this is my forst post for a week due to the extreme weather conditions that have been going on. this is the forst day back at school and i am still yet to see peter (one of my actors) and neither has anyone all week so i dont know whats going on there. the snow has braught unforseen complications to my shoot and i now feel that the shot outside is virtually impossible as the snow would make the instruments and amplifiers wet. it has been suggested to me to put them on wooden boards or binbags but the fact it that the snow is still far too deep to actually film in and would cause a continuity nightmare. furthermore there may be some problems with lauren, who is meant to be playing the girl as i am unshure is she wants to do it anymore. finding the right kind of person for this role is proving a challenge as not many people have the confidence and charisma to be in the film. in my opinion if lauren refuses to participate i may have to rewright the storyboard and get rid of the girl concept all together as she was my only taker to the idea of doing it and i cant think of anyone else who would be practical.

i have started editing the footage i shot on thursday and it looks good the ligting in the common room is much better and the coulour effect works well now.

my blog and me :)

since i started my blog my skills in blogging and analytical media skills have vastly improved. for example my amount of research has gotten better and my planning has improved massively. i looked back over my blog and from october onwards i can see a clear improvment to the relevance of the entries and the quality. furthermore the amount of blooging has substantially increaced since my as work.

in rainbows

this is the front cover for radioheads in rainbows. the cover is very indie because it is starnge and unconventional in the way it repeats the name of the album over and over in diffrent coulours. the plain bland font of the text is very original and the randomly placed pieces of grammar makes the consumer wonder why it is there making it far more suseptable to sticking in the mind of the consumer. the space age image in the background it also quite indie and draws your attention to the image before you read it. the constant repetition of the albums name makes it really stick in your mind because it is a very powerful image that people will generally remember quite well. however the bright colours and lively image are quite subversive of the genre as they are usually darker images such as the daydream youth album by sonic youth. however there is far less of an agenda to sell with this album cover as the album was released online letting people pay whatever they coose for it from nothing to hundreds of pounds. this actually paid off and was the most profitable album of the year with certain fans paying upwards of £10,000 for the abum.

this is the back of the daydream nation album by sonic youth on this the imagery is less pronounced and the track listing is over the top of it. however it still conforms to the simplicity of the album as the writing is very bold and plain but still effective. for example the boxes around the cd numbers makes them stand out on the back cover. also the writing for the side of the album is very diffrent to the rest of the albums feel as it is quite fancy and bold not like the simple writing on the back. it means that in your cd collection it will stand out almost screaming LISTEN TO ME ! lastly the image of the candle is much less effective as it is blurred on the back this is because the band want the names of the songs to stick in your mind not the image of the album alone.

sonic youth daydream nation

this is the front cover for sonic youths daydream nation. it conforms to the indie genre with the simplicity if the imagery that still has a large imact on the consumer. the image used is somewhat striking and extremely effective as it is regarded as one of the top 10 indie albums ever. the grainy writing and image make it look although the image is printed on canvas and makes it look a little dirty. the image has dark undertones and isnt as happy and cheerfull as the laura marling album. it gives connotations that sonic youth are like the last candle still lit and there lighting a dark room. this is an album cover i remember finding good even as a child when i would flick through my mothers album collection. this proves that it is the kind of image that sticks in your head despite its prevehlent simplicity and dark undertones. also the fact that the band name is very pronounced on the front of the album cover means that not only the image the name of the band and album will also leave an impact on the viewer. finally it conforms with the name of the album ''daydream nation'' it gives connotations of political undertones and fighting the system because it is just a daydream not reality.

sorted the size of the clip out here it is but the quality is poor and obviously the lighting is terrible

shooting

again i wasnt able to shoot my footage on the weekend as i was away visiting my gran in hospital in manchester. meaning i will have to re-scedule the shoot for this week

really usefull

this webpage is really usefull as a comparison for video and someone who subverts genre

www.lauramarling.com

my development

Since the start of this year, and since my last project i have vastly improved my skills in media. My analytical knowlage , skill, planning and my research skills have taken a large step up from my a2 skill. A good example of this is the fact that i have been doing alot of research into the genre and looked at what skillbases i need for my piece. Furthermore i have learnt how to analyse other peoples work during research and draw inspiration from it. Lastly my knowlage of lighting and other factors that effect a shoot has improved and i have learnt how to compensate or control these things during my shoots.

laura marling alas i cannot swim front

the front cover of this album cover is subversive of the indie/folk genre as it usually uses quite dark imagery and obviously this does not conform to this. It is a very eye catching piece of artwork on the front and the intricate design draws you in to study it further. in my digipack i would like to have a simelar effect that draws people in to look at it more. however not using this style of image or artwork. the quaint little flower that is removed from the rest of the cover instantly draws your eye to the name of the artist and the cleverly placed name of the album directly beneath it is the next path for your vision. this is very clever because not only is it subversive but it is a good way to get the artists name stuck in your head. however the inventivness of the artwork of the coulourfull yet dark forest draws on many points of the indie ideology and is therefore conformative.

couldent shoot my footage on wednesday because i was in manchester attending to some personal issues

back cover of alas i cannot swim

this is the back of the digipak for alas i cannot swim. it has the same artwork throught the digipak but this is far more tightly packed than the inlay. it has the tracklisting and numbers but has the artwork and tracklist seperate. this conforms to the genre as it is light and simple but has a good effect. the font of the tracklist is quite italic and the numbers are in a far smaller font than the song titles. the artwork is using the same yellow and orange artwork all through the digipak and has the name of the album up the left hand side in what looks like handwriting.

digipack research laura marling alas i cannot swim

this is the inside cover of the laura marling album Alas i cannot swim. the artwork is very simelar to the rest of the digipack and holds significance to the albums songs. It has the thanks on for the album and it is quite subversive of the indie genre in some ways but in others it completely conforms to it. for example the light colourfull artwork is very subversive as typical imagery used in indie digipacks is very arthouse and usually in black and white. however the album keeps to the indie roots with the stylistic workthat isnt perfectly drawn and has a certain edge to it that draws you in to study it further. also it is indipendent and other albums arent like it therefore indie and diffrent. also the end line of ''heres to fearless enjoyment...'' is a quote that people will use and is very stylistic. it conforms to the genre in the way that it is art with words not just pictures.

first shoot bad (updated)

first shoot went wrong because alot of things happened i didnt expect. i.e. dropping the drumstick in the drum. also the test footage i shot in summer worked in this location but when we shot this it was dark outside so the lighting was wrong therefore the coulour dash effect dosent work anywhere near as well as i need it to. i am going to reshoot it and get it right next time. also the time constrictions on actors meant we had little time to actually shoot and setting up toook alot longer than expected. also for some reason the file size of the video is 20.8 GB for some reason preventing me from being able to upload it i have tried to change the bit rate and FPS but none of this works and the smallest i can get the file to go is 5.2GB. however i am currently exporting the file to premier and rendering it to make the file manageable.

a couple of changes to the storyboard. on the final location change when the lead singer spins the camera round it will now spin 360 back to him instead of cutting to a two shot and now the lead and girl dont actually kiss on camera just come close to it.

Production schedule (updated)

Wednesday 3rd^th November shooting the footage in the small room after school hoping to spend roughly an hour shooting and finish that part of the film in the afternoon. Putting this shot first because the lighting in the room won’t be natural and it might get dark

Tuesday 9^th November – shooting the footage in the field after school hoping to spend an hour and a half shooting and get the scene finished. Shooting this now because I will be able to close the curtains in the hall to minimise the change in natural lighting at the time of the shoot because this will affect the colour capture effect that I am using.

Saturday 13^th November – shooting footage in both the hall and the common room. Looking to spend roughly 2- 2 and a half hours shooting on this day as I’m doing 2 scenes. I’m doing it on the Saturday as I need it to be a daytime shot because I can’t alter or change the lighting at all on the outside shot and will be hard to alter in the common room.

(I have chosen the days because of peoples free time and ability to participate as well as the reasons stated above)

video mood board

these are some images i have dug up about the image i want the girl and lead singer in my music video to be like. this is because she is the constant throught the production and i would like her to have a certain sexy flare like in these images. the respectible but a little bit dirty girl is a very commonly used thing in indie videos and the members of the bands usually like to portray there sexuality and act 'cocky' on stage not caring what people think generally and what goes on in their lives. therefore i am using it in my video to keep it as a typical indie video that fans can relate to easily

this is my mood board for my album cover i have come up with a new concept that subverts the genre i am going to call the album 'Popular Culture' and have the same image of the woman with the mouth and then have her biting an i phone with the band name and album name on the cover. it subverts the genre because indie music is all about avoinding popular culture and the fact that she is biting the i phone is clever becuase it gives connotations that she is breaking it but the cover still has the same subversion of the indie genre.

lauren

I HAVE HER she said she will do it if we shoot with her braces off which means i now have all my actors

what ive learnt

at the beginning of the year i was illitirate in both the photoshop and adobe after effects programmes. i have now learnt how to use the photoshop effects and how to layer images and leave a certain colour which will be essencial for my digipack. i also learnt how to touch up images in photoshop and clear up skin to make it look better and more professional for the album cover and advert. i also learnt how to use the leave colour effect on after effects this is the staple of my video therefore pretty essencial. at first is wasnt working wll but i learnt how to isolate the colour and the right settings for the desired effect.

i have made this on photoshop from an image i found on google this is the general idea for my cd cover but obviously with my own person. i am doing this because it is somthing that will be realted to the video in the colour effect. also it is something that will stand out on a shelf because it is the very bright colour on the black and white image. also it is going to make people pick it up to see who the band is and what the album is because it wont have the name of the band on the front atall.

i have booked out a camera to start shooting my footage over the half term break however still need to sort out school acces during half term

shooting schedule

– Saturday the 6^th of novenmber shooting in the hall for 3 hours doing footage of the satge sequence.

– Sunday 6^th November shooting in the common room for 3 hours to record footage of the song in full from each member in each location

– Saturday the 13^th of November shooting the footage of the band in the field (weather depending) if it is too wet we cannot because instruments wont go well in the mud.

– Sunday the 14^th of November footage in the cramped small room this is the last shot needed.

this is one of the locations i shot test footage in i took footage in 5 locations and all of them had the desired effect that is illustrated in my previous post. however the lighting in the drama room was uneaven and had dark and light spots therefore the desired 'sin city' effect didnt work because of the shadow the colour was constantly changing. i have remmedied this and i am now shooting this part of my film in the common room as it is the same size but has even lighting everywhere due to a window all the way across the room. however due to it being winter soon if i want the good lighting i will have to book the common room out because after school it will get too dark too early.

this is the working test footage with good lighting

trying to find actors

im trying to find people who will look good in a band setting and getting them to commit time to it i already have 3 (me,james,abbas) need a blonde girl (lauren is being reluctent because of braces but i think i can sway her) need one more person for the band and someone to shoot footage for it.

ive spent my weekend trying to think of where i can get the costumes and i am undecided weather to go with army gear as a reflection of how the army should be put out of use and this is what people should do instead. or suits to subvert the genre that is generally quite messy and have everyone in a suit

you just have to click the image to be able to read it

im looking at this because it links very closely with how i want the video to end up because the point is that the girl is being drawn closer and closer to the band ending up in this confined space. also it represents the genre well because it is a comment on the small demographic indie music appeals to.

I have decided to go with mr earls idea of the bands setting getting smaller and smaller untill they finish in a small confined space and barely have room to play it reminds me of the video close to me by the cure which i will upload at home tonight.

i have been out and shot some test footage for the colour effect and so far so good it all works brilliantly. i now have to organise a band

originally i was going to use the stage in the hall for my music video to portray distance from the band and the woman however i was creating the mood board for my video and found this picture of a stage. i think that the video will be very different now but i instantly fell in love with it the second i saw it. the closeness of it changes the mood of the video. i think i can shoot it in the drama room and it will work perfectly.

i have decided to have my band all dressed in simelar army dress because it fits into the indie genre with bands like the libertines. also the fact they are in army gear is drawing an ironic picture that war is a pressing issue and the band are playing in military gear kind of saying that it should become fashon wear not war

currently planning my media video need to start to storyboard and mood bord etc

one of the conditions from the band on the proper use of their music is that i use their logo in conjunction with the digipack

the idea for my music video is based around sin city style film where colour is extremely stand alone against black and white film

The Clash - London calling


The clash london calling it my favorite album cover of all time because of the fact that the imagery from the cover has become iconic in the music industry and is recognised as a clash album by millions of people even if you take away the words. the imagery is very true to the bands persona and the way they acted and it is a statment about the generation it is appealing to. the behaviour of the clash on stage inspired some of the best bands in history and this album cover captures that attitude perfectly. it gives connotations of rebellion and teenage rebellion agains 'the man' the simplicity of the album makes it stand out because it is somthing that seems like its captured in the moment not prepared for and set up. this gives the band a kind of raw edge and an i dont care attitude. furthermore the contrasting colours of the title draws your eye towards them wheras they dont interject with the image atall.

i am no longer doing subterranean homesick blues as all covers i found online didnt really suit my vision. however i am happy because i have sent an email to a signed band from south africa called the dirty skirts asking permission to use one of their songs. they are quite popular out there and have emailed me back surprisingly quickly. the song i am using is called feeling the pressure. but i accidentally typed under pressure because i was listening to bowie haha :/. anyway surprisingly they still said i could use there song and even offered to send me a free mp3:). anyway here is the email and the reply.

Hi i am an A-level media student currently attending framwellgate school durham in the uk and our task has been set to create a music video for a band however the copyrighted music or cover versions of music i like is poor and does not really meet the standards I require and this is a band I have followed for a couple of years who aren't really massive in the UK so the song fits the criteria. i was wondering if i can get permission to use the song ''under pressure'' for my project. i will be happy to sent the finished product to you if you want or if you have any other requirements.

sincerely rob cansino

Hi there. I assume you mean our song "Feeling the pressure". You have our permission. We'd like to see the end product. But for the purposes of your project, please go ahead.
Do you need us to email you through an MP3?
Thanks,
Jeremy

Radiohead - just

The single's video was directed by Jamie Thrives, who was hand-picked by the band after they saw several of his experimental short films. It was shot near Liverpool Street Station in London, and intersperses footage of Radiohead playing the song inside an apartment with scenes of a middle-aged man who lies down in the middle of the pavement just outside of the apartment building. People start to gather, thinking

That something must be wrong with the man and the band is shown looking out the window at the events below. This is in a way putting the band and the viewer above the events as spectators and portrays them as being in a way better than the normal people who are panicking. A heated (subtitled) conversation between the man and the crowd develops, as the people start demanding to know what the man is doing and why he is lying there. the people gathered around him start to become anxious and very worried about the events that could unfold however as the viewer you are left inquisitive and don’t feel the same emotion .In subtitles, the man finally gives in and says, "Yes I'll tell you, I'll tell you why I'm lying here... but God forgive me... and God help us all... because you don't know what you ask of me.” this leaves the audience in suspense as they are about to get what they have wanted all the time and find out the reason The camera zooms in on his mouth as the man finally gives the answer, but the subtitles have suddenly stopped, so the reason is not revealed to the viewer. As the camera zooms back out, it shows the pavement covered with the crowd of people, all lying down just like the man. Radiohead members have yet to reveal what specific words the man was intended to have said. So it gives the band a certain mystery. The video persuades people to buy the track because it leaves the audience wanting more. The hypodermic syringe model states that an audience is passive and therefore will thrive to know the words said. Furthermore if an audience believes that they can work out the reason that he is lying down it will compel them to purchase it so that they can work it out. Also the fact that in the video the band is placed above the drama in the literal sense of the words instils a sense that the fans of the band will also be in that ‘superior’ position.

PLEASE PLEASE ME: - the Beatles debut album was recorded in 1962 and took only 9 hours to record. The album cover is quite a simple design and quite typical for an album cover. It consists of all band members acting normal and ‘’having a laugh’’ with the band name printed on and the album name in the bottom corner. It isn’t very imaginative and leaves little inspiration.

THE ROLLING STONES: - this is the comparative rolling stones first album. It was recorded in 1964 (2 years after PLEASE PLEASE ME) It is in the same boat with no bright eye catching colours. It is simple and in a nutshell boring. It keeps to the typical techniques and has the entire band on the front looking like they are just in a normal picture. However by not printing the bands name and album title on the cover it gives it a slightly more artistic edge. Over the Beatles album

LET IT BE: - this is the last Beatles album and was released in 1970. It is different to their first album cover in the way that it is far more artistic in its manor. Instead of showing the band all standing together as a group they are all separated. Perhaps to signify the separation of the band. Also it is a lot less cliché.

EXILE ON MAIN STREET: - this is the rolling stones latest album and was released this year. As you can see it is very different to the previous album covers from the band and from the Beatles. It features nothing but images of surreal black and white scenes. The cover doesn’t feature the band members at all and this makes a lot less conformist to the typical album cover. However it is a very recent release 40 years giving it a more up to date image like most album covers in recent years.

doing a comparitave piece of work on the beatles but forgot to save my last piece of work LOL so its a revamp

have my idea

i have finally decided on the song i want to use for my digipack and music video. it took me a while to think of and alot of hard deliberation but i have whittled it down from alot like the libertines , radiohead and johnny cash. i have decided on the song subterranian homesick blues by bob dylan because i think that the pace tempo and style of the song is perfect. however i have kind of shot myself in the foot by choosing a video with such an iconic video already existing. therefore i think i will have to refrence it in my work at some point. however i think the song will be an interesting challenge and a brilliant outcome.