intro

We've just been set another assignment to complete to go toward our unit one capture. We are making another music video this term plus promotional materials such as DVD covers, flyers and photographs.
     We've had to start by making a "Time bounded project plan" which is a week by week plan of what i need to do so that i can get everything done on time. The first 2 weeks is planing every detail of my product, such as props, locations, make-up, story boarding, photo shoots, writing a project proposal, recording a song ready for the video. We also have to create a questionnaire to the group asking about our ideas and what they think about them. I also need to write an explanation on how we have met the brief and how i am going to represent the artist i am promoting.

I need to include an economical, social or political factor into my video as this is a large chunk of the mark band. I have chosen to do an economical factor. Do do this, in the video there is going to be a few short shots where my sister is going to be dressed up as a "rich bitch" counting money and waving it around. Then she is going to chuck it away carelessly as if it is worthless. I think this has a lot of irony to current affairs in the political world of Britain as all over the news just lately it has been about how we got into 4.8 trillion pounds of debt and situations to do with the credit crunch and the riots in London because of educational funding cuts.

PRE-PRODUCTION
   So far i already have a few ideas for my music video. the song i am going to do is "Don't look back in anger" by Oasis. I have got a backing track to this song and i am going to sing over it. This way i can represent myself as the artist instead of such a well known band.
   This lyrics of this song don't really mean anything to me, but the actual song does. It reminds me of when i was young as my parent used to play Oasis alot. So this song is still really meaningful to me, and although i don't relate to the lyrics, i still think that they are amazing.  This particular song used to stick in my mind when my parents played it. My vocals also match this song, and i find it really enjoyable to sing.
   I wanted my music video to include techniques of the people i studied for my presentation, who were Michel Gondry and Anton Corbijn. To do this my video should have, no obvious story line, consist of some photography, consist of some black and white shots, have a contemporary theme in it using simple techniques and effects to make the video more  effective and be band/artist orientated, as these were the techniques and effects i studied of these two directors.
  The video also has to include a factor of either cultural, economical, political or social. Ive decided that Im probably going to use economical. I have an idea for a shot of a character holding money looking obsessed, or someone counting out money in a very happy, proud way.
  I have a few shot ideas for my video, but all of these show really good, simple techniques that will make my video more interesting and reflect the style of Michel Gondry. The first is to film the character walking at half the normal pace down a busy street, so when the video is edited i can speed it up and it will look like the character is walking normally and everyone else is walking in fast motion.
   The other idea i had was to film the character walking, or performing wearing a brightly colored top. Then to film it 2 or 3 times, each time with a different brightly colored top on. Then when i edit the video, if i keep using different clips, it will give it a glitchy contemporary look.
   I have another simple idea of a character building a tower out of brightly colored cups.
   I'd like the whole video to be black and white, but key parts of the shot to remain in color. I'm not sure if this is actually possible though so i''ll have to check. But id keep parts such as the t-shirts, or the cups color. Or for my money shot to represent an economical factor i could have just the money in color. if i cant do this with the entire film, when i have photographs in the actual music video (one of Anton Corbijn's techniques) i can edit them on photo shop first to have this techniques.

Here is my project proposal

Here is the first page of brainstorming i did to get my ideas

Here is my time bounded project plan. its everything i need to do and when i going to do it for the next 7 weeks. If i stick to this then i should hopefully have a successful project.

 
IDEAS
From my mind map, i got these ideas for shots and i have put them in time with the song. some of my ideas reflect the people i studied, but this is how i want myself as the artist to be portrayed in the song

I've thought of en easy way to film all my shots. Im going to still draw up a story board, but when i film it, i separated it into 5 separate locations. each location has a variety of shots, but so i get the best choice, in stead of film 5 seconds of walking, or singing,  i'm going to do it for a longer period of time so i have more to play with. Ive also written costumes down as well.

 

4th November 2010 - Today i am recording the track for my music video. I am going to be singing "Don't look back in anger"  by Oasis.

Here is a link to the backing track that i used. I converted the video to a mp3 and saved it on my memory stick http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQoZVduulHs

Slip inside the eye of your mind
Don't you know you might find
A better place to play
You said that you'd never been
But all the things that you've seen
Will slowly fade away

So I start a revolution from my bed
'Cause you said the brains I had went to my head
Step outside, summertime's in bloom
Stand up beside the fireplace
Take that look from off your face
You ain't ever gonna burn my heart out

And so Sally can wait, she knows it's too late as we're walking on by
Her soul slides away, but don't look back in anger
I heard you say

Take me to the place where you go
Where nobody knows, if it's night or day.
Please don't put your life in the hands
Of a Rock 'n Roll band
and throw it all away

Gonna start the revolution from my bed
'Cos you said the brains I had went to my head
Step outside cos summertime's in bloom
Stand up beside the fireplace
Take that look from off your face
You ain't ever gonna burn my heart out

So Sally can wait, she knows it's too late as she's walking on by.
My soul slides away, but don't look back in anger
I heard you say

So Sally can wait, she knows it's too late as we're walking on by
Her soul slides away, but don't look back in anger
I heard you say

And So Sally can wait, she knows it's too late and she's walking on by
My soul slides away, but don't look back in anger, don't look back in anger
I heard you say

At least not today.

I have a backing track on my memory stick. Because i am doing it in my own style i can brand myself as the artist. Before i started recording though, I'm just getting some techniques about vocal recording. I found a video. Its quite a short video, but it has all the relevant information. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pipTwNdpmfc. From this video i've found out that i need to use a condenser microphone. I am going to use the M audio solaris.  I am using a condenser microphone because it is designed for softer recording, such as vocal or percussion, whereas a dynamic microphone is for bass drums and heavier sounds. I only need to use one microphone to record vocal. I'm not going to stand with my mouth right next to the microphone. I'm going to be about 20cm away. This will prevent the microphone picking up unnecessary sounds such as my breathing. I may also use a pop shield which will distort the microphone from picking up a "P" sound. 

    I might also record some harmonics over my track. I'll record the song first, and then make a second recording where i harmonize parts of the song. From reading through the lyrics, ive decided i'm going to do harmonics on the chorus. There is also a line in the song that sings "you ain't never gonna burn my heart out" - i may also do harmonics on this line, but im going to experiment with what that sounds like down in the studio. 

    Recording session plan - Sing the song with a backing track, whilst it is being recorded on logic pro. I will listen to the track, to see if there is anything i need to change, such as the distance i stand from the microphone, volume levels or my vocal. When i am happy with it i will sing the track again as my official recording. I will then sing again over my recording (not the backing track) for the harmonics. On logic pro the harmonics will come up as a 3rd channel. The first will be the backing track, the second my voice. Whilst i am recording, i need the track to be played through headphones so i can sing in time.    

10th November - Today i have decided to be mega awkward. I want to change the track i am doing for my music video. After recording last Thursday, i keep messing around with my track on logic, trying to get the levels right and make it sound professional. But my voice is to soft for the backing track. The backing track has a very rough rocky sound, yet my voice is very soft and mellow. The video above is of the original recording i did of. i recorded it 3 times. but in the end i bounced the track so it sounds like 3 people are singing. The new track i've chosen to do is The reason by Hoobastank. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV4DiAyExN0&ob=av2e

I have chosen to do this song because it still falls under a progressive rock genre. Only this song is very mellow, slow and quiet. It matches my voice better and i think it would be a better track for me. I am at an advantage, because my video idea for Oasis is still going to be used. Because the video idea i had didn't actually resemble the song "don't look back in anger" i can use it again. The video was to promote and advertise the artist. I have drawn up a new time sheet for the new song i am doing and have adapted all the shots and plans for the last video into this one. I am still going to use the same filming list as i was for oasis (above.) Here are my new time sheets.

Here are the lyrics to the reason by Hoobastank. Also this is a link to the backing track i am using. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV4DiAyExN0&ob=av2e

I'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
And the reason is you

I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with every day
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears
That's why I need you to hear

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
And the reason is you

And the reason is you
And the reason is you
And the reason is you

I'm not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
And the reason is you

I've found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know
A reason for all that I do
And the reason is you

There isn't any reason why this track means so much to me in particular. Yet i think that a lot of people can relate to these lyrics because they are about a special person in someone's life, and how they have made you and your life change, and i think everyone has a person like that in their life. The way these lyrics are performed is a very soft yet powerful vocal, that brings emotion to the song. This is why i like this choice. Because many people can relate to it about a certain person or situation in their life, and it makes people think about themselves in a different way.  

I've been drawing up some thumbnails for my poster and CD cover. I've only drawn one idea for the CD cover because i certain of how i want it to look, however i've draw 4 ideas for the poster. I am going to go out and take some sample photographs for them and mess around on photoshop.

 Each idea has an explanation next to it of how i am going to make it look really good, using techniques of photoshop and what the font is going to look like.

 For my cd cover, i was originally going to have a front middle and back. But now I've decided i am just going to have the front and back. The front will have a picture of the artist which will probably be a still taken from the video, or a photograph taken at the same time as recording the video. Then the artist logo and song title will also be on the front. The back will have the lyrics of the song and smaller photos of the artist. There will be some small little "doodles" on the page connect the photo's.

Here is a feedback sheet i asked 3 people to fill in about what they thought of my ideas.

MARKETING

5th November 2010 - I've been looking at other music video directors and some of the work they've done. One video that i really enjoyed was "dream" by Dizzie rascal. This video was directed by Dougal Wilson who is with the company colonel Blimp. I love the way the film looks old, and Dizzie rascal is made to look the size of a toy. In the video he dances around with puppets and jumps out of a toy box. the video goes really well with the playful beat in the actual song. Obviously this technique would be to hard for me to try and do myself, but i really like the idea.

8th November - I've been looking at band logos today. I found some really interesting ones. I want to use these to help me think of a logo for myself. 

  

There are a few of these band logos that really stand out for me. I am going to look at these individually and analyze the, to help me get ideas for my own logo.

This is the logo for the band Red hot chili peppers (below). The typography is all in capitals and is big and bold. The text is done in white which really stands out against the black background. The center of logo is a red star shape. Red is a color that usually represents love, anger or danger. However with the title of the band being the RED hot chili peppers, it does has some significance. I really like the logo because it is different. The typography isn't in one straight line and the colors chosen  all clash against each other in an affective way. Because of the unusual layout of this logo it makes it easy to remember which is good marketing for the band because more people will remember the logo, and therefor the band.  

  

 If we look at this EP cover by the red hot chili peppers (below) called "The abbey road ep", we can see that it's obviously their version of the Beatles album "The abbey road." However the chili peppers have decided to step up their version with themselves walking naked across the zebra crossing wearing nothing but socks. This alone would grab the attention of many people, let alone people recognizing it as a remake of one of the most famous album covers in the world. The typography of this album cover is written in white over a black background as it was in the logo. The title of the band is all in capital letters and is large and bold. The album title however, although also done in capitals, is smaller and not as bold so it doesn't stand out quite as much as the band title. The picture takes up the majority of this album cover. But because it is such an explicit and remarkable picture, it draws attention to the album, and more potential buyers.

 

Here is the logo for a british hiphop group named Taskforce.  The logo is big, bold and in black so it stands out. The effect placed on the logo is a broken glass effect. This not only makes the logo stand out, but it also reflects the music and the background of the people in the group.  The logo give's of the impression that these people are not weak, but that are strong, and tough.

  If we look at an album cover from Taskforce we can see that there is no color on it. This is the same in all their album covers. However the way that it is presented makes it stand out. Becasue the album is 2 simple block colors - black and white, they clash with each other making the album cover catch the eye.   The picture is illustrated and is of a block of flats from the estate that they come from, the Highbury estate. The group title is placed in the top center of the album cover in a large font. The album title is underneath, but in a  much smaller font.   

Here is the logo for the band slipknot. This logo also has a red version.  The text in this logo is very uneven and rough. It is a mixture of capitals and lower case. the text reminds me of a mixture of blood and barbed wire. The band are a very heavy metal band, so this typography really reflects their music. The "S" in the background is almost like a trademark for the band. Fans who see this know this means Slipknot. The S has spikes coming out of it and looks very angry - also representing the bands music.

Here is a Slipknot album cover for a live album. The bands title is placed in black letters in the top center of the cover. The picture is of an audience "moshing" and listening to the band play live. All of their hands are reaching foward trying to grab the band. A parental advisory sticker is also placed on the front of the album cover. The album cover stands out because of the repetitiveness of the photograph. All the stretched out arms and hands give the picture more detail.

 I've done a few rough sketches of logo ideas i've got from other artists. i've tried to use a variety, so some logos have picture, some are fancy writing, some have backwards letters. Here's a copy of my first ideas, then i narrowed it down to my 3 favorites.

 

For The first idea i drew it in fine liner. I didn't do it really neat, because that's what ill do for the production. I like this idea because is modern and it adds a really nice texture to the typography.

This next idea was influenced by the "Sex pistols Never mind the bollocks." I really like the scruffy punk look and the use of color. It really stands out which is what i want.

This last idea is very simple. But artists such as Audioslave and Slayer used this technique of a pattern behind the font. I i chose this idea i would make it more bold and detailed.






Obviously the logos that i have drawn above are only rough sketches and i can improve them. But i really like the first idea. My favorite idea is the punk- like one based on the sex pistols, but after thinking about the song i'm doing and what i want my image and album cover to be like, i think that the first idea would fit into it better. Its simple and bold, yet it stands out because of the built up layers.

This is the perfect example of how i want my album cover to be. I wanted it to be back and white and selling the artist. For my idea i was going to have a picture of myself with the title above me. This is why i think the first logo idea would be best for my project because it is simple and can easily change from one simple color to another. The only difference is that i want to get some landscape into my album background










Here is a logo that i made on Adobe Illustrator. It is like the logo that i had drawn out (above.)  I had never used illustrator before. The only tool that i used was the line tool, and the line curve tool for the corners. It tool me a good few days to do, but i am happy with the end  outcome. I exported this to photoshop and placed it on top of a picture of me.

I also tried several other logo designs, but i used my friends name to design them. I jused adobe illustrator and Photoshop to complete these. I was considering the design that is vertical on the right hand side. I like the tiled effect i created. However i wanted the theme to stay black and white and simple, and if i did that design in black and white it would not of shown up very well agains the photograph. The other designs, although colorful and patterned, were to bold for me. My fuinal logo i choose was simple, yet complicated with all the different lines and sizes.

Here is the picture i used with my logo on top. This isn't going to be my final product but it shows how i want the logo to look on top of a picture. I think from looking at this that the logo should have larger lines so it is more visible to read.

Here are 3 black and white photographs i want to use for the album cover. Personally i think the best one is the top one. This is because the song i am doing has very relatable lyrics, and in both the other pictures i am either smiling of posing. The top picture, i think, has more meaning to it.

 

I opened up the top picture on photoshop and placed my logo on top of it, but where the top of my picture is light the logo didn't show up on it. I also made the line of my logo bigger. However i am still going to go on photoshop and see if there is some i can do to prevent this, by rearranging the layout. Here is a screenshot of my first attempt. 

 
Final work

I tried several variations of the logo over the photographs and several different photographs (tho ones above) but here is my final product of my album cover. The reason i chose this to be my final album cover is beacuse i like the picture best. It is in black and white which is like the Alicia Keys album cover i looked out. the only part of my body visible is my face, also like the Alicia Key album. I did try the logo in different colors however none of them looked right apart from the white.

My final recorded song and final video are on a separate DVD to accompany the above DVD cover.
A printed word document of my evaluation also accompanies this research and production.