Lyric Video Idea....

Hi everyone,

For my lyric video I will be including my fireworks from the footage that I previously filmed in November, with the initial hope to include it within my main music video. However, through early editing processes I have discovered that the contrast of it, along with the urban and rural settings, doesn't really fit well with the music video and instead felt like it was blocked on. On the other hand, the lyric video still allows me to use this footage and make it still relevant within the concept of 'Seeing Stars' relating back to my original ideas within my pitch.

I have also used a star-shaped sparkler, which will be the main and constant footage throughout my lyric video in order to keep the simplicity aspect which I want to go for so that the viewer focuses on the lyrics more. This will also make it contrast well from my main music video intentions - making them stand separately as well as together with the intertextual references of the 'Stars' involved in both video (within my music video from the star graphics, and within the star-shaped sparkler for my lyric video).

I will be also including more fireworks to coincide with the songs change in tempo and to link in with particular lyrics, for example the lyrics:'Brighter than ever', I will include an overlay over the star sparkler of a large firework symbolising this lyric to make it more prominent to the viewer.

I also plan to change the colour of the fireworks throughout by using colour correction techniques in order to make the music video more fun and to link in further with the youthful and summer vibe, with bright colours representing this.

Star Sparkler:

The lyric video will be coming soon!



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Lyric Video Analysis....

Hi everyone,

Today I decided to do a lyric video analysis, as I am hoping to do a lyric video as part as my package alongside my main music video.

I have researched and I am inspired by these lyric videos - here is my analysis:


The Chainsmokers - 'Closer' Lyric Video:



Within this lyric video it is clear that the song is a 'summer' song, with the beat and vibe complimenting the mise-en-scene well. This video takes the idea of love and transforms it into a visionary aspect of summer paradise and fantasy. Therefore, even though the artists are not included within the lyric video, it still forms the idea of the song being out of reach and extraordinary for the viewer, but the concept of love is something ordinary for the viewer to relate to - linking to Richard Dyer's Star Theory. The concept of the music video could also relate to the idea to show love as some sort of fantasy, or when you are in love, life becomes a paradise. 

The colour contrast within this lyric video is very bright connoting happy vibes - linking to the genre of the song being dance/electronic and the time of release being summer. Therefore, considering that my song also connotes a summer vibe I would like to include the same sunny settings created through the use of colour. However, this is particularity a problem with my main music video as it includes a lot of outside shots, and considering that the filming time is through the winter period this may be unlikely and I will have to colour correct immensely in order to get a similar effect. However, when looking at my lyric video, ideas that I am considering are to include fireworks and making it simplistic and not over complicated, which is in contrast to my music video which will include fast paced cuts. Therefore, colour correction within my lyric video should not be a problem to make the setting more like a fantasy and instead colour correction might only be used to help change the colour of fireworks if necessary. 


The Chainsmokers - 'Closer' Music Video:



Here it is clear that the music video is completely different in comparison to the original lyric video. Firstly, it is noticeable that the artists are present within the main music video, linking to Andrew Goodwin's conventions 'The Demands of the Record Label'. The narrative of the two videos are different, as the lyric video is more of a paradise and fantasy with two people in love, whereas the music video takes a more realistic approach to the idea of being love where they are driving each other apart. This is probably because their are no restrictions to the video content as lyrics are no longer a problem therefore focuses more on the artist and the story, also lip syncing is introduced making the artist to have a connection with their song.

Within this music video the colour correction adds a very dark and mysterious tone, reflecting upon a more tragic love story which is being portrayed. However, there are some implications of still including that summer vibe through the use of pool shots - therefore linking back to the lyric video within the sense.

The music video itself connotes more of a narrative ultimately dividing both music videos. Even though my music video is more performance based my videos will still be seen as individual as my lyric video will be including fireworks, as I want to heavily reflect upon the 'Seeing Stars' concept more. Whereas, my music video will include the artist, which I think is important as it allows the artist to stay connected with their song, and shows the audience who the artist is - linking to The Chainsmokers 'Closer' music video.


Ed Sheeran - 'Shape of You' Lyric Video:


This music video is graphically visual - with the same concept repeating itself particularly surrounding the chorus of the song. The graphics add a unique sense of visuals and link in with the lyrics of the song well, giving the audiences a good guide to follow. I am going to include graphics within my main music video, in order to keep the audience engaged within the lyrics as well as the visuals like this lyric video does.

The lyrics within this lyric video are entwined throughout the graphics/drawing of the video, incorporating them further within the lyrics and visuals aspect (linking to Andrew Goodwin 'Linking lyrics with visuals'). Even though this would be interesting and great to put into my own lyric video and it would work well with my chosen song, I think by including the use of subtle fireworks focuses the viewer onto the lyrics more, but I will accentuate certain sections of my songs lyrics by including more fireworks when necessary, for example within the lyrics: 'You've got me seeing stars' I will include an overlay of more fireworks to represent this further.


Ed Sheeran - 'Shape of You' Music Video:



In contrast to the lyric video, the music video is entirely different, taking a different spin on the songs connotations of a sexual meaning and instead portrays a sporty approach within the music video. This implies a much more family friendly vibe, as Ed Sheeran has really an open audience. Therefore, is not taking the music video down a provocative route to which the song can be portrayed as. My music video is aimed towards a 13 - 24 year age group, therefore I would like to keep my lyric video within the same bracket, therefore I think that the fireworks adds a fun and youthful vibe to the lyric video, which I am thinking of including within my lyric video.

This music video also includes humour towards the end, which I would like to include within my main music video to add amusement throughout referring to the fun vibes of my song. However, I would like to include this humour throughout the video to make it funnier and more intriguing for the viewer, as my music video will be performance based - making the humour an important feature.


I will be discussing my lyric video ideas soon.


Hope you enjoyed reading!

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CD Inner Leaflet Print-out Practise....

Hi everyone,

After choosing my photos for my CD inner design, I decided to print it out to make sure that the layout was correct before adding the lyrics on top. This is because the CD inner is confusing when putting it together, as when using the template given on Photoshop, the images that are placed next to each other will not be next to each other in the booklet, due to the way the booklet needs to be put together.

CD Inner Print-out practise:

Front cover:

 Pages 1 - 2:

 Pages 3 - 4:

 Pages 5 - 6:

 Centre Pages:

 Pages 7 - 8:

 Pages 9 - 10:

 Thanks you Pages:

 Back Cover:

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Images for CD Inner....

Hi everyone,

Here are the images that I am going to be using for my CD Inner:

I chose these images because they provide varied shots similar to my music video, allowing for a similar and continuous style throughout my media products. When editing these together in the Photoshop template, I will be also thinking about the order that the images would have to go in, in order to look right next to each other, for example, it would look odd to have an urban location next to a rural one. Therefore, I will do a practise print out booklet in order to make sure that everything looks right before printing off my final CD Inner.

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CD Inner Analysis....

Hi everyone,

I decided to look at real media examples of CD Inner layout designs, as I will be making one myself in the future to coincide with my artists package.




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CD Inner Leaflet Research....

Hi everyone,


Today I decided to take a further look into the key features that make up the liner notes/booklet within the CD packaging:



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CD Back Cover Selection....

Hi everyone,

Whilst trying to decide on my CD back cover, it came down to two of the shots from what I took at Salford, in order for it to contrast well with my front cover photo:

First choice:

Second choice:

I chose both of these photos because of their dark setting, therefore, these photos would be perfect when adding writing on top of the list of songs on the album. Also, both of these photos contrast well with the same evening setting along with the blue and yellow colour balance which is also included within my front cover.

I decided to go with my first choice because it contrasted well with my front cover - showing the back of the artists, whereas the front cover shows the front of the artist in the same position - therefore, defining the front and the back cover well. Whereas, my second choice for my back cover wouldn't have integrated with this concept just as well.

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BORNS - CD Front Cover - Editing Practise....

Hi everyone,

Whilst on the production for my music video I took photos within different areas in order for myself to have a wide selection of photos to choose from when it came to producing my CD Front Cover. However, when looking back on them I decided upon one particular photo suitable for my CD front cover. Within this photo, the artist is looking into the distance with the camera slightly tilted up towards the artist, which ultimately makes them seem more powerful and superior - which is important within the music industry in order the stand out. Colour correction is often used within image editing software like Photoshop, in order to make the photos look more pristine and vivid, making it look more attractive to the viewer.

The overall positioning of the photo works well, as the subject is central, giving me plenty of room to make adjustments (cropping) the image in order to fit in with the template of the CD Front Cover. By planning this ahead will therefore make it easier for me in post-production.


Using the 'Miniature Effect' during production:

I have taken the following photos on my DSLR 5300 camera using the 'Miniature Effect' mode, which ultimately makes the colours more vivid, giving me already a colour corrected image during post-production, which made it easier for me to edit in post-production for that vivid colour.

The 'Miniature Effect' also blurs the surrounding edges of the frames of the camera, which draws the viewers attention onto the subject - highlighting the artist further the viewer as the eye are instantly drawn to them.

Therefore, I have used this effect when taking the photos for my CD Front Cover.


Here are the possibilities for my CD Front Cover:

Picture 1:
As you can see the surrounding edges of the frame are blurred, due to the 'Miniature Effect', with the colours more vivid than usually. I have then tried to explore with colour further and have tried to make the image have a blue and green tinged. However, the end results forms an image representing a more dark and dingy vibe than the youthful and fun vibe I am going for. Therefore, I will not be using this image as my CD Front Cover.

Picture 2:
This edited image is better than Picture 1, as it is brighter with added tints of purple highlighting the subject further. However, the image is still too dark, which develops the perception of the artist being closed in, opposite to my intentions. I want to open up the artist by brightening up the colours and the image further - which is what I have done in Picture 3. Therefore, I will not be using this image as my CD Front Cover.

Picture 3:

This is personally my favourite from the three, as the brightness of the image is heightened from Picture 2, which ultimately uplifts the viewers perception of the artists music, as it connotes more of a happy vibe which is suitable for younger ages - relating to my target audience being 13 - 24 year old. The highlights of the purple within the sky contrast well with the tone of the subjects skin, making the subject look like they are glowing, ultimately making them look superior and are highlighted further.

Therefore, I will be using the image for my CD Front Cover. 

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CD Front and Back Cover Templates....

Hi everyone, 

Here is the CD Front and Back cover template that I will be using:

I have chosen to do it on the Photoshop version of the template as I am comfortable with the software, and it allows me to overlay the artists name and the title of the album onto it easily - which will give me the confidence to create a successful final product.
Also, the guide line presented on the template, allows me to easily make the product the right size without the need for trial and improvement - allowing for a quicker production.

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CD Front Cover Analysis'....

Hi everyone,

Today I decided to do a CD front cover analysis for Indie Pop styled covers from professional artists:

Lana Del Rey's Album Cover - 'Born to Die':



Troye Sivan's Album Cover - 'Blue Neighbourhood':



I will be taking inspiration from these CD front cover when making my own, especially because these artist are associated with the genre of Indie and Pop - which is the concept of my music video and brand concept.


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CD Front Cover - Analysis....

Hi everyone,


Today I decided to do an analysis on a CD front cover in regards to the features that I researched within my previous post.
Therefore, I decided to analyse Jason Derulo's album 'Tattoos', as I found that it has a lot of these existing features and more interesting visuals and imagery through illustration:





Overall, this CD front cover artwork has given me a few ideas myself when incorporating the songs on the album though illustrated images on the front cover that are easily recognisable. Therefore, I might try to incorporate this idea into my own artwork on the cover, and possibly throughout the theme of outside life, as this further links itself to my recent idea of overlaying graphics on top of my final music video for Borns - 'Seeing Stars'. This graphics can then be produced throughout the artwork, brand and packaging of my artist.



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CD Conventions....

Hi everyone,

Considering that I am going to be creating a CD Package I decided to look into general conventions in order to help me through the process.

Here are some conventions of a CD Package:

Convention of front covers:

• Simplistic colour scheme
• A simplistic design
• Few or no characters
• Use of a different colour for the band name compared to the name of the artist
• Hidden meanings
• Bold and simple fonts for the artist name
• Similar or entirely different font for the album title
• Age restriction if necessary - due to regualtions
• Close-ups or mid-shots of the artist - brings focus on them
• Direct address – artist looking straight at the camera
• Indirect address makes the artist look rebellious, disconnected or mysterious
• Font representing genre of music, e.g. sharped edged font connotes the genre of rock
• Specific logo of artist lets them stand out more

·          

Coventions of back covers:

• Name of the artist at the top
• Name of album beneath the artists name
• List of song titles which are usually are centred
• Barcode in the bottom right hand corner
• Name of record company
• Copyright and who owns the copyrighted material
• Who the album had been distributed by

Conventions of inner:

• Colour scheme that is the same as the rest of the album
• Blank, plain backgrounds
• No characters, i.e. from music videos
• 'Thank You's' from the artist
• Producers and everyone involved within the production of the album
• A few images of the artist
• A centred page or inserted poster of the artist
• Song lyrics of the songs on the album

Conventions of spines:

• Name or logo of the record company
• Name of artist
• Name of album
• Use simplistic fonts and make it a continuous font throughout your packaging

When making my CD Package I will consider these convention throughout, I might even challenge them in order to come up with something different and unique in order to make my CD Package stand out more to the viewer/consumer.

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I

Calendar Merchandise....

Hi everyone,

What artist tend to do is release an annual calendar of themselves for fans to purchase as part of their merchandise, therefore I have created my own.

This is an example of what BORNS' calendar would look like:

Front Cover:

Some examples of the inside:

Back Cover:

Hope you like it!

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Merchandise....

Hi everyone,

Here are my final creations for my merchandise that will be going onto my 'Shop' within my website. I have made sure that the artist's name or the individual logo of the Crest (which is incorporated within the artist name) was included on each of the items, in order to give it that form of personalisation that the fan/consumer would be purchasing the merchandise for because it relates and supports the artist - and they want to represent their likeability for the artist.

I have also included a selection of various items, this is so that the consumer has a wide breath of choice, and will suit the different 'wants' and 'needs' that the range of my target audience (13 -24 year old) would prefer.

Merchandise:

Jumpers:

Hoodies:

T-shirts:

Mugs:

Wristbands:

Key-chains:

Calendar:

Signed Poster:

Also, my CD will be further incorporated within my merchandise store on my website, however this is still in progress.

Hope you enjoyed them!

See you soon!