Digipak ideas

3 main theories about media audience

I found the 3 main theories to grasp, as I am also an A Level Sociology student. Here are the definition of the 3 main theories about media audience:

Hypodermic syringe model
This model suggests that the media act like a hypodermic syringe, injecting messages and context into the veins of media audiences. Audiences are seen as unthinking, passive robots who are unable to resist the 'drug' infected by the media.

Two-step flow model
This model recognises that audiences do not simply passively react to media content and will respond in a variety of ways to it. This model of media influence suggests that people are influenced by 'opinion leaders'.

Uses and gratification model
This model suggests that media audiences are not passive robots who are easily manipulated, led by opinion leaders or have their opinions moulded over time. In this view, media audiences are activeand use the media in various ways for their own pleasures and interests.

Ferdinand de Saussure and Roland Barthes

Ferdinand de Saussure suggests that the signifier is the physical form which we can see or hear e.g. photographs or a picture. Signified is the meaning which we attach to the signifier.

Roland Barthes added to this theory and called the signifiers 'symbolic codes'.

Band Brand

Me and Alyce have come up with 'The Blowout Being' as our artist's name! The word 'Blowout' is another term for Electro which is our genre, so we thought it would be an appropriate name. The name is catchy and it rolls off the tongue, so it'll be easier for people to always mention this artist.

After generating track names for our album, we have come up with the following 13:

1) Chasing Clouds
2) Flash
3) Roses Are Red
4) The Tide
5) Laces
6) In For The Kill
7) Cyclone
8) Whirlwind
9) Far Away
10) Stick People
11) Time Machine
12) Little Hurricane
13) Submission

A few photographs from our visit to the BFI

Screenshots from filming

BFI trip

Yesterday our media class went on a trip to the BFI run by the chief examiner, Pete Fraser. I found it incredibly interesting as he spoke about the history of music videos. In the afternoon, we were grateful to meet Corin Hardy, who is a music video director. He has worked with the likes of Olly Murs, The Prodigy, Paolo Nutini, Devlin, Ed Sheeran and many more. He showed us some of his previous work, and one of the videos that stuck out to me was Devlin - Watchtower ft Ed Sheeran.

Digipak

A digipak is a form of jewel case for holding CDs or DVDs, in which the outer cover is of card rather than plastic.

Generic conventions of a digipak

Size: 139.5mm x 6mm x 125.5mm

Number of sides: 4 and a spine

Parental advisory sticker: If explicit content is used in the tracks

Track list: Usually 13-14 tracks, however could differ depending on artist

Todays filming

With only 8 days to go until the filming deadline, me and Alyce are filming every day to ensure we have enough footage! Today we filmed in a graveyard and on top of a roof top. It went to plan, and we managed to capture the footage we needed. It was the first time we filmed lip syncing and I thought Alyce did an amazing job! The white contact lenses were a great buy, and look really effective in our footage. Tomorrow we are planning to film in Camden, Wednesday in the forest with the mob of people, Thursday at Dans house and Monday we will film the props such as the clock, candles and the burning photo.

Storyboard animation

White contact lenses

The white contact lenses have finally arrived! We bought them from Amazon, for only £5.95! We wanted to include white contact lenses as they are unusual and haven't been used before. They give off a mysterious feel and impact on our gloomy image that we are creating for our character. Me and Alyce are filming the dark, rebellious scenes on Sunday. We are planning to film in a forest and also alley ways.

Vlog about first day filming

Storyboard animation progress

Me and Alyce have imported our pictures of our storyboard to iMovie, and are currently in the process of editing it. We are having some problems as we can't make each frame in time with the music. However, we are thinking of ways to resolve the problem.

Filming Schedule

This is mine and Alyce's filming schedule. We got together and worked out when we are both free, and when is convenient for us. We will probably film spontaneously as well as sticking to our schedule.

Filming Schedule

Framing And Composition

The "rule of thirds" is a guideline which helps you to compose a frame. The guideline proposes that an image should be split into nine equal parts. I found a video on YouTube which explains the "rule of thirds" really clearly.



The eyeline rule is important when it comes to framing as the eyes are a focal point in a frame. The guidelines helps us to ensure that we have enough headroom.

Storyboarding

Mine and Alyce's storyboard is coming along very nicely. We are meeting up tomorrow after school to finally finish it. Once it is completed, we are hoping to go out and film.

Ideas about lighting

Me and Alyce had an idea about how to conquer our problem about shooting in the dark. We looked into buying LED lights so we can attach it to our camcorder. The film "Project X" and the video "Remedy" by Professor Green both used this type of lighting. I think the video "Remedy" looks amazing due to the artificial lighting. It makes the person the light is focused on more highlighted. I think the LED lights will be beneficial to us as the majority of our filming will be in dark, gloomy locations.

What I have learnt from storyboarding

Last year when my group and I storyboarded, we found it incredibly useful due to all the ideas we generated. We felt that it was helpful as we already had ideas to work from instead of getting to our location clueless of what we were going to achieve. This year we aim to make our storyboard very in depth, as it will be easier to film and get the shots right.

Our treatment pitch

Treatment

Emailing the record label

Mood Board

Our mood board has gone for the dark, gloomy, mysterious approach as this is what we aim our music video to include. We want to make our video out of the ordinary, and completley different to anything anyone has seen before. We want our audience to be shocked, yet fascinated in what they witness. Our locations will consist of rural areas such as forests, alley ways, roof tops etc. We have thought about shooting some scenes during the night, therefore we will have to use artificial lighting. We want our character's clothing and make-up to be dark to portray her mood. Her clothes could consist of a leather jacket, biker boots and baggy clothing. The make-up will also be thick and dark such as smokey eyes.

Brainstorm

Below is a rough brainstorm me and Alyce produced in todays lesson.

Inspirational Music Videos

The video M83 by Midnight City includes ambient lighting, which we wish to use in our own music video as we feel the lighting shall be dull and gloomy. I particularly like the pan across the sunset sky. It has giving me ideas such as to imitate that, but rather than having the sun, using the moon. I also like the slow motion editing they have incorporated.



What really stood out for me in this music video is the establishing shot of the moon, and the mise-en-scene. The ominous setting could portray our characters mood.

Final Song

We have finally come to the decision that we will do La Roux - In For The Kill Skream remix. After contemplating on what song to do, we found this remix and thought it'd be perfect. We prefered the remix to the original as it has great potential. We were going to do the 5 minute version, however we felt that it may be too long. The lyrics could be interpreted in any form, therefore we have many routes we could go down when it comes to filming. We want to make our video different, and explore a new theme. We are hoping to create a dark video, maybe including some aspect of horror.

Lyrics
La Roux - In For The Kill (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix)

We can fight our desires
But when we start making fires
We get ever so hot
Whether we like it or not
They say we can love who we trust
But what is love without lust?
Two hearts with accurate devotions
And what are feelings without emotions?

I'm going in for the kill
I'm doing it for a thrill
Oh I'm hoping you'll understand
And not let go of my hand
[x2]

I hang my hopes out on the line
Will they be ready for you in time
If you leave them out too long
They'll be withered by this song
Full stops and exclamation marks
My words stumble before I start
How far can you send emotions?
Can this bridge cross the ocean?

I'm going in for the kill
I'm doing it for a thrill
Oh I'm hoping you'll understand
And not let go of my hand
[x4]

Artist Research

Our chosen artist is Karmin, a group from the U.S. The group consists of an engaged couple who met at school. They became popular due to their appearance on an American talk show and hits on Youtube, gaining 200 million views. They are best known for their song Brokenhearted, which is the song we have chosen to do for our music video. They are also known for their Youtube cover "Look at me now". The duo are set to release their first album in November.

Star Image: Artist Research

I have chosen to conduct my research on Rihanna, as the genre of music she produces is pop, which has matched our genre. She is originally from Barbados, but moved to America to pursue her career as a singer at the age of 16.

Rihanna was recognised in the media in 2005 for her debut album "Music of the Sun". Only being 17 at the time, she managed to gain a spot in the "Billboard Hot 100" with her hit single "Pon De Replay".

She released her second album a year later "A Girl Like Me" which reached the top five in the United States. She also had her first number one single with "SOS" in the same year.

Rihanna's fan base call themselves the "Rihanna Navy". Both sexes enjoy her music, and is very popular among all ages. She is a worldwide singer, therefore her music is appreciated by many different countries. Over the years she has grasped the attention from different audiences as her music is very versatile. In 2007, Rihanna released her third album "Good Girl Gone Bad", appealing to the likes of rock fans. In her more recent music, she has appealed more to the male audience by singing about sex and drugs. She maintains her fanbase by singing about issues people can relate to, such as love and relationships. Over the years, Rihanna has matured not only in her music, but in her physical appearance. She has had several different hairstyles whilst being in the music industry. Many females have been influenced by the way she has her hair, and is a big style icon. Once she released the edgy album "Good Girl Gone Bad", she cut her hair very short and dyed it black to fit in with her new album title. Her innocent look was stripped away, and a new rough look was exposed.

In recent years, Rihanna has been known to wear inappropriate clothing, and has been ridiculed in the media for doing so. People have complained that she is influencing young girls to dress in an unacceptale manor. Rihanna claims that her performance outfits are part of an act, and it's not her.

The video below shows Rihanna through the years, how she has changed as an artist, and how she has presented herself.



Rihanna is constantly in the media, but the main story that swept the nation was the Chris Brown allegations. In 2009, Rihanna's boyfriend Chris Brown was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats. Chris was then charged with assault and making criminal threats. A photo was then leaked of Rihanna which highlights her injuries. The case brought up a number of issues regarding the privacy of victims of domestic violence. He then pleaded not guilty, but received five years probation.

In January 2011, Rihanna released her first fragrance "Reb'l Fleur", and it became highly sucessful. To market and promote her fragrance, Rihanna made an appearance at the department store, Macy's. A year later, Rihanna released her second fragrance "Rebelle". In the same year, she starred in the film "Battleship" directed by Peter Berg. Rihanna's first fashion range for Armani also became available.

Rihanna causedd a stir in the music industry as she released two collaborations with former boyfriend Chris Brown. This caused a vast amount of controversy because of couples history of domestic violence. Rihanna recently appeared on "Oprah's Next Chapter" where she opened up about very personal issues.

Overall, it is evident that Rihanna has changed a vast amount since 2005. She has become a worldwide sensation and a role model to many. She may be criticised for her image, however she feels comfortable in her own skin and is proud of what she represents as a woman.

Song Choice

Idea 1: Karmin - Brokenhearted



For

1) It is an upbeat song, with quirky lyrics.
2) The narrative would be different, rather than having the typical boy in it, we may have a photo of a boy.
3) Karmin aren't a mainstream group, therefore we can make the video our own.

Against

1) There is some hints of rapping, and it could be hard to lip sync.
2) Editing may be to easy as the beat is fast.
3) The concept of the song is quite cliche.

Idea 2: Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

 

For 

1) There is a good beat for continuity editing.
2) There lyrics are appropriate, and many young people can relate to them.
3) The tone of the song is quite innocent, so we are thinking about going for a more angry approach. 

Against

1) Taylor Swift is a well known artist.
2) It be difficult to steer away from the typical girl hates boy stereotype.
3) The concept may be seen as too cheesy.

Idea 3: M.I.A. - Paper Planes

 

For

1) The message of the song is about political issues highlighting democracy, allowing us us to have a positive message.
2) There are multiple editing opportunities due to the versatile beat.
3) The song is urban therefore it may be easy to shoot in different environments to make the video more diverse and real relating to democracy etc.

Against

1) The lyrics may come across as offensive to some of the audience.
2) There's gun music in the background, so the song may not be child friendly.
3) The song may limit us a to what we could do.

Prelim decision

My group came to a mutual decision to do 'Jojo - leave get out' for our prelim task. We chose this video to replicate because the mise-en-scene is based in a school, and seeing as we are already in a school, we thought it would be convenient. There are several types of angles and shots within the music video, so we felt it would be beneficial to choose this video as we can extend on our filming techniques. The lip synching in the video is basic as the tempo is slow.

3 favourite music videos

'We found love' starring Rihanna is one of my favourite videos as it includes real life issues. It portrays how dangerous love can be due to the roller coaster type feelings; vulnerable, sad and happy. I like the editing techniques used, such as the jump cuts. One of the interpretations towards the video could be that whilst drugs can be seen as being addictive, so can love.

 

I particularly like this video as it is unusual as Kanye West is acting as the camera through a POV shot. The only time when we see him is through reflections. I find it interesting when Kanye is refused entry through security and has to go through the X-Ray machine. The meaning behind this is that Kanye has a metal plate in his jaw due to an accident.



This video is different to my other 2 favourite videos as it has not got a narrative behind it as it is at their concert. I like the effects used such as the mirrored effect, the strobe lighting and objects appearing on the video. There is an insert shot of part of a film which is yet again interesting as this never usually happens in music videos.

Andrew Goodwin’s Theory

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