Digipak back cover

Here is my Digipak back cover for my album 'Nasty'. I made it online on a website called Picmonkey.com

I still need to add a photo of my artist to the blank white area.

A few weeks later and I finally have figured out the dimensions for my digipak!!

Things to Include in a Magazine Album Advert

• Name of Artist- Lizzie
• Name of Album- "Nasty"
• Album Cover/Photo of artist
• Facebook/Twitter Logos
• Record Company Logo "Revolution Records"
• Website adress (Will need to make one up)
• Small Print (only some do though)
• Some sort of press review e.g. "Number 1 album of 2014", "Best New Upcoming Artist of 2014" etc.

Record Company Logo

Here is my Record Company Logo- Made on picmonkey.com

I was inspired by the logo for 'Mercury Records'- 

Magazine Advert Research for My Pop Album

I like this cover as it is very simple and keeps to a colour scheme. The advert is split in half with the information in the bottom block colour half, and a close up photo of the artist in the top half, with her name and name of the album.

At the bottom there are the record company names. Something I will have to think about for my album advert.

Pop Music Digipaks

'Meet The Vamps'- The Vamps- 2014
The writing on the front of the digipak is made up of the band's logo as this is the name of the album. The bright red logo stands out from the pale sky blue background making it very clear about the artists name and the album name. The font is very simple- in caps and sans-serif. The 'V' of 'Vamps' is bigger and emphasises the name of the band/album. The photo is just of the band on a pier at the seaside- however the actual location is not obvious (could be UK/USA most likely). This cover is very simple which I like a lot. The band are in very ordinary clothes which makes them seem more like their audience.


The back of the digipak contrasts greatly with the front- being fully red (the same colour as the group logo) the writing is in the same simple font as on the front, and also in white to make it stand out. At the top of the page there is a barcode and at the bottom there is all the information concerning the managers and record company as well as a web address to look at more of the bands content. I like the way in which the back cover contrasts to the front- however carries on the red theme. 

'Halycon Days'- Ellie Goulding- 2013 

This album cover features a close up of the artist. All of Ellie Goulding's album covers feature her flicking her hair so that is iconic for her (and her fans). The font used is very simple- however it makes up for the simpleness by having it in electric blue, and really standing out from the pink and purple ombre background. The close up photo is very common of the pop music genre.

The back cover continues the same theme as the front- with the pink/purple ombre background and the electric blue writing. This time the barcode is on the right of the album and the credits down the bottom are in very small print- however still in the same electric blue font. Once again there is a website address down the bottom for her audience to view more content online. Where someone else is featured in the song their name is written in the same font but smaller below the song in which they feature. 

'Prism'- Katy Perry- 2013
This front cover shows the artist in a floral frame   with a golden outside border and iridescent on the inside border. The artists name also has this effect (however I think that this may be a little too difficult for me to use!) The font used for the album name is more exciting than the plain iridescent one for the artists name. The artist seems to be standing in a field/big open space and looks rather vulnerable with her hands up in front of her face and the worried look on her face. The iridescent effect is continued with the rainbow colours being used to fade into the left hand side of the picture.  




The back cover shows the artist in a field covered in butterflies on the right hand side and the track list in the empty area on the left. The track list is in all different colours- this makes them stand out and makes the cover more exciting. Once again the small print is down the bottom and the barcode is on the right. There are two blue panels, one on either side of the cover, these look good and frame the image, as well as displaying the album and artist names. I would like to use this type of back cover on my digipak- as  I feel that it looks different but it makes it much more exciting.

Information about Mercury Records

I have left a message with Pixie Lott's record company 'Mercury Records' to ask for permission to use their song- I left the message with the licensing company on 02074 715333 and are still waiting for a call back.

Analysis of My Survey about Pop Music

1) I asked people their ages so that I could find out what the main audience was that I am creating my video for.

The majority were 17-19 years old (40.91%), Then aged 14-16 (34.09%) and finally 11-13 (25%)

2) I then wanted to find out whether they enjoy pop music or not, just a general question to start off and to learn more about my audience.

The majority said yes (52.27%), then occasionally (34.09%) - this is a good thing as it shows that the genre is appropriate for the audience.

 3) I then asked who were their 3 favourite pop artists are. This helps me by telling me whose music videos to look at for inspiration. The highest were The Vamps at 14% and Im also going to look at Taylor Swift, Iggy Azalea, 5 Seconds of Summer and Katy Perry all of which had 10% of the votes.

4) Then I was interested to find out about which radio stations my audience listened to. As I expected Capital clearly won with 68% of the votes!

5) It is interesting that the number of people who have been to a pop concert is lower than the number who haven't, there is one more person who hasn't been to a pop concert- this shows that people have to watch the music videos in order to see their favourite artists perform, therefore I have seen that music videos are a key part of the music industry.

6) I wanted to find out about what my audience would expect to see in a pop music video- they concluded that they mostly expect to see boys (however I wasn't intending on using boys, and this may be referring to boy bands e.g One Direction/The Vamps). The next were Girls (definitely using), a storyline (wasn't going to use) and on trend clothes (again, I am obviously going to use on trend clothing).

7) Not surprisingly, lots of people said that they enjoy watching music videos- therefore I know that I have chosen a good audience and they know lots about what they involve.













8) I wanted to find out why my audience enjoy music videos- mostly they said that they are entertaining- which implies that they are not full of boring long shots with no definition. The option for 'I love the music' was also high- this shows me that music choice is important to the audience. The 'Other' answers included 'Just interested in what they did in the video', 'Like to see if there is hidden meaning behind the song' and 'love seeing hot guys'.

 9) Surprisingly most people said that they would expect a Pop Music Video to be set on a beach- something I hadn't thought of. However luckily in a street/town were quite high and I was intending on using these locations anyway. I am also using a bedroom, and fortunately some people believed that this was a typical location- so In general with my survey- my assumptions have been confirmed. 

Typic Synopsis of some Pop Music Videos

Best Song Ever

One Direction

2013

This music video begins off with all the members of the group pretending to be not only themselves by also being part of a film production company, such as the producers, choreographer, stylist, and assistant- they use this as promotion for their film 'This Is Us'. The music video takes place in Hollywood, as the Hollywood sign is shown right at the beginning of the video. There are comedic elements to the beginning with the 'producers' calling the group the wrong names and referring to the member who they are played by as 'perfect'. The video then continues to show the rebellious side to the group as they completely trash the office in which they are in. It also shows clips from their film which they are promoting, this caused the fans to get excited for the film causing more interest in the video.

Things I would like to use from this video are some of the comedic elements as I think that this makes the video much more exciting than just having a boring scene, however I feel that this is more effective with male artists and particularly boy bands where this behaviour is usual.

Salute

Little Mix

2014

This video is set in what seems like during a war- and the group are promoting the independence of women joining together and not relying on men.The group use lots of dancing throughout this video, which they have used for the song in many other instances such as stage performances of it. This creates iconic dance moves that the fans recognise. The setting is dark which creates an eerie sense to the video- representing the darkness of wars and symbolic of their negative nature.  The use of a wind and smoke machines are clearly used in this video to create atmosphere and to make it more authentic.

Things that I would like to use from this video are lots of dancing as this is obviously common of girls music videos as well as possible use of extra wind in order to place more emphasis on my artist.

Who's Laughing Now

Jessie J

2011

This video is very clever as Jessie J seems to be singing as if giving advice to her younger self being bullied in school. The video adds extra value to the song as it creates a narrative that you wouldn't necessarily understand from the lyrics. She also represents her self now as the teacher of the class- looking over the bullying. I like the lip synching of the younger girls singing the words and think that this is clever. The synopsis of this video shows a young Jessie J being bullied in school by the other girls who are of a complete opposite to her (all wearing pink etc) and the she decides that she has had enough so she gets up and leaves and goes into the school hall where a poster of Hollywood is up (very clever as many pop videos are set there) and she begins to sing in front of it- as if she is beginning to come who she is today. 

I like the idea that it is set in an every-day environment so I am setting mine in a similar day to day place (a bedroom).

Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart)

The Vamps ft. Shaun Mendes

2014

This video begins with a panicked shot of the group trying to swim onto land. After this the audience can then see that they seem to be stranded on a desert island. This uses underwater filming. The video then continues to show the group trying to think of ways to escape e.g. making signs out of palm leaves and struggling to survive! They then get taken in by this tribe of girls of whom they then perform for. There are intertextual references here to  other stories which the audience would be familiar with such as Lost, The 100, Lord of the Flies and even I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here- where there is a similar narrative of a group being stranded on an island. The girls are dressed like Amazons which is another intertextual reference; they are strong and show the boys how to survive. There are comedic elements in this video such as playing golf with a coconut and drinking them like champagne. The end is ambiguous as the group could be either running away from the rescue plane or chasing it.

I am going to use an underwater camera- much like they did in this video. I would also love to use a similar location (however unfortunately that is highly unlikely!!)

Annotated Lyrics for my Music Video - "Nasty"

Pop Music Survey

To help me with my research I have made a survey which I sent out via school email to years 7-13. I also posted the link on Facebook so that I could gain a wider view outside of my school. I would have posted this to Twitter as well, however the audience on Twitter would be very similar to Facebook, therefore I feel it is unnecessary. 

I wanted to do this survey to find out about what kind of music/music videos people my target age like - this then can help me to think about what artists I should be looking into for inspiration for my own video.

Here is the link to my survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3MPH5Y7

9 Shot Analysis of a Pop Music Video #2

I have chosen to analyse "How Ya Doin'' By Little Mix ft. Missy Elliot
Where relevant I have referred to Goodwins Theory.



Background Info:
This video is also advertising hair dye, the group may have been paid to do this. Therefore the hair dye company is creating synergy between the group and their brand.

1) This shot is really long and lasts about 6 seconds! This sets the scene of the girl group all getting ready in a bedroom. ( I really like this type of shot and might try to use it in my video).This shot is returned to throughout the video. This shot abides by rule 1 as a girly bedroom scene is typical of the girl-pop music genre. Also rule 3 due to the fact that the upbeat music links to what the girls may be listening to 
whilst getting ready.

2) This shot lasts for about 1.5 seconds and shows a close up,of one of the members, which therefore abides by rule 4, . I really like the green screened background here and may use something like it in my video. This also links to rule 2- as the song is about being on the phone and the member is holding a phone.




3) This shows another member of the group, which therefore links to rule 4 and lasts about 1.5 seconds again, this time in a different background again, I like the pink background and want to use one in my video.

4) This shot shows the 3rd member  of the group- it has a similar green screened background to shot 2, and this lasts about 1 second. This also abides by rule 4 as it is yet another close-up of another member.






5) This then returns to a shot similar to the 3rd one, this time showing the final member of the group. This once again lasts about 1 second and abides by rule 4 due to the solo/close up shot.





6) The screen then splits to show all 4 members in their different settings, this is common in girl band music videos. This lasts about 3 seconds. This links to rule 1 as this split screen is typical of pop groups and also rule 4 as it shows them all close up.

7) This shot is similar to the last one, however the different panels begin to change, this is a really clever effect, however I don't think I will use it as I feel it works best with a group rather than a solo artist. This lasts a split second.This links to rule 1 as this split screen is typical of pop groups and also rule 4 as it shows them all close up.

8) The panels change here, in time with the music- this again lasts a split second. (Rules 1, 4, & 3)

9) The panels change here, in time with the music- this again lasts a split second. (Rules 1, 4, & 3)

Collage of Pop Music Videos

From my collage of Pop Music videos I can tell that close ups are key, I am aiming to create a shot similar to the one in the top left corner of Ariana Grande in her video for "Problem". I got the inspiration to film in London from the shot next to the one of Ariana Grande, of One Direction in their video for "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)"- I think this looks cool in a video. I also like the underwater filming of Justin Bieber in the top right corner and I am going to attempt something like this too. Bright colours are clearly a key theme in Pop Music Videos as most of these images are full of lots of colours. Another key theme is girl power as most of the videos show girls as strong and in some cases much like superheroes, such as in the image in the bottom left corner.

9 Shot Analysis of a Pop Music Video #1

I have chosen to analyse "Problem" By Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea.
Where relevant I have referred to Goodwins Theory.

1) This shot lasts about 1 second and shows the main singer (Ariana Grande). The spiral in the background is a theme throughout the video.





2) This again lasts about 1 second and shows a man walking backwards on his hands. I am not really sure what this has to do with the video, however perhaps it is the man who whispers 'One less problem without you' in the chorus of the song.



3) This lasts 1 second and shows a close up of Ariana Grande- therefore it abides by Goodwins Theory number 4 which states that the record label demands close ups of the artist. There is green screen used here with the pink background ( I would like to make a shot similar to this for my music video)

4) This is a sort of stop motion section as the background and placing of the artist is the same however her actions are different. Once again this therefore abides by rule 4 of Goodwins Theory.

5) This shows the man again, doing even more gymnastics! Still not that sure how this relates to the video. There is no link between the lyric, music and visuals so this is defying rules 2 and  3 of Goodwins Theory, as well as rule 1 as this is not conventional of pop music videos.



6) This shows the second star, Iggy Azalea, (Rule 5) who has a funky green screened background, rather 60s themed here (Rule 7). This continues to last 1 second.

7) This is the man again doing some more strange movements, this shot is consistent and may be related to rule 5.

8) This then returns back to Iggy Azalea, who is in a 3 way split screen of her doing the same action but with a different green screened background- this again lasts for 1 second. This could be linked to rule 5 as throughout the whole video she is generally in front of these coloured backgrounds.

9) The shot then goes back to the close up of Ariana Grande, for one second. Then the shot ends. This shot is repeated throughout the entire video.

9 Frame Analysis- Music Video

Here is a 9 Frame analysis we did together of 5 Seconds of Summer- Don't Stop.

Conventions Of Pop Music Videos

Here are the 7 key features identified in Goodwin's Theory:

1) Music Videos demonstrate certain genre characteristics.
               e.g. Stage performance in metal/hard rock videos, Dance routines for boy/girl                               bands, 'Throwing signs' in early hip hop videos, Scantily clad women or 'bling'                       in gangsta rap videos.

2) There is a relationship between the lyrics and visuals.
             -Often illustrative but could amplify of contradict the lyrics.

3) There is a relationship between the music and the visuals.
             -Often illustrative but could amplify of contradict the lyrics.

4) The demands of the artist record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of      the artist.

5) The artist may develop motifs of iconography that recur across their work (a visual      style)

6) There is frequent reference to the notion of 'looking' (screens within screens,                filming, cameras) and particularly voyeuristic (pleasure through looking) treatment      of the female body)

7) There are often inter-textual references- mostly to film, television and popular                culture.

Kiss You- One Direction

1- There are dance routines for the boy band.

2- There is not much of a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.

3- The music does link to the visuals due to the upbeat song with the fast editing and the fun environment.

4- There are lots of close-ups of each member to showcase them all individually to please all the fans.

5- Some of the dance moves have been used in previous One Direction music video.

6- The video is shown that it is set in the studio, so there are lots of views of looking through camera screen and showing all the filming equipment links to the notion on 'looking'.

7- There are not many inter-textual references- maybe the video being set in a studio?

Award Winning Pop Music Videos

"What Makes You Beautiful" 

One Direction

MTV Music Award for Best Pop Video 2012

 For the verses the setting is clearly in a similar location, however the emphasis is on the boys driving the VW camper, and in the chorus they are on the beach.

As the tempo of the song gets quicker the location changes to become nearer to the beach for the chorus (i.e. they come onto the steps leading down)

There are lots of close ups on who is singing (something I can obviously use).

The visuals do relate to the song at some points when a girl is shown- particularly towards the middle/end of the song when the tempo slows down.

"Problem"

Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea

MTV Music Award For Best Pop Video 2014

For the verses there is generally a mixture of 2/3 scenes with good use of green screen in the intro (something I could use). For the chorus there is generally lots of dancing followed by close ups of a mans lips synced with the song.

-Lots of close ups of Ariana Grande- I like the pink background on this (and theme throughout) - I would like to try to do this as I like the angle and effect.

The visuals don't really relate to the song as there is no narrative- just lip synced.

Pop Music Videos Over the Past Decade

1) Kelly Clarkson- Since U Been Gone (2005)

 -2005 was the year of Youtube's launch and so this video was available through a new platform for the fans.

- This video is clearly of a much lower quality than the newer ones (on Youtube it is only available up to 480p)

- Very simple video in terms of a narrative (there isn't really one).

2) Cascada- Every Time We Touch (2006)

- This video is again of much lower quality than the more modern ones.

- Still a simple video set in a library however has more of a narrative- a girl who goes and trashes the library and changes it into a huge party, eventually she changes the rather geeky boy to become more good-looking and runs out with him at the end.


3) Katy Perry- I Kissed A Girl (2008)

- The quality of this video is much higher than the others, allowing you to watch it in HD on Youtube (720p)

- This video has many more different shots than the other 2, however it doesn't have as many as the more recent ones.

- Again, there is a clear narrative here- that sort of matches the song.






4) Cheryl Cole- Promise This (2010)


- This is one of my favourite music videos ever :)- I particularly love the silhouette scenes as I think that they are a very clever and hugely effective!

- This doesn't really have a narrative.

- The shots are much faster paced than the previous music videos- this shows an advance in the editing technology as it clearly becomes easier to use more shots

- Very creative scenes and shots- particularly the use of green screen and the silhouettes.

Music Video Song Choice

For my coursework this year I have decided to use "Nasty" By Pixie Lott:

I like this song due to its super-pop feel and I like the way in which the song ranges in tempo. The song is perfect for my performer as she knows the words due to the fact that she has been in a music video that I have made to it in the past (click here to see it).

Here is a little bit about the song:

• "Nasty"- By Pixie Lott
• Released March 7th 2014
• Was previously recorded by several other artists such as Christina Aguilera for her film "Burlesque" but it didn't make the final cut.
• Part of her 3rd self-titled studio album
• Reached No. 9 in the UK's Singles Charts
• Her Label is "Mercury" who also work with other singers such as Chase & Status and Jake Bugg.

What I Learnt From The Lipsyncing Task

Digital Technology:
Green Screening - Lighting, distance from camera, that dark colours work best 

Post Production (Cross-over with Digital Technolgy):
Green screen on green screen, layering, black and white, cropping, picture in picture, combining iMovie projects into one, importing music and video,

Creativity:
Props (Ice cubes, glass, beard, hats, changes of clothes- improvised), remaking of the old and making of the new- using an old video and copying it in order to see how it was made.

Research and Planning:
Video choice, dancing in different genres, storyboard and matching shots - very detailed shot by shot storyboard with timings. Constantly returning to plan to ensure correct shots.

Using conventions from real media texts:
Style of clothes/dance for rap/RnB genre. Hair/Make up, Facial expressions, Represent lyrics with dance ("park it like it hot"- the dance move). Camera and framing shots- over 20 shots in 30s, lots of cross cutting,