Planing-making of music video

For my music video, I am using a mix of both filming, which will be done with a Camcorder,and Stop Animation, which will be done with a Stills Camera. The piece of music I will be using is a cover of "Naive" by The Kooks, which will be recorded(voice and piano) and then edited onto my music video using Adobe Premier. To make this piece of music appeal to my target audience, I have used a singer who has had experience singing pieces of the genre I am using,yet I have made the composition simple by using only piano and voice while also using a guitar backing track. 

LYRICS

I'm not saying it was your fault
Although you could have done more

Oh you're so naive yet so

How could this be done
Your such a smiling sweetheart
Oh and your sweet and pretty face
In such an ugly way
Something so beautiful
That everytime I look inside

I know that she knows that I'm not fond of asking
True or false it may be
She's still out to get me

I know that she knows that I'm not fond of asking
True or false it may be
She's still out to get me

I may say it was your fault
Cause I know you could have done more

Oh you're so naive yet so

How could this be done
By such a smiling sweetheart
Oh and your sweet and pretty face
In such an ugly way something so beautiful
Everytime I look inside

I know that she knows that I'm not fond of asking
True or false it may be
She's still out to get me

I know that she knows that I'm not fond of asking
True or false it may be
She's still out to get me

How could this be done
By such a smiling sweetheart

Oh you're so naive yet so

Such an ugly thing
Someone so beautiful
And everytime you're on his side

I know she knows that I'm not fond of asking
True or false it maybe be she's still out to get me

And I know she knows that I'm not fond of asking
True or false it maybe be she's still out to get me

Just don't let me down
Just don't let me down
Hold on to your kite
Just don't let me down
Just don't let me down
Hold on to your kite
Just don't let me down
Just don't let me down
Hold on to this kite
Just don't let me down

MUSIC VIDEO

BASIC IDEA

For the final product I am creating, I want the instrument itself to be the main part. This technique that i am using can also be seen in the music video "little Lion Man" by mumford and Sons. By doing this, it will also portray what is being played/used in the music itself. However, this piano will not be a real one. The influence for this came from watching the stop-animation video,"Her morning glory"as that video also uses objects to look like other things. As the Female artist playing the "piano" will be the main part of this Video, I have also decided that I will incorporate changes of nail vanish colour and the words of particularly significant lyrics onto the fingers of the artist. This will be done using Stop animation. I have also decided that in order to make my Video more visually appealing, I will move objects on the board of the piano that are relevant to the lyrics. This again will be done using stop animation.

LOCATION

The location of my video will be in a bedroom. This is because I want the Video to convey the personal meaning of the song and a bed room is someone's most personal space. I believe that by using this location, my audience will instantly recognise,if not by the lyrics,the personal nature of the song.

PROPS

For my music video,the props I am using is a make shift "piano", which will illustrate what instrument is being used, yet also objects such as a kite which is an object mentioned  in the song. Other objects that will be used also includes nail vanish to illustrate instrument related changes such as changes in notes and keys. Also sticky labels will be used and cut out into words that have particular emphasis in the lyrics.

COSTUMES

Though the main part of my video is of a female artist playing a piano, a checked shirt will be worn by the artist so that it is visible to the audience. I have decided to use a checked shirt as it is normally and stereotypically a piece of clothing that is thought of as being related to "Indie" and "Alternative" fashion.

LIGHTING

The lighting used in my music video will be normal day light. This is because I want to convey the everyday private emotion of the character. However, when I move props on the board of the piano using stop animation,darker lighting will be used with brighter light directed at the objects. I will do this as I believe it will emphasise the object which has particular significance in the lyrics of the song, and therefore can be understood by the viewer.

CAST

My Music video only uses one person , who is the artist/character playing the piano. I have done this again to portray the private meaning of the song am I using, yet to also relate to my audience who most probably have had time of reflection or thought in the private and comforting space of there room.

The music piece

To create my music video, which is one of my Ancillary products, the first thing I did was record the song that the music Video was based upon. The song I have recorded is a cover of "Naive" by The Kooks. I chose this song as it is a piece of music that fits perfectly with the genre I am using, it is also quite a well known and recent song, therefore it will be easily identified by my target audience.

Recording

The first thing I did was find the backing track to this song. I did this by searching on google.

After that I recorded the artists vocals.Next I have recorded the Piano piece onto a separate track  that will accompany the vocal parts in certain sections.

Finally I have edited both  tracks onto a single track, then converted it into an mp3 file. I have done this so that I can easily edit this piece of music onto Adobe premier to accompany my Music Video.

                                                 Making of music video-Stop Animation

Making of music video-Story board of filmed section

Planning- The creation of my Ancillary products

Front of Album Cover

Basic Idea

For the Front cover of the album that I must create for one of my Ancillary Products, I am using an image that incorporates both, a prop that was used in my Music video, yet also the name of the recorded song that my Music Video was based upon.

The image on the Front cover will be a "Piano" that was used in my Music Video originally. The title of the song will be written on top of this by hand. I believe that by doing this, it will create an album cover that appears more personal, yet also more artistic. This was influenced by the "DRUMS" album cover which also uses a Font that appears to be hand written. The colour of the font that will be used in the song title is the same as the colours of nail vanish used in my Music video. This will  create a sense of continuity between the Ancillary products, yet will also create some form of colour based trade mark where from this,  the audience will be able to identify this particular artist. I would also like to incorporate the checked shirt that was worn by the artist in my Music Video in some form as I believe that again this will create a sense of continuity between my products. Yet I would also like to include this as I believe it will portray the genre of  music through an item of clothing which is stereotypically thought of as an Indie/Alternative Item of clothing.

Photo shoot of Front Cover

In the Photo shoot for the front of my album cover, I have experimented with different shot types,lighting,and camera settings.  I have narrowed this selection down to three images which I believe will be more appropriate, and visually affective for the front of my album cover

The first image is a crane-shot yet also close-up of the song title. I believe that the colourful hand written song title works well against the dark background making it visually attractive. I also believe as a result of the handwritten font, a more personal and artistic visual portrayal is present.
For the letter N I have used both blue and white font. I believe that again by doing this it makes the Front cover of the album more visually pleasing. For the Font, I have used colours that were also used  in my music Video,this can be seen in the nail vanish used in the video.This creates a sense of continuity between my products, yet also, by doing this I hope to create a kind of colour-based trademark that the artist I have used will be associated with.

 The second image I have chosen a close-up of the songs title. However, in this shot the checked shirt, also used in my music video can be seen.
I believe that the checked shirt works well as the colours of the shirt contrast against the dark background making it visually attractive. The shirt also portrays the genre of the music as it is an item of clothing stereotypically associated with the Indie/alternative subculture and genre. I also believe that as a result of the colourful font that is used, the album appears more youthful. Therefore it is consistent with my target audience, who,after discovering through the questionnaire I created,  are mainly between the ages of 16-23.                                                                        

The third image I have chosen is a high-angle shot with a blue tint. I believe that this is effective as not only does the tint make it visually appealing, yet it also reflects the slightly sombre mood of the song that the album itself has been created for. It uses a kind of pathetic fallacy. The piano,and shirt that was used originally in my music video can both be seen. From this it creates a sense a continuity throughout the products I have created. However, as a result of using a blue tint, the title of the song is not as bright and eye catching as I want it to be, meaning that it is not the most significant part of the front cover. Though this can be edited  in Microsoft Photo shop.

Final Front Cover of Album

Editing Process
This is the final Front cover of my album. I have used the third image that was selected from before to be the background of the album cover. To create this album cover, I have used Microsoft Photo shop to edit the image. I edited the image by using both the sharpen and fake Tilt-shift tool to give the image a slightly blurry effect, yet to also make the blue tint more prominent. Next, I have imported another image (image one from the selection process) cropped then resized it onto the centre of the  main image. By doing this I have made the tile of the song and album the main vocal point.  Finally I have added the name of the Artist/Band using the   Text button.

Further Annotation
For the main image of the front cover, I have made it slightly blurry and made the blue tint more prominent. This is because I wanted the title of the song/ album to be the most visually captivating element of the album. I also wanted the colour of the shirt to reflect the slightly sombre mood of the song that I have created both a Music video and Album cover for. I believe the use of the checked shirt is effective as it means that my audience will be able to identify the specific genre I have created this album cover for, as a result of being visually introduced to a piece of clothing that is stereotypically thought of as being part of the Indie/ Alternative subculture/genre.

My influence for using a piece of clothing that relates to a specific genre came from viewing "the drums" album cover which also uses this technique. The main image itself is of a handmade "piano" that was used originally in my Music Video. My influences for using this idea came from both, the stop animation video"Her morning glory" which uses household items to create different objects, by doing this, a kind of foolery directed toward the audience occurs. Another influence came from the album cover of "blur" who also used images from their music videos. However, my main influence for using the "piano" on the front of my album cover came from viewing "the kooks" album cover. This is because they have used  instruments on the front of their album cover,that was used to create their music. I have also done this as I believe that by doing so, it gives the audience insight on what type of genre and ensemble the music contained within the album is.

 The font I have used for my album cover is the title of the song/album that I have edited onto my front cover using a previously taken photograph. The font on this image is colourful and clear. From this I believe that my album cover will portray the youthful age of my audience, yet can also be easily read and understood by the viewer. I also believe that as a result of using what was originally hand written font, the album cover appears more personal to the musician. Finally I have used red font that is also underlined and bold for the artist's/band's name. By doing this, it is clear to the audience who the band is, yet also stands out against the white "piano" keys making it visually attractive.
Back Of Album Cover  
For the back of the Album Cover, I would like to use an image of the Artist. This is because I believe that by doing so, my audience will be able to identify who the music contained in the album is by. The tile of the album/song with also be used on the back of the album. This will create a sense of continuity between both the front and back of my Album cover yet also a sense of continuity between the album and my other Ancillary products. I will also include other features that are used frequently in other album covers such as, the record company, the names of those who were involved in the process of creating the album and a barcode.                  
                                                    
Final back cover of Album

 

Editing Process

This is the Final album back of my product. I have used the first image that was selected from before to be the background. I have used Adobe Photoshop to edit the image. I edited the image by democrating it into a black and white image. Next I have imported the image of the songs/album's title, that was also used on the front cover, onto the image of the piano.After, I have inseted text which includes the Band's/ Artist's name, Track listing, and the band's website.

Futher Annotation
I have used a photo of the artist playing a piano for the main image of my album back. I believe this is effective as it means that my audience are able to identify the instruments that have been used yet also the type of ensemble of the music. This image also creates a sence of continuity between the back and front of the album cover as a image of a piano is used in both. My inspiration for incorparating an image of the instruments used came from viewing the Kooks album cover which also uses this.
 I have also used an image of the song's/albums title on the inside cover of the piano. By doing this I have created a sence of continuity between the front snd back of my album cover yet also between my other Ancillary products. Furthermore by doing this, I hope to have created a kind of text related trade mark that when seen will be immediantly associated with the band/ artist I have used.
I have made the main image black and white as I think as a result of this my cover appears more artistic. Yet also as the audience are only presented with the arm of the muscian, the artist appears more mysterious and intriging. The mono chrome image also contrasts well with the colourful front cover making it more visually effective. Yet also as a result of this, The bright red text stands out making it clear and eyecatching.

The text I have used is in red. By doing this I have created a sence of continuity between the front and back of the album cover. I have also incorparated the length of the songs on the Track listings to make my album cover appear more proffessional as a result of using conventions that are frequently used on album cover back's. Finally I have immported a barcode to again make my album cover appear more professional.


Magazine Advertisement
Basic Idea


For my Magazine advertisement, I want to include an image of the artist playing an instrument that was used in the song I have recorded. This instrument ("piano") has also been used originally in my music video and on the front cover of my album. I believe this will create a sence of continuity between my anchillary products. I would also like to use the "naive" album title that has been used in all my products so far. This is because not only do I believe that it will again create a sence of continuity between my products, yet also I want to create a kind of font related trademark that my artist will be recognised from. My inspiration for this came from viewing Blur's album cover where they have also done this with the font of the band's name. Finally I must iclude conventions that are used frwquently in magazine advertisements. This includes the date of the album's release, what media products it is being released as e.g LP or CD delux, and if the album is available to download.
Final Product

Editing Process
Image
This is my final Magazine Advertisement. I have edited the image in photoshop by changing the image into a black and white picture, then placing different coloured text boxes onto the paino keys. Next, I have inserted the album title then cropped and positioned it onto the centre of the image.
Text
I have inserted the text concerning the album's release on top of the paino keys in my main image. After inserting my image into Microsoft Publisher, I have made the background of the document black, and added the band's name an website in a bold,red font.
Further Annotation
I have used an image of the artist playing an instrument,that was used in the song I have recorded, for my main image. I have used this as it reinforces, not only the continuity between my anchillarry products, yet also it reinforces the mystery based around who the artist/band is which is a consistant theme throughout my work.
 My original inspiration for this came from viewing the album cover of a genre related band(The drums) which also uses this on the front cover to inforce some kind of band related mystery. Which, as a result keeps the audience's interest more so than if there was none.For my main image, I have used a black and white image while also inserting coloured text boxes onto some keys. From this,not only is my magazine advertisement cositsatant with somke elements used in my album cover(the use of black and white images on the album back) yet also by using brightly coloured keys in my advertisement, it makes it more visually attractive and intriging.
 I have used a red,bold text for the band's name. From this, the audience will be able to clearly read the text, yet the use of red text against a black background also makes the text clearer. I have also underlined the text to portray the importance of this to my magazine advertisement. Yet this use of red text is also consistant with the text that has been used throughout my anchillarry products.

Research of Ancillary Products-Advertisements

Research of Ancillary Products-C.D Covers

Planning for Music Video

Stop Animation Videos

For my Final product, I will be creating a Music Video using an original piece of music. The genre of the piece will be Indie/ Alternative. The techniques that I would like to involve in this piece is both Stop animation and filming which will be done with a Cam corder. I have decided to use Stop animation in my video as I believe it is a very effective tool, whether used to capture a series of chronological character based events, or the movement of objects. Also I believe that it would appeal to my target audience as it is a device which is not regularly used in music video's.and therefore would be something different to the typical "flesh is best" video recorded style music video. This again relates to the alternative music genre which my music video is based upon.












Above are a few examples of Stop Animation videos from You tube which I found interesting yet also helpful. To create a Stop Animation Video a still's camera is used to take numerous pictures of a certain action. The effect is visible as each photo or scene is created by taking an image of a person or object that has changed ever so slightly in to a different position.However, as I have discovered as a result of attempting to create a stop animation video, the effect of the video is altered dramatically depending on how much you alter the position of objects or people after each shot, meaning that when I barely altered the position of the objects, the result was a fluid almost like it had been filmed. Yet when I changed the position of the object more it was evident that they were taken with a camera. After that these pictures are "put together" in the editing process. Further the pros of using this technique is that you can create things that cannot be done using filming. This is shown in the Video "Lost things" which has an almost Alice in wonderland appeal to it. An example of this is when the main character is "falling" down a "hole" in the carpet. This could not have been filmed without the use of special effects if it was filmed,however as the director of this video has used stop animation, they have been able to fool there audience into believing it is actually a hole the main character is falling down. This use of creating effects that can not be done easily or effectively with filming has also been used in the Video "Her morning elegance" where the character appears to be underwater, These are both examples of a kind of "trick foolery." Also what can also be used in stop animation and is used in the video featuring the artist Ok Go, is that scene changes are in time to the beat of the music. This is a technique that I will be using with my music Video as I believe it is an effective technique to use.

Music Videos- Style Model 1 and 2

Story Board of Style Model

The first scene shows a close-up or rather "cut-in" of the musicians hand and guitar. This is also a useful technique that has been used as in the actually music itself no lyrics or singing has begun yet, therefore the audience are presented with what instrument is used in the introduction of the song. The lighting that is used is very dark on the left hand side and is lighter near the top of the guitar and musicians hand with the use of a light bulb behind the artist, this could have been used to portray the sombre and almost guilty feeling that can be understood in the song.

The second scene shows a Mid-shot of another musician holding a cello. Again, this not only relates to the music in what instrument is being played, yet also the use of shadows has been used yet again to portray the mood and emotion of the music. This may also be seen in the musicians posture as his head is bowed down in an almost guilty way, yet also emits a kind of deep or troubled thought which can be understood by the audience  through the lyrics of the song.The genre of this music which is Indie/Alternative can be understood, if not through the music, by what the Artist is wearing. This is because it is a suit that appears to be vintage and is also not the usual "on trend" appearance that is used by artist's of a pop, or Rn B genre.

The next scene is a repeated shot of the first scene. This may have been used to shown the repetition of a part played by this instrument.

In this scene, a close-up/ cut-in of the musician's arm and guitar is shown. Yet again, the use of shadows has been used again to convey the song's mood. Also from this shot, a rolled up sleeve can be seen. This may portray a kind of  traditionally masculine man rather than a jewellery clad excessively muscular kind of masculinity which is used in genres such as pop and Rn B.  Further more this also indicates the genre of the piece as again it is a more traditional and less "on trend" appearance.

                                                                                                                                                                                                       
In this shot, a zoom out has been used to show a very wide shot of the musicians performing on some sort of stage. The effect of this is that it appears that the band is playing directly to there audience. Fairy lights have been used for lighting and the use of darkness around the artist has been used again. From this shot a more simple and almost serenading appearance is used which again could convey the meaning of the piece.In this shot a cut-in of the musicians hand playing the piano is used to convey again what instrument is being played. The background,where fairy lights can be see, is slightly bury, meaning the musicians hand and instrument is the main element in this this scene.

 For this scene, the use of "crabbing" is used to show the musicians performing on stage. This shot which is also a medium two shot of the artists shown, is of the back of the musicians which therefore portrays again an almost serenading of a person/ audience that cannot be seen.This could mean that that the song is of a personal meaning as the song. Also the use of fairy lights and darkness where the audience would be is used. This again could convey the mood and the personal meaning(an almost wish I had said) of the song.

 In this shot, a close-up of the musician and instrument can be seen. This shows, as it has on numerous occasions, what instrument is being used in a particular part of the song. The use of darkness is used yet again which could have been used to portray the meaning of the music. Also, from this shot it can just about be seen the suit that the artist is wearing. This may represent the Indie/Alternative genre yet again.

In this scene, a medium close-up of one of the musicians is shown. Again from the artists attire it could be understood that the music is of an alternative/Indie genre. Also as the musician can be seen clearly, may also convey that this singer is the main artist in the band, which normally is the case in most bands.

 The next shot shows a medium close-up of the back of the musician that was previously shown, performing in an empty room. This could convey the personal and almost wish I had told you meaning of the song. The use of darkness again is used with some source of light in front of the artist. This could represent an  understanding of emotion or events that as a result was the reason this song came about.

In this shot, a tilt is used to show  the musicians performing. Again an almost serenading atmosphere is evident as a result of the use of fairy lights. Furthermore, it can be seen that the band is performing to an invisible audience which could portray the private meaning of the song. However, as the back of the the musicians are shown, it is almost like the audience is also performing with them.This may have been used to portray the insight we are receiving of the band's personal experiences through the song.

In this shot, a very wide close-up of the band performing is used. However this shot has been used previously, yet much dimmer lighting was used. The use of brighter lights in this shot  may represent the resolvence of certain events that the song was based upon

MUSIC QUESTIONNAIRE

BETTY COMIC STRIP EVALUATION

I have created a trailer using the "Betty" comic strip for one of my parliminary media task. In doing this i have shot, edited and added music to the the music video.

Planning

To plan my comic strip trailer I have copied and pasted each image onto separate documents on Microsoft Publisher. After that I have noted what camera shots,transitions and phonological devices I would use.

Conventions

After filming and editing my music video, I have posted it onto Blogspot. To enable me to do this I had to do two things, one of which was to ceate a Gmail account to allow me to access Blogspot.com.I found using Blogspot useful as I was able to post my media coursework onto it easily and successfully.After that I uploaded my comic strip trailer onto Youtube using the URL address to post the trailer on to my Blog account. In addition to this I also used youtube to find a piece of music that was suitable for my music video.

Technologies

First of all, after choosing what comic strip i would transform into a video, I disected the images by printscreening and pasting the images onto seperate documents on Microsoft Publisher. By doing this,I was able to film each scene without the error of other's entering the frame line of the shot.
When filming the trailor I used a digital Cam corder to capture each shot. While filming i was also exposed to tools such as a tripod. The use of a tripod was effective when filming my Video as it enabled me to have greater control of the camera giving the trailer a smoother and more proffessional portrayel. Also in the task of using the tripod i learnt how to dettach and attach it to the camera.
Another technology that was used whilst filming is the actual Cam corder I used to film the screen. From using this I was able to master devices such as zoom, yet I also mastered other camera shots while filming my Video.Camera shots such as panning and quick shots. By doing this i was again able to give my Music Video a more professional persona, yet also make it interesting for the audience to watch. To edit my comic strip trailer I have used the program Adobe Premier. By using this program I was able to import the shots I have filmed, yet it also allowed me to crop,split and add transitions to the scenes as well as add phonological devices to my trailer.

Phonological 

devices

The music I have used for my Comic strip trailer is "Stole" by Kelly Rowland. I have used this piece of music as I believe it reflects the bullying and isolation that is felt by the main character "Betty" as a result of this.By using this piece of music I believe that it makes my Video appear more professional, yet also because it is a well known song, it will enable the audience to identify with the struggles of the main character.