Digipack

What is a Digipak?

A Digipak is a patented style of compact disc or DVD packaging. It will consist of a gate fold/book-style paperboard or card stock outer binding with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside. They can flip open like a book or it can be separated into three parts so the front cover opens to the right and the inside opens to the left with the CD in the middle. They are used by major record companies as a way of advertising and telling their audience more about what they are selling. The paper will be covered in a UV coating which will help protect it from damage. This style packaging is often used to special edition albums and CD singles. Digipack style casing became popular with record companies and recording artists during the year 2000. Digipaks are used instead of traditional jewel cases as they are more aesthetically pleasing although they are more expensive to produce.

What is a Promo pack?

A promotional package enables the artist to show everyone what they're about and this can be then seen by agents, promoters and the press etc. A promo pack can be an actual package sent through the post or it can be electronic and sent via the internet.

What does a promotional pack include?

- A short demo of the band or artists music.

- A neatly assembled collection of any press which the band or artist has received.

- A press release detailing what they are presenting with the promo package for example a new album, tour or single.

- A short biography of themselves. If the promotional package is going to the press then a colour photograph can be sent.

My music video and Digipak need to be linked in someway so that the audience can make visual connections through imagery captured in both parts of the media. So in my promotional package I will have my music video, Digipak and also an advertisement.

Analysing Digipaks from other artists

This is the Rihanna's 'LOUD' promotional pack. The main thing that catches my eye is the vibrant red colour chosen. The colour of her hair, lips and the roses are all the same shade of red which creates cohesion. I like the varied shots chosen for this promotional pack as it makes it look more interesting. The close up shot of her face on the front cover pays close attention to detail and comes across very strong but is softened by her closed eyes. High key lighting has been used which makes it look bright, vibrant and colourful. This creates a happy and feelgood atmosphere. It's quite simplistic with little text apart from the title of the album but this works well as the audience are immediately drawn to the striking images. The inside photo is spread across the three sections and her body language creates a relaxed feel. The red roses give a hint of romance and seduction which reflects her music. I like the choice of image on the disc, again using a rose which gives connotations of love.

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This is the promotional video for Rihanna's new album. The music used for the video is an edit from one of the tracks on the album. It starts of quiet and gradually gets louder, this resembles the album name 'LOUD'. It also builds up suspense and makes the audience want to see whats coming next so it captures their attention. The lyrics of the song start after 1 minute of watching to give the audience a flavour of the album and what the music is like. The video contains clips from some of her the music videos produced for the ablum which again gives the audience a feel for the music and gives them an insight to what 'LOUD' is all about. Text appears on the screen, 'Get ready, get crazy, get excited, get... LOUD' This reinforces the name of the album to the person watching, it also sounds fun and exciting. There are shots of Rihanna smiling and having fun which makes the audience see that the music is fun and upbeat.

The Kooks

This is the back cover for 'The Kooks' album. The photo has been taken in black and white and shows all the members of the band. It's a very relaxed image which seems to capture the band off guard as they don't have eye contact with the camera and are busy playing their guitars. The image isn't a very sharp image and is a bit blurred, this might reflect the laid back feel to indie music. The text is written in a simple, easy to read black font which stands out against the white background. The bar code is placed in the top right hand corner which is unusual as they are normally in the bottom right corner. Underneath the bar code is the copyright information in a small font. The only colour used is red which is on the spine.

This is the front cover to 'The Kooks' album. It ties in with the back as the images are again in black and white and taken in the same location. The members of the band are wearing casual, everyday clothes which can relate to the target audience as they are likely to wear clothes of a similar style. To me this album cover shows that this band are very passionate about their music as they have been shot playing their instruments rather than posing in a glamorous way. I like the way the title had been written using black and red font, it stand out and catches the audiences attention.

Cover for my Digipak

This is the digipak cover that I have created for the band which I have chosen to make my music video for. Firstly, I did a photo shoot to get the shots that I had planned for on my chosen flat plan. I shot them on a sunny day so that my photos looked clear and bright. The song that I'm making the video for is all about love so I needed to portray this through my digipak. I wanted it to have an uplifting feel to it and this is why I have chosen to include bright vibrant colours. The front cover is kept simple with one image that fills the frame. I have positioned it so that it creates symmetry and looks neat and tidy. I have written the bands name at the bottom of the image where it is more visible to read against the background. I kept the font simple so that it is easy to read and chose black rather than a bright colour so that it looks reader friendly.

I have chosen to use the same costume for the band members as what they will be wearing in the music video so that it creates cohesion. The location is also the same as what will be seen in the music video. These features link the digipak to the video and the audience can then see continuity between them both. This is important as when the audience see the digipak in the store their mind will automatically link it with what they have seen on TV and will be drawn towards it.

For the spine, I wanted to use one block of colour so that the text will be clear and stand out more. I experimented with different colours, using the eye drop tool on photoshop to select specific colours from my images. I decided that red was a bit too harsh, green looked too dark and white looked too bright. I then chose to make it the same colour blue as the sky as this way it flows into the image. I kept with the same font that I had used on the front cover to write the name of the band and album name, 'Love has got me stoned' vertically along the spine. Again I used black font to create contrast against the light blue.

The image I have used on the back of the cover is of the members of the band on a hill. I chose to use this as it will relate to my music video as we are filming in this location. I like the way the hill creates contrast between the two different colours, blue and green. I shot this image on a cloudy day so had to edit it by changing the colour balance to make the sky blue. I have written the track list on the right hand side in black font to make it stand out. I chose not to have the track number and running times as I feel it would look messy and this way it looks neat. I have written the bonus disc on the grass using white font as black wouldn't show up on this dark background.

I have positioned the barcode at the bottom left hand side of the page and put the logo of the record label next to it. I also used an image for DVD so that the product buyer can easily see that there is also a video inside as well as audio tracks. From researching into digipaks from other artists I found out what copyright information I need to write.

INSIDE

This is the inside of my digipak, I chose to include the lyrics of the song 'Love has got me stoned'. I used the same font which I had used on the front cover and chose to write it in white. The background is plain as I wanted the lyrics to be easily read without different shapes behind it making it difficult to read. I chose to have the background grey as it is a neutral colour which doesn't draw too much attention away from the lyrics. On the right hand side I chose to include another image of the band. I felt text wasn't appropriate here as the discs will be placed over here and you wouldn't be able to read it. The photo I chose is of the point which they will be meeting in the video. This creates continuity with the digipak and music video. Again the costume is the same as what will be in the music video and I've kept it simplistic to avoid it looking amateur. I took inspiration from other digipaks I looked at such as Rihanna and noticed that there were just images on the inside. It gives the consumer something to enjoy without being too busy.

shooting Diaries

Session 1

We shot both the journeys of the singers on their way to meet each other. This was done by choosing paths and grassy areas which we thought looked asthetically pleasing and would link together well. We used different shot types to make it more varied. This includes point of view shots, for example when the male opens the gate and also of both the male and the females feet when they were walking. We used long shots to help establish the shots and mid-shots to get more detail. I filmed the shots of the female character and Sophie filmed the male character. We had to ask our actor for the male character to film his feet as this made it look more realistic. We were happy with the footage we captured on this day so far and became more confident with the camera.

Session 2

In this session we filmed all the shots we needed of both the female and male together. We filmed them meeting at the wall and walking away together holding hands. We then filmed the shots of them walking up the steps and running up the hill.

Session 3

In this session we filmed the female and the male characters both together on the bench with close up shots of them holding hands. We created shots that showed they were having a conversation by using shot reverse shot. This helped to show the connection they have with one another and the way they look in each others eyes.

Session 4

Originally we had planned to have a shoot in houses with the singers waking up out of bed and brushing their teeth in the mirror but we were running out of time and found it hard to travel to this location as we both live in opposite directions. Also the male character only had a small amount of free time to film so this is why all our filming had been done in Lewes so far as it was convinient for everyone. So we decided we had to change our plans and take out the part of them waking up and have it from them already dressed and outside. We had to rethink what needed to be filmed and decided to have more footage of them together. Sophie filmed a point of view shot of the male singer jumping off walls and running around. I filmed them both together and the male character taking off his jacket. We filmed the male sending a text message to meet her and then the female lying on the grass receiving a text message and getting ready to go and meet him.

Session 5

We had planned to have another session of filming but we didn't have time and after changing our ideas we had all the footage we needed. We didn't need the footage of them going home as we decided to end it on them together at the top of the hill. (Once reversed it will start with them at the top of the hill)

Shooting schedule

SHOOTING SCHEDULE - LOVE HAS GOT ME STONED

We set up a shooting schedule before we started filming. This helped us to organise our production team and make sure everyone was available for filming. This meant our cast crew were aware of what was going on and the times, dates and locations of the shoot. We also made shooting scripts so that everybody knew what was going on and what needs to be filmed that day.

Session 1 - Wednesday 9th Feb

Meet at 12pm

-Film shots of both characters on their journey to meet each other.

Session 2 - Wednesday 16th Feb

Meet at 12.15pm

- Film shots of them together, and on the hill.

Session 3 - Wednesday 2nd March

Meet at midday

- Film shots in the bedroom and bathroom. (waking up, brushing teeth and leaving the house)

Session 4 - Wednesday 16th March

- Film shots of both male and female on their journeys home.

Session 5 - Not needed but keep free in case we need to re-do any shots.

Health and Safety

Before we start filming, it is important for us to consider all the health and safety precautions we should take to ensure nobody gets hurt. This also includes using our equipment carefully. You should always gather research about the site and the area you are filming in. Below is a list of all potential risks.

- Be aware of vehicles and cyclists when filming near busy roads.

- Best to use a battery operated camera rather than one with cables and wires as it could cause someone to trip.

- Think about personal items, for example phone, laptop, mp3 player. Keep them safe as camera operators can make easy targets for street theives.

- Avoid taking any unecessary documents or items to the field such as laptops or extra cameras. If you were to be threatened by someone then you should hand over the kit straight away as people are more important than property.

-Avoid working on the edges of pavement or in the road itself.

- Consider wearing a high visibility jacket especialy in poor lighting conditions.

- If filming in isolated areas make sure you call other members of the group who may not be with you where you are and when you have finished so they know you're safe.

- Think about whether there are particular areas or times of the day that you should avoid filming in.

- Ensure that the equipment is set up properly, for example the camera is attatched to the tripod correctly to avoid members of the crew getting hurt.

- Should carry a first aid kit as natural environments can have unpredictable risks for example there may be rabbit holes which could cause someone to fall over or branches which might cut the skin.

- You should also carry plenty of water especially in hot weather as you could get dehydrated.

- Be aware of all fire escapes.

- Make sure the cast crew get appropriate breaks so that they are not over worked.

-Make sure protective clothing is brought for example raincoats and umbrellas if there are poor weather conditions.

Storyboard

Above is our storyboard which we have drawn with details of each shot written in a description underneath each photo. We filmed some test footage first so we could gain more practice in filming and editing. We set up the shots together and I filmed Sophie walking, creating the journey part of our story board. We then uploaded the footage to Final Cut Express and edited it so that it was reversed. This is what we got:

Mise-en-scene and Location

Female Singer

We researched into the kind of clothes that indie fans wear to help us choose appropriate costume for the singers in our music video. We found that floral print was popular as well as brogues so we have chosen a floral skirt and brown brogues. We have also chosen to have the female singer wearing a red coat as the colour red symbolises love and creates cohesion with the lyrics in the song. It's also really vibrant and creates contrast with the location.

Her hair will be parted to the side with slight ruff curls to create an indie look. We found that indie style was quite natural so we've decided to use light makeup to make her features such as eyes and lips stand out but not look overdone.

Male singer

From the research we gathered, we found that males who like indie would wear slim fit jeans, checked shirts, plimpsolls, cardigans and would have longish hair styled in a messed up look.

So we have chosen to have the male singer wearing a white knitted jumper with a polo top underneath, dark, slim fit jeans and white plimpsolls. His hair will be styled in the messed up look and we won't be using any makeup.

We want our video to look laid back and relaxed so have chosen these outfits accordingly and also to fit in with the location we have chosen to film at. We don't want the costume to detract the viewers attention away from the story of the video and meaning of the song so have kept it casual and simple.

Props:

- We will be using a mobile phone in the video for when he sends a message telling her to meet him.

Location

We have chosen to film our video outside in a natural environment. We felt that the green open fields and fresh air was more romantic which links to the lyrics of the song. We wanted a location where there were no public interference so that all the focus was on the singers and their feelings towards each other. This is a photo taken from the top of the hill where we plan on shooting part of our video. It looks down to the view that will be seen in other shots. We chose to use the hill as some of the lyrics are, 'you make me so high' so we wanted to emphasis this by having them running to the top of the hill.

There will be a shot of them running up these steps which will be filmed using a close up shot panning as the artists walk up them. This will give the video a sense of movement and also create new interesting camera angles.

Pitch

We have pitched our ideas in a presentation which we have recorded in the video below. We talked about song choice, target audience, our initial ideas and also about how our video could achieve popularity with a different sector of audience.

Link to powerpoint presentation below:

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B3uKibXCcyyhNTc4MDhhMGUtZTAzMS00YWY4LWIxZWYtZGMwZDAyNjU4ZjIy&hl=en&authkey=CM_KsZ8J

Link to video on google docs is below.

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B5JeI7JwrzkoMTc3ODdlMWEtNTEyZi00NmIwLTkzNzAtYTE5MTQzOTJlNzE4&hl=en Pitch:

(This was filmed when we came up with our initial ideas which have since been developed.)

Initial ideas

To generate ideas we've watched the official music videos made for some of Flamboyant Bella's other tracks. We found that these videos were very amature and were not of high quality as they weren't made by the top professionals. This didn't give us much inspiration so we then decided to look at music videos for popular songs from artists of the same genre with a similar target audience. We looked at Kate Nash and Ellie Goulding in particular. Flamboyant Bella haven't made it big in the music industry as they are fairly unknown so it is hard for us to pin point their particular style when it comes to costume, hair and makeup. In order for us to come up with how we want our video to look through mise-en-scene we have to look at other indie/pop artists to see how their videos capture the attention of their intended target audience.

We created a brain storm of all the potential ideas we had for our video. We've decided that we want our music video to be in black and white to create a sophisticated look. We felt that it would also enable the different scenes to fit together nicely without the clashing of different colours. We're going to have two actors in the video; a teenage boy playing the part of the male singer and a teenage girl playing the part of the female singer. The story in the lyrics is all about their love for one another so that will be our main concept that we will be expressing to the audience. The screen will be divided down the middle into two sides. The girl will be shown on one side and the boy on ther other and the audience will be watching their journeys to meet one another until the screen returns to normal and they are both in the same shot. We will use point of view shots of them looking at each other and showing their attraction to each other. Close up shots will be used to vary the shots and make it more interesting. For example we might have a close up shot of them holding hands to show their connection with one another. We wanted to add animation to some parts of the video aswell as we thought this would add a quirky edge to the video and make it more unique.

Development of Ideas

We have come up with new ideas for our music video taking into consideration the ideas we had already brainstormed. Our main idea is to make the video split screen and also have it running backwards. It will consist of the two main characters, the male and female singers, and will follow them on their journey to meet one another.

-The video will start with the singers waking up and getting out of bed.

- Next scene will be in the bathroom where they are both brushing their teeth and looking in the mirror (split screen makes it look as though they are looking at each other)

- They will then put their coats on and walk out the door.

- Both will be walking down streets and round corners on their way to meet each other

- When they meet the screen will become normal.

- Film them spending time together, laughing and having fun. Running up to the top of the hill. (Lyrics - 'you make me so high')

- Then they will both go their seperate ways back home and will end on them shutting their front doors.

When we edit the footage we will put it all together in this order but then reverse it so everything is goin backwards. We plan to have the male jumping off of walls and taking his jacket off so when it plays backwards it will look surreal and interesting. Our video will also be filmed in colour so that it is vibrant and bright.

The locations we will use will be:

-House

-Park

-Streets

-We've chosen to film outdoors in the fresh air to give a natural feeling.

Copying an existing music video

We have been given a task to copy an existing music video , the song we hve been given is 'Teenage Dirtbag' by Wheatus. For many of us this will be our first time behind the camera so we will be taught many different things. This will be taught to us during our video production lessons on a Friday. We will be taught how to use the camera safely and how to attatch the camera to he tripod correctly without it falling off. Also we will be told how to set up the tripod so that it is level and how to insert the tapes into the camera. There are different settings on the camera so we will be taught how to change them according to the shots we are trying to create. We will also learn how to direct on set and edit back in the class room.

We were told about recce shots. These are the starting point to any kind of filiming, includng studio filming. The idea is to take photographs at the different locations where you intend to film and report them back to the other group members. They need to be good quality so that all detail can be shown. These shots help to establish to other group members whether this is a good location to use to film in or not. Also whilst doing this we need to think about whether we need permisson to film there or not and anything that might get in the way of us getting our shots. We will do this when we come to plan and film our own music video.

We were filming our video for 'Teenage Dirtbag' in any available space around college due to time and efficientcy factors, so recce shots weren't needed. We watched the original Wheatus video and analysed the shots in detail so we knew exactly how the shots need to look. We watched it several times so that we could get used to the video and later discussed as a class how we might need to adapt our footage due to the fact that our video is going to be low budget and using only available props, costume, actors and location. It is vital to create a story board of all the shots that will be needed aswell as a description of each shot. This should include the shot number, shot type, description of action, camera movement/ direction, location, props/costume and description of sound/audio but for a music video no sound is needed.

We print screened every shot from the 'Teenage Dirtbag' video and created a story board with a description next to each shot. When we are filming, a copy will be given to every member of the production team so that they are informed of what needs to be done. Below is and example of what our story board consisted of.

We were introduced to using the camera where we saw a demonstration of how to use the camera correctly. Our teacher told us how to insert the tape, how to record, how to stop recording and how to attatch the camera to the tripod. He also showed us the different functions the camera has, like how to zoom and pan using the tripod. There may be implications when filming due to different factors. One might be sunlight, if it is too bright then the exposure needs to be changed accordingly so that the footage doesnt turn too white. Also we have to consider different weather conditions and how this might affect our filming. For example it might be raining but a solution to this is to take an umberalla with us. We learnt how to adjust the tripod to different heights and how to make it level so that the shots were sraight.

We then divided the story board into sections and in small groups worked on seperate parts so that we could then when we edit them we can put everyones shots together. This saved us time as filming can be very time consuming and we didn't have a lot of time. Also dividing into smaller groups meant we could all practice with the camera and have turns in directing shots.

I took this shot using a hand held camera. I had to walk backwards as I was filming being careful not to make the camera jerk. This was my first go at filming and it took a few takes until we got a shot where we were satisfied. We used a clapper board to write down the shot numbers and the takes. This meant that when we were editing we could easily pick out the shots that we wanted.

I was an extra in this shot and had to take instructions from the director about when to start and stop. Also I was told what I needed to do differently to gain the perfect shot that we needed.

I was an extra again in this shot and had to work as a team with other members to get the shot right. We had to listen carefully to instructions from the director so that we could get the filming done as quickly as possible.

EDITING

To edit our footage we used a programme called Final Cut Express, the industry use Final Cut Pro which is the same software just stronger. We set the project settings to PAL as this is the european editing standard. This means that in this part of the world we watch, edit and shoot programmes at a frame rate of 24 frames per second. In different parts of the world they use a different standard called NTSC which plays at 29 frames per second. Digital editing is non-linear which means that we are able to structure our clips in any way we want and changing the order of slips to however we like.

Once we had set up the project correctly, we then had to capture the footage onto the computer and save it in a convinient location. We connected the camera to the Mac using a firewire cable. We played the footage back and at the same time transferred it to the computer using Timecode. This is a unique number for each frame of the film that we shot.

We edited in three stages, assembly edit, rough draft and the final cut. Firstly we used the razor tool to cut our footage up into all the different shots and deleted ones which were no good. We had written down which shots were good already whilst we were filming so could easily pick these out by reading what takes it says on the clapper board. We then cut the shots down so that they fitted together smoothly and got rid of any unwanted parts at the begining and ends of the shots. The music was the added to the sequence so that we could fit our clips in the right place. If we needed to add any effects we would do this at the end as it it the most tie consuming and could cause us to fall behind scheduele. For this video we didn't need any special effects but considered transitions. Below is our final edit of the footage we filmed as a group.