Thursday, 20 September 2012

Location and Props List

Bedroom Location:


Dressing Table
Bed












Props:
Record player
Mirror
Lipstick
Shoes
Perfume Bottles - Chanel No.5 
Fan
Black Balloon
Phone
Chess Board
Rose
Monopoly

Outfit One:
Pale Pink/White Dress
White/Nude Shoes
50's Style Make-up - Bright Red Lipstick
Long Wavy Hair - Bow/Clip in hair

Outfit Two:
Pale Pink/White Dress
White/Nude Shoes
50's Style Make-Up - Bright Pink Lipstick
Hair in Rollers

Garden Location:

Bench
















Props:
Cigarette Holder
Rose

Outfit:
Black Dress
50's make-up/Bright Pink Lipstick

Long 50's style hair

Ed's Dinner Location:
















At a Table

















At the Bar

















Props:
Burger and Milkshake
Lipstick
Mirror

Outfit:
Black Dress
50's make-up/Bright Pink Lipstick
Long 50's style hair

Monday, 17 September 2012

Pitch Feedback & Evaluation



From presenting our pitch and receiving feedback we have learnt that the key element to make our video a success with our 50s styled theme is the mise-en-scene. This should be communicated through both outfits and setting. Therefore we understand from feedback that it may be difficult to replicate 50s style settings in a natural environment so we will have to create with the mise-en-scene the appearance of going back in time. A key location we will then consider is a 50s style diner that we can film in which would make the video and artist appearance more believable. Other locations we considered was a rose garden to symbolise love, a old fashioned style house and garden which would include accessories such as bunting and a cigarette holder for effect. Resultantly, we have created a list of props we may require including items of clothing to buy and locations which we will further research into. 

Also we have decided from our research and feedback that we will follow the genre category of amplification to represent both the lyrics but still have a surrealistic approach. Therefore we will not follow a specific narrative but interpret the lyrics and the title 'Living Dead' to create a metaphorical video that takes inspiration from artists that have passed away but continue to live on in terms of pop culture. 

We are happy that are target market of 16-24 is the correct choice for the style and genre of our music video, with the retro look appealing to the modern, fashionable female market. However, through our feedback we have learnt that the glamorous and provocative representation of the female artist within the video would also appeal to a young male audience, so we should also take this into consideration during filming to always have a glamorous style.

Monday, 10 September 2012

Analysis of Other Texts


Marina and the Diamonds 'Hollywood':



Here I have added three screen shots (above) of shots that we particularly like. The first one is effective as the extreme close up draws attention to the lyrics and is also easy to replicate if we were to do it ourselves. My focusing on the lips it also is very provocative and would fit in well with our brand. To make it even more effective we could speed up the lyrics whilst recording and then later slow down in editing to give it a slow effective. The second is a close up shot of the artist lying on the floor and gives the video a unique look, adding to the variety of shots. On the third shot we particularly like how the artist has been positioned to the left third of the screen and the way she is sitting which makes her look innocent. From this video we have considered the importance of a continual colour scheme, such as the red, white and blue in this one. The colour theme is reflected in the mise-en-scene and set as well to make the variety of the shots match together. Also the costume used follow this and puts emphasis on the artist, adding to her on trend but unique style. In terms of lighting we like the use of spotlights focusing on the artist and the background is left darker and out of focus.

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Lana Del Rey 'Summertime Sadness'




In the first screen shot footage is being projected over the artist whilst she remains stationary. We particularly like the lighting in this as it creates an almost ghostly shadow on the wall but the colour saturation gives it an old fashioned style shot with a small grain. The second screen shot we have taken inspiration from as the spotlight is now used behind the artist to create an angelic glow behind her. The third also gives an amateur style as it uses overexposed lighting during filming to manipulate the appearance of the artist to make her appear ghostly as she walks towards the camera. It also makes her outfit stand out whilst the background remains dark and dull. Throughout these images you can see a constant overlay on the image from the top left of the screen which shows a red glow to give it a retro and solid contrast; helping the variety of shots to appear matching. These shots would also be easy to 
replicate ourselves for our artist.
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Ellie Goulding 'Your Song'


We chose this video as we like the the shot types and shot style within the video. For example in the first screen shot we chose this close up as the lighting completely saturated the clear shot of the artist, resulting in a soft blue style overlay. In the second shot we chose this section as the seconds of the video had been shortened down to make it appear as if it were filmed on a camera of lower quality and made the shot appear old fashioned, recording a person's memories. For the final shot we also liked the unusual addition of the feet within the grass. We could perhaps manipulate this ourselves to fit our artist by perhaps instead using heels to suit to style of our artist, Lexi and the Spectrum.

Sunday, 9 September 2012

Audience Profile and Evaluation

Name: 
Sian Lynes

Gender:
Female

Age: 17

Occupation: 
Student

Background:
I am currently at college studying Media, Art and English. I have a huge passion for music, mainly from the pop and indie pop genres. My two main hobbies are art and fashion, I enjoy keeping up to date with the latest trends as well as exploring old trends and cultures. I use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to share and discuss current media revelation and artists I like with other fans, as well as follow and keep up to date with artists that I listen to. I regularly go to concerts and gigs of artists that I am a fan of which I enjoy and also buy artist merchandise to be a part of the experience. I like to explore and listen to new artists who are quite unique and bring something new to their genre; I also like to explore older artists, from which many current artists source inspiration. I mainly like artists which have a unique style and put on an elaborate and memorable live performance. Some examples of artists that I like include Marina and the Diamonds, Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga, Pink Floyd, Ellie Goulding, Maroon 5, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, James Brown and Florence and the Machine. In my spare time I go out with my friends and I also have a part time job, in a small, indie music and clothing store which I fit in after college. I also buy music magazines such as Q and fashion magazines that regularly feature artists such as ELLE and read tabloid papers to keep updated with celebrity gossip and read interviews with artists that I like to keep involved.

Ambitions: 
In the future I aim to get a job in media, focusing mainly within fashion or art. I enjoy both these subjects and I will be going to University to study one of them. I will also stay at my part time job as I enjoy working there and the experiences I gain. 

Musical preferences: 
Mainstream Pop, Indie Pop, Alternative.

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Evaluation:
From this audience profile we have found that this is the ideal audience to appeal to and would also fit into our previously desired target market range of young females aged 16-24. However, although our video and artist will be catergorised as Indie Pop we can also appeal to a larger market by including mainstream pop culture elements in our branding. This can be done by focusing entirely on the artist within the video to follow pop genre conventions to appeal on a wider scale which would create an appeal to both males and females aged 16-24. By directing our artist at this market we would be able to use social networking sites to involve our audience and promote the video and digipack as the audience will be able to quickly share the video with friends to spread word of mouth. By having the artist also fitting into the age range the audience will be able to easily relate to them and are more likely to enjoy the contemporary song.

Wednesday, 5 September 2012

Artist Profile: Website

LEXI AND THE SPECTRUM OFFICIAL WEBSITE

I have created a website for our artist using www.wix.com. I will update this website throughout the coursework and progression of the products to showcase the artist and her album's release.

Artist Profile

Lexi and the Spectrum


Alexa Crystal Smith (born 20th June 1989), most commonly known by her stage name 'Lexi and the Spectrum', is a West London born and bred singer-songwriter. In 2010, she rose into the spotlight with her debut album, Spectra Heart, which reached the top 5 album chart. Her debut single, Optical, went to No. 1 in the UK and Ireland. After the success of her first studio album, she released her second extended play, Spectra Soul EP, with the help of 679 Recordings. In 2011, she was signed to Atlantic Records in her bid to gain global success, and announced she would be releasing her second album, Ghosts, in late 2012. The much anticipated album is due to release in December, along with her single, Living Dead.

Her stage name, Lexi and the Spectrum, consits of her nickname, Lexi, and the Spectrum, taken from the idea of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album cover, this is representional of her inspiration to become a singer-songwriter as a child.