Process of my digi pak

First draft of my digi pak

Second draft of my digi pak



Spine

I like the way that my second draft of my digi pak has been laid out. I have decided to use images of the artist for inside of the digi pak because from my survey results most people said that they would like to see images of the artist. I am also going to put the lyrics of the song 'We are never ever getting back together in the inside of the album next to the images. I feel like this is a good way to promote the song and it gives the audience something interesting and entertaining to look at rather than there just being information about the artist which sometimes people aren't that interested in and also hardly anyone said that they would like to see this from the results of my survey. So, I am acting on my audience feedback which should hopefully mean that my final product will be successful.

Third draft of my digi pak



This is the third draft of my digi pak. I have made some slight changes to my digi pak espicially the inside cover page. I have decided just to use on image instead of four, this is to make the overall appearance look less crowded and allows the audience to concentrate on the lyrics more. I have also decided to move the artists name on the front cover to the left top side of the page to make the front cover appear more sophisticated and elegant. 

Process of my poster advertisement

First draft of my poster advertisement

This draft shows roughly how my poster advertisement for my album will look like. The poster will be A4 portrait. I thought that the album title should be centred big at the top of the poster because this is the main purpose of the poster as that is what it is advertising so it’s the most important. The artists name is also important and this will be in a large font placed underneath the image. The image of the artist will be in the middle of the page so the audience will be able to recognise which artist’s album it is promoting. Underneath the artists name I am going to have the text ‘We are never ever getting back together’ which is her bestselling new song. This would grab the audience’s attention as they would be informed that her successful new song features on the album. I want to also have reviews of the album featured on the poster from magazines or newspapers especially music magazines as they would be more trustworthy as they specialise in music. This will be placed lower on the page as it’s not as important and not something essential which the audience would look at; however it is useful and intriguing to know as it could persuade the audience to buy the album. I also have social media logos in the bottom right side of the poster which is good for promoting. The artists website is placed right at the bottom of the page, this is handy for the audience as they will be able to find out more about the artist e.g. news and upcoming events. It is also a good way to promote the artist and the album. The record company’s logo is one of the essential elements to a music promotion, so this shows I am following the correct conventions of a poster advertisement.

Second draft of my poster advertisement

This is the second draft of my poster advertisement. I have made some slight changes to my poster due to me changing the choice of images. Instead of using just one image I now want to use four. This denotes a close up shot of the artist with a white background pulling different facial expressions. I felt that this would be more entertaining and interesting to look at and at the same time it explores the artists personality through the images. However, I have kept the other elements on my poster the same e.g. the date, reviews, social networking logos.

Ancillary task idea and planning!

The message

The overall message of my digi pak and poster advertisement is basically about my artist having negative feelings and emotions about boys which is accentuated through my music video ‘We are never ever getting back together’. I would like the photos to signify her being fed up of boys because they don’t make her happy and the shots should portray her trying to get over her ex-boyfriend who features in the music video. I would like the audience to be able to relate to the artist because they may have gone through something similar. This could be through the photos because I want my artist to be doing things that would commonly happen through a break up or after a break up, for example, eating ice cream, cutting up past memories (pictures). Also some images would denote my artist being happy because I want to give the message to the audience that the only way to get over something terrible is to stay positive and look positively on life. I do not want this to be taken too seriously as I want the audience to see a fun side of my artist as that is her star image, rather than her album and poster  showing her being upset and unhappy. My artist’s star image is presented as a fun, bubbly and energizing character and I want to show this through the ancillary tasks to the best way I can.

 I decided it would be a good idea to acquire some audience feedback for the name of my album because I am not  100% certain of what I would like to call it. I have a few ideas in my mind which I think could be good but I feel like I need some re-assurance. I have produced a short questionnaire which I have given to my chosen audience which are young teenage girls to ask them what they think I should call my album and other suggestions or ideas  they have which could possibly help me.

These are the results:

From the results they show that most people ticked that the album should be called 'its a girl thing'. I think that this is my favourite name as quite catchy name and the fact it has the word 'girl' instantly suggests that it is targeted towards girls. This name would also give some idea of the kind of songs which would feature in the album as they would be associated to girly things and in my case the album is asccoiated with a girl trying to get over a break up and how she is fed up of boys. I am therefore happy and confident that I have made the right choice for the name of my album.

Inspiration

 
Whilst I was doing my research on digi paks and poster advertisements I came across this image of Ariana Grande.

I really loved the mise en scene of the colours and props used in this image and it has given me an inspiration of what I could do for the photos for my digi pak and poster advertisements. Hence why one of my shots is going to be Sarah sitting on the floor the same as Ariana surrounded by cut up roses and flowers. However, in the photo of Ariana Grande she appears to be quite sad and doesn’t look extremely happy. But in the photos which I am going to be taking of Sarah she will have a different facial expression and her body will be positioned differently.

However, as part of my research I also came across this image of Rihanna which appears on the front cover of her digi pak. I really like this idea of just using the R to signify her name as it is simple and effective. So I may use this idea instead once I start to construct my ancillary tasks and bring all of my ideas together. 

Photoshoot planning

Typography and iconography

 Typography
Typography is a key feature of album artwork as it accounts for around 50% of communication of an artist through their album. It provides an image of the audiences first impression of the artist and also confines what genre of music that the album entails. The typography can have many symbols and meanings because of the chosen colour and style of the font which can have a great impact on the overall outlook on the album.

Typography is an important area to think about when it comes to creating my ancillary tasks as its vital that I choose the best font possible, this is because it needs to be consistent throughout both the digi pak and poster advertisement. My chosen font will be of my personal interest because I would need to like it myself and i would know if it is suitable for the image of the artist. The font will express an artists/ bands true emotions and also their star image as it reveals something about them and the idea they want to give to their target audiences.

I have found a few possible fonts which I could use for my artists name and also the title of the album but I thought it would be necessary to obtain some audience feedback to see what they think, this shows I am meeting their needs.

I asked my audience on the social media site Facebook on their views of the possible font which I could use.

Feedback:

I found these results very helpful. From the results it shows that most people liked the style of font which had a curly and italic style. I think this could be because it looks more feminine and sophisticated. Nobody chose the 3rd font, this had no curl or italic style and looks completely different from the other fonts which I chose which all have similar features. From my personal view I feel like either the fourth or fifth font would work best. I like the handwritten style as it could enhance the idea that it's the artists signature and she has signed her digi pak and poster advertisement which gives them a personal touch. This could create a close connection between the artist and her audience. 

It's also important to think about the type face for the other text on the digi pak and poster advertisements. These will be the text for album reviews, website address, lyrics, track list etc. I have decided to use a sans serif font instead of a serif font because this would be more informal. From my research I found that most pop digi paks and poster advertisement use sans serif font so this portrays I am following the right conventions.

Serif                  Sans serif
Lyrics        Lyrics

Iconography
Iconography is the visual images and symbols in the work of art or study or interpretation of these. As different genres have different styles of music videos, iconography shows that all genres have their own unique look to enhance their individual style of music.
Iconography is portrayed through an artists music video and then it is also enhanced through their lives and the work which they do for example, interviews, live performances, brand promotion.

I need to ensure that the iconography is consistent throughout my music video and in my ancillary tasks as I need to have a successful link between them. When making my digi pak and poster advertisement its important that all of the features and media represent the iconography of my artist. This allows the audience to recognise my artist clearly in the work which they do. 

 

Conventions of a digipak and poster advertisement

Mood board for my ancillary tasks

This mood board entails the ideas and themes which I would like to enhance on both my digi pak and poster advertisements. Including the colours, make up, hair styles and use of props.

Scedule of filming- day two

This is the scedule of filming table for day two of filming my music video. I have more time to film on Friday because I have the whole day free so I am not limited to time like I was on my first day of filming. This means that filming will be extra relaxed and will not be rushed in any way.

I am all set to go for filming on Friday and I recieved a confirmation from Sarah to inform me that James will be able to be there that afternoon for filming.

Risk assesment

Ancillary task- Survey Monkey

I am starting to plan for the second part of my A2 Media course work which is the ancillary tasks. This entails creating a digi pack and a poster advertisement for my music video. I have decided to produce a survey on the media platform survey monkey which is good for creating a variety of different surveys and you can also ask other users to answer them for you. I created my survey on this site and have emailed the survey to my intended target audience to hopefully receive useful and helpful responses to ensure that I construct the best possible ancillary tasks.

I have received eight responses so far. I have had mixed responses for most of the questions but it is evident that in two or three questions it is clear that my audience have the same taste and the same ideas about how they want my digipak and poster advertisement to look. I believe that this is useful information because it shows that when I produce my ancillary tasks I will be able to meet my target audience’s needs.

Below are the results which are presented through slide share:

Preperations for filming

I checked the weather forecast for Friday 10th of Ocotber because this is the day which I am going to film my music video and as i am filming some scenes outside its vital to makesure that the weather is appropiate and that it doesn't effect my filming in any way.

According to my schedule which you can see on my previous post I plan to start filming in my first location at around 4pm. The weather forceasted at this time as reported by the BBC is cloudy,sunny with little rain. I am not overally worried about this because the weather this week has been quite unpredictable and it has only rained for a few minutes throughout the day. So fingers crossed it doesn't rain for a very long time as this could affect my filming a lot. I don't mind the sky having a little cloud cover because this would go well with the mise en scene of my video in this particular location. It is supposed to be an autumn day in the video and my two actors will be wearing coats and warm clothing so it would add to the atmosphere of the seasonal weather. The temperature is supposed to be quite cold, 17 degrees, which it is at the moment so there is no problem with that unless the temperature increases by 15 degrees over night which I don't think will happen. The sun begins to go down around six/seven o clock which is fine because by then we will be filming scenes inside so it wouldnt be too dark to film outside which would affect the overall appearnace on the video.

Scedule for filming

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above is the schedule for filming table which has the timings of which scenes I am going to film and overall how I want the filming day to go. It will give me a good idea of what to do when the filming day arrives so I can use this table to refer too as it has scheduled timing so it will keep me on track and ensure that filming runs smoothly in an organised manner.

 

I am more than certain that I will  need to film some more scenes that may have not gone well or didn't turn out how I wanted them to or even that I didn't have enough time. If this is the case then I will arrange a day where I can re film so my music video will be up to the right standard and will turn out successful.  

Camera shots, Camera angles and Camera movement

There is a wide range of different camera shots and movement which you can use when you film any video.
I am going to use a variety of different camera shots when i film each scene of the video which would allow me to have different perceptives of the shots and i can experiment when it comes to editing my music video to enusre that it has a smooth and proffesional effect.

 

Camera shots

 

A camera shot is the amount of space which is seen is one shot or frame. The purpose of the shots are to demonstrate different aspects of a films characters, setting and themes.

 

Extreme long shot

 

This shot contains a large amount of landscape. It is commonly used at the beggining of a scene or a film to establish the general location/setting. This shot is also known as an establishing shot.

 

Full shot

 

This shot contains a complete full view of the characters. From this shot the audience are able to take in the cotumes and body langauge which would allow the audience to understand the relationship between the characters.

 

Long shot

 

This shot contains some ladnscape but gives the audience a better specific idea of the setting. For example it may show a house where the action will take place.

 

Mid shot

This shot shows the character or characters from the waist up. The audience are able to see the characters faces more clearly aswell as their communication with other characters which may also be in the scene.

 

Close up shot

 

The shot contains just one characters face or an object. This shot allows the audience to understand the charcters emotions and feelings just by their facial expressions. The close up shot normally has a meaning to the narrative.

 

Extreme close up shot

 

This shot contains one part of a charcters face or an object. This type of shot creates an intense mood as shows the true emotions of the character usually through an extreme close up shot of their eyes. It would also show an object which would have great significance at that particular moment in the narrative.

 

Two shot

 

This shot contains two characters in just one frame. It is used to show characters from the waist up or full body. This shot is used to show the relationship and the situation which the two characters are in.

 

Point of view shot

 

This shot is used from the point of view of a particular character, its what they see from their eyes. This is used to engage the audience with the characters and create a sense of connection with the characters actions and motives.

 

Over the shoulder shot

 

This shot is framed from behind a person who is looking at a subject. This shot helps to establish the position of each person and it would allow the audience to get the feel of looking at that person from the other characters point of view.

 

Camera angles

 

 

Camera angles are used to position the viewer so that they can understand the relationship between the characters and any other action which is taking place in the film. They are important to shape meaning in a film.

 

High angle

 

This camera angle is used to look down upon a subject. If the high angle is used for a character it would make them appear vulnerable and small. It is used to demonstrate to the audience the perspective of a particular character. 

 

Low angle

 

This camera angle is used to look up at a subject. It is the total opposite of a high angle and instead makes a character look powerful and superior. This would make the audience feel vulnerable and small as they are looking up to the character.

 

Eye level angle

 

This camera angle puts the audience on an equal balance with the characters. This camera angle is used in most films as it allows the audience to feel comfortable with the characters.

 

Birds eye angle

 

This camera angle is used to look directly down upon a scene. This is often used as an establishing angle and is most commonly used at the beginning of a film to establish the setting.

 

Dutch angle

 

This camera angle is where the teh camera is deliberatly slanted onto one side. This can be used for dramatic effect and helps create unease and disorientation.

 

Camera movement

 

Camera movements are used to shape a meaning of a film.

 

Pan

 

This movement is a horizantal camera movement in which the camera moves from left to right. It is used to give a panormaic view of a setting and can be used to establish a scene.

 

Crane shot

 

This movement is where the action of the film is filmed in a vertical direction. It is often used to singify the end of a film. The effect of this movement is achieved by placing the camera on a crane which can move upwards.

 

Arc shot

 

This camera movement is a full or semi circle view around the object or character/'s. The camera moves around the charcters so the audience can get a full view of their faces showing their reactions which would increase the intensity of the scene.

 

Tracking shot

 

This camera movement is either the forward or backwards movement into the action in a film. Tracking in would draw the audiences attention and tracking out would demonstrates that the action is over and the scene is coming to an end.

 

Tilt shot

 

This camera movement is the verticle movement of the camera. Its the movement of the camera up or down on an axis.

 

Zoom

 

This camera movement is the change in the lens focal length which gives the illusion of moving the camera closer or furthur away. It can also be used for a tracking shot if it is used correctly.

 

Crab shot

 

This camera movement follows the movement of the character to allow the audience to keep up with action taking place.

 





Analysis of the music video 'we are never ever getting back together'

I am analysing the music video ‘We are never ever getting back together’ which was written and sung by the American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift. The song features in her fourth studio album Red which was released in 2012 and it was directed by Declan Whitebloom. Taylor Swift has worked with Declan before on the visuals for both of the songs ‘Mean’ and ‘Ours’. The video was shot with a Sony F65 cinealta camera and it was the first promo to be featured in 4k resolution.

The genre of this song belongs to Pop and the video shows many characteristics of this genre. The genre is most evident through the Mise en scene of costumes, make up, props and the actors who feature in the music video. The main actor in the video Taylor Swift is presented as an innocent young girl and the song illustrates a typical love situation which appears in most pop songs. A reason for this is because they evolve around love, boys and romance. The genre pop is overall presented as fun and enjoyable music and I feel that this video highlights this rather well. In the chorus it features a band, where the members are dressed up as monkeys and they dance around playing musical instruments. This also accompanied by other actors who are also dancing and it gives an impression of a party atmosphere. The people dressed up as monkeys come across as unique and unusual but it would grab the audience’s attention, and implies the fun and happy elements of the video. This creates a dream like image. The costumes which Taylor wears in the video also highlight the genre of the video. She wears dresses and high heels connoting glamour and amplifying her strong female characteristics. The style of her costumes is overall very feminine and this is quite common in pop music videos by female artists. This is because there audience are mainly teenage girls so they would wear outfits which the audience would be attracted to. The colourful theme throughout the video of the bright colours of blues, pinks, purples and yellow reinforces the genre pop. The colours link with the upbeat tone of the song which is defiantly noticeable in the chorus. However, there is contradiction because of the lyrics of the song as it’s about a break up and these are commonly negative, but through the music and visuals they show that she is happy and confident that she is not getting back together with her boyfriend.

The narrative of the song shows the frustrations which Taylor Swift has towards her ex-boyfriend. He wants to rekindle their relationship but she doesn’t want to. This is clearly shown through the lyrics of the song and the scenes and shots throughout the music video.

As part of Andrew Goodwin’s six features of a music video there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics ‘you called me up again tonight, but oooo this time I’m telling you I’m telling you’. The visuals show her on the phone to the boy who is on the other line which is shown through the split screen. The relationship between lyrics and visuals is also shown with the lyrics ‘I’m really gonna miss you picking fights and me falling for it screaming that I’m right’ the visual shows them both arguing, implying the reasons as to why she doesn’t want to get back together with him, ever.

Taylor Swift’s star image is represented as an innocent young girl who has everyday teenage troubles and in relation to this music videos situation it’s the troubles which Taylor Swift has with her ex-boyfriend. I believe that this clearly identifies who the target audience would be for this music video and this would be young teenage girls who may be going through similar situations like Taylor. This would allow the audience to be able to feel a personal connection with Taylor. I feel that her star image is quite different to other Pop stars that are in the same music industry as Taylor Swift. She is not presented in a sexualised way and is not seen as an object to satisfy male gratification. For example in Katy Perry’s music video for California Girls she reveals quite a lot of her flesh revealing parts of her body which would grab male attention. Whereas, in Taylor Swift’s other music videos and also when she performs she is well covered up and doesn’t reveal too much of her body which would make her appear like she wants to grab male attention. I believe that this is done purposely because of her target audience of young girls and it would not be appropriate for them to see Taylor in a different way. It implies that she doesn’t need to reveal her body to be popular and successful in the music industry and highlights that there is a place for her in the music world so she is evidently doing the right thing and doesn’t need to change her star image.

Notion of looking is another feature of Andrew Goodwin’s six features of a music video and this is shown in ‘We are never getting back together’. There are close up shots and wide shots (in the chorus) of her looking directly into the camera. This is shown when she is looking out of the window and directly looking into the camera focusing on the audience to make the audience feel involved. Taylor Swift’s star image is also enhanced through notion of looking by the shot of her being on the television performing a song. This strengthens the idea of the audience ‘watching the star’ reinforcing Taylor Swifts star image.

In previous videos by Taylor Swift she is presented in similar ways as being vulnerable as she writes about being taken advantage by boys. An example of this is her single ‘I knew you were trouble’. In ‘We are never getting back together’ it does in fact show Taylor becoming more confident and takes control which is apparent by the strong lyrics ‘We are never getting back together’ and ends with her slamming the door in the boy’s face. Her audience would admire her for doing this and it would also subvert to a stereotypical women in music videos as being weak and helpless situations like this, for example in the music video for ‘I’m not the only one’ by Sam Smith.

The music video has the five stages of Todorovs theory of a narrative. These are original equilibrium, disruption, recognition, attempt to restore and new equilibrium. The new equilibrium is shown in the opening scene where Taylor Swift is sitting at her window presented as a typical teenage girl. Secondly, disruption is evident through the arrival of the male and they both begin to argue. This is quite common and predictable for a pop genre where the scenario is between a boy and girl. The chorus I believe is noticeable throughout the chorus of the song through the dancing and the people dressed up as monkeys in the band. Also, the flashback of when they were both happy in and in a relationship shows the attempt to restore. Lastly, the new equilibrium is when the video returns to the beginning and speaks directly into the camera ‘we are never ever getting back together.

 

Mise en scene for my music video

As I am going to have two actors in my music video I need to think about the costume, make up and hair for both to ensure that they meet the conventions of my chosen genre which is Pop.

Female

Make-up

For the make-up I have decided that a natural, pure look would be ideal for the role which she is playing in the video. The make up would not be too heavy and dramatic as she is fairly young and I purposely do not want her too look older than she is. I was influenced by Taylor Swift, she is commonly pictured with a clear natural make up look enhancing her innocence and purity.

However, I want to use a bold lip colour of pink and red tones as I feel that this would draw the audiences attention when the artist is singing and it would allow her to be the main focus during the scenes/shots. I was influenced by the pop star Rita Ora. Rita Ora is known for wearing a dark red lipstick which is shown in most of her music videos, especially RIP  as this was the song where Rita Ora's career was developed as it was very popular. Her statement red lip you could say is part of her star image and what makes Rita Ora who she is in the music industry. I believe that the red lip connotes romance which the song is based around and it further enhances the artists confidence as she is not afraid about expressing her feelings about her ex boyfriend and also breaking up with him in the first place.

For the eyes I am going to go for a natural look and only use light eye shadow with tones of light pinks and nudes. I feel that if I use a smoky eye for example it would make her look to dramatic and unnecessary for the image I want her to portray.


Hairstyle

The first hairstyle which I want my artist to have is down and curly. I believe that this is a popular hairstyle amongst young teenage girls as they would commonly have their hair like this at parties where they can make more of an effort than they would be able to at school where they probably don't have a lot of time in the morning. I was inspired by the Hollywood hairstyle which is down and curly. This style is used by many top Hollywood stars at red carpet events for premieres and also award ceremonies such as the Oscars. I feel that many teenage girls would aspire to have this hair style as it connotes glamour and sophistication. I would like my artist to have these same features so that is the reason as to why I am using this hair style.

The second hair style is the total opposite to the first one which I am going to use. I am going to have my artist having her hair up in a rough bun. This hair style will be shown in scenes where she is in her homely environment and going through the tough times with her boyfriend. A rough bun hair style can be used in a glamorous way and has become more popular over the last few years as many celebrities such as Selena Gomez are pictured with this look. But I want my artist to give the impression that she is not making a great effort with her hair as she is upset and stressed over the situations with her boyfriend.

Costume

From my research which I found from other pop music videos I discovered that many female Pop artists have several outfit changes throughout the video and it is normally a minimum of two. I need to meet this convention to fully create a successful music video.

Costume one:

Lounge wear
My artist is going to be wearing chilled clothes in some of the scenes such leggins and a baggy top or a jumper. These will be the scenes when she is in her own homely environment and in her comfort zone so she would be relaxed.

Costume two:

Skinny jeans, jumper (or nice summery top depending on the weather) and Uggs
My artist will be wearing this outfit when I will be filming both of the characters in the park. This particular scene will be a flashback of when the two of them were having fun and enjoying themselves in a happy relationship. I believe that this outfit is quite casual and is a standard outfit of an average teenage girl so it would draw the audiences attention.

Costume three:

Party dress and flat pumps
My artist will be wearing this outfit when herself and her boyfriend have just got back from the party and they begin to argue. The dress will be a short party dress and will be accesorised with a floral hair piece. I believe that this will enhance her young youthful character and will also be able to adapt to her target audience because this is the style of outfit they would usually when they go to parties.

Male

I also need to think about the costume for the male character in the music video who will playing the role of the ex-boyfriend. He will have three different outfit changes throughout the music video the same as the female character.

Costume one:
Jeans, top, coat, trainers - this would be for the park scene

Costume two:
Jeans, smart top, smart shoes (converse/vans) - this would be the outfit he wears when he comes back from the party

Costume three:
Jeans, casual top, vans/converse

I feel that these three costumes for the male are fairly similar but a standard outfit for a typical teenage boy so I believe that I am meeting the conventions rather well. I do not want the boy to be over dressed, for example if he wore a suit to the party instead of jeans because this isn't what teenagers wear to an average friends party. I didn't want to give the wrong impression and for him to appear as if he is not living in the 21st century and not adapting to a typical teenagers way of life in this day and age.

Mood board of the Mise en scene for my music video