DigiPacks

A promo pack is an assortment of a band/artist's songs spread across a few CDs which are made for the purpose of sending them to record labels in hopes that they will sign them. A good promo pack includes artwork relating to the theme or moral of the song. This is important with a promo pack and a digipack (used by established artists) as it sets the mood and feel of the entire set of CDs. It can also represent something to do with the artist themselves or their genre. It is popular for a digipack cover of a single to refer or relate directly to the corresponding video as it makes it easy for the consumer to recognise and thereby purchase.

Digipaks are usually made from paperboard or card stock and are in a booklet style with plastic trays designed to hold disks on the inside. They are typically used to package DVDs and CDs. Digipacks were among the first alternatives to "jewel cases" and were used widely in the industry, with a high level of popularity in the 00s. Today they are mainly used as packaging for special edition CDs and DVD boxsets. One of the most recent albums having a digipak-only release in the US is Teenage Dream by Katy Perry. It is seen as a luxury choice, but is also prone to show signs of wear and tear sooner than it's alternatives.

This is an example of a digipack found on the internet. The band's name is in large print and is sprawled across the cover. This is as the CD it contains is a greatest hits compilation. As such, the digipack is not required to include a title. This thereby makes it easier to recognise that this is the works of the band "Tokio Hotel" as their name can be displayed in a larger font. This is a popular sales ploy for greatest hits CDs (which are often sold in digipacks for the reasons listed above). There is a symbol in the bottom right corner of the cover which, through research, i believe to be the band's logo. Located on the opposing corner seems to be their record company's logo and above this is a list of their "hit singles". This would be used in order to remind any listeners of the songs that the band had won them over with and that they have enjoyed, but also to entice any who know a few of the songs into purchasing the digipack in order to hear more. Going back to the title, the font style is worn and rough, which implies that the genre of the music is rock-orientated through it's rebellious nature. The paint splodges back this implication by adding to the sense of attitude and lack of discipline.

I chose this digipack cover as my second subject for analysis because it is that of the artist that i will be creating my own one for. The aesthetic quality that is most apparent on this cover is the fact that it is in black and white. Wether photographed this way or edited at a later stage this feature gives the cover a classical feel that is reminisent of old hollywood movies. If this is the intention then it ties in with the themes of fame in her CD titles (including this one). The way that the letter T is presented as a cross in the title hints towards a possible religious reference in her songs. The fact that she is crying(or has been crying) in this image gives me the impression that the album contains songs that express heartfelt emotions. What appears to be running mascara could also be blood, which presents the same kind of connotations. Although blood would lead me to believe in the passionate expression of emtions moreso as it carries the implied assosiations of passion and love.

This was my first initial concept art for the cover of the digipack. The model would be laid on her back on a bed with a vacant expression on her face as if to show that she is unmoved by the hands on her body. As implied by the title, the hands belong to males. The high heel on the other page has connotations of a night on the town and the fact that it has been left on its own shows not only solitude (if we are to assume that "the shoe is her") but that someone has removed it in a hurry or lost it (could be linked to sex).

I designed this cover after i first came up with the name for my digipack albumn "Spotlight". I then created the image around the name. I did this by thinking of what came to mind when i said the word spotlight. A solo singer imediately jumped out and i went from there. I thought it might be quite powerful to have just the singer on the front cover with a microphone in order to have the effect of a spotlight implied by the image. As for the back, when i was drawing the microphone lead i realised the potential for an intuitive link between front and back cover (which i personally enjoy seeing on albumn cases).

This design, as it may appear obvious, was not so successful in the transition between thought process to paper. However I thought it was a good thing to include because of this as even though i didn't manage to draw it out efficiantly, this was the design i chose to use. I kept the name of the albumn and its message of solitude, i kept the use of a bed and i kept a means of connecting the back and front covers. In doing so i like to think that i learnt from each design and was able to make progress with my ideas.

My finished digipack can be found at the web address: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B5nD0aagNZIuYzc1N2ZjOWMtMGJjMy00NTZiLWE1YWEtZjFjYjllZDcxZjA0&hl=en

...and also at: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B5nD0aagNZIuZmZmMmYxOTctNTgzNy00OTRmLWJlZTUtNDE3MGNlZGQ1YTk2&hl=en

I am pleased with the digipack i have created as it conveys the theme of the album that it has been created for. The image is one of a girl (posing as the lead singer) laying on her back on a bed with her hands lying loosely either side of her head. I chose to have the mise en scene in the picture set up in this way as i felt that it carried connotations of peace and quiet thought, which works well when it is juxtuposed with the loud pink coloured glamorous font i chose for the cover. this is also why i decided to take the photo in black and white. The image is spread across the front and back cover of the digipack for aesthetic reasons only, during enitial planning it striked me as an idea that would make the digipack appear interesting.

Mise-en-scene

Before we brainstormed or discussed any ideas for mise-en-scene for our video we decided to conduct some research on the individual components of the video. For example, in order to gain knowledge on what area we should be looking at for costume designs, we observed some of our act's previous costumes in music videos. This gave us the impression that she likes to express herself through her extravagant use of bazaar clothing. In terms of our own application of this, we felt that we would have to consider the literal implications and connotations of the lyrics in Lady Gaga's song Boys Boys Boys with the aim of achieving a similar style to her eccentricity. To get a better idea of which direction to take, we also studied a few live performances of the song we are covering. In this part of the research, we discovered that she wears a tight red leather-looking suit perhaps symbolising lust. This made me think that the lead character in our video should be wearing the same sort of attire, but with our own adaptation that includes other themes based on our understanding of the song.

The back-up dancers (who are male) would idealy have matching outfits in order to show their connection in their goal to obtain a woman (the singer) but would be contrasting to the lead. Our initial idea for the colour of their outfits was white, as this would increase the impact of the vibrant red costume of the lead.

When it comes to Lady Gaga's use of make-up, it seems as though she only uses it when she feels the need to emphasise a certain characteristic of her character. When it is used, it is very exaggerated. I don't really see the need to use much make-up in the video, as it may detract attention away from the busy scenes that we plan to include in the location of a club. If it appears as though it is neccessary however, then we would have to follow the same trends as Gaga has set and use it for a purpose to bring across a point (much like with her costumes). The lead actor would nearly always have her group of girls with her (whether dancing or not) and these would be in medium/heavy make-up as appropriate for a night out to a club looking for boys. They would also be wearing clothes for the occasion.



As i mentioned before, the setting is going to be in a club in order to match the generic convention of the genre of dance/electro and to accomadate the large amount of boys we hoped to include in the video.

Initial Ideas

In a group discussion where we communicated our ideas for the video, these were the most prominent:

Dance routines - A common theme in the artist's videos
Backup dancers costumes in contrasting colours to main dancer - In order to enhance the visual impact of the lead's costume.
Flamboyant costumes, glasses and glitter for mise en scene - To create the sense of glamour that appeals to a majority of her fans.
Opening scene: girls walking to a nightclub - An introduction into the linear narrative of a story of a night on the town.
Set in a nightclub - A suggested location for shooting (or perhaps somewhere resembling a nightclub) because this seems to be a common convention for many electro/dance videos.
A few shots of a boy in a car with a girl in the passenger seat - This could demonstrate a connection between the sexes from the start of the video.
Solo shots of the main singer e.g. Close ups, mid shots and high angle shots - To establish who the focus of the story is.

The Pitch

The Presentation:
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B5nD0aagNZIuZjliMGUyZTctMDFjMy00OTBhLTg4YWEtMzc3YjdlOTQwZmM1&hl=en

The Script:
https://docs.google.com/?hl=en&tab=wo&authuser=0&pli=1#all

The Video of the Pitch:
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B7hCr4ttDC-rY2IxNWJlNTItMjRjNy00YWI3LWJlYTgtZGE3ZTg5ZGIxY2Rj&hl=en

Copying an existing Video

Introduction to the equipment:

When being shown the camera we were informed of the procedure for mounting it to the tripod and setting up the camera itself. This consisted of flicking the switch on the plate on top of the tripod, removing it and screwing it into the base of the camera (using the appropriate whole and nipple) before slotting it back onto the top of the tripod. The stability of the camera can be adjusted via the leavers on the head of the three-legged stand in order to allow movement for a pan/crane or to secure the camera in a fixed position for static shots.

Before we did any of this though, we ensured that our class (and individual) group number was on the tapes we were using; as to make sure that they were returned to us if lost. In an attempt to prevent this though, we were reminded to remove our tapes after use. A seemingly obvious request, but this is apparently a recurring theme in the use of these cameras. After this brief explanation of procedure and equipment we were given a tour of the camera's functions that we were encouraged, and were likely, to use. These were:

White Balancing - in essence this is the act of showing the camera what white is in order for it to apply this to the other colours placed in front of it. This is done by manually showing the camera a white object in the lighting you are using. To do this you would have to access the manual setting which has an icon resembling a letter. Automatic white balancing however, has two main settings programmed in. These are the "indoor" setting (shown by an icon resembling a light bulb) and an "outdoor" setting (icon resembles the sun).

Exposure - This is the process in which you dictate how much light you want in your shot. It is achieved through the manipulation of shutter speed, iris/aperture and gain. Shutter speed changes the level of exposure through letting in a high or low amount of light, therefore changing the light in the shot. A fast shutter speed means that there will be less light; thus a darker image. On the other hand, a slower one (e.g 1/12) will have the opposite affect. I have learnt that shutter speed and aperture are more effective in attaining the needed exposure level as overuse of gain can create a grainy effect. So these two should be used first and gain should come into play as a last resort.

The video that we aim to recreate is Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus. The main camera work that we noticed were the use of different camera angles, shot types, camera movement and use of focus. The camera angles i recognised consisted of Aerial shots of the band; perhaps included to signify that this was a separate and different section to the rest of the video or to give the audience a full view of the band and their equipment. There was also a low angle shot of the lead girl's boyfriend in order to show his superiority. Emphasising this is a shot of the lead character on the floor after being knocked down by the boyfriend where we are placed on the same level as him in order to empathise with him. Also noteworthy are the eye-line matches used for the lead man when he stares at the girl of his dreams. The most eye-catching shot type would have to be the establishing shot at the begining of the video, as it sets the seen at the high-school. The camera moves quite a lot in this video as it tracks to follow the lead man in the hallway and around the band in the gym. When static, zooms are used to focus on key evnts or images. When mentioning focus it is vital that i record the use of a shallow depth of field when the camera views the lead girl.

Editing effects include the cutting from shot to shot in time with the beat of the song. This is a common convention in music videos, and is something i hope to achieve with my own project. Instantly noticeable also is the use of slow-motion for the shots of the girl in order to gain a sense of surrealism in her appearance.

When filming the video i took on the role of the main actor. We also allocated the roles of director, camera operator and supporting actors/extras. I listened to direction throughout this process in order to ensure there was fluency in the creation of our project. I occasionally offered creative input for ways in which we could achieve a similar standard of filming to the original and keep a sense of continuity. After we had filmed the shots we felt we needed (writing down the shot numbers we wished to keep in the process in order to make editing easier) we began the editing stage of our task. I felt confident in my editorial skills so i volunteered to take on final cut. With detailed instructions being given to us as a means of starting up i found it very easy to get going. The footage was captured and i used the tools at my disposal to narrow down the shots to the ones we required for the finished product. The rest of the group took turns to tackle the software also but i found myself eager to use the programme (despite the infuriating trackpad). I feel that i have gained a vital skill in learning to use final cut and will use it again in the future.

Video analysis

Other Videos by Lady Gaga:



Just Dance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Abk1jAONjw&ob=av2e



This is (by title) a dance track turned pop song, and it does well to capture the essence of both. It has a steady beat that makes it easy to dance to, and yet involving lyrics. The video shows young adults getting drunk at a party to the point where they are unable to determine where they are; which is the message of the song (loosing your inhibitions). This really demonstrates people of that age as having a need to escape the mundane and loose control every now and again. It also glamorizes this at the same time, by showing the people having an immensely good time when clearly being in the wrong in social terms. This video is aimed at individuals between the ages of 17-25 male and female who enjoy drinking as a form of socialising. This can either be middle class or working, as their is no demographic gap when it comes to this common enjoyment of alcohol abuse. Although it would appear to be stereotypically targeting the lower class as it is more "socially acceptable". The story of a drunken night is told from beginning to end of the party as the protagonist (gaga) arrives. During this time, she changes outfit several times - thus loosing a sense of realism - and is in different locations in the house lip-syncing the song whilst acting drunk and interacting with people and objects to do with the party. This gives us a feel of the scale of the party. The sheer mass of people and irresponsible behaviour at the house backs up the lyrics in conveying the meaning of the loss of care for any rules or responsibilities.



Bad Romance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I&ob=av2e


The genre of this song is the same as the last, and the general theme for the video is a representation of a lusting for an unhealthy love. This is portrayed through the use of exaggerated costumes displaying the irrationality of the lead woman. It is also shown through expressive sharp movements of the dancers creating an image of the feeling of aggression in the protagonist's desires for love. The video, in all, represents love as unconventional and perhaps unconditional in it's somewhat alternative approach. The video doesn't seem to be telling a story, yet instead does seem to be showing us someone's emotional state and an abstract variation of their experience. This is as their is no real structure or progression of events. In terms of the message of the video, it probably wouldn't be as easily grasped by the audience (i don't feel) if it wasn't for the lyrics. However, the two of them together do enhance the experience.

Target Audience

Lady gaga appears to have a major female following, this is shown by the style of magazine she is usually featured in. They are usually very high-end market fashion magazines aimed at a demographic of AB. Obviously her very expressive fashion statements can bring her fans of the indusrty who may not neccessarily be interested in her style of music. Her appeal to men can come from her sex appeal and the erotic nature of her singing, her lyrics and her movement when dancing. Although these male fans could also have a taste for abstract surreal fashion. From my own research on the website facebook.com i deduced that the average age of her fans can range from 14 onwards, yet appears to be girls between the ages of 16-25. Her audience for her music seems to resemble that of a generic pop artist.

Permission

To Whome it may concern,
I am writing to you requesting permission to gain rights to use your act's (Lady Gaga) song "Boys Boys Boys"
I aim to create a music video with this song as it's basis for my A2 media coursework

Yours faithfuly

Ben Morley

Song Choice

For this project, my group chose the song Boys Boys Boys by Lady Gaga. I felt that this song was a good selection as the basis for the video (as with the majority of the artist's songs) is quite abstract and stylistic; as such we thought that the designing and creating of this video could be quite an imaginative process which held many possibilities for creative freedom.

Here are the lyrics:

Hey there sugar baby

Saw you twice at the pop show

You taste just like glitter mixed with rock and roll

I like you a lot lot

Think you're really hot hot

I know you think you're special

When we dance real crazy

Glam-aphonic, electronic, disco baby

I like you a lot lot

All we want is hot hot

[Chorus:]

Boys boys boys

We like boys in cars

Boys boys boys

Buy us drinks in bars

Boys boys boys

With hairspray and denim

Boys boys boys

We love them!

Oh, oh

Baby is a bad boy

With some retro sneakers

Let's go see The Killers

And make out in the bleachers

I like you a lot lot

Think you're really hot hot

Let's go to the party

Heard our buddy's the DJ

Don't forget my lipstick

I left it in your ashtray

I like you a lot lot

All we want is hot hot

[Chorus]

I'm not loose, I like to party

Let's get lost in your Ferrari

Not psychotic or dramatic

I like boys and that is that

Love it when you call me legs

In the morning buy me eggs

Watch your heart when we're together

Boys like you love me forever

Oh, oh, oh, oh

[Chorus x2]

We love them!

[Chorus]

(We love them!)

Exploring Music Video

In this post i will evaluate four very different music videos. These should have been from a documentary, but (as i was absent for the lesson when these were shown to the class) i was instructed to find my own examples. These are the four songs i chose:








1. Stay too long - Plan B



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wauIGhax9xg







The genre of this song is mainly rap orientated, however in the beginning it gives the impression of an indie song ressembling an acoustic guitar style used in bands such as the kooks. There also seems to be a very distinct soul theme to the song (as with many of his others of late). The video appears to be telling the same story that the artist is singing about, and that is a story of the lead singer on a night out with the lads which appears to be going well at first. This deceptive sequencde of first shots ties in well with the use of musical style at the beginning, as it is missleading to the listener (as is the use of suits worn by the characters in order to display sophistication). This first scene is juxstuposed with the next consisting of the same people out on the town, creating noise, and getting drunk; it is also coupled with the introduction of the rapping segment.



There is a clear representation of men in their teens to twenties having a huge urge to have fun in the most self-destructive way possible. The lyrics also back this idea up with the singer's confessions throughout the story of cheating on his girlfriend and not caring about anything else except having fun. It appears that during the chorus he is talking about the fact that events such as this always happen to him and that he is aware that it's his fault (perhaps this is heinsight talking) however in the verses he is rapping about a specific (or perhaps generic) occasion where he messed things up by "Staying too long".



Maybe the meaning that he is trying to communicate is that we should heed his warning and not repeat his actions, as they will inevitably lead to disaster (as proven in the video through the result of his night out). I feel this does make sense, however i think that he is just sharing a story with the audience for them to make of it as they will. The audience will most likely be large as it should consist of people of a similar age group who can relate to the story being told (male 15-30), fans of rap, fans of indie music who enjoy altenative approaches and also possibly those into music with a soul theme. Due to the rap side of the track i would guess that the main viewers would be working class.



2. I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRVNYb30nxU

This song falls into the rock genre and is a representation of fools in love who will do anything to keep that love. This is made apparent through the use of a space adventure symbolic of the difficult journey some embark on for the one they love. It's very parodical in this, and doesn't take itself too seriously showing itself to be quite comical in nature. The narrative helps to paint this picture of nonsensical use of monsters in space through the lyrics of the song. A line from the song states the main man: "Can't explain all these feelings that you're making me feel"
The potential audience of this song would be rock fans (due to the nature of the genre); quite a young audience of 13-30 and prodominantly male. This is because older and younger viewers would not appreciate the sexual inuendos used in the video, and males find these sort of refferences humorous. It would also be mostly working class viewers/listoners as it is quite a rebellious form/style of music.
The meaning or moral that i can grasp from this video is the afore mentioned persistance for the sake of (and confusing effect of) love. The video communicates this meaning, i feel quite clearly, by deciding to make the overall presentation very comedic. This achieves in the delivery of the message as it is very easy to digest, and the over-the-top props used on set create an unrealistic world that works as a metaphor for the effects love can have on people and the somewhat literal extent (travelling through space) that people will go to for a chance at love.

3. I Want to Break Free - Queen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM8Ss28zjcE&feature=related

This song is also rock in genre and is slightly comedic in its stlye, yet this sense of comedy is more outrageous and obvious; it is not reliant on sexual inuendo. In this video, the band play the roles of the characters who are intentionally breaking the classic representation/stereotype of "housewives". They achieve this by them themselves dressing as women to do the household chores. The lip-sync to the song whilst doing this and the lyrics explain their need to "Break free" in the video they are doing so by dressing as women, but a double meaning is that the women that they are playing want to break free from their everyday chores. This is the meaning that is most prodominant. The audience for this appears as though it could be very large, this is as it appeals to both men (who would find the situation humorous and stereotypically like rock moreso than women) and women (who would be interested to see the portrayal of their gender and find it humorous also). Queen have quite a vast fanbase anyway, but they do genrally appeal to an older generation of perhaps 30+ and male today. Usually it would be associated with working class also, as it is quite a rebellious form of music.

Introduction to task

This coursework task is a development of the skills i have aquired from the previous AS task, and has the primary objective of resulting in me having created a complete music video for an existing song. Throughout i will be analysing and annotating different aspects of the choices and decisions i have made to reach that goal.

You will find my previous blog by following this link: http://sdcmediaasbenmorley.blogspot.com