The Simpsons Trailer (REDO)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOUmP9Q0u6I&feature=youtu.be&safe=active

This task was done in order to familiarise ourselves in using video editing software (in this case, Adobe Premiere Pro) and getting used to the interface and the tools that we would need to use frequently when editing and eventually exporting the products. This task allowed me to experiment with the different tools available on Premiere Pro.

Moving image deconstruction

Everything Everything-MY KZ UR BF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DllG06p9H2o&safe=active
In this video, there is a mix between a narrative and performance, as the lead singer sings throughout the video, and the band make an appearance but do not play instruments. One of the most frequent shots in this video is a close-up of someone or something followed by an outward incremental zoom. This is used to reveal and apply focus to the environment surrounding the frame. This unique and abstract way of communicating the narrative by slowly telling the story and allowing the audience to piece the story together is something I would incorporate into my own product.

Maximo Park-Books from Boxes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jmlWcItwxc&safe=active

In this video, there is another mix between a performance and a narrative. The scene frequently cuts to the band playing as well as the lead singer in the narrative singing. There is a lot of focus on the female during the narrative scenes, with some secondary focus on the lead singer. There is frequent focus on the instruments played, which is a feature that I will incorporate in my project. The lighting varies with each scene, as the performance shots have rather low lighting, and the narrative shots are rather bright or rather dark if the scene is set at night (such as in the photos below).

Interpol-Obstacle 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptG3L-MdG-g&safe=active
The video primarily features a performance but with a very abstract narrative without any comprehensible storyline. There are a lot of abstract shots such as off-focus framing and tilt shots, as well as a lot of wide shots and close-ups of the other band members. There is also frequent focus on the lead singer and the other band member's instruments. Another shot that is frequently used is a close-up of the lead singer or 2nd guitarist with another member in the background. Despite the high amount of lighting, the lead singers face is partially concealed by shadows, unlike the other band members. Something that I would consider incorporating is the shots and angles used on the band, as well as the somewhat melancholic tone portrayed in the video.

Editing Shots

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwjYDDcj4Sk&feature=youtu.be&safe=active

These editing shots were done in order to familiarise ourselves with commonly used shots in the media that we could possibly use in our own product. These shots helped me with shooting with and without a tripod, shooting at different distances and angles, and shooting in different lighting conditions.

Time Management

In the 5 weeks I have been studying so far, I feel that I have progressed at a steady rate. I have never had to hand in late work or felt stressed to get anything one. So far I have a definite idea of what I plan to do for my main project,  I have completed a story board, deconstructions of my ancillary tasks, and I am currently in the middle of completing the Simpsons trailer, which I hope to finish by the end of the week.

Ancillary task deconstructions-Magazine Advert

Magazine Advertisement deconstructions

This magazine advert for the Arctic Monkeys is the closest to what I plan to do for my own product. The font and background are rather basic to match with the albums colour scheme, which also helps to make the text stand out. The critic reviews are placed where there is some empty space to make it stand out more and attract more attention from the audience. The name of the band, album name and featured songs are both located at the top and lower sections (respectively) of the page and are clearly visible, however the band name attracts more attention that the album name and the featured songs, and they are in a much smaller font and hard to immediately notice.
The main image is also focused at the centre of the page, which is also what I plan to do for m own product. An element commonly found on magazine adverts is critic reviews, which is something I could use for my own product so that it conforms with magazine advert conventions.

Due to the fairly dark colour scheme, the text immediately stands out and gains the attention of the audience. The size of the album cover also helps to draw attention as it takes up most of the space on the advert.
This is very similar to what I plan to do for my own product.  The two people featured in the advert standing against a fairly plain background is a good basic plan of my advert. the layout is also similar to my plan, with the main image (the focus of the page) being roughly in the centre. The black and white colour scheme is also something I will use for my own product, but it will be used on a smaller scale.

The album title is clear, despite the lack of contrast between the font and background, and is the main focus of the advert and draws the audiences attention
The layout of this advert is also similar to my own product, wit the band name located at the top of the page, the release date located at the lower section of the page along with songs featured on the album at the bottom. However the colour scheme of the background reduces how much the white text contrasts, which prevents any smaller text that may not be noticeable, even more so.

Anciliary task deconstructions- Band Websites

Band Website deconstructions

This website for the band Maximo Park features a long bright red banner that is used for the external links. The banner contrasts with the white background and is easy to notice, so it draws the audiences attention. The video is placed in the centre and also contrasts with the white background very well, so this also attracts the audiences attention. Even though the iTunes advert for the latest album is in a red box, the bright pink stands out and is eye catching, which would benefit the band since it advertises their album. Due to this fairly basic colour scheme, lots of important sections (such as the music video, external links etc.) stand out a lot. It is apparent that one of the primary functions of the website is to promote the bands album and some of their singles, due to the album advertisements standing out so much from the rest of the website. This design is what I will base my website on, as it is a good design choice for a new band hoping to gain popularity.

This website for Interpol has a much more basic layout in comparison to the Maximo Park page. External links are located at the top of the page and are rather hard to spot at a glance, especially since the font size is rather small. The website is laid out like a blog, with text posts and some merchandise being advertised. The user can scroll down the page to look at past posts, however every post made is all on the same page, so it may be hard to find one specific post if needed. The text in the posts is also rather small, making the posts harder to reads as well as the external links. The primary function of the website appears to be to advertise anything that is new with the band, such as tour dates, merchandise, and general news. This website design may not be suitable for my band, as my design would be more based around promotion than information. However the basic black and white colour scheme would work with my design as it would be consistent with the colours used on the magazine advertisement.

This web page for Everything Everything has an interesting layout in that the artwork for the albums are also download links, as well as the tour posters. The links are very easy to spot and are very hard to miss. However because a lot of focus is on the centre of the page, it amy be hard for the user to see the external links at the very bottom of the page. It is also in a colour that does not contrast too well with the background colour. The band name/logo is also rather hard to spot, however it would be assumed that the user already knows the name of the band, so it does not necessarily need to stand out as much. Most of the links on the website lead to news about the band including tour dates and single releases. So it seems the main function of this website is to promote the bands albums, singles and live venue dates. While this design looks good with its' abstract layout, I feel that a similar design may not appeal to the target audience, as it may be too complex for a small and new band.

Audience Survey

Media survey-Music Videos

Survey URL: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RWGC87J

Survey data

Why do you think this?

•        A way of adding visuals, such as telling a story that fits with the song
•       Sometimes videos have nothing to do with the song and are pointless
•       Song can be played by itself but a video cannot be enjoyed without the music
•       The videos aren’t related to the song most of the time
•       I associate music with feelings, not visual images
•       I often get emotions that the artist is feeling by watching the music video of a song
•       I generally just listen to music as background whilst looking at other things
•       Most people listen to sic on the go few people watch it or rate a song on its video

Do prefer it when the video has the band performing the song, the song being played over a narrative or a mix of both?

•       Narrative as I can watch the band live d I wanted t see the  but a narrative keeps be hooked
•       Mix of both (X5)
•       The band performing the song
•       The song being played over a narrative.

What kind of story is being told in the narrative music videos that you have seen, does it link to the song or foes it have very little relevance?

•          (PP) something about a couple, but some a bit more meaningful with real life problems in them
•      Sometimes
•     A bit of both
•   Most of the time there isn’t a story, and it has very little relevance
•      Often depressing or humourous, little relation to the actual music
•      Usually it is linked with the song however occasionally the video wil have little relevance
•      Boy meets girl is very common, as is drug use; generally there are tiny links.
•      Some relevant, some aren’t.

Do you prefer the narrative to last as long as the song or longer?

•       As long as the song x8

What kind of story would you expect to see in a music video featuring a song about a failing relationship? What do you expect to see in the end?

•       A sad one about how the relationship ended. At the end a shot of how sad the person is
•       Upsetting and tragic. With an emotionally oppressive denouement.
•       I would expect to see sadness, possibly regret and the distressed state of the couple as the relationship tumbles through the stages of decline. At the end I expect a breakup to occur or possibly a re-kindling of the relationship, which would bring much joy to the viewer.
•       Spilt milk, people crying, shouting At the end there would be something like a new person
•       Two lives that are happy when apart and then there’s reoccurring sense of them together and they just end up arguing. End with mutual break-up, smiling hug.
•       (Some answers have been omitted)

Storyboard (REDO)

Conventions of my chosen genre

My chosen genre is in the indie/rock genre. Some examples of bands that have this similar genre are Maximo Park, Everything Everything, Arctic Monkeys and The Futureheads.
In most of the videos for the listed bands, they are performing the song, which is a common occurrence in this genre.
Some Examples:
Maximo Park-Our Velocity
Arctic Monkeys-I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor
The Futureheads-Beginning Of The Twist

This makes the audience focus more on the bands talent and the music they produce. My music video will feature a mix of a narrative and a performance, as the band will feature in the video, but will not be a primary focus in the video. A narrative would interest the audience more because they become involved in the story and it is more appealing than just watching the band play. Hopefully with a mix of these, I can draw benefits from both styles.

Indie/Rock Genre forms

Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include indie pop, jangle pop, C86, and lo-fi, among others. Originally used to describe record labels, the term became associated with the music they produced and was initially used with alternative rock. 

The term indie rock, derived from "independent," describes the small and relatively low-budget labels on which it is released and the do-it-yourself attitude of the bands and artists involved. Although distribution deals are often struck with major corporate companies, these labels and the bands they host have attempted to retain their autonomy, leaving them free to explore sounds, emotions and subjects of limited appeal to large, mainstream audiences. The influences and styles of the artists has been extremely diverse, including punk, psychedelia, rock and country. The terms "alternative rock" and "indie rock" were used interchangeably in the 1980s, but after many alternative bands followed Nirvana into the mainstream in the early 1990s, "indie rock" began to be used to describe those bands, working in a variety of styles, that did not pursue or achieve commercial success.

Music Video Forms

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced  for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Music videos use a wide range of styles of film making techniques, including animation, live action filming, documentaries, and non-narrative approaches such as abstract film. Some music videos blend different styles, such as animation and live action. Many music videos interpret images and scenes from the song's lyrics. Other music videos may be without a set concept, being merely a filmed version of the song's live performance.

Idea Pitch

Idea pitch from alexmc1994

Rationale and Flat Plans

A2 Media project rationale

For my media project I chose to do a music video for a small indie/rock band titled The Montagues. The song I chose (titled ‘Don’t Go) contains rather melancholic and moody connotations, so this theme was expressed using a rather basic and limited colour scheme such as grey and black. This colour scheme is also similar to that used, conveniently, in the bands’ logo, as seen below. 

Despite that white is not normally associated with moody themes, it would be the best choice for text especially, as the text will be against dark backgrounds, so to avoid difficulty when reading the text, the font will be white. This will provide a colour scheme consisted throughout the project; in the video, logo, the website and the magazine advertisement. The right side of the web page would be used primarily for download/iTunes links. This section would be white so that it draws the attention of the audience. On the Maximo Park website, there is a red banner on the top of the page where the links are located. This helps to draw    

attention to the links as it is highly noticeable. This is something that could be used for my website, instead of simply having the text contrasting with the background without the use of a banner, similar to what was done on the Artic Monkeys web page. The layout was laid out after examining the websites of other indie/rock bands, namely Maximo Park and Arctic Monkeys. Both of these websites have a very similar layout to my flat plan. Both of the websites have the video for a single in the centre of the page, and immediately draws attention. It is also interesting how the Maximo Park website is rather colourful and has a black and white video, whereas with the Arctic Monkeys’ website, the website is primarily black and white, yet the video is in colour. This technique helps the video and the website contrast, which creates even more attention. This is a good technique that I would also consider implementing in my own website. For my own website, I considered having news updates below the video, however after examining the Maximo Park website and how it uses a very noticeable banner for it’s news updates, I have considered using this technique instead, as it will draw more attention compared to the initial idea. The Arctic Monkeys’ website uses similar techniques that I would intend to use in terms of the colours and placement. The links to the website sections is located at the upper section of the page, and is below the second most eye catching part of the page, the band name, which helps to draw attention to the link. The iTunes link is also next to another eye catching part of the page, which helps to draw attention to the iTunes link itself. This is very similar to the layout that I plan to use for the magazine advertisement, as the band name is located at the top, the focus of the main image is the centre, and the song name and external links are located at the bottom of the advert. The Maximo Park website uses a good technique to advertise their album. The colour scheme generally consists of red and white, but the album is in a bright pink which draw a lot of attention, this is another strategy which could be implemented into my own website.

The layout on the website was composed in a way that the music video would be the centre of the page, and so it would immediately draw the attention of the page visitor. The links that would be located at the top of the page would highly contrast with the background colour in such a way that it would also draw attention, intriguing the page visitor to explore other parts of the web page. This also applies to the magazine advert, as the website links are located below the song title, a secondary focus of the advert, which would also help to draw the reader’s attention to the links.

The font used for the advert and website will be relatively standard, although it may be different for the links on the top of the website. Changing the font may draw attention from the video or other parts of the page, so they will need to stand out. The font would need to look very informal, but not so much that it would look inappropriate (such as Comic Sans or Papyrus), as a formal and standard font (like Times New Roman or Tahoma) would not appeal to the target audience. The colour scheme used for the advert will mostly consist of grey and white, keeping with the consistency of the other parts of the project. The target audience would be primarily students aged around 17-25, who mostly listen to indie/rock music. A lot of indie music tends to generally be about common aspects of young peoples lives (especially since a lot of indie bands consist of this age group) including relationships. The song that the music video will be used for is about the break-up of a relationship, hence the moody and melancholic themes.

The inspirational texts I have chosen are ‘The Undercurrents’ by Maximo Park,and ‘MY KZ, UR BF’ by Everything Everything. ‘The Undercurrents’ is the most similar of the two in terms of the themes and connotations. It features a grey colour scheme and is about relationships. ‘MY KZ UR BF’ is similar in the way that the lyrics refer to past events in a relationship. It also focuses specifically on the female in the situation, similar to the song to be used for the music video. Both artists produce music in the rock/indie genre, and have a similar target audience to my own.

Because the music video, website and advert all adhere to the standard conventions of the indie/rock genre, it will highly appeal to the target demographic which consists of young students.

Magazine Advertisement flatplan

Band website flatplan

Brief

A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video together with a website homepage for the band and  magazine advertisement for the digipak