I created an album/back cover of a CD advertising Acres of Life's tracks.
I wanted to bring out the grungy, punk soundof the band through the design.
I used;
Picasa software
Adding text in Picasa to CD back cover
I chose the font carefully, making it look edgy. In contrast the font colours are bright against the dark backgrounds to bring out their youthful sound, yet sit well against the moody image. I also lowered the saturation levels a considerable amount and reduced the colour to capture the gritty image of the band. Additionally I added some grain onto the front cover to enhance this.
Increasing grain and decreasing saturation levels to CD back cover
The preliminary task day came by and my group and I were feeling fairly confident with our planning and preparation. We had chosen what key shots we would specifically like in our thirty second clip of the track.
Considering we had been allocated the opening to the track, it was important that we convey the band's star image as soon as the track began. In preparation we had created a rough timeline of where we wanted to place our key shots for the first thirty seconds of the track.
Me helping set up with the lead singer, Sam
We wanted our opening shot to be a wide shot of the set, and then seeing the band walk onto it and set up. We wanted to convey Acres of Life's very laid back attitude and the fact that it is not in their nature to hide anything, they expose themselves and their unique image - just as we expose the set-up before the actual shoot.
We had a quick reminder and introduction on how to use the film camera's and then moved onto filming our shots. With only half an hour for each group to complete the shots we wanted, we had to be very efficient as a group and direct with what we wanted to do.
I managed on playback, as the director and worked mostly on camera. We knew what shots we wanted to use, but we were quite slow at the start and took too long to work on what shot we ought to film first. We ought to have planned our time more carefully, but with just enough time to spare, we filmed all the key shots we wanted with a few extra.
Me working on camera
I learnt to be more firm and direct and to have to think on my feet and make decisions quickly in a limited amount of time. I also learnt how to deal with different types of people as I worked with the band and with people in my group collaboratively.
The prelim task I felt helped my directory skills the most. I had noticed at the beginning of our shoot that one of the band members was feeling quite nervous. I took him aside and encouraged him to peform his best - I even had to dance manically to the song backstage to encourage the members to perform their best and 'let themselves go'. Thankfully this put the band in a good mood and, despite my embarrassment, they gave us a good performance!
Working in progress
I found the editing task quite fun and it seemed this was something my group was strong at doing. We used final cut pro software to edit our shots together and create our product.
We finished in about an hour and after checking and watching over the few clips, we were pleased with our final result. I learnt through the editing process to cut shots in beat and time with the song and also how to bring the music video 'to life' by speeding up the editing and using short, quick cuts in time with the music.
Below is a video of our final product. I contributed from 0s - 35s.
We were told recently what kind of band we would be shooting for our prelim task next week. They are an unsigned boy band with a heavy punk influence sound called 'Acres of Life'.
Our class was split into four different groups. Each group was assigned to a thirty second clip of the band's track 'I Like To Make The Pretty Girls Smile'. We had to plan within our groups what kind of shots and angles we wanted to use, how fast our editing cuts were going to be etc. This was important if we were going to promote the band's slight punk image.
I thought it would be a good idea to research bands with a similar artist image. I watched some music videos by bands such as Metro Station and Hey Monday.
Metro Station - Seventeen Forever
Hey Monday - How You Love Me Now
We took certain elements from videos like these that we thought would suit and promote the bands image well. In Hey Monday's 'How You Love Me Now' we particularly liked the quick focus pulls. There is also a lot of focus on the band members themselves and we receive a personal connection and bond with the band. Additionally there are quick, fast paced cuts in the video which brings energy and varying dynamics into the music video and broguht the song to life.
I thought this style choice looked professional, so I put forward these ideas in our group.
In order to prepare for my prelim task of creating a music video, I began to analyse and break down the elements of other well-known music videos. I studied the theorist Richard Dyer's views on what creates an artist's unique image in the first place, and from there began to analyse particular videos by certain artists whose image has changed and adapted to the different generations.
Richard Dyer
The theorist, Richard Dyer, believes that artists must create a 'star image' of themselves. Dyer thinks that artists are constructed,artificial images which keeps the stars' image consistent and interesting. However, the artists' appearance is not a real person. Dyer believes this idea helps to create a USP which appeals to the audience.
I looked at Madonna's music video 'Like A Prayer' and analysed her 'star image'. In this video she subtly puts forward a sexual image - an exposing cleavage is shown and we see some revealing bra straps hanging off her shoulders. However, the video clearly has some religious elements to it with controversial images of a black Jesus, shots of crosses etc. Madonna additionally has a sense of innocence about her as she wears a cross around her neck.
Madonna has constantly been changing her 'star image' to keep her a diverse and successful artist. Throughout her career she has gone for various different styles both musically and stylistically. For example, the pictures below display a variety of star image constructions Madonna has covered through her career. She has managed to adapt her style to the 'latest trend' in each generation.
When Madonna first began her career she had a unique image. When her single 'Holiday' was released, her image displayed a young, rebellious teenager with a punk feel. Madonna's image then grew and became more sexually appealing.
The music video to 'Holiday' by Madonna displays her carefree attitude of the 70's.
Additionally take Madonna's 'Hung Up'. Notice how her star image has changed dramatically. Her clothes are much more revealing and her attitude too is moresexual. Also notice what kind of close-up shots the director has chosen to use and where - there is a lot of focus on Madonna's body and her suggesting dance moves. Whereas 'Holiday' displays a much more open 'don't care' attitude.
From Dyer's views, I have taken into account that it is vital to know what kind of image the band I will be shooting with are going for. If they are going to be, for example, an aggressive, heavy metal rock band, I will have to think about what kind of lighting I might want to use, what the stage set-up will be like...etc.
