Digipak Analysis: Two

Continuing with my research of existing digipaks, in hopes of gaining more insight as to how I am going to construct my own I decided to look at The Distillers digipak for their album "Coral Fang". I decided to look at this because the digipak itself tells a kind of story and is fairly simple yet still stylised, offering a fairly interesting and controversial representation overall.

Digipak Analysis: One

As part of my research for my Digipak, I decided to look at and analyse the digipak created for the 2008 album "Intimacy" by Bloc Party, as the CD features similar ideas to some of those I am considering using in my own digipak for "I Don't Want To Fall In Love" by She Wants Revenge. Examples of the digipak can be seen alongside my analysis below.

Location Shots

I used two main locations in my video, these being the party scene in the living room and the bedroom scenes. The locations can be seen below in screenshots from my video.

As you can see, I created the bedroom scene so that not much of the room was seen, with the empahsis being on the bed. I scattered drinks bottles, cups and cans around the room to make it look lived in, and made sure it was dark outside while filming.

In the party scene I made sure it was dark, with low use of lighting. I wanted to give the impression of a crowded room and made sure that not very much furniture could be seen. Again I made sure that it was dark outside before filming here.

Filming Account

On the first day of filming I started by setting up the location,  placing empty bottles around the room, making sure everything was in place and making sure I had everything I needed to make filming run smoothly and without interruption.

Upon arrival of my two main performers I had them change into costume for filming, and I helped to do their hair/ apply their makeup and ease them into the process.

I first started filming with both performers doing all of the shots that required them on their own, using extreme close up for a lot of these shots. I did all of these scenes including a couple of the shots that required the pair to be filmed together by the end of the day.

On the second day I had the two performers come in again and repeated the process of hair/ makeup application, and then began to film the two as a pair by following my shot list/ storyboard. Filming went fairly successfully and I managed to film mostly all of the scenes that featured the two performers. I did however have to push back to date to film a large group of people and the two performers within this scene, as I was not able to get hold of enough people to make the scene work nicely.

I later had a group of people come to be filmed, as well as the two main performers, in which I filmed a party scene in which the pair would meet for the first time in the video, surrounded by others. I followed my shot list and storyboard, checking off any previously unfinished filming.

Potential hazards I may encounter whilst filming

Ensuring the safety of the camera and tripod, as well as human safety if either of these were to fall on one of us during filming.

I will ensure that the equipment I use for filming is constantly secure, whether being held in the hand, in which I will tighten the wrist strap taught and maintain a firm grip, or on the tripod, in which I will make sure the device is secured and cannot wriggle off.

Tripping on wires (charging leads, lights etc.)

It is important that I tape each loose wire or lead required when filming so that no trip hazard is created, especially in the party scenes where a high frequency of people will be present.

High frequency of people/ Human traffic.

I must ensure that I direct people clearly and effectively, and make them aware of all hazards and/ or things to keep clear of, to make sure that each person understands everything exactly.

Spillage of drinks causing hazards during party scene.

I need to ensure that cups and cans, if being used, are only half full, and that people preferably do not hold them during scenes in which they will be dancing or moving erratically. 

Household objects.

I must be sure to clear the areas being filmed in of household objects so that there is no hazard of trips, falls or bumps due to these.

Tripod

Whilst filming it is important that I find steady ground to set the tripod on due to the risk of the tripod falling/ giving way and damaging equipment. If I cannot find steady ground it is best that I film with the camera in hand.

Assets List

I have created an assets list in which I have listed everything I will need on the day of filming, down to every last detail. I feel that it is important for me to have this on the day of filming so that I do not harm the filming process by forgetting key components or being unprepared. My completed assets list is shown below.

Things to make sure I bring:

• Video Camera
• Camera Charger
• Video Tape
• Tripod
• SLR Camera
• Red Shirt
• Deconstructed Vest Top
• Empty Alcohol Bottles
• Fairy Lights
• Laptop
• Laptop Charger Lead
• Makeup
• Hair Straighteners
• Hair Products
• Red Cellophane
• Empty Alcohol Bottles

Things to make sure performers bring: 

Vickie:

• White vest top 
• Denim shorts
• Heels
• Tube of lipstick

Ben:

• Jeans
• Boots

Shot Lists

I have created a shot list to help me when filming my music video, and allowing me to understand what shots I must take and not forget any. This is crucial in making sure I get the right amount of shots that I need to fill my video and keep it of good quality.

Production Schedule for Filming

I created a Production Schedule for Filming, to allow me a greater idea of just how much time I would need to complete the entire video and all of the processes that go with filming it on the day. I did not go into a great amount of detail when describing the shots, as when I refer to the production schedule I will understand what it means, and be able to refer back to my storyboard if any confusion did arise. My Production Schedule is shown below: 

The dates I plan to film on are the 26th and 27th October 2010

Animatic Motion Storyboard

Continuing with planning for my video and storyboard work, I filmed each panel of my storyboard and captured these in Adobe Premiere Pro. I then edited the clips so that they fit in time to the song that I am using for my music video. This gave me a greater idea of how I am going to achieve my video and how everything is going to fit in to place and where. Alongside this it has also given me more experience and practice of using Adobe Premiere Pro, which will be useful when it comes to editing my final video. My animatic motion storyboard can be watched via the video below.

Timeline and Storyboard

Timeline: To help me with planning my music video I created a time line in which I marked the different points in time that things would happen in my final video, and for how long. A lot of the shots will only be featured for 1-2 seconds however some are more lengthy and around 5-6 seconds. My video will feature a strong narrative storyline which intertwines with the lyrics of the song, with extreme close ups of performance cut in to the video. Creating the timeline helped me to realise any gaps or areas that needed filling in my idea for my video, and an idea of how the video would be recieved when finished. Below I have provided a shot of my timeline: 

Storyboard: After creating my timeline I began to construct a storyboard based on the timeline, to give a more visual example of my planning. I referred to the timeline and drew a visual representation of each cut onto post-it notes, which were ideal seeing as any mistakes I made wouldn't be permanent, and it also allowed me to switch the cuts around and see what might work best with the final product. Anything I couldn't display visually, such as angles, camera movements or shot differences, I made notes of underneath the panel.

Creating the timeline and storyboard have given me a much greater idea on how I am going to achieve my original music video, and has also created a guideline for me to refer to should I need it. Below are my sixteen pages of storyboarding:

E-Mail to copyright holder

I look forward to hearing from the team at Universal Records

Music Video Analysis: Two

Continuing with my research I chose to look at the video for "Talk To Me" by Peaches due to the fact that the video features a dark, sinister air of sexualization. I looked at this in depth as well as other techniques and styles used in the video that help to create this effect, and also included some images from the video.

Music Video Analysis: One

As part of my research, I completed an analysis on a music video. I chose to look at the video for "Zero" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs as the video uses a lot of similar styles and techniques that I intend to include in my original music video. I looked at and thought about a range of different avenues when analysing the music video, and also included examples of images from the video which my analysis refer to.

Target Audience

The target audience I have selected for my music video is the teen/ young adult age group, particularly those whom follow rock/ punk scenes. This is due mainly to the nature of the song and the visual that I am hoping to portray. I feel that this age group works well also due to the fact that my hopeful actors are of the same age group, thus creating a sense of familiarity between the viewer and the video. This target audience will also allow me to get greater feedback on my video during and after production, due to the high level of students and teachers of the target age group within our centre. I feel that this target audience also gives me a lot more freedom and confidence in myself, as I am from the same age group and following and feel that I can accurately portray what is wanted in a video for this target market.

Music Video: Proposal

I Don't Want To Fall In Love - She Wants Revenge

The song I have decided to use for my music video is "I Don't Want To Fall In Love" by She Wants Revenge, and the video that I create would tell the same sort of story as the sond does, of a man who doesn't want to fall in love, however already is. I would show this as if it were almost an account of a night out, following the events that ensued.

The camera would follow two primary characters, one male and one female, as they meet in a club/ party environment (likely the party option, as it is a lot more realistically achievable). The beginning of the video would follow the two primary characters in a series of quickly changing and swapping extreme close ups of them, allowing the audience to familiarise with the 'main characters'. The pair will spot eachother amongst a crowd of people (shown via the use of a first person camera shot) amongst a crowd of people in the busy environment, of which there would be pan shots and establishing shots of, to allow the viewer a better understanding of how occupied the area is. The pair would then be shown to be getting closer to eachother and dancing with eachother, an obvious romantic connection able to be seen between them via the use of close ups and vertical pan shots, edited in time with the music to give it an extremely intense feeling. I also plan to have flashing red or blue lights (achieved via a police siren) casting the different coloured lights upon them which would also contribute to the intensity of the scene.

The pair would then move into a second loation, which would likely be a bedroom, stylishly decorated, in which the pair would continue to be pictured close to eachother, with rotating pan shots (an example shown here throughout a scene of "Twilight") and close ups included. The characters would later be seen again with the male realising he has 'fallen in love' and seeming as if he was in a desperate panic, which he then solves by running away from her/ killing himself. These are the two possible endings I have thought of at the moment, and I could either choose one or film both and then use them as alternate endings to the video which, although it has been used in some previously made music videos (see the four alternate endings for "My Favourite Game" by The Cardigans) challenges the conventions of music videos a little, as it is a technique fairly rarely used.

Throughout the video I would include shots of the male performer taking on the role of the singer, in which he would lipsync to certain parts of the song such as the "1, 2, 3, 4567" lyrics in extreme close up of the bottom half of his face.

For the two main performers I would obviously need a female and a male, whom I would then make up their hair and face to look edgy along with a similarly styled outfit. I feel this would be essential and tie in especially for the male performer as in the close ups of him singing he would be taking on the role of the lead singer from "She Wants Revenge", who has a monotonous voice which I feel would not suit well with an averagely dressed/ made up person.

In editing I would make sure the video maintained the fast pace set by the song itself by making cuts of no longer than around 2-3 seconds, a technique that would yet again raise the feeling of intensity for the viewer

Music Video: Three Initial Ideas

#1 My Favourite Game – The Cardigans (1998 song with video from over 10 years
ago)



^ Official 1998 Video Above

If “My Favourite Game” were to be my final choice I would feature two main
performers, one male and one female, the camera would have a lot of focus upon
the female character and she would also be the voice of the song. I would have them
dressed in fairly average clothes, and the video would tell the same story as the song
does, as the female performer would find that she is losing her ‘favourite game’ (her
boyfriend), meaning I would intertwine shots of the female performer coming to
the conclusion that she has ‘lost’, such as her noticing her boyfriend doing things
differently to normal etc; with several shots of her performing the song throughout
the duration. Towards the end of the video I would like the viewer to understand the
idea of her ‘losing’ the game and an impression that she may commit suicide. I would
likely include some extras to allow the shots of her boyfriend to be more noticeable
and to give the audience an easier time understanding the story. Locations would
likely be within a bedroom which would belong to the ‘lovers’ and several others
such as a possible street location and a party/ club environment. I would like to
include a great variety of camera angles, such as extreme close ups and reaction
shots (the female putting on makeup, noticing the males changes etc.) I would
create a fast pace when considering editing styles, due to the nature of the song and
possibly include a split screen of some kind between the male and female. I would
also like to include a quick montage of flashing clips of video following each other/
happening at the same time. I would likely not use any special effects for the video.



#2 I Don’t Want To Fall In Love – She Wants Revenge (2005 song with no video)



^ Audio Above

Should “I Don’t Want To Fall In Love” be my final choice, I would allow my video to
tell the story that the song does, of a man who doesn’t want to fall in love, however
already is. I would use two main performers, one male and one female, whom would
meet at a club/ party style environment (in which extra performers etc. would be
needed) and begin to fall in love with eachother, however after a point, the male
performer realises that he is falling in love and leaves the female. A variety of
different shots and camera angles could be incorporated into this including pan
shots, establishing shots, close ups and extreme close ups. Several locations would
be needed such as the party/ club style environment, a bedroom, a street setting
and possibly others. Editing styles could include split screens and a montage as well
as other things such as a fast paced technique to compliment the songs energetic
beat. I would like to include cuts of the male performer singing the lyrics also, and
intertwine these with the storyline. I would likely have my performers wearing fairly
average clothes, however would style their hair and makeup to give them a fairly
edgy look.



#3 Runaway – Yeah Yeah Yeah’s (2009 song with no video)



^ Audio Above

If “Runaway” should turn out to be my final choice I would have one female
performer as the focus of the video, whom would be filmed alone throughout almost
the entirety of the video. Costume would include messy hair and clothes, and she
would be depicted as upset and gloomy by the camera. The video would begin in a
bedroom, the performer alone and upset, the camera would then zoom out of the
room and into other rooms throughout the house, in which she would be shown
in several different conflicts with friends, family etc; Eventually she would pack up
her things and leave to run away. The rest of the video would follow her briefly
on her journey, until she ended in a city, the camera would show a close up of her
face, still miserable. The pace of the video would likely fluctuate between long cuts
to compliment the mostly gloomy and somber tune of the song, however at some
points could speed up in an event such as a montage of her journey.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

For the preliminary task our class had to choose a music video and make a copy of the footage ourselves, trying to create a close replica of the first 1:20 seconds. Throughout this post I have including some comparisons between shots in both of the renditions.

We first planned by making a storyboard and assigning whom would take on what roles (monkeys, chefs etc.) and then met again to do our filming, which took a lot longer than was expected and caused us to meet again on a different date to continue. Whilst filming I learned how to film a shot, hold a steady shot and frame shots.

After filming the footage we each went to edit the footage separately using Adobe Premiere Pro, which I had never used before. I learned how to cut footage, slow the speed duration down, unlink the original sound from a video, import and export video files, and use motion control, which are all general skills vital to the correct use of the program.

Both of the processes taught me a lot about time management and how long each of the procedures actually took to do. I also learned how frustrating it can be when the slightest part of a perfect take can be unusable due to bad timing, unforeseen activity in the background of the shot etc. and that several takes should be taken to ensure a perfect one is available.

The preliminary task was an overall learning curve for me and I learned a lot of essential skills and processes that will be essential for my final music video.

Preliminary Task: Bad Touch Music Video Remake

As a preliminary task I went out with my class and remade the beginning of a currently existing music video, This gave me a chance to experience and practice filming, filming preparation and editing in Premiere Pro. My edited version of the video for "Bad Touch" by Bloodhound Gang can be seen below.

I have also included the original video below for purposes of comparison.