Evaluation

Drafting & Planning: Digipak and Magazine Advert

Drafting & Planning: Final Music Video

Organisation / Drafting & Planning: Footage

As mentioned in a previous post, I have filmed my actress holding cards for my music video. The lyric that this clip will fit with is 'playing pool and wild darts'. This was very aggravating at first because it was impossible for me to get a pool table or a dartboard from somewhere or to go somewhere with my actors to access these so I had to substitute this by using cards instead. I think cards are a good substitute as people 'play' cards and it still insinuates the playing of a competitive game. I'm happy with this footage and just hope that it will definitely fit with the lyric in my music video.

Drafting & Planning: Magazine Advertisement

I have started drafting my magazine advertisement for my chosen artist and think that it is coming along quite well. I wanted to go for a simplistic look rather than a busy one as I feel that a more simplistic looks more professional but it is still eye catching. I used simple colours also (blue, black and grey) because I didn't want the colours to be too bright or blinding and this colour scheme fits with the one on my digipak. I didn't want my image of my actress to be too big or to cover the whole advertisement so I kept it smaller but made sure it was still noticeable as I feel that text over this image would not look nice or professional. I also made sure I included downloading, CD and streaming for the album to let people know how to access the album - I used iTunes, amazon and spottily as a main source of accessing the album. I'm really happy with my advertisement so far but I think I will tweak it a little bit to make the text fit better.

Drafting & Planning: Digipak

I decided to change my digipak again as I felt that something was missing. I changed the colour of 'The Fall' on the CD front cover as I feel that the light gray is better than the light blue as the blue does not tie in with my other products (mentioned in a previous post). I also added an image of darkened trees and leaves inside the CD for the inner tray/sleeve as I felt that a plain black background was too boring and dull. The original image was quite bright but definitely fitted my theme of autumn/fall as there are a lot of dead leaves on the ground and bare trees so I just darkened this image to make it fit with the dark lighting and tones on the rest of my digipak. I also used this image as there are dark leaves on my CD back cover and on my CD disc. I'm really happy with my digipak and feel that I have chosen the right images and fonts to make it successful. 

Drafting & Planning: More Footage

I decided to film some more footage to fill in the gaps in my music video where my older footage did not fit. I feel that these small snippets are much better than my other footage as they fit with my chosen song and the lyrics in the song. I'm glad I decided to film more footage and glad that they came out pretty decent.

Drafting & Planning: Digipak

I have started to put together my digipak for my chosen artist. I have chosen the images that I think are the best and the fonts I think are best. I'm not entirely sure about the blue colour used for 'The Fall' or the black background on the inner sleeve so I will endeavor to change these and see what other colours and images I can use. So far, I think it's looking almost finished.

Drafting & Planning: Images

I have taken some photos of my actress for my digipak and magazine advertisement. I love all of these images and feel like most of them connect with Lana Del Rey's style especially on her albums/adverts where she is looking at the camera. Although, I have taken images with my actress looking at the camera I prefer the one of her in the center where she is looking to the side like she is looking behind her - I love this because it's like she is looking into the past or back at her past which links to my music video and how she has broken up with her boyfriend.

Organisation: Digipak Images and More Footage

Over the course of this week I will be talking photos of my actress for my digipak and magazine advertisement. I am aiming to take photos in the drama studio under spotlights but also outside near the woodland area where I originally took photos.
I also need to film some more footage as I now have small gaps in my music video due to some footage not being needed. I will aim to film more footage this Saturday and I will film extra footage so that I know I have spare footage if some of them are rubbish or do not fit my music video.

Drafting & Planning: Effects

I have decided to use an effect of stars over my actress' face for the line 'drunk and I am seeing stars' as I couldn't just film some footage and leave it without having a unique effect which links to stars (and the stars is found footage which I have sought permission for which I have used for 5-6 seconds). In the first screenshot is my actress lying down for the lyric with stars over her face. In the second screen shot my actress is singing in a 'bar' and the stars are still present andthis is because the next line is 'this is all I think of' so it links to the idea that she is always thinking about stars and relationships, etc. I also think the stars leaking into the 'bar' frame is unique and looks really pretty.

Target Audience: Music Video First Rough Edit & Responses

I posted my very first music video draft to youtube last month and my friend has responded to it. She has said she loves it and that its very good but I just need to extend a clip in my video.
I took this on board and have changed that part of my video. Although she was so kind I have changed quite a lot of my video as some of it did not fit with the song.

Drafting & Planning: Editing/Effects

Recently, I have been editing my music video and started editing a clip of my actress spinning around where the camera pans up to the sky. I used 'film burn' over this clip to make it look nostalgic and outdated. I have kept the 'film burn' but added a colour balance to my clip. I made the clip more red/pink so that when the camera pans up and the sky is visible it looks like the sun is setting or rising and the sky has gone pink. I love this effect I have used because I think looking at a pink/red sky is very aesthetically pleasing and is nice to look at and makes people happy to see so I incorporated this into my clip. I decided to do this besides the fact it looks nice but because I took a photo of the sky on my phone when it was pink/red and loved it so took inspiration from it.

Research into Similar Products: Digipak/Magazine Advertisement Image Ideas

I have looked into more images of Lana Del Rey for inspiration for my digipak and magazine advertisement images. I really love these images as they all incorporate nature in some way. The first one includes grass and the second has blossoms on trees and the third is outside on grass with a sun glare. I love Del Rey's facial expressions in all of the images as she is not smiling or frowning but she seems expressionless which makes a viewer wonder what she is feeling. This idea links to the album name and track list as the titles don't include a lot of emotion in them and don't give anything away just like her face does not.
She is making eye contact in all three images and I love this as it invites a viewer to look closer at the image and ultimately the CD cover and the magazine advertisement as she entices the audience.
My favourite image is the third because of the sun glare, the direct mode of address and how she is looking over her shoulder like she is looking at her past and this links to my idea of looking back at her past relationship.
I will definitely take inspiration from these and try to imitate them slightly when taking images of my actress.

Drafting & Planning: Ancillary Product Magazine Advertisement Practice

I have been practising using PagePlus to make a magazine advertisement for my chosen artist. I have copied Del Rey's style of her 'Born to Die' Poster and used different colours and a different image of Del Rey. I have not used my own actress yet as I am still in need of photos that are the way I want them to be.
I like the layout of the advertisement I have created as it is neat and looks professional and there is not too much information on there so it is not cramped. I also like the colours I have used that link to the yellows in the image such as the light yellows and the white. I think these fit with the image colours and tie in nicely together.
I have also used a similar font that Del Rey uses on her albums and posters, etc so I have used this on my pracitse.
I like this made up poster and aim to use the same fonts and I will always try to tie in the colours with the colours in the image.

Drafting & Planning / Research into Similar Products: Editing

After looking at Lana Del Rey's video 'Freak' I noticed she had used a 'film burn' effect which I adore and she uses it often in many of her music videos. I decided to try and make the 'film burns' I have used more evident in some clips from my music video. I didn't want it too obvious but I wanted it to be seen and I think I achieved this in my clip as shown below the first GIF. I love this effect as it makes my clips look more vintage and unique and it fits with the style of Del Rey so I am happy with this result and will use this clip in my final music video.

Drafting & Planning / Research into Similar Products: Editing

After watching Lana Del Rey's music video for her single 'Freak' I noticed that I had used similar editing in my music video and easily made a link. I edited my clip of my actress using a rosy pink colour, similar to Del Rey's pink. I love this colour as it is unique and pretty but also suggests happiness or the idea that my actress is seeing the world through rose tinted glasses and everything is not as she seems (she feels happy but her relationship is breaking down). Pink also has connotations of love and passion so I felt that it fitted well in this clip of my actress and the idea of love and broken love in my music video.I can now also link my clip to Del Rey's as she has used it too so it makes my clip seem more in the style of Del Rey.

Research into Similar Products: Freak Music Video

Lana Del Rey has recently released a new video for her single, Freak and I decided to create GIFs out of certain parts to use as further inspiration for my music video. 

I really love this music video as it is very unique and aesthetically pleasing. There are a wide range of shots used such as close ups, medium close ups, long/wide shots and extreme close ups. I particularly love the close ups/extreme close ups as they show emotion from each person in the music video.

I particularly love the two GIFs below of Del Rey in dark lighting inside a house. I love them because of the lighting and it sets a dark tone to this part of the music video. I also adore the camera angles/shot types used such as the close up of Del Rey's hand on the record player and how it zooms out to show her and her surroundings. I also like how it is a bit shaky and not stable as this creates a pretty lens flare.

I like the second GIF as the camera is not stable at all and goes all over the place which creates a drunk effect and makes this scene looks more unique and fits with what the character would be feeling.

Drafting & Planning: Effects Practice

I have continued to practice using Polarr to edit images. I really like the effects featured on this and my favourites are cinematic and warmth as they brighten the image and make them look lighter and happier. I also think these effects make my actress stand out so I will test out these effects again on my final digipak cover and make sure they fit with my ideas.
The only issue with these effects are that they might be too bright and may not fit with my sadness idea that runs through most of my music video so I may not use them but I will definitely try them out before dismissing them.

Cinematic

Warmth  

Drafting & Planning: Effects for Digipak

I have practiced using different effects for my digipak images on a Google Chrome extension called 'Polarr'. I have experimented with a few different effects as shown and named below which I really like and which make my image look much better than the original. My favourite effects  'clear' and 'calming' as 'clear' makes the image much clearer just as it says but also makes the colours seem slightly lighter which I like. I love 'calming' as it provides a foggy look to the image and makes it look more pleasing and unique. I like how it is foggy as it fits with my idea of broke relationships and how people are clouded with feelings and emotions.

Clear

 Calming

 Triple Scan

Amelie

Target Audience: Responses to Editing

I have asked for responses to my editing in this blog post so that I can see whether the effects I have used are good or not.
Both responses said that they are good edits and I get my message across clearly when using them so I am really happy about this. I am glad I did not use the same effects and used 3 different ones so that it all looked unique and different.
I will definitely be using all 3 effects in my clips in my final music video.

Research into Similar Products: Blocking and Effects

I have decided to look into blocking/positioning and effects in two of Lana Del Rey's images for her new upcoming single 'Freak'.

I love these two images mainly because of the effects used. The effects gives off a vibe of 'old film' and 'sepia' and even make the images look like they have been coloured yellow or the lighting has been brightened. I think that for my own images used for my magazine advertisement and digipak I could try out effects similar to these to create/give them a 'Lana Del Rey' feel. I love how there is no evident colours in these images but everything seems neutral which looks pretty and doesn't flash too many bright colours into a viewers eyes.

I like the positioning of Del Rey in the first image. I like how she is looking to the side with her arm on her elbow. I think this is good because text can be positioned above and around her figure to fit nicely. I also like how she is at the center of the image but she is not giving a direct mode of address which makes a viewer look at her but she is not looking at them but she still attracts their attention and the fact that she is not looking directly towards the camera creates a sense of mystery and is unique.

Drafting & Planning: Effects/Editing

I have edited some footage using Movie Plus X6 for my music video. The footage below was originally in natural lighting and the colours featured were mainly green due to the leaves and trees and looked more natural.

Although I am aiming for a natural look I feel that my editing here has been effective and it still looks quite natural as though the day was just dark and had been raining. I prefer the use of blues to greens as it fits with the sad tone featured in my music video and looks more aesthetically pleasing.
I'm really happy with this effect and will be keeping it for my final music video.

Drafting & Planning: Footage

I have filmed some footage for the lyric 'swinging in the backyard'. I asked my actress to swing on a swing near a grassy area and I feel that this footage is successful as it is what I want. My actress looks mournful which is what I want and this will only be featured as a quick snippet in my music video but I feel that it is good for the little gap it is in.
I will play around with this footage and use it in my music video if I think it fits or I may re-shoot a clip similar where my actress is more happy to represent happier times before her sadness.

Drafting & Planning / Organisation: Digipak

I have started to use paint.net to practice making a digipak to go with my music video and magazine advertisement. 

This is a first draft of my digipak that I have pieced together just to see if I like the positioning of my images and text. I have no included any other information on the back of the cd cover apart from the tracklist and a barcode just to test it out.
I like the images I have used and how I have managed to use the 'Steelfish' font which is similar to Lana Del Rey's effectively on my front cover so I will definitely stick with this font. I quite like the font used on the back of the cd cover but I'm not entirely sure it is the right one so I will keep searching for a more suitable font.
I have also decided that I will take more images of my actress for my digipak and magazine advertisement so that I have a wider range of images to us and I can use different shot types and different locations to suit my digipak and advertisement so that it looks unique and so that they will fit with the style of Del Rey.

Organisation: Props

I have filmed more footage which includes another prop. In my music video I have featured some ripped up paper rapidly moving down a stream. My actress uses this paper and places it in the water and it then moves along. I have used this ripped up paper because it has a love poem written on it (which cannot be seen) from her ex boyfriend and throwing it in the stream signify's her starting to move on.

Drafting & Planning / Organisation: Lighting

Whilst filming in the drama studio which I have talked about in a previous post I decided to use the lighting in there. I used the blue lights and shined them on my actress. These blue lights connote sadness and unhappiness which is what I wanted as that is how my actress feels throughout most of my music video. I also think the blue may connote the sea and the idea that my actress is drowning in her feelings and emotions because of her break up.
I love this blue lighting and will definitely be using these clips in my final music video as they are unique with the lighting and fit with my ideas and what I want.

Drafting & Planning: Effects/Editing

Whilst putting my music video together I have focused on different types and ways to edit clips in my music video. 

In the first image I have used 'Colour Balance' and have changed the 'Lighting'. I mad sure that there is hardly any magenta or green in this clip so that it looks quite pink and rosy. I love this effect being used at this specific time as it fits with the lyric 'drunk and I am seeing stars' and these fit together as my actress' eyes look glazed from the outdoor light and the colour pink makes her seem like she is dreaming or seeing colours. I also think these effects (the pink/rosy colour) represents love and seeing the world through rose tinted spectacles which links to the relationship aspect in my music video.

In this clip I have changed the 'Brightness / Contrast' and added 'Greyscale'. I have made the clip much brighter so it reflects the happier times as my actress is smiling. The 'Greyscale' is added for aesthetic effect but I have lowered all of the components within it so it is not as obvious and does not make the clip seem dark and unhappy.

In this final clip which is the ending clip to my music video I have changed the 'Brightness / Contrast' again and added the 'Greyscale' but in 'Half and Half' again. I also added 'darken' within the galleries, video effects section. I feel that these effects tie in nicely together and as this is the end of my video it is dark and bleak which represents the end. The 'Half and Half Greyscale' make the clip more dull and the darken makes it look unhappy which is what I wanted. The These effects make it seem like the actress did not have a happy ending after her relationship so I love these effects.

Research into Similar Products: Effects and Camera Angles/Shots

I have done some research into camera angles in James Bay's music videos. 

I have looked at 'Let it Go' and found this wonderful shot where the camera moves around James Bay's body from one side of his face to the other. I love this shot as it is unique and shows the setting in the clip. It also shows the lighting and doesn't just focus on the musician in the video.

I have also looked at the video 'Stealing Cars' by Bay which is very simple but has different shots in it. I love this medium close up that zooms in to a close up of Bay's face. At first the medium close up shows the surroundings and the guitar but after zooming in it focuses on the musician which I like as it makes the video more personal and central to the musician and not just the setting around him.

I have taken inspiration from this video and attempted to film my own footage including a few zooms in.