Digipak Evaluation

My digipak does resemble existing digipaks of the same genre. Firstly looking at the front cover of what will be the C.D. The artist name and title of the song are clearly displayed centrally to the cover. I did this as the eye is automatically drawn to it. This is for two reasons, firstly due to the choice of choice of colour and font, the black text is bold and makes a statement located centrally to the page. Secondly the choice of font is obscure and hard to read, this will ensure the audience would look closer to read what the font says.

The black font easily fits in with the choice of colour scheme. Blending in with the black of both the artists eyes and hairband, it also serves its advert sing purpose standing out against the lighter back round.

The style of font is ornate and handwriting like, this adds a sense of personality to the cover, and may even lead to the audience feeling that the artist had written it herself. Pyhscologically they may feel like this is her signature and worth something, as they are privileged to have it. This therefore will appeal to my target market and and will therefore appeal to my target market and audience a lot more.

The model I have chosen has a very individual look, not dissimilar to Florence and the machine who also has red hair. I feel this will give my audience something to relate to, as I found in my research that C.D covers that stand out and are more eye catching, with individual styles of photography or people sell more records.

I have also chosen to use quite earthy and neutral tones, such as sepia, and black and white. This I have tied in amongst the entire digipak, but as the best point of sale I have ensured the colour scheme on the front cover is fitting to the style of music and model used. Black, white and beige/Orange feature predominately on the cover which adds to the continuity and overall professional look of the C.D.

In terms of Mis en scene on my front cover, I have used some props. I have used the Black headband, I used this as it makes quite a fashion statement. This will appeal to my target audience as the 16-30 age group are influenced and attracted to fashion, as I found from my research into my chosen artist. In terms of costume I chose a black headband that stands out as a fashion statement, and ties in the three elements of black on the cover, such as the font and makeup on the model.

I also used the beige wallpaper as a prop for the photo, as I thought it was feminine and in keeping with the ornate style of the photography I have used. I feel this will appeal to my target market of predominately females.

I have also used Lighting on this cover to create the shadow, by pointing a house held desk lamp to the left of my model I was able to create the dark shadow illusion surrounding her head, I liked this because along with her facial expression it creates the feeling of mystery.

I intentionally asked my model to display different facial expressions to experiment with what would look appropriate for my cover. In this example I am very pleased with the overall persona she displays to the audience. She looks attractive, mysterious, and professional, due to her titled head, but the way she also looks directly into the camera is captivating.

I chose a close up of my singer, as I felt that showing her face in this way would be most eye catching to the target audience when displayed on a shelf in a potential shop, I also wanted her to look directly into the camera as I felt this would look like she was getting eye contact with a buyer. By using the singer to fill up the majority of the cover ensures she is the main focal point. I felt this was a much more powerful and informative choice of picture in comparison with some of the others. The audience would be under no illusion as to who the single/digipak belonged to.

Overall this cover boasts an element of simplicity, I like this because it allows the power and captivity of the image to sell the digipak, rather than graphics and text. I feel it serves its purpose of attracting and appealing to my target market/audience, due to its eye catching and individual visual layout and qualities.

For the back cover of my Digipak I have chosen a black and white colour scheme. I chose this as it worked best with the use of light, therefore showing the title of the song in a more obvious way.

The handwriting font of the title of the song, drawn in lipstick emphasises the relaxed and fun style of the music. Displaying the title in this way has also meant that I didn't need to add the title in with graphics at the photo shop editing stage.

The use of the mirror to display this artist showcases the artist and her reflection. This has been done in a very feminine way, and as the majority of Florence and the machine fans are female, this will really appeal and attract the target audience.

The way in which the photograph has been taken makes the title the subject of the frame, by positioning the camera this way only a close up of the singer is achieved within the shot, however that is less of a focus than the title as the title is much bigger and eye catching. It is important that the title is eye catching as a prospective buyer will turn the C.D cover over specifically to read what song the digipak is advertising, it is at this point they will make their decision on whether they are going to buy it or not. These brief moments are when the impact of my design are most important to the sale of my digipak.

I have kept the back cover relatively simple, with only the necessary information displayed. The title of the song, the artist, and the logos. I have put the parental advisory logo on the back of the album, as it a lawful regulation of C.D's market to 16 and unders. As that age group does fall into my target market I felt this was important to include on the digipak.

I have also included a recyclable logo as this is again important to show that the materials in which the Digipak would be put in (Plastic) can be recycled.

I have also included the logo for the record label (Island records) This is important to show the label the singer belongs to, and also acts as advertising and appreciation to the label for the work that went into producing the record.

Lastly, I have included a bar code on the back cover to allow the retailer to easily identify the product by number, code and price. All of these elements are essential to the sale and expected display of information to the customer.

I have intentionally positioned the three logos over the hand of the singer. Without this the hand was the main focus as it was the closest part of the shot to the camera. By putting the logos over the tops of this I have managed to detract from it whilst still being able to appreciate the relevance of the hand.

I have maintained the continuity throughout the front and back cover, keeping the costume, make up and body language the same. The artist still displays the same reserved body language.

From my research I found that 60% of people consuming music are aspirers. They look up to that particular band or artist and aspire to be like them. By using low key lighting and a simple set and costume I am showing my artist in a casual and realistic way, which may lead the target audience to believe they can be like Florence and the machine. Encouraging them to single in order to achieve this.

This is the picture which feature on the inside cover beside the C.D insert. I have intentionally gone for an out of focus shot here, as even though this is the case we can still clearly see who it is. Having a shot out of focus in this way put focus on the words surrounding her.

The second reason why an out of focus shot works well here is that this page of the digipak is a less important advertising element. This is because all C.D's are sealed in a shop. Therefore the only way the inside of the digipak can be seen is once it has been purchased and opened.

Once again I have maintained the same elements. The setting remains the same as previous shots, the costume and body language. It is here we see the repeat of the artists head tilt, which we previously saw on the front cover, this once again draws all of the different elements in the digipak as one.

I chose to photograph the artist against the white of the wardrobe in order to highlight her silhouette. This proved effective despite the lack of detail made by the camera out of focus. This photo is also slightly less clean cut than the rest. Its much more abstract that the others, the way the camera looks down onto her is a high angle shot, which I have used to make her look more venerable. This is the first time we see the artist distanced from the camera in this mid shot. However the white skirting board leads the eye directly to her as the main focal point of the frame. This abstract style of photography also highlights the abstract nature of the music.

The words surrounding her head also ensure that the eye is kept on the focal point. The words are all descriptive or Nouns used by Florence and the Machine to describe herself, The way I have arranged them around her head also make them look like thoughts for the target audience this will be an added bonus as they have not only purchased her song, but an insight into more about the artist. Putting this on the inside will also make this feel like they are more privileged to know this information.

I have used the same colour and font for this as the front cover, This adds to continuity and by using the warp tool to distort and change the formation of the text it makes is appear essentially much more interesting, and artistic looking.

Once again I have used the Black and White theme in this picture. I think it works well in allowing the artist to stand out against the white background, much more so than it would have done in colour.

This is the internal C.D insert of my digipak. I have encorportaed the same sepia colour choice as I did on the front cover. I feel this works well for the individual style of the digipak.

As this picture will feature under a plastic insert with the C.D infront of it I chose a more interesting photo. The mid shot of the artist will be seen when the C.D is taken out and will appear that the artist is looking at the consumer.

Once again the costumes and all elements of the mis en scene remain the same to maintain the continuity.

I have posted my pictures and final digipak design onto the popular social networking group 'Facebook' this is in order for me to receive constructive positive and negative audience feedback. I have done this both amongst my own friends, and Florence and the machine fans.

Here is evidence of my pictures uploaded to the website, this allows people to look at them and comment. Although I didn't use all of these pictures on my final design, it will give people the opportunity to compare pictures and give feedback. As you can see here, I also uploaded my final design, the feedback given is below.

I then began to receive people advice and opinion on the photographs and overall final design of my digipak. All of the responses I gleaned are from people who are fans of Florence and the Machine and therefore are in my target audience. I also had some feedback from members in my class who are designing their own digipak. This meant that I also received a media educated response both positively and some constructive criticism, which will help me evaluate my work and make changes should I want to change anything in the future.

This comment commends the colours I have used in my photographs. As the use of colour is a main feature of my digipak, and adds continuity through a theme I am glad that this has been recognised as a positive attribute to my design.

Once again the focus in this comment is placed on the choice of colour within the picture. By putting the black and white setting on my camera I was able to achieve a professional style of photography which captured the essence of the theme and look I set out for. I am pleased that it has proven a success with the target audience, especially as this person comments this photo stands out from the others, and it was ultimately one of the photos I used for the digipak.

This comment talks about the use of mis en scene through the use of the background. I chose to use a low toned background colour to make the artist stand out more, and through the use of lighting I was able to achieve this well. I also like how the person has commented on the photos resemblance to Florence and the machine as it means that I have achieved what i set out to do, in creating a photograph in the style of Florence and the machine which will both sell and appeal to her target audience.

This comment draws attention to the continuity of the theme in the form of the song name being included within the photograph. I chose to do this as i though it linked the artist to the purpose of the digipak, and the name of the sing with a discreet added element of the artistic side of the style of the photograph. I think showing the title of the sing in this way is individual and adds to the simplistic style of the overall digipak, as the back cover now doesn't require any graphics.

The final comment gives me constructive critisism and advise for a future comment. When I took this photo I didn't ensure the set was clear of object I didn't require in the picture, and by showing this picture to the audience, it has been raised to my attention that this puts a negative view on this picture. Fortunately this image didn't end up being one that used on my digipak, but I also recognise the importance of consistency within the portfolio of pictures and appreciate this feedback. If I was to take these pictures again I would ensure this didn't happen by looking at the shot through the camera and moving any unnecessary object and items out of the shot.

My final design has many differences to my original flat plan designs. This is for many reasons. I hadn't originally put in my design ideas that I was planning to take photo's, but time restrictions meant that taking pictures was a more realistic solution than designing, hand drawing and computerising all graphics, audience feedback also suggested using a model to pose as a singer would appeal more to my target audience. Having taken a photo using a mirror meant that I didn’t need to input graphics for the title 'You've got the love,' as it worked really well having been written on the mirror and was clearly visible, working as a good visual effect.

My flat plans were also a lot more vibrant in colour than my digipak, but I found using more earthy tones was more in keeping with the style of this single, and its meaning. I also feel the overall look of my final digipak is much more realistic, and the changes I made from my original flat plan were for the better.

Finally, when I started to design the digipak on photo shop I was able to get a better overall idea of what the digiapk was really going to look like, and I could experiment with different colours and text. This meant that my ideas were more subjectionable to change, as my flat plans were just drawn by hand with pencil and colours.

During this project I have learnt alot. Firstly, how to use photo shop. Previous to this project I was not able to use all aspects of this program such as some of the tools. However within this project I practised what i was able to use and experimented with other aspects of the program. I have now learnt the importance of the layers within Facebook, in building a piece of work. I now know to lock layers after working on each element of the digipak.

I have also learnt how to use different photo shop tools, such as the 'warp' tool, I found this tool useful in the presentation of the text on both my front and back page, as I was able to change the format, size and shape of the text. I feel learning about this tool has really benefited my work.

I have also learnt the importance of researching into a specific target market or audience. I feel the research I did prior to designing and making my digipak has resulted in a piece of work that incorporates the need and selling point relevant to the market and also serves its purpose as a product designed for Florence and the Machine fans aged 16-30.

The final thing I have learnt during this project is the importance of taking feedback, opinions and criticism and using them to better my work. I received a lot of feedback, some I agreed with and some I didn't, but I was then able to make small changes to my work, which I feel has ultimately made it better.

This is my final digipak. Here you can see the composition of the colours used. Also the spine of the C.D which I have chosen to colour grey to tie in the colours used in the pictures. I have also stated the name of the artist and song on the outside spine. Whilst the inside is plain grey, as it serves no purpose in displaying information.

I did encounter some problems during the making of my digipak. Firstly I had started my digipak on Indesign, I had started my deisgn when the program was unistalled on the college computers, This meant I had to start my design again and this time on Photo shop. I found using photoshop difficult for the first few sessions. However I overcame this by asking for help and practising.

The second problem I had was the way I had taken some of the pictures. Some of them I had taken portrait, and when I came to import them into photo shop the picture didn't fill the template, this meant I had to stretch the picture bigger, which distorted it. As a distorted picture wasn't an option I had to overcome this by cutting and pasting parts of the picture over each other and using the 'blend' tool in order to patch the colour up, therefore making it the required size.

I did receive some good feedback on my digipak when I posted it on Facebook. Some of the comments were positive, my target audience commented that they liked the colour and shot types I had used. Some comments were negative, such as making sure I clear the frame of excess and unwanted items before taking the picture. I will take these comments on board and use them to help me in future projects and pieces of work.

Overall I am very happy with my digipak design. It has turned out exactly as I wanted it to. This is mainly due to my photo's which considering the genre I thought looked realistic, and serve their purpose in appealing to my target audience. I am happy with the layout of the design and the choice of photo's, aswell as where they have been placed. I think the font and colours are appropriate for not only the genre of music but the specific artist aswell.

If I could make any improvements it would be to include more information on the front cover. Maybe next time an advertismentd for bonus features in the form of a graphic designed sticker, as I think that would add to the saleability and would make the cover more eyecatching. I think it would also make it look more realistic next to mainstream digipaks in a commercial environment. Off the back of the comment I received from my target audience I could also edit out the background of some of the photo's, but as I didn't use all my photos in this instance that wasn't neccessary. I would also need more time to do this.

As a finished product I am very happy.

Digipak

I have designed my digipak on both In design and photo shop. Photo shop has allowed me to edit photographs and change colours and size. Whereas I have used In design to construct the digipak itself.
I have used a website called dafont.com to find appropriate fonts to use on my digipak. As seen below. I chose the Handwriting section of the fonts, as I knew this was the style of font I wanted to appear on my digipak. Below is some of the options I had to choose from.

I tried and test some of the fonts by putting the title "You've got the love" into the font, to see whether I thought it was appropriate or not. As seen below, some of the fonts were not suitable.

The reason this font was not suitable for my digipak, is that it is a font for a younger audience and would not be in keeping with my design.

After looking at a selection of other fonts, I finally found the below font. I thought this relaxed yet bold handwriting style would be appropriate and in keeping with my digipak design. This font is called - neverletgo.ttf

I have taken print screens at different stages of making my digipak in order to show the process. Below you can see the digipak template I constructed in in design. This is the correct size for me to design my digipak.

I then began to design my digipak template, as seen below.

I used a red bow and the rectangular and fill tool in order to construct the ribbons. I also implemented a bar code. It is at this stage I will then use the font I have chosen above to add to the design.

The next time I came to work on the development of my digipak I discovered that the program of In design I had been working on had in fact been removed from the computer i was working on. This then meant starting again with my design, but just singularly working on photo shop. I kept the same template as seen above.

In the meantime I had done a photo shoot with a friend, and taken many photographs for the different aspects of my digipak. It is these photographs I will now use on my digipak. The photographs I have taken are staged to represent a pop star look. I think they will appeal to my target audience as they are striking and eye catching.

Now working in Photo shop I placed the photographs I had taken onto my template and began to arrange the as i thought they looked best. Originally I wanted to use the black and white image for the front cover, but as I experimented and arranged different photos in different places, I in fact discovered that black and white for the front cover wouldn't stand out enough. I also found that it would be very difficult to put any text onto the black and white back round so that it was readable.

As you can see here, I have replaced the previous front cover photo, for me much brighter and more eye catching. IN this print screen, I have also moved the previous front cover image to the back cover as I thought it was more suited there as it states the name of the song. I also like the contrast in colours from the bright front cover to the much more understated back cover.

Here I have rotated the template so that i can correctly position the inside image. When the digipak is folded up this image will appear on the inside and therefore it will need to be rotated correctly. The image I have chosen for the inside is in black and white so it is in keeping with the theme and adds continuity. It is also out of focus. This is because it is one of the less important images and doesn't need to focus so heavily on the singer, but at the same time we still know it is her.

Here you can see I have now successfully put all 3 images correctly in their places and locked the layers so they cannot move.

It is at this stage where I began to think about the text on the spine of the didgipak. As you can see I looked at several different fonts to use for this. I wanted a script. handwriting style font to

fit in with the feminine style of the digipak. The font I chose was 'Mirialdi.' I then position the text with the name of the artist, a gap, and then the name of the song. So that it filled up the spine fully.

Here I have completed the text on the spine. I have also chosen a light Orange colour for the text as I thought this was most fitting with the colour scheme used throughout.

I then went onto put text n the front cover to advertise the singer and the name of the song. I chose the same font for this, to add continuity.

I then used the 'Warp tool' to curve and shape the text. I needed to do this to make the text stand out around the focal point which is the photo of the singer. I chose the 'ark' the text to ensure it was both readable and visible on the beige textured back round. I also used this tool for the inside cover. I placed descriptive words of the singer around the out of focus image, and used the warp tool to shape each work in a different way. This makes this otherwise boring image come to life.

After experimenting with different styles and shapes of text for the front cover. I chose to move the image down and use a straight text. I found this looked more professional. However i still made sure it stood out by using the text in bold.

I also placed a bar code, recyclable logo, the record company logo, and a parental advisory on the back cover of the digipak. I did this to add to the authenticity of the digipak, and as they are all legally necessary in order to sell a digipak.

Here I have also added an imaged for the C.D insert. I have used a sepia image under what will be perspex, This will make the image stand out much more. Now all images are correctly in place. I filled the two spine colours with a metal grey colour, to tie in all of the different aspects of the colour scheme.

Flatplans

As part of my digipak design process, I have designed three flatplans. The designs below, show my initial ideas for my digipak.

This digipak design is brightly coloured and bold. I have chosen these colours as I think they represent the bright, vibrant and fun style and genre of the music. I also think they will make the digipak stand out to the target audience.

Using two main colours also means the each element of the digipak can be easily identified.

The front cover of the digipak is a photo of the final shot of the music video, this adds continuity, which will encourage and promote the music video.

The font I have used on this is more absract and sans serif. The reason for this is that it reflects the relaxed and fun style of the music, and because of this will ultimately appeal to the target audience. I have howeever used a more bold and black font for the back cover, as it is displaying more poignant information.

The C.D component stands out the dark blue backround, I have intentionally made it a lighter colour (Yellow) in order for it to stand out. I feel this is an importnat design aspect as the C.D is the most important component of the digipak.

The front cover of the digipak also shows the title of the song, designed to look like the sign for a pier, such as Brighton. The relevance to this is that the video will be shot in Brighton and therefore once again adding continuity.




This design has a different approach to the design style. The colours are a lot darker. The reason for this is to attract the more meaningful and darker side of the artists music.

The front cover of the digipak design is based on a clicker board used in films and music videos. This idea came from the theme of this project and making a music video.

While the front cover shows a close up of the clicker board, the back cover shows it in its entirety. I have taken the idea of this and placed the information of the clicker board such as the song title, time and artist on the spaces on a clicker boards, where the film title and scene/shot would usually appear.

I have also used the two main colours of black and white to continue this theme. I have also used red to compliment this and make it stand out more. This is a typical colour to be linked with my artist as she had red hair and can be easily identified with. The inside cover uses the black and white checkerboard theme as an insert.

I have used an italic and handwriting style font to show contrast to the bold colours. It adds a personal touch and I though it would appeal to the target audience more as it adds a softer tone to the look of the digipak.

Finally the C.D component is split into two colours, black and red. The use of two colours will make this component stand out and it also displays all of the relevant information needed for the used to identify this to the digipak.



The basic idea behind this design. Is the title of the artist 'Florence and the Machine.' The front covers shows a computer like machine displaying the title of the artist. The keyboard shows the title of the single the digipak is being made for. This idea is quirky and individual, and I think would appeal to the target audience as it reflects the style of music, in its literal meaning.

The back cover shows a music machine with a shelf of C.D's. Each C.D displays the artist name in a different font or style, and in a different colour. The display screen of the music player shows the single title as if it was playing on the audio track. This design it once again in keeping with the quirky element of this design.

Both the inside insert and C.D use the same multi candy striped design.The use of more pastel like colours throughout this digipak design has been used in order to reflect the colours in which the artist most typically dresses in. This will appeal and attract the target audiences as it is a feature they will be able to easily relate to.

All designs also show a bar code which is an essential part of a digipak, as well as the recycle symbols and record producers icon.

I am now going to start designing and making my digipak on in design and photo shop. I will take pictures for the graphics I want to use on my digipak, I will edit them on photo shop. I will also use dafont.com to find appropriate fonts for me to use on my digipak.

Existing Digipaks

As part of my coursework I have to produce a Digipak and promo pack. A promo pack is the Music Video Digipak and avert combined, to produce a promotion pack to showcase the band or artist and their product available on the market.

A Digipak is a patented style of compact disc or DVD packaging, with graphics on the outside picturing the band or artist, the name of the album, and a listing of songs.

Digipaks typically consist of a gatefold paperboard or card stock outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside. The term digipak, means an object to hold the digital.

Ways in which the Promo pack and Digipak link are through images of the band or artist. In the example of the promo pack I am going to produce. Pictures of my Artist Florence and the Machine will feature on both the promo pack and the digipak. It will be obvious that the photographs of my artist were all from the same photo shoot, but they will all be staged different and conform with themes from the music video. The reason they will be clearly the same is that they will feature the same colours, for example in clothing. The characters in our Video may be wearing navy blue and gold throughout, therefore to add a level of continuity to the mis en scene, we may use the same colours in the Photo shoot.

There may also be props that feature predominately in the video, we would therefore en corporate this into the images of the digipak.

The Fonts on the promo and Digipak will be the same, so that the two can be easily identified as the same product, and stand out to the target audience and consumer.

As part of my decision into how I will design my own digipak, I am going to evaluate and analyse two digipak covers of artist from a similar genre to my own. I found the digipak covers below at the following website.

http://www.cdcovers.cc/

Kate Nash "Made of Bricks"

As you can see by the Album Digipak above. The Mis en scene says a lot about the genre of the music and the way in which this record company want to market the artist to her Target audience. Kate Nash has a target Market of predominantly females, between the age of 13-20.

We can see immediately from the cover that the font is childish is messy, to reflect the girly and innocence of Kate Nash and her music. This Font continues onto the back cover, where we see the continuity of the messy layout of the font, as the song titles and numbers are not aligned, and just appear arranged at random on the cover.

We can also see the animated style house and garden on the front cover. By using bright colours the cover will stand out on the shelf. The house is bright Yellow, and Kate Nash is dressed in Red to contrast this. This is important, as if she didn't stand out it wouldn't be as obvious who the album belonged to. In the same Vain, it is clear that the objective of this digipak, is to let the design and images speak for them self, as Kate doesn't feature as heavily as most artists would on their album covers. This thought is in keeping with her style of music. Kate's music is quite controversial and speaks for itself.

The Brightly coloured house, and the fairytale like shaped animals in the garden once again appeals to girls and reflects the same image of Kate herself. The dark Background behind the house, allows the house to stand out. It also could be a connotation for the harsh aspect of Kate's music. As she does have an element of rude/harsh lyrics.

Finally the C.D poses a very simple design, with a pink colour and 3 flowers. The C.D doesn't follow any theme in comparison to the front and back cover of the digipak. This may be so that the C.D stands out as the most important component.

Paloma Faith "Do you want the truth or something beautiful?"

As you can see from the album digipak above. The cover of the Album shows Paloma looking very mystical and staged with a halo like light behind her. In terms of the Mis en scene, this halo like look, contrasts against her dark lace costume, made to look like a tattoo. This may have been used to shows the two different sides to her music and personality.

Props used in this Photo shoot, are roses and doves. Both of which signify purity and beauty. This element is linked to the album name. Both of these props feature in one of the songs on the album 'New York' In addition to this, the same colour scheme is also used. This is done to ensure continuity to her audience who may buy the album as they like this particular song.

The Font used is mystical and individual, this is to reflect the style of music Paloma produces. As well as her look, her hair and her costume.

The back cover sees Paloma having her hair and makeup done, and another character placing one of the doves onto her arm. This could be the name of the album being illustrated once again. As we see the back cover shows how the Front cover came to life. Its the truth behind the beautiful front cover. We see the lights, which result in the halo like effect around her head, and we see the makeup artist making her look beautiful. This back cover sum up the "Do you want the truth" element of the title. The front cover is seen to be beautiful yet staged and sums up "or something beautiful."

On the back cover the meaning of the album is the main focus, as we hardly see Paloma, and even the list of songs on the album has been put in the bottom left hand corner.

The C.D is a bright red colour, which isn't a colour that features on the digipak. This is to make sure the C.D stands at as one of the most important components. The Picture of the dove is also continued from the music video to the digipak and C.D.

Animatic

Below is a link to the animatic for my Music Video. In order to make this I used Final Cut Pro and took pictures on my camera of each shot of the story board. I then imported the pictures into Final Cut Pro and added the Song I am going to use for my Video.

I then edited the sequence of images to the music as if they were live footage. The reason doing an animatic is helpful for the end production of my music video, is that is will help me when I come to editing stage of my Video. I will have more of an idea where my shots will go and in what order, as well as the timings to the music.

Below is the Expoted Quicktime Video of the Animatic:

Storyboard

Below is the 24 shot story board for our music video. I have carefully thought out each shot, and planned how the shots will appear according to the different speeds and tempos of the music.

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B-MR-K2Mi0ScMzlmMDAwZDYtZDQyNi00NjFiLWFmMWUtNzU2MmUxODZhYjk5&hl=en

In my storyboard I have used a range of shot types. Primarily I have used Long shots. This is to show the character in my music video in the surrounding and sets I have staged, this will give the best overall view of how the shot has been constructed.

There are certain shot I have used close ups and extreme close ups. This is in order to show the emotion of the character in alliance with the meaning of the songs, and the words being sung in that specific shot.

There are also a few shots of musical objects such as stereos and ipods. The purpose of this is to show the song being played in different ways as the character moves from one place to another. For one particular frame. I have used a tracking shot to show the character walking down the road as the music plays from a portable stereo on a building site. The reason I have used a shot such as this is to show the whole of the frame which both the character as well as the site in which the music is playing.

I have also you a point of view shot as I feel this type of shot is important in order to emphasise the realism of the video. It will ensure that the video looks realistic, and also help people watching the video to gain a better understanding of the storyline.

I have used an aerial shot to show the character sat at her desk. The reason I have chosen this type of shot is to show the clutter on her desk. This is poignant to the story, as she is under a lot of pressure at work and is quite unhappy. This type of shot will also make the character look small and venerable in her surroundings, which will again emphasise this part of her stressful job. This shot will be difficult to achieve, but we plan to use a ladder in order to gain the height and achieve this shot.

Finally I am going to use a time lapse to show the passing of time within the video. This is important to show people watching the video, as the video begins in the morning and ends late at night. By showing the sun going down and it getting dark it will be a nice effect and the audience will understand the storyline is now taking place elsewhere.

Pitch & Presentation

As part of pitching our idea, we did a PowerPoint presentation, showing our research and findings to a prospective music industry investor. In our presentation we discussed why our choice of artist and song was worthy of making a video for, readership statistics, genre and targeting our audience. We also discussed the success of the artists and previous videos as well as media appearances.

The research we documented meant that we were able to put across a well constructed argument for why our music video should be made. The Power Point presentation is on the link below.

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B-MR-K2Mi0ScNWU5NjEzYWQtNTBmOS00ODMzLWE5Y2UtNTllMDVkMWY4OTU0&hl=en

The video recorded presentation of our pitch is below.

Contacting Record Company

In order to successfully make our Video, and abide by all copyright laws, we have decided we will contact the record company. (ISLAND RECORDS UK)
Part of the Music Industry code of conduct, you have to apply for permission to copy a song. The e-mail below shows this.

Copyright laws are extremely important in the record industry If a song or other recorded media containing copyright material is duplicated without permission of the copyright holder, it is a form of copyright infringement.
Musical recordings that have not been officially released by the artist or their associated management or production companies.
In my case, although the song will not be released the term 'bootleg' is used to differentiate these otherwise unavailable recordings from "pirated" copies of commercially released material, but these recordings are still covered by copyright despite their lack of formal release.

Copyright is important so that new up and coming artists don't make their way successfully off the back of someonelses success in song writing and singing. After a certain amount of years this is no longer the case and certain songs become open for artists to re-record and release.

Schedule

In order to allow my project to run smoothly I am creating a schedule to ensure dealines are met and the things that need to be done are done on time and properly.

There is a month time frame for this project, by sheduling I should ensure I leave myself enough time to edit my Music Video well.

Tuesday 20th October - Location Recce
Sunday November 1st - Take pictures
Tuesday November 3rd - Test shoot
Thursday November 5th - Revisit Footage
Tuesday 10/17 November - Film

Lighting

Lighting can be the making of a film, it is the difference between something you film looking amateur or professional.

In my video, there will only be a few times where the use of lighting will be necessary, as most of the video will be filmed outside there will be a lot of natural light. This will be something I can use to my advantage, with the use of reflectors I will be able to place the light onto specific areas or characters as I require.

On the occasions the character is inside, there may be a lack of natural or artificial light.
This is something I will have to take note on on my location recce. By assessing what light I have available to me, it will allow me to plan what lighting I will need to take with me to shoot.

I will also need to decide what type of lighting will be required for each type of shot. In addition to this I will need to write equipment lists and asses the possible Health and Safety issues and how they can be avoided.

3 Point Lighting:

1. Key Light - Brings Intensity, Brightness - essentially the hard light.
2. Fill Light - Soft Light - Diffuses Shadows.
3. Back Light - Gives the shot depth, separates the subject from the background.

Equipment List:

Portable Lighting Kit
3 "Red Heads"
3 Stands
Spare Bulbs
Gaffer Tape
Gloves
Croc Clips

Also the use of Gel papers in order to create different lighting colour effects.

In addition to this there are also a lot of different types of budget lighting available for me to use. Sources such as mobile phones, torches and lamps can also be used to aid lighting on a set. Cheaply and effectively.

Health and Safety:

Possible risks: Burning of hands on Barn doors or light.
Overcome: Wear Gloves

Possible Risks: Tripping or falling over loose cables on the floor.
Overcome: Gaffer tape any loose cables to the floor, have one person assigned to the job of holding lights.

Health & Safety for filming locations:

College:

Cables trailing or slung: It's possible that when we film the lighting cables may trail across the floor and cause a hazard to people walking that may trip. We plan to overcome this by taping down any loose cable to the floor.

Confined spaces: Some of the locations we are filming in are very confined. This could cause problems when moving around the room to film. We can overcome this by moving any excess equipment or clutter out of the way and making sure the floor space is clear.

Eastbourne:

We plan to film in different locations in Eastbourne such as the Beach and Botanical gardens.

The weather: This could prove a hazard if the weather becomes bad when out filming, the equipment could get damaged. We could prevent this by filing under cover and checking the weather forecast in the days running up to when we are scheduled to film.

Access Requirements: As the beach is a public place we don't need to gain permission to film there. However we may need to get permission to film in the Botanical gardens.

Initial Ideas

I have looked at Music Videos for Florence and The Machine. Although the style of videos vary, there are aspects which I have gained inspiration from to use in my own Video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nxO-yPQesA

This particular video 'Rabbit Heart' has a very individual approach to video making. In the same way as I aim to focus on one main character throughout my video. This video does the same. Florence is the main focal point throughout this has been accentuated by the use of White light, representing her as some angelic like figure who the other people in the video appear to flock to subtlety.

In many of Florence's video this pattern remains, because of this sense of consistency among her videos, the consumer can relate to the message she is trying to get across, this also gives her lyrics a sense of realism as we assume it is an experience relating directly to herself, we hear her sing about.

As shown below we can see another still image from Florence's video "Kiss with a fist" showing this example once again. This video takes her pattern of video behaviour to the extreme when we see a series on shots with only Florence by herself. The white background contrasting her colourful clothing really emphasises this.

I have also looked at other artists of a similar genre of music to Florence, to see if there are any similarities in the style of videos. Here I have Chosen Kate Nash "Foundations." In terms of the comparisons in genre between the two artists. Their music is meaningful and light hearted. Some of their lyrics can be linked to Controversy. They both have a very similar girly look, with long ginger/red hair, and they are both English, and where most artists mask their accent when singing, We hear quintessentially English works when they both sing.

The most obvious comparison is the choice of clothing, they both often wear bright clothing to represent their personality.

I have also chosen to loom at Marina and the Diamonds, who is very similar to Florence and the Machine in the fact that she is an up and coming artist who is breaking into the music industry. She is tipped by the NME magazine to be the best newcomer this year, and her new single Hollywood, is already in the charts.

She poses the same style of alternative music as Florence and the machine, and also interestingly her name is very similar. Florence and the Machine and Marina and the Diamonds.

http://www.nme.com/

I have looked at http://www.facebook.com/ to see if I can find some evidence of the comparisons between the artists.

As you can see from this face book group the description and images of Kate Nash show distinct similarities between her and Florence.

Her edgy and controversial personality is shown by the images on the page and discussions on the blogs. This can also be found on both Marina and the diamonds page and Florence's. Although they are discussing different topics. For example what the video portrays or the personality of the artist.

The genre of music, and instruments used are listed on the page this would be to detail to new fan what her music is about.

As a relatively new artist. Marina and the Diamonds has fewer fans on her face book page but details of her new single and album are on the page.

Another Artist I have looked at is Lilly Allen who again, sings in the same style, and has an edge to her lyrics. Here recent edge has reflected in her image and the Mis en scene. With her Dark make up (seen below)and clothing, this shows she is taking her music much more seriously and we see this in the sophistication of her latest music Video "22." As she is singing about growing up and maturing, her music videos are doing the same.

Lilly, however takes a different approach to her image, with a somewhat loose pattern to her style. She doesn't maintain one look, she has gone from Reebok Trainers and a prom dress, to skimpy leotards and bare feet at this years V Festival. One thing that has remained the same though is her singing style and care for the reaction her lyrics may achieve.

I have done some research into Mis en scene and the different impacts it can achieve from an interesting website detailed below.

http://www.slideshare.net/kjera/mise-en-scene-analysis-presentation

This website details the essential parts of Mis en Scene to enable success.

Video styles

I have also studied different Music Videos in order to gain inspiration for my own video. As shown below in the Paloma Faith Video "New York" we see a shot of her walking along the street, this is a shot I aim to use in my own video, but by looking at the way in which it has been executed here, I have been able to rethink the transition into this shot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki0xBb2wbr4

Although the following image isn't from a video or genre of music linked to mine. I have chosen to use it because it displays a shot similar to one I wish to use in my own Video. I would like to use a shot with three characters and a mirror. The camera will be positioned in an over the shoulder shot so that the only way we see the characters is in the reflection of the mirror.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1VTcJfL7RE

Looking at the Video for Marina and the diamonds Hollywood. There is a shot we would like to use in our video. Using a mirror and a shot capturing the reflection.