Conclusion for album covers
View more documents from rachael swan.
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Thursday, 23 September 2010
Planning
We are currently working on the planning of the music video, album cover and music advertisements. Recently we vistied some locations in which we will set majortiy of our scenes in for our music video. We have taken a variety of pictures to present our location. Additionally, we have each created each our own storyboard in which we will combine to produce a final storyboard which we will work together on. In the meanwhile, i have been working on the planning on an album cover, inclduing the analysis of fonts and the layout. Once the planning of my album cover has been finished, it will be posted and in the meanwhile i while be creating the final product.
By Rachael Swan
By Rachael Swan
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
The Narrative
The narrative (or storyline) will be a distinct, vital element in our music video. Our group set out to accomplish a running theme which we believed:
(1) Would work well with our song choice i.e. have some relevance to the lyrics, genre, artist etc.
(2) Would allow us to create an enjoyable view for our audience,and in the process, be enjoyable for us to design, edit and produce.
(3) Would keep realistic screen imagery, yet overlap this concept with a narrative.
Therefore we began a series of discussions as to decide what we felt worked and 'felt right' for our ideas. Here are some of the ideas that were put across by us, and various others.
- Day trip out with some friends (male), catches the eye of a woman (and her group of her friends), sees her frequently around, gets chatting at the end.
- Two people (man and women) start walking in a straight line and do not stop for any obstacle, until they meet each other.
- Men and Women falling in love with each other - at first sight - in various different settings e.g. library, playground, shopping centre
In the end, we finally decided that our narrative would be:
'A man and women begin their normal day (living similar lives), they do every activity or event they usually do i.e. have lunch, get ready in the morning, before meeting together and falling in love at the end'
We believed that this was perfect for our song choice, 'Just The Way The Are'. Love and happiness are both important emotions to portray so this narrative should accomplish a positive representation. Furthermore, the fact that the two main characters do not know each other, yet live similar lives, adds an element of enthusiasm and pace; our aim is for the audience to almost be willing them to meet each other.
Consequently, our editing will play an essential part in creating a realistic and appealing video. We will vary our camera work (distances/angles/movement) to boost differentiation, and create a sequence of successive shots that presents a connection between the two characters. Depending on what we are able to do with the software (iMovie), we will also attempt to place shots next to each other on the screen, as to perceive a sense of parallel closeness.
At the present time, these are our initial ideas which we will develop and continue to add to. After we have finalised more, we shall blog them.
Posted by Drew Middleton.
(1) Would work well with our song choice i.e. have some relevance to the lyrics, genre, artist etc.
(2) Would allow us to create an enjoyable view for our audience,and in the process, be enjoyable for us to design, edit and produce.
(3) Would keep realistic screen imagery, yet overlap this concept with a narrative.
Therefore we began a series of discussions as to decide what we felt worked and 'felt right' for our ideas. Here are some of the ideas that were put across by us, and various others.
- Day trip out with some friends (male), catches the eye of a woman (and her group of her friends), sees her frequently around, gets chatting at the end.
- Two people (man and women) start walking in a straight line and do not stop for any obstacle, until they meet each other.
- Men and Women falling in love with each other - at first sight - in various different settings e.g. library, playground, shopping centre
In the end, we finally decided that our narrative would be:
'A man and women begin their normal day (living similar lives), they do every activity or event they usually do i.e. have lunch, get ready in the morning, before meeting together and falling in love at the end'
We believed that this was perfect for our song choice, 'Just The Way The Are'. Love and happiness are both important emotions to portray so this narrative should accomplish a positive representation. Furthermore, the fact that the two main characters do not know each other, yet live similar lives, adds an element of enthusiasm and pace; our aim is for the audience to almost be willing them to meet each other.
Consequently, our editing will play an essential part in creating a realistic and appealing video. We will vary our camera work (distances/angles/movement) to boost differentiation, and create a sequence of successive shots that presents a connection between the two characters. Depending on what we are able to do with the software (iMovie), we will also attempt to place shots next to each other on the screen, as to perceive a sense of parallel closeness.
At the present time, these are our initial ideas which we will develop and continue to add to. After we have finalised more, we shall blog them.
Posted by Drew Middleton.
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Monday, 13 September 2010
Finalised Song Choice
After further, elaborated decision making - based on all of our audience/product research and planning (to date) - we have finalised 'Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are' as our music video song choice. We believe that this is in our group's best interest, and rightfully, we agreed it was the correct decision. We will now use this song in all future coursework.
We changed our original song choice to this song because we would be able to create almost a storyline within the song and be able to relate this to the audience. The song is presenting a man who is infatuated with a female and advising her that he likes her just the way she is. This could attract couples from a younger age group, perhaps around late teenage years or range to later years. This would create quite a large audience for our products to be aimed at. It also relates to both the female and male audience- our products will need to appeal to both genders.
We changed our original song choice to this song because we would be able to create almost a storyline within the song and be able to relate this to the audience. The song is presenting a man who is infatuated with a female and advising her that he likes her just the way she is. This could attract couples from a younger age group, perhaps around late teenage years or range to later years. This would create quite a large audience for our products to be aimed at. It also relates to both the female and male audience- our products will need to appeal to both genders.
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Analysis and Conclusions from the Music Video Interview
Considering Question 1, proposed to the 5 participants (What would you expect to be featured in this music video; for this particular song and genre?), all answers were loosely based around a common, generic pattern. As noticed in both quotes ‘2’ and ‘3’, a music video must take into account various human “emotions”, “feelings” and “relationships”; all of which, according to quote ‘1’, must be supportive or indeed linked in some matter to the song (or genre) that is being expressed through a video to its intended audience. These are definite and understandable outcomes for this question, as the sense of connection between the two parties – the music video and audience – is more justified in this particular context. As every person experiences many emotions every day, like sadness and happiness, a presentation of these is likely to develop a ‘real life’ viewing experience, almost social in its appeal. This yet again applies to genre and song choice, as a complex/simple mixture of feelings may seem out of place, or indeed an uncommon set of emotions (ones that are unlikely to be experienced in the scenario on-screen) may deter viewers from self-acknowledgement; it is important for this to be concreted whilst filming the video, as often the lyrics imply what emotions to use.
Question 2 (Do you believe realism and/or narrative is represented well? What do you prefer?) was invented for the purpose of gaining confident responses from participants, as all-in-all, the proposed question is an extension of Question 1, and important; furthermore, this question is given with an intention for helping our group finalise a stable structure for our practical music video i.e. whether to take a realistic approach, or to create a running narrative. When attempting to motivate our participants to give sophisticated answers, a “realistic” video (as mentioned in quotes ‘1’ and ‘2’) was a frequent term used, and descriptive adjectives put forward to describe ‘realism’, as a concept, include “admirable”, “gritty” and “engaging”, which are utterances given after a sub-question – stating ‘how would you describe a realistic video’ – was asked for further elaboration (on conduction of the interview). As a ‘realistic’ video was a general and repeated answer, our group will ensure that our video follows an element of realism and social realism.
However, in quote ‘2’, it is noticed that a music video must have “a strong narrative”, as well as being “realistic”, which we believe is a useful and respectable answer. Consequently, our music video may provide realistic viewing, and be structured around a narrative, which is not too extravagant or unrealistic – so preferably, as mentioned in quote ‘2’, recognisable “props and colours” which “link to the genre or song”.
When confronting Question 3 (Picture the setting and props shown in this music video), it was split into two segments; one being (a) ‘Do they vary from your own interpretation of the song? If yes or no, please say why’ – the other being – (b) ‘What do you believe should be considered when deciding the props and/or setting of a music video?’ For part (a) of the question, answers are varied and not constrained; for example, in quote ‘2’ a participant exclaims: that “I could imagine the settings and props for this song; it goes well with lyrics”, of which our group continues to establish a rigid list of so-called essentials, to input into our video. Quote ‘3’ on the other hand, and more specific the participant’s opinion, suggests “All interpretations of songs are different and varied”; although we have not queried this further, but if this be the case, we must consider and account for a wide ranged audience – this also entails many preferences (for a music video). Therefore, it may be wise to partially fixate on pleasing a wide and varied audience, which does seem logical.
For question 3 (b), one participant in the interview somehow catered for every participant with their answer, by giving a well-rounded and thought-provoking response: “It is no doubt essential that the song, genre and lyrics are top priority. After you have justified that, I think it is a good idea to take into account instruments and also decide on a theme and narrative”. As mentioned, the “song”, “genre” and “lyrics” are the prime ingredients for a music video; both to be successful, or indeed eye-catching, easy on the ear and in a viewing context, entertaining. These aspects can be likened to triggers, almost queued responses, of which the audience has a mental link between. Evident enough, all elements mentioned by this participant will have some input in our music video - whether that is sound, camera work or mise-en-scene.
Question (4) was constructed, purposely, to understand how our audience perceives various representations of age, gender, and ethnicity. This allowed our group, as you can observe from the responses, to fully connect with our both our viewers expectations, and needs. Furthermore, we will be able to recognise and elaborate on various audience theories; for instance, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Burton/Fiske’s social audience theories.
Taking gender as the topic of discussion, it was greatly collaborated, giving our group numerous key thoughts about male and female identities in music videos, and coincidently, everyday life. Mixed opinions where expressed, notably a key contrast being the role of men, where one participant suggested that “Usually the man returns back to the women” (quote ‘1’), whereas another believed that the role of a male is “dominant” (quote ‘2’) position; which appears unlikely if a man is sidetracked and vulnerable in a relationship. A conclusion that can be drawn from this is that both males, and females, tend to have a range of opinions on sex and gender in society; specifically the concept of relationships and emotions. However, quote ‘3’ is a descriptive account of male and female behaviour – it places the image of a “weak” female form, unsustainable when expressing “emotions” and becoming the one person returning to the other in the relationship, after an argument etc. For are video to seem fair, equal perceptions of gender may be presented.
Age, as a portrayal, is a distinct option of choice in a music video, however, this will more than likely be based around the video (or indeed song’s) social appeal. One attractive quote exclaimed that “youth and young people” were common, and frequently used characters. Without doubt, this still depends on song choice and genre, yet for our music video it may be a comfortable decision to use young people; as we understand our modern-age society, of which we will be able to express a ‘teenage’ view – so to speak – and give an almost youthful twist to it.
The topic of ethnicity is quite personal to many, as people have firmly-held beliefs, views and opinions on the matter of skin colour and cultural background. As quote ‘1’ implies, the genre of “rap” is common to accompany people of a black origin (black skin). This, however, is not restricted by our music genre; therefore, people of all skin colours may be used, to perceive socialised entertainment (this may also be supported by quote ‘2’ i.e. “…hardly ever see racism or racist views”). To conclude quotes ‘3’ and ‘4’; all races can be “stereotyped” – which may be presented through music videos. To justify this perception, and to understand the prejudice/stereotypical views, a mixture of positive and negative portrayals could be expressed; or on the other hand, our group could stick to one, simple representation.
Camera work is extremely important in practical media. It alone is able to express facial expressions, settings, and overall imagery; alongside collaboration with sound etc. When discussing how the various shots, angles and distances create a theme (within the video), participants were on the same level of opinion: quote ‘1’ suggesting that if there is “no distinct theme”, the video becomes “varied” and allows “free and simple watching” – for a positive implication. Furthermore, quote ‘2’ also drops in an element of realism, exclaiming that the “lack of complex editing”, such as “zooms”, deters a video from being confusing and claustrophobic and adds a realistic representation. All in all, genre does not interrupt a theme of a video, so it appears that ‘realism’ (which is a popular expectation for the participants in the interview) can be filmed and approached for our song.
When question 5 (b) was asked (Are certain emotions/body language expressed through this technique?), the recalled answers tended to be gender-based i.e. specific to either the male or female sex. Quote ‘1’ and ‘2’ mention a woman’s emotions, which participant’s state, are “zoomed into a lot” and appear to be “emotional and crying”. Quote ‘4’ implies that men/males are “supportive”, “confident” and “hardly ever cry”; a complete and different contrast to the female form. Also, quote ‘3’ suggest that “close contact”, specifically “hugging” and “kissing” between men and women is typical body language – seen in most music videos. To conclude, these specific camera work options may be incorporated in our music video, as it is apparent that they are frequently used in profession video texts.
Posted by Drew Middleton.
Question 2 (Do you believe realism and/or narrative is represented well? What do you prefer?) was invented for the purpose of gaining confident responses from participants, as all-in-all, the proposed question is an extension of Question 1, and important; furthermore, this question is given with an intention for helping our group finalise a stable structure for our practical music video i.e. whether to take a realistic approach, or to create a running narrative. When attempting to motivate our participants to give sophisticated answers, a “realistic” video (as mentioned in quotes ‘1’ and ‘2’) was a frequent term used, and descriptive adjectives put forward to describe ‘realism’, as a concept, include “admirable”, “gritty” and “engaging”, which are utterances given after a sub-question – stating ‘how would you describe a realistic video’ – was asked for further elaboration (on conduction of the interview). As a ‘realistic’ video was a general and repeated answer, our group will ensure that our video follows an element of realism and social realism.
However, in quote ‘2’, it is noticed that a music video must have “a strong narrative”, as well as being “realistic”, which we believe is a useful and respectable answer. Consequently, our music video may provide realistic viewing, and be structured around a narrative, which is not too extravagant or unrealistic – so preferably, as mentioned in quote ‘2’, recognisable “props and colours” which “link to the genre or song”.
When confronting Question 3 (Picture the setting and props shown in this music video), it was split into two segments; one being (a) ‘Do they vary from your own interpretation of the song? If yes or no, please say why’ – the other being – (b) ‘What do you believe should be considered when deciding the props and/or setting of a music video?’ For part (a) of the question, answers are varied and not constrained; for example, in quote ‘2’ a participant exclaims: that “I could imagine the settings and props for this song; it goes well with lyrics”, of which our group continues to establish a rigid list of so-called essentials, to input into our video. Quote ‘3’ on the other hand, and more specific the participant’s opinion, suggests “All interpretations of songs are different and varied”; although we have not queried this further, but if this be the case, we must consider and account for a wide ranged audience – this also entails many preferences (for a music video). Therefore, it may be wise to partially fixate on pleasing a wide and varied audience, which does seem logical.
For question 3 (b), one participant in the interview somehow catered for every participant with their answer, by giving a well-rounded and thought-provoking response: “It is no doubt essential that the song, genre and lyrics are top priority. After you have justified that, I think it is a good idea to take into account instruments and also decide on a theme and narrative”. As mentioned, the “song”, “genre” and “lyrics” are the prime ingredients for a music video; both to be successful, or indeed eye-catching, easy on the ear and in a viewing context, entertaining. These aspects can be likened to triggers, almost queued responses, of which the audience has a mental link between. Evident enough, all elements mentioned by this participant will have some input in our music video - whether that is sound, camera work or mise-en-scene.
Question (4) was constructed, purposely, to understand how our audience perceives various representations of age, gender, and ethnicity. This allowed our group, as you can observe from the responses, to fully connect with our both our viewers expectations, and needs. Furthermore, we will be able to recognise and elaborate on various audience theories; for instance, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Burton/Fiske’s social audience theories.
Taking gender as the topic of discussion, it was greatly collaborated, giving our group numerous key thoughts about male and female identities in music videos, and coincidently, everyday life. Mixed opinions where expressed, notably a key contrast being the role of men, where one participant suggested that “Usually the man returns back to the women” (quote ‘1’), whereas another believed that the role of a male is “dominant” (quote ‘2’) position; which appears unlikely if a man is sidetracked and vulnerable in a relationship. A conclusion that can be drawn from this is that both males, and females, tend to have a range of opinions on sex and gender in society; specifically the concept of relationships and emotions. However, quote ‘3’ is a descriptive account of male and female behaviour – it places the image of a “weak” female form, unsustainable when expressing “emotions” and becoming the one person returning to the other in the relationship, after an argument etc. For are video to seem fair, equal perceptions of gender may be presented.
Age, as a portrayal, is a distinct option of choice in a music video, however, this will more than likely be based around the video (or indeed song’s) social appeal. One attractive quote exclaimed that “youth and young people” were common, and frequently used characters. Without doubt, this still depends on song choice and genre, yet for our music video it may be a comfortable decision to use young people; as we understand our modern-age society, of which we will be able to express a ‘teenage’ view – so to speak – and give an almost youthful twist to it.
The topic of ethnicity is quite personal to many, as people have firmly-held beliefs, views and opinions on the matter of skin colour and cultural background. As quote ‘1’ implies, the genre of “rap” is common to accompany people of a black origin (black skin). This, however, is not restricted by our music genre; therefore, people of all skin colours may be used, to perceive socialised entertainment (this may also be supported by quote ‘2’ i.e. “…hardly ever see racism or racist views”). To conclude quotes ‘3’ and ‘4’; all races can be “stereotyped” – which may be presented through music videos. To justify this perception, and to understand the prejudice/stereotypical views, a mixture of positive and negative portrayals could be expressed; or on the other hand, our group could stick to one, simple representation.
Camera work is extremely important in practical media. It alone is able to express facial expressions, settings, and overall imagery; alongside collaboration with sound etc. When discussing how the various shots, angles and distances create a theme (within the video), participants were on the same level of opinion: quote ‘1’ suggesting that if there is “no distinct theme”, the video becomes “varied” and allows “free and simple watching” – for a positive implication. Furthermore, quote ‘2’ also drops in an element of realism, exclaiming that the “lack of complex editing”, such as “zooms”, deters a video from being confusing and claustrophobic and adds a realistic representation. All in all, genre does not interrupt a theme of a video, so it appears that ‘realism’ (which is a popular expectation for the participants in the interview) can be filmed and approached for our song.
When question 5 (b) was asked (Are certain emotions/body language expressed through this technique?), the recalled answers tended to be gender-based i.e. specific to either the male or female sex. Quote ‘1’ and ‘2’ mention a woman’s emotions, which participant’s state, are “zoomed into a lot” and appear to be “emotional and crying”. Quote ‘4’ implies that men/males are “supportive”, “confident” and “hardly ever cry”; a complete and different contrast to the female form. Also, quote ‘3’ suggest that “close contact”, specifically “hugging” and “kissing” between men and women is typical body language – seen in most music videos. To conclude, these specific camera work options may be incorporated in our music video, as it is apparent that they are frequently used in profession video texts.
Posted by Drew Middleton.
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