Evaluation Q1

Student Digipak + Magazine

Final Product

Here you can see is the final product. Since the editing update you can see that we have added a few extra rating. We think that the outcome of this magazine advert its very effective and would help promote the album really well as it meets all the generic conventions using black and white around the border and with the text. Also having a group of people in the centre with the artist being in the middle. We didn't use any social networking addresses as realistically when this album and songs came out they would of been using social networks. We have used to corrects types of ratings instead of just picking any we have used the ones that you would see on a 'Madness' magazine advert.

Magazine updates

Here you can see is the first step to create our magazine advert. We have taken the image from the front of the CD cover that we have previously created. We then created a black and white checkered border that runs along the outside of the advert. By having the artist with a group of people have having the checkered theme running around the edge it helps match generic conventions for this genre.


On the second update you can see that we have now added text to the advert. We have added the name of the band and also the name of the album. We have used to original font that we have used on the CD cover. This helps us with the use of brand identity as when the audience sees this advert and then the album they will be able to see that they are the same and will help them recognize them easier and it should just click on what the album is.





On the third editing update you can see that we have now added the date and also various ratings and the 'Madness' logo. We have put the release date on the front of it. This helps promote the album up until the album is out and makes the audience wait until its out and want it more.

Generic conventions of a magazine advert

Magazine advert feed back

 In todays lesson we presented out three magazine advert to our media lesson. We all sat around a table and discussed our ideas and our reasoning behind them and how we have come up with the idea and if there is any brand identity. The class voted for our first and second idea as they where so similar they think that we should combine the little differences that we have and produce a final product of both.

Design one and two are basically the same the only difference that there is that the fonts are different and some of the information is different. In class every one weighed up the pros and cons of both of them and came to the conclusion of mixing them both together. The image on the front of them is a replica of what is going to be on the front of the album. This consists of the main artist stood at the front in colour with different characters stood behind in a surreal type of colour. We are keeping the black and white checkered theme around the border that you see on the back of the album. The reason for using the same image on the front is to help brand identity. This means that you are able to relate themes and images from the magazine advert to the Album.

In the last magazine design it is an the main artist with his arm up that you see in the middle of the magazine. We straight away thought that we wouldn't do this as there is really any brand identity this makes it harder for the audience to be able to relate the magazine and album together which is why it is better is we use the from cover of the album.

Brand identity

When promoting a bands album in a magazine advert you find that there are many similarities more than differences when they do this. This is because you want the audience to be able to identify similarities from the Album when looking at the magazine advert.
As you can see here is a magazine advert for the album 'Green Day' 21st century breakdown. As you can see the magazine advert is almost identical as the CD album but it just elaborates or more information than is given on the Album. For example on the magazine advert it is telling the audience when the album is being released and with having the same image as the album cover the audience as soon as they see it they will be able to know what it is who it is by and how long it has been out for. It is also promoting a single song which means they may have high hopes for it being a big hit or that it already is a big hit and that they are telling the audience that this song is included to help increase the sale.

As you can see they have also used the same font in the same colour and size as well. This means that this will become some form of theme or logo for them which also helps them to be recognised by the audience.

Conventions of a magazine advert

Magazine Advert Breif

To create a magazine advertisement for the digipak.

Final Digipak

Here is the final outcome of our digiak design. As you can see we kept the original design that was voted in the class discussion. It started of to be a challenge at first to create with our low knowledge about using photo shop. We decided to zoom into the image of the actors and cut around them which became very stressful as we wasn't aware of the shortcuts but once we got the grip of the cropping tool it seemed to become very easy for us to create the image. We decided the make the people around the main artist a different colour as to make them seem surreal.

We decided on putting the black and white checkered theme around the outside as you usually see this on Ska genred album. I think personally the overall outcome is very effective and matches the generic conventions of Ska. I don't think there is any thing really could be improved as they all meet connotations. We decided to have just have a simple background for the inside where the CD will go as there is not reason for much detail as it will be covered up any way. 

Music Video Feedback

*Gemma G, Jess H, Lillie C – fun and happy, reflected song well, nice matching of rhythms of cuts to music, like the growing absurdity.

( Kerry Greenwood)

Digipak update

 At first we had to explore all the tools to ensure that we where able to create the image that we have in mind. With us not having much knowledge about Photoshop we had to first go through and familiarise our selves with all the tools. We wanted to crop the characters out of the original picture so then we could use them for what we wanted. As we didn't have much knowledge of photo shop we firstly zoomed in on to the people and rubbed out any thing around them that we didn't want but later on we learnt that there is a simple cropping button that will draw around the out line of the person that we are wanting.

This here is the final front cover. We have cropped out characters and placed them behind the artist in a different colour so it makes them look surreal. The artist is in the original colour stood at the front. All of this creates an image of that he is un aware of them behind him and also looks like it could all just be a dream. This front is finished and with having the simple font and writing on the front and nothing else it meets the generic conventions of CD covers of this genre.

As you can see on his edit update we have progressed onto the back of the album cover where we have just simply add the track list in. The font is bold and stands out we are soon thinking about adding pictures around it or putting in the black checked theme.

Deciding on the cover after discussing.

After we all presented our ideas to the class we then discussed as a group which ones we liked best and whether we should mix our  ideas to create one CD album. The group decided that they preferred our idea with the characters stood behind the artist leaning over his shoulder like he was unaware of their presence and having the background of the front cover being very simplistic. They then decided that the back cover that they liked the most was the one with the various pictures of the characters and band surrounding the track list. In the middle they liked the idea of having a brick laid pattern behind the side where the disk would go and then having the lyrics to the song 'Our House' on the other side of the album. We all came to an agreement and decided to go along with their opinions as they are our audience and we obviously wanting to appeal to them in the best way possible so taking their advice would be a great starting point.

Digipak Ideas

These are our ideas for are digipaks. As you can see here we have followed the same basic structure as 'Madness' do for their CD covers. This CD case is rather simplistic but using the correct generic conventions it could work. The cover has the main singer standing at the front with other characters from songs behind him peeping over his shoulder. This helps relate and promote 'Madness' 'Our House' as they are all sneaking up behind which is sort of what you see within the music video as they enter the house uninvited. The title as you can see is rather simple too. On the back there is not much to it .
As you can see  it consists of simply the track listing running down the side and a barcode at the bottom and obviously the company that is helping produce this will be seen on the back. Also there will be a barcode which is obviously common sense but that is all this idea entails of but I think if created correctly it can be very affective.

This idea as you can see is still rather similar to the previous design as we think that creating a cover that matches the generic conventions to 'Ska' will be a better way of selling them instead of going against them as it may not be as successful. This cover has the artist standing at the front with band members and characters from 'Our House' whispering and making the impression that they are saying shush behind his back as if to give the impression that he is unaware of them standing behind them which matches the music video 'Our House' as these characters enter the house uninvited and he is then unaware of where they are. There is the use of the black and white checked theme which is seen through out many 'Ska' albums. This theme is used on the title and around the edges of the front cover on the back it will consist of track list running all the way down the side. I have taken an idea of a previous 'Madness' album cover by putting lots of different images of the band and characters in different poses scattered around the outside as I thought this was very effective. The black and white checked theme will not be used on the back as it used plenty on the front but this may change as it may help link the front and back together. Then there will be obvious things included such as the record company, date of being released and a barcode.

Here you can see that we have gone for a totally different approach too the other ones that we have designed. The front cover is laid out in boxes, with a more formal lay out. Within each box there is a different picture of the artist and the house. The first picture is of the artist's face and the second one is a clip of him running out of the building from 'Madness' 'our House' . The font of the text is rather formal. Here we have gone against the generic conventions for a CD case with no black and white checked theme or the black and white effect either that you usually see. The spine is simplistic with just the name of the band on it in a formal font. The back consists of little pictures from the music video too like from the front cover with the track list running down the side. Also there will be the date of release and a barcode etc.
Here you can see is the middle of the CD case. The middle consists of the CD and maybe some form of booklet on the left. Here you can see that there is the disk on the right and the design on the on it is very simplistic and just has the name od the band and the album name on in it. This will be in a black font with a white background. On the left side is the lyrics to 'Madness Our House' this will be printed in on the inside of the album. We thought this was a good idea as it helps promote 'Our house'

Conventions of a Digipak

Generic Conventions

Digipak Breif

- A cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD DVD package)
- A magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD DVD package)

Risk assessment

Editing updates

Here you can see that I have placed a piece of footage of some burning candles over the top  of some footage of the main artist opening the door. This makes he footage of the candles fade in and out of the footage of him opening the door. The use of this helps create a dark feeling and automatically creates an atmosphere of fear maybe. We are trying to portray this as the artist is shown to be scared once he enters the room.

Here you can see that I have created a fade in for the beginning of the music video we feel like it works better with it fading into the footage instead of it just starting.

Here you can see the squiggly lines and this means that I have pressed the control button and dragged the footage in this helps speed the footage up this is good to use if you are wanting to show a lot in little time.

Here you can see that image is all pixelated this is to give a sense of enigma to make you think who is it? and what is it? with it not showing a clear image of the their face it makes the audience continue watching the music video as they want to know who it is.

Here I have out the transition flash in between a variety of footage and this is to show that he was having some form of dream and now he has come back into reality and every thing is normal again.


Here you can see that I have created a spiral image which I use as a form of a time portal that's is used for when the white rabbit jumps in to the 'rabbit hole' this gives a sense of a surrealism and I then altered the colour also and I feel like this gives it a great affect for when he jumps into it.

Here I have slowed down the footage by pressing control but dragging the footage to make it longer which makes the footage go a lot slower. This can be used for a humorous affect which is exactly what I have used it for as I used it for when the 'white rabbit' is running away from the mad hatter, Alice and the March hair.

Here I have over lapped two pieces of footage over each other and this is to show the transition and the change between the artist changing from himself to being dressed as the white rabbit. It was rather hard to try and line the footage up and make up flow correctly.

Here I have gone through the entirety of all the footage and gone on to the media fx and change the brightness and contrast on the footage this is to make sure that they are all of the same colour. Some scenes have a different setting of brightness and contrast to set the mood and the atmosphere such the 'Emo' scene.

Here I have clicked on film effects and this is to give any scenes any other extra affects. Here I have applied the effect 'Dust' and also 'flicker' this is to help create creepy atmosphere in the 'Emo' scene it also helps it link to the flickering of the candles in the room.







here you can see that I have cropped the footage this is so that we are able to get a better close up of him jumping in to the rabbit hole and we also faded this into the spiral which gives it a better effect and it looks like the White Rabbit is jumping into it.

Ideas And Brain Storming

Student Music Video

-          Camera

establishing shot- There is an establishing shot shown at the beginning of the music video this shows the location and the where abouts that they are. It has no real link to the song but it fits very well in way that it is portrayed. Also it used to cut to different angles and shots of the back ground dancers dancing through out.
hand held- There is the use of a hand held shot and this is usually used to connote danger and I think it has been used in this to do exactly as the camera moves in and out the girls dancing and comes across that you should feel intimidated by the girls as they are singing about how they 'run the world'. Also how girls are superior.
P.O.V- There is a good use of the angle point of view which is good to see on how she is seeing every thing and it shows the audience that she is intimidating and has some form of presence.
long shot + mid shot + close ups- There is the use of mid, long and close ups and they all work together extremely well as they are all used and put together with the dancing and the continuity it used very well with these as the dancing flows well together as the shots are changing through out the music video.

-          Edits

green screen- The use of the green screen is used very well with the use of as a fire wall in the back ground which shows the aggression coming from the girls and the determination to get what they are wanting to achieve.
jump cut-There are jump cuts used between the different shots which is used extremely well as it jumps to different locations and areas where the girls are dancing and singing.
cut- The cut is a standard use of editing and when used correctly helps the music video run smoothly.
shallow/deep focus- This is used to help black out any thing that is insignificant in the footage and this is used through out the video and works extremely well as works as some times it can be used in correctly.

-          Mise-en-scene

C- The costume is very well thought through and you can see a lot of different outfit changes even with the back ground dancers. For example there is the use the main singer wearing barely any thing and is exploiting her self but this helps appeal to the male audience and they will feel drawn in watching this. This connotes a seductive image on the girls which I do no believe in but the audience seem to like it. Also the use of the camouflage clothing is very good as it shows discipline which is what they are trying to portray like the world is their 'ship' to run and they are trying to keep it in order.
L- There is a range of lighting such as high key and natural lighting depending on the location of the footage. All the lighting is around the same as there are no dark or evil moments and is all upbeat and bright which works well to the song and lyrics.
A- All the actors are female which works well with the song as it on about girls ruling. They are all well rehearsed and you can tell that they took their time and effort to cast their characters and I think personally that they would have auditioned them and you can tell that they have a real knack for acting and dancing synchronized.
M- There is a lot of heavy make up used within the video and this is used to make them look seductive and think this is used for more of a manipulating technique to seduce the men and be higher than them by being able to control them by looks.
P- There isn't many props used apart from the use of fake money which is good as it is used when the song is on about making their 'Billions' .
S-There is a variety of location such as a bath tub and in a tunnel. These locations are rather original but they are used very well and shows a great variety.

-          Performance (actors)

The performance that is seen within this music video is extremely well rehearsed and all the girls seen in it are all in sync and you can tell that a lot of time and effort has been put into this music video with plenty of extra time spent on it. The lip syncing is very well done and i am unable to pick out any parts within the music video where the lip syncing is not in time with the song. The use of all girls through out the video is very smart and works extremely well with the lyrics because if all males or any males featured in this music video then it would not have the same affect of using all the girls within the music video.

-          Concept- The concept is that the girls are trying the be dominant and over the male sex and this image is portrayed very well.

-          Narrative- There is no real narrative within the music video as it just jumps to different locations of the girls dancing and the main artist singing. This works extremely well as there is so much going on you are wanting to continue watching though out even though there is no story line.

 

Student video

-          Camera

long shot- There are various long shots seen within the music video of the main singer walking through school and also of the girl that he is singing about approaching him. This is a good use of a shot as it shows the character head to toe and just by seeing what the person looks like from top to bottom gives you an image and an idea of what the person is like just by looking at there dress sense and their posture and gestures.
mid shot- There is a variety of mid shots used of the main character singing and also of the couple arguing. This shows us that they are arguing and falling out and that all the movement within the shot is of their arms as they are pushing and shoving each other and shouting so there is no real need for us to see below their waste.
extreme long shot-There is the use of an extreme shot almost used as an establishing shot and this is to show the surroundings and so that you know the setting and also it shows that he walks past the boyfriends house and that she doesn't even acknowledge him.
close up- There is a close up of him singing this has no real significance and he is isn't really doing any thing within in the shot that is worth talking about.
hand held- There is the use of a hand held shot this is usually used to connote danger but within this music video it is used around the couple dancing and represents their happiness and I think this works well. Also there is the use for a hand held shot when balls are being thrown at him which does connote danger which I think with doing this is a great contrast between the two.
low angle- There is the use of a low angle shot and this is to show that he is lower than the 'boyfriend' and that he is insignificant and makes him feel lower than him.

-          Edits

There are many edits used with in the music video but not very adventurous ones. There is just the use of cuts and jump cuts no real use of cross cutting really only between them singing and a few of them on their own but that's about it which is very productive.

-          Mise-en-scene

C- The costume is very stereotypical and has the use of the big black glasses to represent the 'nerd' with the tucked in shirt and the tie. The girl is wearing short clothing to show more of a seductive side to which is why the young lad is singing about her and that she appeals to more than just one person.
L- The lighting is high key through out most of the music video as it is filmed in side the school building this is because there is no real need for any other lighting. There is natural lighting used for when he is walking past the 'boyfriends' house and this is to show that ''he lives on my block''.
A- The actors show a great contrast between them. This is good because it shows the difference between the different people shown within the music video. For example the 'nerd' acts all shy and timid where as the 'boyfriend' acts rather outgoing and intimidating it shows a contrast but the acting skills are not very well and the people who created the video should of thought about auditioning the cast first before choosing who should be in it.
M- The only use of make up is shown on the girl that the singer is singing about. This is connotes a seductive image on that she maybe wants attention and is trying the appeal to the opposite sex.
P- There is several props that are used through out the music video such as the 'geek' glasses to fit the stereotype 'nerd'.
S- The setting is at a school which I think is good because it shows the hierarchy within schools and shows that people from certain subcultures in school feel like they are unable to attract certain girls and feel like they are only able to 'fantasize.

-          Performance (actors)

The performance within this music video is very average and of a low standard. For instance the lip syncing through out the music video is very poor and out of time and you can tell that the actors where miming the song. The acting through out is very poor and you know that the people that had organised and casted the people for the rolls have obviously just chosen their friends and not actually done their researched and chosen drama students or some one that they know who is able to act at a high standard. You can tell just by watching that there was no structure to what they was going to do and was rather in rehearsed.

-          Concept

The concept of the music video is that the main singer is wanting this girl and is singing about this girl that he seems to have a crush about but that is all you really get from it and the stereotypical thing at the end is that he gets the girl of his 'dreams'.

-          Narrative

The narrative through out the music video is linear as he is singing about how he wants this girl and then the footage in the video shows how she has a boyfriend and she has no interest in him at all and that her boyfriend seems to bully him but through the video it is shown that the lad finally gets with the girl but doesn't really show us what really persuaded her to approach him.




 

Student Video

 

 

-          Camera

There isn't much of a variety of camera shots seen within the music video as they repeatedly just use the same shots with in the hole music video. This shows that you know that they have only filmed him singing in a few different locations with a few different camera shots and varied between them for the entire music video.

close up-  This camera shot is used on his face whilst he is singing which doesn't really do much for the music video and you constantly see the same shot in a different location. 

long shot- You see several long shots of him running around and of the girls walking but that is all you see the use of this shot for.

mid shot- The mid shot is used like the close up and it is just used for a different frame of him singing but at least shows a little bit of variety.

panning shot- There is the use of a panning shot whilst he is running past the girls this is used in a good way as it shows you the pace that he is running through the village to search for the girls but also shows a little bit of humour as he doesn't realise that he is running past them.

hand held- The use of the hand held camera shot works very effectively as it shows the rush and the hurry of him running and searching to find her.

establishing shot- You see an establishing shot at the beginning of the area that the music video is being filmed .

 

-          Edits

There isn't a wide range of editing seen within the music video. There is the use of slow motion whilst he is jumping over the fence. This is affective as it shows the pace that he is going at. Also the use of cross cutting works well with the footage jumping between him and the two girls and then they finally meet which shows a good story line through out the video. there is also the use of a jump cut and the cut.

-          Mise-en-scene

C- There isn't any thing really special about the costume that they are wearing just that they are dressed for the winter and they are wearing modern clothing as this is a modernised music video so the clothing matches the year it came out. With the girls being all covered up this could connote the innocence of them both.
L- The lighting all the way through was natural lighting and this is due to the fact that it is all filmed outside. This is because you are watching the main singer and actor run around the country side after this girl that he is singing about. Doing this doesn't show much creativity and is rather simplistic but it works.
A- There is one main actor that is scene through out the music video. I think that the producers of the music video should of done some auditions for the main cast instead of having some one that sort of looks like the part but is un able to lip sing and unable to synchronise the miming to the song. You should also make sure that they are able to act. The main actor in this music video doesn't do such a bad job but it could of been improved if more time and care was taken with the casting. The two girls that you see him running around after are not the best of actors either as they could look more engage with each other and look like they are enjoying them selves and having a conversation with each other. The two dog walkers also where not great as there reaction the main actor taking some thing of them was not very realistic and over dramatic.
M- There isn't a great deal of make up used in the music video, only on the two girls that the singer is running around looking for and this could be to try and impress the opposite sex maybe?.
P- The only real props that are used within this music video is a bottle of water that he takes of the dog walkers because he is dehydrated because of all the running. The second prop that you see is a map that matches the conventions of him searching for this 'special' girl. The last prop which you see which is rather creative is the use of the mobility scooter. This brings out a humorous side of the video where you wouldn't usually see a teenage lad of a mobility scooter.
S- The setting is not very creative as it is just him search through fields and woods. It might of worked better in a busy town or city where he is trying to search for her but cant find her. Like a needle in a hay stack.

-          Performance (actors)

The performance base of this music video is very poor as the main actor of the music video and the singer for it is un able to lip sing the song to a great quality as it is of sync for most of the video. He stops singing when there are still lyrics to be said and look very poor and is very hard to take the singer serious when you can tell that he is miming. It might of worked better if he actually sang the lyrics regardless to whether he can sing or not it would of been more believable that he was singing ni the music video. There isn't much else to comment on with the performance as the video just switches between him singing and two girls which could of worked well if there was more of a storyline to go with but with it being so simplistic it lacked interest.

-          Concept

I gathered that the concept of the music video is a lad that is searching for the girl of his dreams and that he is running around searching for her but is un able to find her right until the very end which is an original idea but use too much and was rather repetitive and became boring after seeing the same things through out the video.

-          Narrative

The music video contained linear narrative as the video was following the lyrics of the song and had more of a story line which worked well with the song playing over the top being the narration of the story explaining how he feels and it ties every thing in together and helps it make sense.