Digipak Reaseach: Cover Ideas

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

This is the album cover of Vampire Weekend's self named album. I like the simplicity of this cover and the basic sepia colour scheme; these factors give the album a statement cover with a unique and retro/vintage feel. I think this style, and simple layout would work well with the artists style and album theme.
The colour scheme and vintage feel would also match the retro/vintage 1950's style of the video and artist within the video, therefore clearly showing the style of the artist and music.Here I have created a mock up of a cover idea, copying the Vampire Weekend album for our my artist 'Lexi and the Spectrum'. I have used the same colour scheme and basic layout with the artist name and album name in block capitals and the centre of the cover. The image I have used for this mock-up was one I found on the internet. 

I have also created my own version which takes the idea of a photo of a basic object; in this case a 1950's phone, which relates to a prop used within our music video as well as the era we have based our video on and the era from which the artist is inspired. The picture used for this was also one I found on the internet, but also one that could be easily re-created. I like the brighter appearance of this cover idea and the fact there is more relevance to the object.

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Pink Floyd - Dark Side of The Moon

I also like the simplicity of this album cover for Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon'. This album was one of the influences of our artist from the 1950's. I therefore think a reference to this album/artist would be relevant and representational of the artist influences . I also like the idea of the 'spectrum' as this ties in with the name of my artist; therefore I could take this element and incorporate it into my cover and digipak designs.

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Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

I really like the ideas used within all eight of the varied Arcade Fire cover artwork for 'The Suburbs' album. The theme of vintage effect, film photographs with a gain effect works really well and gives the album a unique look that reflects the music of the artist. This also matches the vintage feel within out music video and would therefore work for my artist 'Lexi and the Spectrum'.
I have created a mock-up cover taking inspiration from both of these Arcade Fire covers. I took the idea of a car and found an image on the internet of a 1950's mercedes benz. As I really like the simplicity of the black and white 'The Suburbs' album cover, I used a black and white image of the car. I also used the idea of plain white text over the top of the image from the second Arcade Fire cover, however I added in shadowing on the text to reflect the album title 'Ghosts'. 

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Katy Perry - Teenage Dream and One of the Boys

I really like the style of Katy Perry's album covers, I think they have a really fun and pop feel that reflect both the music and the artist herself. This is the kind of feel I want my digipak and advert to have. I want to achieve this by combining the bright colours and fun feel with retro and vintage elements, such as props, costume or colours. I intend to use the idea of a 'logo' for the artist's name. Here, I have created a basic mock-up of the kind of logo I intend to make for my artist, this one was created using a font I found that is very similar to the one used here in Katy Perry's logo. I like the colourful and fun appearance that this logo has, however I think it could better fit the 1950's retro and vintage theme with some alterations.

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Marina and the Diamonds - Electra Heart, The Family Jewels and Singles

Marina and the Diamonds' albums all have a really unique look. They have a theme of using one main image of the artist herself and an interesting and unique text. 

 

Animatic Story Board

Story Board

Risk Assessment for Production

RISK ASSESSMENT

LIGHTING AND ELECTRONICS

1. When using lighting ensure all plugs are inserted correctly and are not loosely fitted
2. Check bulbs work before inserting them into a live stand.
3. Ensure all wires are not tangled and to the side of any walkways - make all personnel aware  of wires and their location before filming.
4. Do not keep lighting and bulbs on without supervision or they could overheat and set a light.
5. Make sure all stands are turned and stable as they could fall over.
6. If using lighting outside with an extension lead ensure that area is dry or covered to avoid damaging the cables and/or causing a fuse.
7. Do not cover with any textiles or open raw materials.
8. Ensure stands are fully attached and twisted to the furthest possible point to make sure they remain stable throughout filming.

VIDEO CAMERA & CAMERA

1. Make sure video camera is fully attached to the tripod before filming.
2. Safely pack away and check video camera is fully functional before and after filming.
3. Keep fingers clear of closing tripod - close the tripod slowly to avoid injury.

LOCATION: THE MAIN BEDROOM

1. Ensure all occupants, directors and actors are aware of all fire exits and call points before filming.
2. Do not run on set as this could result in a fall and injury.
3. Do not cover electronics with any textiles furnishings.
4. Ensure when using make-up equipment electronics such as hair straighteners and curlers that they are kept on a solid flat surface and under supervision whilst turned on and plugged in. Make sure they are turned off and moved aside to cool down after use.
5. Do not block fire exits with props or equipment such as suitcases or unused lighting equipment
6. Refer back to all relevant LIGHTING AND ELECTRONICS risk assessment also when using these.
7. Do not leave any props or equipment on the floor as this could is extremely accident-prone if stepped on
8. Do not leave any sharp items such as knifes, scissors or equipment open and ensure they are put away efficiently and safely.

LOCATION: GARDENS

1. Make sure all lighting cables are suitable for outdoor use, if weather is wet ensure cables and plugs are covered safely with a water-proof cover
2. Make sure areas for smoking are safely with no open flammable materials that could set alight if in contact with loose ash e.g. wood or bark
3. Make sure cigarette lighter is safely put away and closed after use and not left on the floor which could be stepped on and broken
4. Ensure cigarette is firmly in the cigarette holder when using the prop

LOCATION: THE DINER

1. Ensure all spills are mopped up immediately.
2. Do not run - especially as tiles could be slipped on, ensure floor is not wet.
3. Refer back to all relevant VIDEO CAMERA & CAMERA risk assessment also when in this location.
4. Make sure filming equipment etc creates no threats or hazards to other people on location as this is an area open to the public.

Examples of Pop Genre Conventions

Here is an example I have found of media products from the pop genre that both conform and challenge the conventions I found within the pop genre:

Album Artwork

Poster Advertisement

Colour Pallet

Katy Perry's album art work, used throughout her campaign, is all very united and has a clear and recognisable appearance, conforming to the pop genre conventional use of a strong theme. The theme and individual products themselves also all conform to the idea of bright colours and a fun appearance, with the main colour pallet containing bright blues, pinks, reds and white. The whole campaign also has a heavy emphasis on it's sweet/candy based theme, conforming to the pop genre convention of a fun appearance. Katy Perry's album theme is also reflected within her costume as she wears bright colours within her music video, however the costumes themselves do not conform to the conventional idea of the artist wearing mainstream clothing as Katy Perry wears candy-related outfits within her video, this does however match the theme and therefore develops the convention to create a unique appearance for the artist.

The video itself has a very fun and exciting overall look as it carries on with the bright colours and candy theme, it also has a really lighthearted and upbeat appearance that matches that of the upbeat song and lyrics within it. This conforms to ideas that pop genre songs are often fun and upbeat as this is something that appeals to a younger audience. The video also conforms to the idea of having a heavily performance based pop genre video as the artist is featured throughout the video and sings/lip syncs for the majority of the song. However, there are elements of the video that challenge or develop conventions more than they conform to them, for example, the video does not contain a 'performance' in which the artist has performs a choreographed dance, nor is there a strong narrative theme formed by the meaning behind the lyrics. Instead interest is created within the video in a more creative and unique way, challenging the conventional 'performance' pop genre video base and focusing more on the theme.

Music Video (California Gurls, Album Single):

Pop Genre Conventions

As part of my research I have use the internet to find the conventions of pop genre music videos, how they are used and why. This research will help to give me ideas on features to include within my music video and ancillary texts. Conforming to these conventions will help me to improve the authenticity of my work as pop genre media products. It will also give me ideas of conventions that I may wish to either develop or challenge. 

• I have found that pop genre music videos are heavily performance based with the artist/band lip syncing for the majority if not the whole song. This is something we plan to include within our video as it helps to place emphasis on the artist and will work well alongside our theme as it will also help to emphasis costume and other elements of our mise-en-scene that enhance and emphasise the overall theme. There for conforming to this convention should work well within our video. Examples of this include 'Wings' by Little Mix and 'Love Today' by Mika:

• The artist is almost always present within the video, featured in some shape or form. This is a convention we will conform to as we plan to make our artist the main focus throughout the video.
• Pop genre videos often also incorporate a 'performance' most commonly in the form of dance or a story that reflects the meaning of the lyrics, however I think that a 'performance' element within our music video wouldn't work very well, as the song we have chosen does not allow very well for dancing, nor do the lyrics contain a strong narrative meaning, therefore this is a convention we are likely to challenge within our video. Examples for narrative include 'Wide awake' by Katy Perry and 'If I Were A Boy' by Beyonce:

Examples of dance performance videos include 'Born This Way' by Lady Gaga, 'Fight For This Love' by Cheryl Cole, and "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)' by Beyonce:

• I have also found that the majority of pop videos have a very bright overall tone and hue to them, and the artists costume is often bright mainstream clothing. If the lyrics/mood of the video is of a sadder nature then the overall tone of the video is often brought down a little, however the overall look will often still be considerably brighter in comparison to that found within other genres. Regarding our video, as the lyrics of the song we have chosen have a sadder feel, we will most likely have duller overall appearance within the video. This would therefore develop upon the convention as does not entirely conform but it does not challenge it either, instead we will take the convention and build upon it with our convention challenging ideas to create a duller overall appearance with some focus on brighter colours such as red, which will appear as a highlighted colour within the video. The costume used within our video will challenge these conventions as, although we plan to use bright colours such as the red motif colour within our costume, our artist will not be dressed in current trend/mainstream clothing. Instead we will be using 1950's style costuming that relates to our theme, as current clothing would look out of place in our 1950's themed mise-en-scene. This will also help to enhance the overall theme we have throughout all our media products. Examples include 'Waterfalls' by Stooshe and 'Troublemaker' by Olly Murs feat. Flo Rida:

• Generally, pop genre videos also have a fun or lighthearted feel/mood as this appeals to a younger audience, broadening the artists target audience. The song we have chosen has a sadder mood and therefore challenges this convention, however, the overall appearance we plan to create within our video and ancillary texts will help to soften the sadder meaning behind the lyrics of the song and focus on the upbeat melody and fun/bright appearance of the artist herself. This will conform and further develop this convention. Examples include 'Live While We're Young' by One Direction, 'Call Me Maybe' by Carly Rae Jepsen and 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' by Taylor Swift:

Narrative Theories and Conventions

The Star Image is important as the artist's personality and style have to be promoted but continually adapted and changed to meet audience needs and preferences. So for example, by adopting our 50s style mise-en-scene this manipulates the artist's image with the new single to broaden the appeal to new fan bases by adopting a new style that they may like more than their previous music video images.

Again, the Audio-Visual Technical Codes are again relevant due to the changing pace of the bass within the song and the extended vowels and consonants of long lines in comparison to the shorter chorus lines. The camera shots therefore during the chorus feature more close ups and extreme close-ups especially during the lines which require vocalisation. Whereas the verses contain longer seconds during each shots and shots that are further away such as long shot or extreme long shot that do not require any vocalisation so it is not as important to focus on the mouth. The camera movements follow more active actions during the chorus such as twirling of the dresses or fast poses of the star with hand-held action shots; whereas during the verses the camera movement is more stable with a tripod or more controlled hand-held shots.

Straus's Theory of Narrative can be applied to our music video as we will use the binary opposites of both location and the style of our star. For example, in terms of location we will switch between outside shots and inside shots to meet our genre category of amplification but also portray our 50s theme better. In terms of mise-en-scene we will change from a bright pink dress in the indoor scenes to a black dress and a white faux when our star is outside. This contrast will be effective for our amplifcation narrative. 

Todorov's Theory of Narrative could also be applied to the cut between the performance and narrative. This is because as the video progresses from the location of the bedroom to a perfect 'equilibrium' state of mind to a disequilibrium that is formed as the star becomes more frustrated with her apparent 'lonely' lifestyle which would later be evident in the diner as she sits alone. However, the leave interpretation and stick the conventions of the genre category of amplification a new equilibrium will not be formed but will instead return back to shots in the room in the final chorus where the previous equilibrium began.

Therefore this can also relate to Barthe's Theory of Narrative by using the Enigma Code which will leave the audience questioning the artist's life at the end of the video and how, if ever, her lonely state would be resolved. Also, the Semantic Code could also be applied as we will use different mise-en-scene to represent different emotions or foreshadowing. For example, red lipstick and clothing that will be used may reflect her sexuality and obsession with fame but may also suggests that this will lead to her death - such as with other icons like Marilyn Monroe.