grace isn't in it anymore.
Above are photos of my actor, Ramsay Macdonald. As you can see from the images above, he is a very stylish boy and likes to stand out with his individuality by wearing the latest fashion for men. His clothing brands consist of mainly Topman, with H&M and van shoes. The denim jacket he is wearing here is also very vintage and many indie bands like to dress similarly to this. His hairstyle is also on trend and is styled and cut into a 'flicky' choppy way which is also stylish and fits in with the genre. This may not actually be the clothes Ramsay wears on the shooting days for the video but I will make sure he follows this sort of look so it fits in with my genre, and this shouldn't be a problem because he is generally into fashion and does an apprenticeship in hairdressing so he is always taking care of his appearance which is what typical indie bands normally do anyway.
Grace Collins is my actress for my music video. She, like Ramsay, is very interested in fashion and always wears what is on the high street. She is a particular fan of the vintage look so both my actor and actress match in terms of style and interest, which will make the overall video more realistic as the audience will be able to tell immediately that they are compatible. On the day of our test footage grace wore a flowery daisy dress paired up with a black leather jacket. I think the dress suits the style I am going for in my music video but the leather jacket may subvert her character so for the shooting dates I may advise her what to wear, although it is getting colder so I won't expect her to not wear some sort of jacket. The colour of the tights and type of shoes also match my criteria of looks as it brings out her feminine side and therefore will make her seem more attractive to the actor, which is the underlying message I want to get across in my video to my audience.
The above photos are just some of both the actor and actress together. I did this to get an idea of them together and to see if they look natural and comfortable with each other together, even if this is just a photo and not moving image. This is essential in the video as if they act badly or don't look right together it can mess up the entire concept of the video and it won't look as well. From these images, I think they look like they go together therefore my audience should understand the theme of the video. It is true that opposites do sometimes attract, but I want them both to be similar so that the compatibility is clearer and simple for the audience to understand.
This is the song I am doing my video to: Love Lost by The Temper Trap. I think the song's initial meaning is about an unbalanced relationship that led to a break up, but feelings and sad emotions are still present. In my video I plan to show both character's perspectives through interesting camera work and editing.
This is some test footage that I filmed with my actor and actress over at Ward Jackson Park after our group discussion.
I particularly like this shot and framing. The fact the boy is in an extreme long shot (which also reveals the urban location) shows that he is alone in the world. His facial expressions looking into the distance show he is deep in thought and thinking about the past with his ex girlfriend. I may end up using this footage in my video or a remake of it as I like this idea.
This shot can be edited into a jump cut edit with the parts where they are cuddling and talking and with the end where they are facing away from each other. I like this idea as it shows a flashback of their relationship and this will make the narrative more clear. One criticism however is that I will have to make sure that the location that I am using it for the past as well as the present isn't obvious as this may confuse the audience.
This can also be made into a jump cut edit to show the controversy between their relationship. Again, I will have to be careful with my locations so that it doesn't appear confusing. Maybe I could film the same shot but with only the boy to emphasise how he is on his own now.
This is a short video of me setting up the tripod and explaining one of my shots (see below). I wanted to make this video to show what goes on behind the camera as well as in front of it to show how I set up and how I prepare to film.
This is footage from the shot I was setting up for above. I really like the idea of extreme close up and close up shots as it shows facial expressions really clearly and helps the audience sympathise with the characters feelings. It is also handy to do lip syncing in a close up shot as it will make the singing clearer and will show emphasis on the lyrics.
Today (Wednesday 10th October) I organised a get-together with my actor and actress so we could do some test footage and some recce shots. I also wanted to share some ideas with them about the song and get their opinion, as well as extra ideas. First of all I played the full song 'Love Lost' to them and asked them to visualise what they thought the video would be about and what it would be like. They came up with a number of good ideas that I thought I could mix together along with my own. They also suggested extra locations, including the 'Mema' art gallery in Middlesbrough where there is a balcony overlooking the town. This was a good idea from Ramsay and I may go ahead with it, as there is already a certain shot I would like to film in Middlesbrough so it would be worth thinking up more ideas for shots while we are in that area. They also came up with the idea of 'flashbacks' to the past where the girl and boy are still in a relationship. I already considered this idea but I think it would be good to include this as it would make the narrative of the video more clear. After discussing these ideas, we then looked at some some music videos - A2 music videos as well as normal ones - for inspiration. I showed both Ramsay and Grace examples of videos with a reverse narrative, such as Breezeblocks by Alt-j and The Scientist by Coldplay so they understood what I meant better. We then finished our discussion to go and do some recce shots and test footage over at Ward Jackson Park, which isn't one of my planned locations to film for the video, but the location fit the genre and was in walking distance from my house so it was ideal.
Above is my mood board full of visual ideas. I got all my images from Google. The reason why I made this mood board is to organise ideas and to have what I picture my video will be like all in one place. I have also numbered them so I can explain them in more detail below. 1- This is a close up shot of lead singer of Friendly Fires: Ed Macfarlane. I like his expression as it shows he is passionate about the song and I can use this idea for my actor so he can show his passion for the story of the song. I can also show him this picture so he has a better idea of how I want him to express his feelings. Also, Ed slightly over-exaggerates his feelings here, which needs to be done in order for the lip-syncing to be clear. 2. This is the type of shoes I want my actor to wear. I want him to look smart yet casual, which is in fashion at the minute with the likes of brands such as Topman and River Island (see image number 10). 3. This is a photo of the Earth which I will use to project onto the green screen. My actor will stand in front of the green screen so that the image projects onto him and makes him appear more 'lost' against the big world. The black background of the Earth will add a dark, lonely feel to my actor and help the audience sympathise with his feelings too. 4. This is a photo of Ward Jackson Park. I may film here, although I haven't made a call sheet for this location (as it's a fresh idea), because its a very quiet 'natural' place which fits in with the indie locations. 5. This is an extreme long shot of a man stood in a field. I like this type of shot as it will make the actor look a lot smaller and lost, and as if he's crossing the country looking for his lost love. 6. This is a print screen of the actual official video for 'Love Lost'. I like the production of this video as it consists of primary school boys running in a cross country race, yet they express how they are lost in 'love' in a completely different way as it shows how they are struggling and may lack support, shown by their P.E teacher at the beginning shouting at them. My video has a different interpretation of the title. 7. This image is in black and white, and I like the idea of changing the colour schemes in my video to show the different emotions and feelings. I may choose to use black and white colours at lower points in the songs where it is more slow paced and 'unhappy', whereas for the stronger, faster-paced moments of the song I can use a wider variety of colours to show how he's happier when the girl is present. 8. This is an image of actress Zooey Deschanel in the film 500 Days Of Summer. I like her style in this film and think I can use this as a look to base my ideas around, as she looks very casual, summery and happy which is how I would picture my actress to be. 9. This is the closest image I could get to visualise the pier pipes in Seaton Carew. I Would like to do an extreme long shot of my actor standing at the edge of one of these pipes with his back to the camera as if looking out to sea to show how he is lost in thought and his mind without the girl of his dreams. 10. This is an image of a Topman model, which is what style I would like my actor to have. Topman brand is very in fashion and is always on the catwalk, so this style will be an inspiration already for the indie genre and is how most of my male target audience would look like.
For part of my actresses make-up I have taken inspiration from the 1950's era with female icons such as Lana Del Ray, Zooey Deschanel and Marylin Monroe. They all have a certain style that links with the vintage look. I have decided to use a vintage inspired look as it fits in with the indie genre as many girls aspire to be different and have a vintage fashion sense. In order to achieve this make up look I have decided to use a vintage 1950's make up tutorial from YouTube to learn the basic techniques of a vintage inspired make-up style which I have embedded below. This make up idea may well change during the process of filming, however I think it may be a good idea to use this as an idea as this look will make my actress look like a goddess and irresistible. I think this is appropriate for my video as the audience are following the life of the boy and what he thinks of the girl, therefore if the girl actress looks desirable it will be much clearer for the audience. As part of the make-up for the girl I think using red lipstick will be a good idea as it will bring out the vintage style in the girl which makes the two characters suit but red lipstick is also a very female necessity and again will help the girl to look beautiful in the boy's point of view.
Here is a calendar of the October month to help me organise my plans and schedules easier. I looked up the October half term dates on my college's website and found out we are not in college from Saturday 26th to Monday 5th November (highlighted in green). Although the deadline for filming our footage is Friday 26th my media teacher has given us the opportunity to use the week off in October to do extra filming. I think this will help a lot and is ideal to do most filming in this week off as one of my actors attends another college and does an apprenticeship which means I have to plan a day for filming which suits him and when he is not busy.
My other actress attends the same college which means it'll be easy to plan a day for filming with her.
As I need my actor/actress for certain tasks in my coursework (e.g. recce shots, make up and costume ideas, test footage) I have organised a group meeting for Wednesday 10th October (which I have highlighted as a red dot) where we will get together as a group and share ideas about the song and video. Although I am working on my own I would also like their contribution to ideas as they also are my peers and target audience which I find very helpful because I know the ideas that they suggest most likely the majority of my target audience will like. I also plan to use this day to take photos of my actors/actresses, discuss clothes and make up and also maybe do some test footage (depending if we are able to get to the locations where we will be filming the actual music video).
The other dates that I have highlighted in blue are possible filming dates. Wednesday is an ideal day to film as it is a half-day at college, but again, it will depend if my actor/actress is busy or not. We will discuss future dates on Wednesday's meeting. As well as the dates with blue dots, The green highlighted week as I mentioned above as half term is a perfect time to film, however the sooner I get my footage the better as it gives me more time to edit my video which means I'll have less pressure on me if I decided to film right at the end of the half term.
These are the questions I plan to ask the public. Before I ask these questions, I will ask them to give me their favourite genre of music out of a list of four genres: Pop, Rock, Indie and Dance. I will eliminate any who do not say indie, and will use these people to find out more information and make it more suited to the specific audience I am looking to target at. By doing this, it will save me time and effort. I will only film people who answer to 'indie' being their favoutire genre so that I am interviewing the right type of people and get more audience research out of my basic questionnaire.
Questions as follows (in order):
On a
scale of 1 to 10 how aware are you of the indie music genre?
What is
your favourite indie band?
What are
the typical items you’d expect to see in an indie music video?
What
would you expect an indie band to wear in their music video?
What are
the typical locations you’d expect to see in an indie music video?
Would
you prefer an indie music video to have a straight forward narrative, a
fragmented less-clear narrative or no narrative at all?
What
would you expect an indie band to be doing in their music video? Performing
with instruments in front of the camera, acting out a narrative or both?
Lastly,
what is your favourite music video and why?
