I have done a simple design of my magazine advert, after researching the conventions of typical album adverts and have decided to make the advert use a similar theme and colour scheme, in order to give the two consistency and to help the audience link and recognise the two. I may be using the same image from the album cover as the main image in the magazine advert, so people will recognise and instantly know the album when they see it in shops. This is something a lot of artists do. However, some artists do not, instead use another image, maybe of the actual artist, if they are not seen on the album cover. My album cover will be showing the artist, so am more likely to re-use the image on the advert. I could, although, use another image of the artist/s that is still recognisable as the same artist. I have decided to put the artist name at the top, as I feel this the most important piece of information. The album title will be slightly bigger and positioned below the image, so will be very eye catching, but won't draw away from the artist name. I would like the artist name font to be quite artistic, and a font that will be used in all of their albums, for consistency. Whereas, I want the album name font to be quite simple, yet very bold, to stand out.
For the colour scheme, I have experimented with several themes, one being a black background, and white drawings and text, which I think will be bold and stand out, but I feel its almost too simple. The second idea is to have a white or off white (for an old fashioned/worn/natural look) with dark red/brown text and subtle white drawings. or the last option, I would have a white background with black text and brown drawings. Out of these I prefer 2 and 3, and I feel 2 will go well with the general style of artist and album, whereas the 3rd I feel will be a lot bolder and eyecatching, which it needs to be. I also noticed during my research that people generally use blacks and white, therefore the 1st or 3rd options would b most conventional.
Firstly, I have chosen to analyse this magazine advert for a Mumford and Sons album. I found this one unusual because the images used aren't the same as the image used on the actual album, which is what is usually seen, allowing the audience to recognise the cover, so they can easily find it in shops, online etc. However, I feel these images are a lot more interesting than the album cover, which is a picture of a house. These images show the band members which is more personal and you can see the people who make the music. I like the old fashioned, analogue style borders for the images and how they are arranged messily on the advert. This gives goes well with the folk genre of the band, which is a very old style of music. I also noticed that the images have double exposures, creating a dreamlike, free spirited look, which I think I have tried to achieve in my coursework. The colours are warm, due to the look of a sunset as well as the editing, giving it a warming and summery quality. The black background works well with the light images and off white text. I like the layout of the four images, as there are four band members and looks a bit like a window, maybe linking to their album cover, the image of the house, and is also as if the audience is 'looking in' at the band. The band name is positioned at the op of the page, is the biggest text and is the most attractive piece of text, so people will see the name first, recognise it and then see the name of the album below it. Below the images, a quote has been included from NME magazine, praising the band, which encourages people to buy it. Below this is a sample list of songs on the album, that people might already have heard before, and if they like one of them, will be encouraged to by the whole album. This has been put into a box, making it stand out. I like the use of the small graphic lines above and below the images, which as slight bit of decoration and again, an old fashioned feel, linking to the folk music. The fonts are quite simple, yet have been made upper case and bold, making them more eyecatching. I like the use of the '&' in the band name at the top. I like that it is used both for a decorative feel, as well instead of the word 'and', so takes up less space.
Next, I have chosen to analyse this advert promoting a Florence and the Machine album. I noticed straight away the name of the album, 'Lungs', Which is a lot bigger than the artist's name at the top. This is because the band is very well known, and people would instantly recognise the artists just by looking at the image of Florence. I like how the word 'Lungs' is positioned right below the image of Florence, who is wearing an unusual neckpiece that is shapes like lungs, hence, the name of the album. I also like the feminine style of the image, with flowing lines, and roses in the background. You can tell the artist is quite bold in her style, as well as her music, due to the unusual costume, which adds a unique quality to the cover. The colours in the image are quite natural, with lots of greens, which suggests she is a someone who is 'one with nature' and is inspired by nature, a very similar characteristic to the artist I am promoting. She may be interested in the way the human lungs work, which gave her inspiration for her music. The font of the artist name, is like thick handwriting, which adds a youthful feel. Whereas the font of the album title is contrasted with this, and is quite formal looking. This may be because, generally artist keep the font and style of their name consistent throughout their different albums, but used a different font for the album titles to shows how the artist has grown or matured. It may have been used to reflect the complexity and seriousness of the human lungs, that they are not simple. Also, lungs are used to shout or to sing loudly, hence the large size, which really reflects this. I have noticed the majority of artists have used a black background behind white or pale text, this may be because this stands out a lot more than black text on a white background, and is something I should consider when making my digipak and advert. At the bottom f the page, the date of release, sample songs included in the album, the different platforms that the album can be bought on and the bands website are shown. All of this these are conventions of album adverts, however, I don't often see a list of platforms, such as CD, vinyl etc. Generally people just know albums are available on CD and download, but in this case, vinyl is available, which is unusual in this age, due to new technology being introduced. This, however, could attract people interested in old process and technology, such as vinyl records. They have also included Deluxe CD, which may interest more serious fans who want extra songs, features from the album.
Lastly, I have chosen to analyse an album advert for a Kings of Leon album. The thing that attracted my eye first was the bold image. This, like the Mumford and Sons advert, has four square images of each band member put together to form one image. However, this image has been made really unique with the addition of the eagles face. This gives contrast, as well as similarities between their eyes, and represents them as being wild and free. The colour of the image is a green/sepia tone which gives it a natural look, as well as standing out more than if it were black and white or in its original colours. I like the layout in which the image takes up most of the space, working in a very similar way to an album cover. I love the unique way of laying out the text, which uses '_' instead of spaces, giving it a spy/ secretive feel, and goes with he title 'only by the night'. The colour reminds be of night vision, hence the night theme. The font also has a very secretive, technological feel to it, despite being very bold and eye catching. The advert includes a sample list of songs in a smaller font and also has included the words' OUT NOW' in a larger font, in a red colour, which makes in stands out and compliments the greens in the rest of the advert.
1. Take more shots of Beth for the front cover, using a studio.
I will need to meet up with Beth again to take more images using a backdrp and studio lighting for a more professional look. I will also need to think about using the same outfits or change it slightly for these images.
2. Album and band name.
This will go on the front cover
3. Put together the text
Either come up with lyrics or find existing lyricsm, write the copyright information, credits and thankyou's. Use existing digipak as a guide.
4. Do some drawings and alter in Illustrator
Do some drawings on white paper using a thick black pen and scan and use Illustrator to alter colours, contrast etc.
5. Put all together in InDesign
Start creating the layout and adding each element to the design, thinking about fonts, sizes, colour, layout etc.
To do this lesson: (4th Dec)
Start putting together digipak in InDesign with images I have.
I decided to start to plan my digipak and the layout of each page using the images I took and edited a while ago during the filming of my music video. Although I am not completely happy with the images, especially the front cover, they are very similar to the images I would essentially, like to create, so have decided to use them for the designs. I plan to take another shot of Beth's side profile and another of a natural environment to layer over each other. I feel, a the moment the double exposure hasn't quite worked aesthetically. I am happy with the triplet image of Beth with a sepia filter and think it looks classic and is a characteristic I've seen a lot in other digipak's. I am also happy with the shot of the band, however, I may edit it in a different way, until I am completely happy with it.
For the back of the digipak, where the track list will be placed, I will be doing some drawings and scanning them in to add to the design and help to give the digipak a more childish and imaginative look. Although the Nate Maingard album which used this, had a black background with white drawings, I would like to do the opposite with my back and use a white background, for a fresher, more clean look, although the black background would work just as well and play into the theme of Rhiannon and her dark sides. I could alternate and use a black background on another page, perhaps one of the lyrics pages. I will also be including smaller drawings for the lyrics pages, similar to the album of Tanita Tikaram.
Firstly, I have chosen to analyse this cover of the album 'The Wild Land' by Nate Maingard. I chose this mainly because I loved the cover art, and this is a common aspect the Indie Folk genre. Although, I probably won't do produce a cover like this, I want to encorporate this style in some of the other areas of the digipak and magazine advert. Firstly, the colours of this cover are black, white and yellow, which is quite simplistic, and the main image looks as if it has been sketched with a biro pen and the yellow was then added for a slight addition of colour.The artistsic look of the cover suggest the musician is also quite artistic and inventive in his music and also reflects the creative and whimsical feeling of a lot of indie and traditional folk music. The layout works well, as the different aspects of the drawing flow together, and suggest his music and energy when playing is similar and positioned beside flowing water, a curved tree bearing fruit and bright coloured moon. This all stands out well against the black background, which also suggests that is a night scene. This gives feelings of excitement as well as mystery, which perhaps are characteristics of his music. The font of the album name goes well with the sketched image, and gives a vibe of youth and childhood, as it is handdrawn font and not sophisticated. The name of the artist, is also typed in a hand written style font, as if he wrote it himself and is in the same yellow colour as the moon in the image. This allows the two aspects to stand out against the black and white.
I then have chosen this front cover of an album by Ray Lamontagne called 'Gossip in the grain'. I liked the worn out look of the photograph, and the use of a sepia colour image, giving the cover an old feel, suggesting his music is influenced by old traditions, genres or sounds. I like that it is a closeup of his face, giving more of himself to the audience that the previous album cover I looked at. This album, compared to some of his other albums, which don't include images of him, is more personal and almost more honest, due to the use of his photograph. However, he is looking downward, instead of directly into the camera, which suugests he is still secretive about sharing himslef with the audience. He looks almost sad or thoughtful, which to me, gives the impression that he has difficulties, or experiences in his life that have affected him and his is willing to share them through the medium of his music. The background is out of focus and blurred, and in a metaphorical sense, suggests that his past has or will become a blur. The layout of the titles are very simple and positioned at the top of the cover, allowing the image to be the main focus and isn't overpowering, due to its small size. The font is a very elegant, curvy font which reminds me of old fashioned handwriting, almost as if his album is like a hand written letter to the audience or person in his life. The font is quite complec, making it hard to read, but still possible, which in my opinion, suggests that it is like himself, hard to read, but if you look closer, you can discover more.
I chose this album cover, lastly, because I thought the mis en scene was very similar to some of the mis en scene in my music video. The look of the cover is quite feminine due to the pink colours and natural colours of her skin, hair and eye, which all stands out against a dark background. The photo is an extreme closeup of half of her face, which allows an intimate look at her, without seeing all of her, which I think is how she would like the audience to percieve her music, personal, but not all of her. The subtle pink makeup and bold flowers compliment each other and give the image a girly look, representing the artist as young and feminine. The direct look at the camera suggests she is strong and willing to share her story or personal experiences. The words 'never fade', I think goes well beside the stong represntations of the photo. The white text is easy to read against the darker colours of the photo and uses a simple font, that reminds me of a typewriter. This is similar to the previous cover I looked at, which uses a hand written font, to give the idea that the artist is 'writing a letter' to the audience. The same could be applied for this typwriter font. The layout of the text is quite obscure, the name of the album being in the centre and her name in the bottom right side of the cover. This maybe represents her strange unusual personality.
Now, I will be looking at the back of album cover, where the tracklist will be placed. This is the back of the album by Nate Maingard. I chose to analyse this album because I loved the cover art, especially on the back, which I think could go well with a photograph on the front cover. In this case, a hand drawn image was used for the front cover. The hand drawn border follows the theme or look of the front cover, giving a very imaginative and free spirited vibe, which is the same sort of representations I would like to present in my digipak. The colours are the same as the front, this time the yellowe being used for a flower, which gives adds to the theme of nature. I like that the border is uneven around the cover, with some drawings going into the centre more than others and almost quite childish. This could represent the artist or the artist's music, which may also be uneven or irregular, but still beautiful and exciting. The border takes up most of the cover, and is almost like looking or peering through all this 'imagination' to see the tracklist, like peering through trees in a forest to find something. The font of the tracklist is the same of the text reading 'Nate Maingard' on the front cover. This follows a recurring theme and is a handwritten style font, giving a sense of 'writing to the audience'.
This is the back cover of the second front cover I analysed, by Ray Lamonatgne. The style of photograph is similar to the cover, old and sepia, obviously taken using an analogue camera. This is apparent due to the border of the image, which is seen when analogue photographed are printed. The image is of an old grammaphone, which was an old way of playing music loudly.This old fashioned theme suggest his interest in old traditions and music. He way take influence from old musicians. The image is positioned over a black background, where the tracklist is situated. The treacklist is rotated to the right, and the size is quite small. This makes it harder to read and more obscure. Again, this may be the artist showing the way his music is difficualt to read, but once you look closer, or study it closely, you will find out more about him. The coloured of the text is white and yellow, which allows differenciation of track numbers and tracknames. There is more text to the left, which is even smaller, which would include information about copyright and the record label involved with the album.
Lastly, I have chosen to analyse this album back, which is the back of another Ray Lamontagne album. I loved the style of colours used for the tracklist, which is obviously quite easy to do, yet gives a really unique effect. I only chose to analyse the back, becuase the front was actually very similar to the back. The colours used are black white and yellow fading to a dark gold colour. The fading in colour may rpresent his fading in life due to difficult experiences, or may just be used to go with theme of suns fading. The artists name is in white which stands out the most against the black. Also, you will notice there is glossy black text aginst the matte black background, which reads 'Till the sun turns back'. This works really well, as you can still read it, and matched the theme of the sun turning black. The layout is very simple, but this is well chosen as it allows the eye to appreciate the colours rather than layout or images. The fonts are also simple, but quite bold in order for them displays the colours and to stand out, especially the black text.
I have chosen to analyse the inside of the album booklet of a James Morrison album. I likes the black and white theme of the booklet and the use of photography against the text. In the first double page, some 'candid' photos of James have been used to show the jop he has in making music in the recording studio, where he is laughing or deep in the music. The black and white gives a classic, memorable feel to the images. In the second double page, images of him performing are shown, as if someone has taped them roughly to a wall and written messy notes or lyrics beside them. This gives a relaxed vibe, almost as if the booklet is a scrapbook of memories. In the last two double pages, simple photography of a book and stage floor with taped wires are used as a background to the lyrics of his songs. The book suggest perhaps his love for writing songs and maybe is the notebook he uses to write lyrics. This adds a very personal feel to the album booklet. The stage floor, however shows the other side to his music, the performance. I like how he shows all the different and exciting aspects to the process. The text is small and laid out in columns, both characteristic of digipaks. The colour of the text depends of the colours in the background, as the text needs to be readable.
Lastly, I have chosen to analyse a much simpler style of digipak, in an album by Tanita Tikaram.. I liked this digipak because it used simple and childish drawing over a plain white background, beside black text. I like this as it suggests a kind of scribbly, casual vibe, sketches she might do when writing songs. I think the simplicity of the digipak reflects her simple attitude to music and songwriting, that is should be uncomplicated and pure. The text is also very simple, besides the titles of each song, which like most of the other digipaks I have looked at, is in a hand-written font. This again, gives a simple, unsophisticated feel. I noticed that the columns are positioned to the right instead of left, which is more unusual, maybe reflecting her 'different' personality. I also noticed at the bottom of the second double page, there is an actual handwritten note that the artist has written herself, thanking people that helped in the making of the album.
I showed my music video to the class again and recieved feedback on the strengths and things I could improve on. It was about 80% completed, so I wasn't completely happy with it, but people noticed things that I didn't, so this helped a lot.
Strengths
Mis en scene works well – costumes and locations
Good camera shots and angles
Editing fits with music
High quality video
Representation of singer – face of band
To Improve
aged film isn't necessary
increase clarity of narrative by altering video filters for consistency
Increase drama by altering framing of shots so they are bolder and more abstract
Some shots out of synch
Guitar solo starts when guitarist is still
playing chords
For the last day of filming, I planned to film shots of both a feminine, floral outfit as well a white, flowing outfit (at Nunney castle). I then realised after this that it was too much for one day, so decided to split it into two days. I planned to film the shots in the feminine outfit, and also the shots I didn't manage to get the previous filming day (casual outfit). I originally wanted to film these in a forest, however, it was more convenient for my actress to film near her house, where there were fields.
On the day, we firstly filmed the performance tracking shots. I was a bit irritated by these shots, firstly, because I had forgotten to get a steady cam holder from school, so had to use a handheld camera. The shots were actually very clear and the lighting was perfect, so they were ruined by the fact that they were shaky. I decided to keep and use them anyway, experimenting with them during editing. I felt that the fact that Beth was walking towards the camera while shaky, gave the feeling that she had control over the viewer as well. Despite this, the music video still needs to look professional and shaky camera shots aren't at a high standard.
I then filmed a variety of performance and general mood shots of Beth in the feminine outfit, using fields as a backdrop. I managed to shoot some interesting angles and also, as it got darker, some interesting lighting. I originally planned to film some shots at a high angle, or with Beth lying down, but felt that these would really add much to the video, so decided not to shoot them. Overall, the day went well and managed to get some shots that portrayed Rhiannon's feminine, attractive side.
A few days later, I took a 10 min walk from my house, to film some shots of a gypsy horse in a small field. I only really managed to get one good, clear shot of the black horse, but felt this would go well in the music video. I did originally plan to film Beth with the horse, however, it was untamed and I wasn't ever sure when or whether the horse would be there or not.
I decided that the last filming day, in which I would film shots of Beth in a white, flowing outfit in Nunney Castle, wasn't necessary. Firstly, because I felt I already had more than enough shots to work with during editing, and secondly because it takes a lot of time and storage space to convert all the videos, and I felt I would be held back with my work, if I filmed anymore.
For the second day of filming, which was during October in the first term. For this, originally planned to film the narrative with a trail of white feathers and performance shots in the singers casual, rock star style outfit, alongside the two other band members, who would 'play' an electric guitar and tambourine.
On the day, I managed to do all of this, and it went very well, and I managed to get a range of performance shots with and without the band members. I was pleased with the shots of the whole band using a tree in the background, giving the shots a casual, natural feel. The location and weather was perfect and I had no problems in that area.
However, I did not manage to get the right type and colour of white feather I had in mind, instead I was only able to get feathers in many different colours and sizes, frome Beth, rather than all large and white. This gave a very different look to I was going for, and wasn't completely happy with the outcome. However I was able to experiment with what we had, so just filmed Beth picking up a single feather, rather than show a long trail. I quite liked the effect this had.
The only shots I planned to do, that I was unable to capture, were performance tracking shots of Beth walking while singing. I wanted to do this to get a feeling of control and power. However, we ran out of time and did not manage to capture them until the next day of filming.
We also were able to get spur of the moment shots, that wern't planned, such a shot of a spiderweb, with Beth blurred in the background. Also I got some of her running, but from a very low angle, giving the feeling that she is string, yet free sprited.
Today in class, we were put into groups of 3 to show each other our pieces far and give feedback and what we liked about it. We told each other wether our work was basic,proficient or excellent. My work was put into the lower/middle of excellent. I showed my music video and was told that I could improve it by:
The quality of my video was a bit fuzzy, dispite usng a higher quality camera and number of megapixels. This may be because it had not rendered properly
Some of my shots were a bit shaky, giving the music video a lower quality and less professional look.
By improving these things I will have have raised my level of quality from lower to higher of excellent specifically in the section:
Shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of camera, attention to framing, variety of shot sizes and close attention to mis en scene.
To improve I will be focusing on these in the next few lessons:
I will be experimenting with altering the video quality using the Final Cut Pro settings, talking to my teacher about it and making sure the video was rendered properly.
I will be looking through the performance shots I already have to use instead of the shaky shots and editing them accordingly.
Question 1
The majority of the people who filled in the questionnaire were my age, which is aged 16-20 and there were a few adults, as well as a 15 year old who took part in the survey. I aimed to target this audience by using actors that were aged between 16 and 20, and using youthful costumes and settings.
Question 2
Mainly females took part in the survey, which is also my target audience, which I am able to target and attract well which the use of my actor being a female. The song is also portraying woman (both the singer and the character, Rhiannon) as strong and powerful, while also being feminine and attractive. The music video, however might also apeal to the male audience, due to the male band member and depending on their preferences in music genres.
Question 3
For this question, I recieved a varied response, displaying the choices, pop, rock, indie and electric, with pop and rock being the most popular. All of these can apply to my genre of music video, except for electronic. I was happy with these results, however, and that my music video is likely to appeal to the majority of the audience who completed the survey.
Question 4
For this question, the most popular answer was 'a variety of old and new music'. I was happy with this response, as my chosen song, is an old classic from the 70's, and I am aiming to produce a more modern music video to go with it, hence apealing to this audience. The other answers that were chosen were indie music and current music in the charts. My music video will be made in an indie style, so will apeal to this audience, and I was expencting at least a quarter of people to select the first option (chart music) as it is the mainstream choice of music.
Question 5
For this question, I wanted to see where people prefered listening/buying music from, online or physical purphases, helping me to learn more about the characteristics of my target audience. Most people buy music online, which is genereally the younger generation. This means I will need to make my music video, advert and album accessable on many platforms on the web, such as Itunes, Youtube, Vevo, Amazon, the band website and other music websites.
Question 6
I was expecting the majority of people to answer 'Youtube' for this question, as it is one of the most popular sites on the web for music, however, no one chose 'Vevo' which is a site dedicated to just music videos. This may be becuase some bands, that may be less well known, arn't accessable on Vevo, whereas Youtube, anyone can upload a music video, therefore more people will be drawn to this.
Question 7
For this question, the majority of people do not mind when they watch a music video, meaning that they vary between watching music videos first or listening to the music first. This is unusual because music videos, as essenitally advert for the artist or album, therefore most people should gennerally be drawn to listening to an artist after watching the music video. A small number of people chose the option of listening to the song and then watching the music video. This may be because they focus more on the actual music than the visuals representations of the artists and song. They may go to the music video afterwards, to get a better understanding of the song, or the meaning of the song might be changed for them by watching the music video. This question does not affect my choices in my music video production, but I have thought more about why people watch music videos.
Question 8
The most popular choice for this question was Narrative videos. This is understandable as having a story within a music video is gennerlally more interesting and stimulating than artists just performing. The least popular choice was absract shots, which is also the least used in music videos. In my music video I have chosen to use performance videos, as it sells the artist, and I will use a combination of narrative and absract shots, for example, there is no real story to my video, more of a creation of the moods and personalities of the character, Rhiannon, hence the combination between the two. Despite this, I still think the shot types will attract my target audience.
Question 9
This question recieved the same answer from all people in the sample. Everone answered 'Yes' to having the artist/s peform as part of the narrative within a music video. First of all, music videos are generally more likely to advertise the artist/album/song better if the artist is seen. This is so the audience can recognise them and assossiate the music with the artist. If it is clear and people know who the artist is, from seeing them, they are more likely to buy their albums. The second reason why the audience prefers to see artists take part in the narrative, is because it makes them seem more part of the music, part of the feelings that are expressed in the song. This would especially be used if the artist had written a song based on thier own feelings and experiences. They may want to express those feelings of love, pain, hate etc. through acting in a narrative. In my case, The artist is seen throughout the video, so viewers will be able to associate her with the music and album. Also, there are no strong emotions in the song, it is more of a story being told about a fictional character. The feelings being put across by the artists are more fasination, curiousity and lure of the myth of Rhiannon. The artist may herself be fascinated by the character, hence why she wrote a song about it. I also like that the idea of the song is quite defferent to the real, everyday feelings, such as love, heartbreak etc., so almost allows the viewer to run away from reality, by creating an imaginary world.
Question 10
The majority of people answered either 'No' or 'Sometimes, subtly' for this question, showing that generally clothing in music videos is quite bold and over the top, hence people generally don't copy what is worn, and if they do, it is subtly, taking aspects of what they wear. For example, someone who watched rock or metal music videos, and was influcnced by the clothing, might wear leather jackets, a lot of black and dark makeup etc. This isn't always the case, and is more of a stereotype. In my video, viewers might be influenced by the bohemian style of clothing and might wear flowing scarves or bold jewellery becuase they liked how the artist looked.
Question 11
This question reieved odd results, which were varied, but the most popular answers were either 1 or 4 outfits. I think from these answers, I would conclude that the opinion in terms of numbers of outfits, varies a lot depending on the person. I found generally girls answered '4 or more' and boys '1'. Becuase my target audience is more girls, I would say that a higher number of outfits would apeal to my target audeince. I am using 4-5 outfits in my music videos, so workes well.
Question 12
This question recieved varied reactions, but the most popular location was city and urban locations, which wasn't the answer I was hoping for. However, natural locations was chosen by a quater of people. The other answers chosen were 'other' and locations created with special effects. This question has made me realise either the sample group of people are not my target audience, or I needed to include less natural locations and use a few urban locations. It may also be down to individual opinions and my target audience does not watch just one specific type of music video, but a range of types.
Question 13
In the last question I asked people which feeling or vibe they prefer to get from music videos, and the majority of people chose either funny and lighthearted or meaningful and able to relate to, and a quarter chose music videos that make them want to dance or sing. I feel like my music video is almost a bit of each of these. People may relate to it as most grow up listening to fairytale stories, and I feel my music video does this and is quite lighthearted and is almost an escape from real life situations. The song also has a good upbeat vibe and is easy to sing along or dance to. This means I will have targeted most of the people in this sample.
I have started to edit some of the images that I took, during filming, which will be used for the ancillaries. I experimented with the album cover, in which I wanted to have a side shot of Beth combined with a leafy texture. I like what I produced, but wasn't completely happy with them, and I am thinking how I can improve them. I also took a few shots of te band togethr and I like the composition with the three stood in a row. I also took a few shots of beth near a river, which I really like and I have played around with the editing, to see what will work best.
I wanted to try to explain in more detail the representations of the artists in my music video, the song and genre, as well as how I am promoting the artist and song through mis en scene, camera shots and movements and editing. I have chosen two other music videos in a similar style to mine, to compare the techniques and representations
The artist in my music video is represented as a storyteller, telling the story of Rhiannon, the welsh goddess. In my music video, Beth plays both the artist as well as the character, Rhiannon. This makes her storytelling more alive, as she pretends to be her, like she’s acting out a play to the viewers of the video. The song has a rock style; however the style of my music video will be more of an indie, folk genre. The general conventions of indie music videos are that they are more relaxed than pop or rock videos, set in natural locations, rather than in studios or stages. The lighting is very natural and no major special effects are added besides perhaps black and white or sepia tones, often giving them an old fashioned feel.Close-up cutaways are used, often at unusual angles. I find the narratives to be very unfamiliar in comparison with pop videos, they are almost metaphorical. For example the video ‘Featherstone’ by The Paper Kites, the storyline is very strange.I like that, generally, indie folk music videos are very mysterious, and I think this makes them so interesting. I find pop/rock music videos are all about the artists, whereas indie videos are more narrative focused and when the artists are seen, they are not over sensationalised, and seem more relaxed and down to earth, often selling the song or the songs meaning than themselves. For my music video, I’d like to draw inspiration from indie videos; however, I think it is important to include more of the artists than is normal in indie videos. The first music video I will be looking at is an indie folk song ‘Bloom’ by The Paper Kites.The second video is ‘Guns and Horses’ by Ellie Goulding, which is an indie pop song, which is a bit more upbeat than ‘Bloom’, yet it still has an indie folk style of video. This is good for my music video, as it is quite upbeat as well.
Mis en scene
Costumes and Props
In my music video, my actress, Beth, will be dressing in many costumes, representing her as someone who loves drama and dressing up. The styles of outfits vary, often she is wearing very gypsy inspired clothing, displaying her as a wild, earthy character. Other times she wears dark clothing and make up, representing the dark side of the mythical character she plays, and shows the singer can play many personalities and roles. The interesting thing about Rhiannon is, because she is a complex character, has many sides or aspects of her, whether dark, peaceful or feminine, which makes it easy for the singer to present these aspects with her make up, costume and acting. I have also decided to use white feathers, firstly, as a way of connecting the character Rhiannon with the singer, as Beth will find a trail of feathers that Rhiannon has left. I chose to do this, because the mythical character has two white birds with healing powers, so wanted to include this somewhere. The instruments I am using are an electric guitar, and a tambourine. I chose to use a tambourine, because, for me it makes me think of gypsy culture, which adds to the earthy style of many of the costumes. I would have liked to use an acoustic guitar for this reason; however, the electric guitar is heard quite strongly in the song, so I felt it was necessary.
In ‘Bloom’, the clothing is very casual and the band members all wear comfortable everyday clothes. This gives a feeling that they only care about the music and not the way they look.In the narrative shots, the woman is wearing a white dress, which is not dressy, but is still feminine and makes her look youthful and innocent. The other character in the narrative is wearing a checked shirt and jeans, like the other male band members in the video. This is the general clothing style in narrative indie folk music videos. My video is similar to this, in that by band members will be wearing casual, comfortable clothing, however, I want to include more costumes, making it more interesting and like a fairy-tale. In the narrative, rusty tin cans and string are used, which I think adds an originality to the video and I think was used to symbolise the two people in the narrative, being called to each other. It also gives the video a playful, childish feel, as is a game played by children. I want to achieve this by the trail of feathers.The instruments the artists use are typical for indie folk music. Acoustic guitars, a banjo and a single drum are used and all are quite raw in their sound, hence the folk style of music. Although the song I am using isn’t folk, I want to use this style of music video with a pop/rock song, to give it a new, unexpected vibe.
In ‘Guns and Horses’ the singer is also wearing casual clothing, consisting of a checked shirt and leggings.However, in the video, actors are seen throughout, wearing white and red costumes that have a very military style. Props such as swords and coloured flags are used, which all link with the idea of the song.Similarly to my music video, dramatic costume and makeup is a large part of the narrative. Also in this video, there isn’t really a storyline, as the actors are there more for creating a mood, which is what I am trying to achieve in my video. A horse is also used in the video, to give a wild feeling, and used as a metaphor for her ability to escape from danger when she is with the person she has written the song about.I will be using horse in my video, but instead it is used to show the Rhiannon’s magical powers and the influence she has over nature.
Location
In my music video I have chosen to film in location including fields, forests, including some shots at night. I have chosen to film in natural settings, as I feel the character; Rhiannon is a kind of misunderstood figure, hiding from man in forests, where she has power of nature. I feel these locations add to the idea of the song and well as representing the artist as someone who like nature and is quite down-to-earth in her personality, similar to the artists in the video ‘Bloom’.
In ‘Bloom’ the locations are also natural, in wild forests and a field with a large tree which the band members sit around. I like the relaxed vibe this has, as if they are travellers, stopping to sing and play music together. I noticed the ground in this shot id quite muddy, showing that they are from the countryside and like to live simply. In the narrative, shots in a forest are seen as well as other shots in a field, where there is an old, rough looking truck, again showing their layed back, perhaps lower class background. A sunset in seen during the video, which is gives a typical romantic feeling and is used because it is a love song.
‘Guns and Horses’, all of the video is filmed in a misty, dark forest. I think this was done because the message of the song is that she can feel safe when she is with the person she is singing to, even in danger, as if he is like her ‘guns and horses’, her defence from threats around her. The misty forest gives a feeling of danger. I am trying to achieve a similar feeling in my night shots, where Rhiannon is wearing black clothing and is in a pitch black forest, which represents her dark, dangerous side. Later on in the song, there is a scene in the forest with lots of colourful flowers and throughout there are shots of her in bright sun rays shining through the trees. This could represent the feelings she gets being with him and how he almost shines through the difficulties in her life.
Lighting
In my music video, the majority of the shots have very natural lighting, as both the singer and Rhiannon have a natural, earthy vibe to them. However, in some shots I will be using a strong light from a torch used in my night shots which will move across Rhiannon, as if she is hiding at night and someone has found her. These shots go when with the lyric ‘She’s like a cat in the dark, and then she is the darkness’
In ‘Bloom’, all the lighting is natural, and as the video progresses, the light gets dimmer as the sun sets. The lighting from the orange sunset sky creates a romantic atmosphere and also a feel good vibe to go with the song and the lyrics. It’s almost like a classic happy ending, with the couple walking into the sunset. I don’t particularly like this idea, but I love the natural look of the shots, due the lighting.
In ‘Guns and Horses’, the lighting starts of quite dull and gloomy, with subtle light rays shining through the mist. This creates a mysterious, magical atmosphere. As the video goes on, the lighting seems to get brighter, as if symbolising her feelings for ‘him’ which overpower the danger around her. Near the end there is a shot of her below a strong light coming through the trees and looks as special effect have been used to emphasise it. I like how the video builds up to this moment.
Camera Angles/Movement
In my video, I will be using low angles, firstly, because it gives the feeling that Rhiannon is powerful and in control, but also because, in some shots, it will enable me to use the sky as a backdrop, with I think adds to the lyric, ‘Takes to the sky like a bird in flight’ and will also enable me to superimpose a shot of a bird flying, creating an interesting and magical effect. This will represent her as a free spirited character and also perhaps represent the singer’s free spirited nature. Close-ups will be used a lot, as this is common shot used in indie folk music videos, giving a more intimate feeling. Shots of her face, hands, instruments and aspects of nature will be used, often at unusual angles.I have noticed the use of close-up tend to be quite unexpected and strange in indie folk videos. I will be using a range of different tracking shots, including shots of Beth walking towards the camera as she sings. I will be moving backwards as I film, which will make the singer have a sense of control or power from the viewer’s position. Also, sideways tracking movements will be used in shots where Rhiannon or the singer is standing still, giving a sweeping sensation, which can also be achieved by using camera rotations. The rotations I will be using to create confusion and give a dreamlike quality. This will give the idea that Rhiannon is creating the confusion. I also will be using tilts, and the camera will move slowly from a straight long shot upwards to the sky. This will replicate flying, which is mentioned a lot in the song’s lyrics.
In ‘Bloom’ as lot of close-ups are used, often of the characters in the narrative faces, which that they are calm, due to the nature of the song and location and also curiosity as they follow the string. Close-ups of the instruments are used and the artist’s hands, which show they are more interested in the music and the sound of the instruments than their image. Tracking shots are used to follow each character as they follow the string, which makes it feel like the viewer is walking with them. I also like the use of long angle, mid/long shots of the characters, as it makes it look like you are sitting in the forest or field and are watching them. The shots positioned low down, near the ground are seen when the characters are lying/ sitting on the ground, near the beginning, which makes you feel like you are sitting as well, creating a relaxed and carefree feeling for the viewer. Point of view shots are used as when the characters are following the string, allowing the viewer to see from their eyes. This is used at the end when the string leads to the tree and there is a beautiful sunset. I like that the point of view shot is only used here, as if throughput the video the viewer is just an onlooker, but in the end, they become part of the story, almost symbolising the wait for a ‘happy ending’. Rotations are used in the video; however it is different to the technique I will be using, as the camera moved around the tree, showing all the band members, whereas I will be filming rotations from a fixed point. I could, however try this technique used in ‘Bloom’ when filming the band members in the forest, as it gives a clear shot of each of them, so they can be recognised at The Paper Kites, hence promoting them. I also like the sort of unity and friendship they all have symbolised by the circle of people around the tree. This is seen a lot of folk music, as it comes from people coming together to play music. A lot of side shots of the band members are used, which is unusual as often in music videos, musicians sing directly to the camera to show control and power, however, in this video, I think this was done to show they laid back attitude and to show that they do not really care about having a major influence over the viewer, but instead being in their own world, with their music. I really like the effect of this and would love to use a mixture of this, as well as more direct shots, to show that the singer is both in control, as well as lost in the music.
In ‘Guns and Horses’, tracking shots are used a lot, firstly as the camera moves toward her at the beginning to mimic the enemy charging at her perhaps. Sideways tracking shots are used throughout as she wanders through the forest, as if the enemy can see her and if following her. Backwards tracking shots are used, as she walks toward the camera, like in my video, it creates a sense of control. High angle still shots of the actors lying on the ground create a sense that they have been defeated, whereas there are low angle shots of Ellie Goulding as she stands below a strong ray of sunlight. This contrast shows her control over danger. Close-ups are used a lot mainly of her face as she sings, to show her facial expressions as well as to make obvious to the viewers that it is Ellie Goulding, so they will recognise and remember her. Wide shots are used, of Ellie Goulding and the dancers, to show the relationship between the two and the location. The fact that she is in front and is singing while the actors are all dancing together, gives the sense that she is controlling what they do. Near the end, a similar wide shot is used, however in the shot, the dancers are all on the ground and Ellie Goulding lifts her arm and they all stand up at the same time and starts to dance. This strongly suggests her metaphorical power over danger, due to being with ‘him’. Lastly, a hand held rotation is used, again to show her control. I had a similar idea, however I would like to show a lack of control, because in the rotation, only a brief view of Rhiannon, the blurred forest and sky will be seen as the camera rotates around, giving a sense that Rhiannon has control over the viewer and they are spinning around and cannot control it.
Editing
In my music video I will be using a lot of cutaways, which are seen a lot in the example videos to show the type of locations, and props there are and to set the mood of the video. I will be cutting between the different costumes and locations, as this will give the feeling that Rhiannon has many sides to her.The speed of the cutaways will be mainly quite slow to give a laid back feel, however in some parts of the song, where there is a build up of volume, I will speed up the editing, using shots like the rotations and the shots at night, to give an overwhelming, dreamlike feeling, the type of influence Rhiannon has. I will be using slow motion, also as it is used in a lot of indie folk videos, to give a relaxed, gentle atmosphere. I could also try to use the technique of filming Beth singing to a speeded up version of the song, and then slowing it down, so that the video will be slow, but she will still be in lynch with the song. I would love to overlay a variety of shots, mainly of Rhiannon with shots of nature, flowers, birds, horses etc., to create a magical effect.
In ‘Bloom’ a lot of cutaways are used, often showing the same person/location or props, but from many different angles, creating a better picture for the viewer. Matching shots are also used for the narrative, firstly showing the woman finding the tin and putting it to her ear and then smiling. A similar shot is then shown, instead with the man finding the tin. The woman gets up and follows the string, and then the man gets up and follows the string. Similarly a shot of her hand is seen and then a shot of his hand in seen. A low angle shot of her feet is shown followed by a shot of his feet. These matching shots show the two characters similarities; hence that is why they are being bright together. An unusual aspect of the editing is that occasionally, there are pauses and the screen goes black for a second. This is used every time the shots go from one character to another, separating the two characters and locations. I like that they fade, which add to the slow, lazy feeling of the video. The editing is very slow, again to give the sense of being laidback and also due to the fact that the song is quite slow paced.
In ‘Guns and Horses’, cutaways of trees and a horse are used to give the viewers an idea of the wild, misty atmosphere before the shots move to Ellie Goulding singing. This is used in almost every music video and what is seen in the cutaways depends on the genre, narrative and feeling of the video. Similar to this and ‘Bloom’, I will be using cutaways of nature, extreme close-up sections of Rhiannon and shots of the trail of feathers. The speed of editing is quite a lot faster than ‘Bloom’ as it is more of an upbeat song. Close to the end of the song, there is an increase in volume and there is a long powerful not sung by Ellie Goulding that the song builds up to. The editing becomes fast and shots switch between her face singing and powerful image of her underneath the bright ray of light. This symbolises her emotion as well as the power she has attained. I would like this use this effect of cutting quickly between two shots, during a crescendo to give more emotion and impact to the music video.
I decided to look at other music videos in a similar style and genre, and will be using these as inspiration and for ideas that can be applied to my music video. Most of them are indie music videos, many of them low budget, which I think helps me in making my video, enabling me to create interesting effects/technique, despite having lower quality equipment.
I chose this video, which is quite popular and a higher budget than the others, due to the costumes and special effects added afterwards. I chose this because I liked the dangerous feeling that was created by the misty forest, which will be useful in my video, in which the mythical goddess lives in a forest, controlling nature with her power.
I have chosen 2 videos by this artist, Gabrielle Aplin who became well known on Youtube and has a very indie style voice and I love how calming her music is and this is emphasised by the techniques used in her videos. One video is quite relaxed and slow paced, set in field and beach locations. I like the warm colour tone throughout the video, giving the viewer a warm feeling which goes well as the idea of the song is home. I originally had the idea of having a trail of white feathers, and then came across this video in which she finds a white feather. I could use the camera angles and movement in this scene as a guide for my filmingThe second video is more upbeat, and the pace is similar to my song 'Rhiannon' I like the use of props in this and carefree vibe they create, along with the well done superimposing of shots. I will definitely by using this technique, layering shots of Rhiannon with shots of flower, birds etc.
I then found this video, by another artist, who is big on Youtube. She covers a song by Katy Perry, but I love the lighting mostly in this, and some scenes, is is getting dark and you can see her silhouette against the sunset. I loved this effect and could be something to consider using in my video.
I found this video by The Honey Trees, which has more of a narrative, so can help me to add more of a story, because, at the moment, my narrative is more there for a mood, showing Rhiannon's different sides. I like the scene in the forest and some of the cutaways of rivers and trees. I also like the vintage effect of the camera and the outfits and props also add to this.
I like this video by First Aid Kit, especially because of the locations and the use of slow motion. The slow motion and slow editing is used also all the way through, creating a relaxed vibe. This is almost too slow, so I think in my video I would like to use both slow motion as well as fast editing to show the differences in mood and personalities of Rhiannon and the different volumes of the song. I would like to use similar tracking shots and low angle shots in my video.
Lastly, I like this video by The Paper Kites, because the narrative of it and mine as similar in that characters are following a trail in a wild forest, creating a feeling of adventure and excitement. At the same time it is very relaxed due to the slow motion and chilled attitude of the musicians. Also the colour effects are quite warm, like 'Home' by Gabrielle Aplin.
