SA - Evaluation (Questions 1, 2 & 4)

JD - Evaluation (Questions 1, 2 & 4)

RB - Evaluation (Questions 1, 2, & 4)

RB - evaluation on Prezi

JD, SA & RB - Evaluation Question 3 (Audience Research)

• When we were first developing our concept the quantitative audience research that we did helped to reinforce some of our ideas, such as the fairly anonymous yet urban locations and our costume ideas of fairly casual, indie clothes.
  

• The audience research also challenged some of our ideas. Our main concept was to have something extremely abstract with no distinct narrative but our audience research suggested that there should be some sort of narrative in our video.

• When we presented our first rough cut to the class we were given a few things that people didn’t like and thought needed to be changed. The main point that everyone seemed to pick up on was that the loud, emotional parts of the vocals in the song was not carried over in the performance.
  
  

• We combated this by re-shooting these parts in the drama studio. Shooting this key parts of the lyrics also helped to bring the studio shots of the instruments together and tied them into the video.

• For example at 1:06, at 1:36 and at 2:56

• After our second rough cut, which was full length, there were still a couple of points people felt needed to be improved upon. One of the most obvious points was that there was a lot of repeated shots and we fixed this by replacing them with some new shots that Rob filmed at home of flour dropping and some flames on a black background to add to the abstract element of our video.

• Some of our class members also picked up that some of the syncing was slightly out, which we rectified almost immediately before we forgot which parts specifically that were out.
  

• For example at 2:02 and at 3:12.

• Finally we carried out some audience research to test the finished pieces to an audience. I posted the video on Facebook to get some reaction from people our age to the video, the response was positive and it reassured us that what we originally planned out worked.

• Some quotes, that we gained from showing the video to some students at other schools and students from our school in the year below, are:

• "..the performance was convincing..."
• "...there should have been dancing..."
• "...there is a cohesive band image..."
• "I feel it is about being lonely and confused..."
• "I like the mystery surrounding the male character..."

• There was also lots of praise and congratulations directed towards us by other students and teachers alike which boosted our confidence and made us feel very proud of our music video.
  

• We encoded the text to show randomness and uniqueness. However our audience thought that is was more about loneliness and individualism, although a few people thought it was about uniqueness.
  

• It was clear that the preferred reading was about loneliness and individualism as most of the people that commented on our video thought this.

• The digipak and adverts also reinforce this as there is an absence of artist images, the audience also though this was about individualism and loneliness. However the abstract images caused more people to comment about uniqueness.
  
  
• It is evident that the video stands up to both focused and ambient viewing as the fast cutting rate makes people want to watch it more to understand it, and allows it to stand up to repeatability, but it has a strong enough narrative fuzz that your not pulled into the story, but just watch it for the enjoyment.

Written by Jake, Rob and Sam

Final Digipack.

 This is the front cover

 Inside left and rear right panel.

The complete inside. Includes poster, dvd, and cd

Rear centre panel, shows track names and the QR code

Digipak and poster











The finished digipak ended up looking pretty good. We had to get rid of the booklet and instead replaced it with another disc tray so we could include the video on an extra disc. The poster includes also looks pretty good. The onlly problem with the digipak is the fact tht it bulges a bit. this is due to the fact we had already printed it thinking we would have the booklet and not an extra disc tray, however this changed and we didnt have time to resize and reprint the digipak.

SA, RB & JD - FINAL CUT

This is our final cut of our music video:




Q1. Did you enjoy watching the video?

Q2. Did you think the video was aesthetically pleasing?

Q3. Do you think this video stands up to repeatability?

Q4. Do you think this video suits the drum and bass genre? If so, what are the conventions that are evident in this video?

Q5. If you could improve this video how would you do so?

RB - Digipak so far...

I've pretty much finished the digipak, all that's left to do now is print and assemble it. I have used all my own images except from one, which is Jakes. The logo that says 'chew lips' was taken from the bands website however I have edited it on photoshop substantially, enough to make it look like a new image, so technically all I have really used is a font. Below is the digipak set out in its template, and the final poster that will accompany the digipak, plus screenshots from photoshop.

Something extra I thought of whilst creating the digipak was on the back of the digipak where you have the barcode, track names, websites, etc was to create a QR (quick response) code. This, when scanned by smartphones will link you to a website of our choice, in this case it will link to the blog. Evidence of this below:

JD - Rough Cut #2

I completed the second full length rough cut in the lesson yesterday. The studio shots of Tina really helped to bring the whole video together and gave more continuity to the whole video as it linked the shots of the instruments with the rest of the video.
We still have to film the flour shot for near the beginning of the video but are undecided whether or not to still do it. there are also still a couple of shots that aren't properly synced.
We were planning on getting some feedback yesterday, but uploading the video didn't go too well and are hoping to get this done today.

Feedback:

Did you enjoy the video and why?

Bright colours, use of pullback focus, fast cutting rate

Does it stand up to repeated viewings?

Yes, due to the fast cutting rate and interesting locations/colours

How is the genre of the track apparent through the video?

Colours, empty urban spaces, has an electro feel in a subtle way

How do you percieve the artist/band?

Edgy, alternative, British

Name one shot you liked and why.

Foot splashing, sky transition, red performance shots

Name one area that could be improved.

Less repeated shots, link girl and boy together, some syncing is out.

SA - Video Progress and Timeline

On Thursday the 25th I completed the vast majority of our music video. There is only about 20 seconds to finish off and sync, although there is footage in that time space. I should be able to finish the whole video by the end of the week, and then that allows us to get some more feedback from the class and then leaves us time to change bits and tweak certain areas in order to produce a final music video.

This is a our timeline which helped us to plan our editing, shooting and print work construction etc:

JD - Looking at a Music Video

We were advised to look back at music videos again so that we didn't get lost in the editing and footage of our own videos. Looking at other music videos from our genre would help us to see again what a music video from our genre should look like.

I chose this video as it really shows the grimey side to drum and bass and almost shows the roots of drum and bass as it was formed in a very 'underground' environment in terms of music. The use of the slow motion and flour in this video is something that we were actually planning on doing and shows how effective it would have been, but we ended up deciding to not do it as it would make too much of a mess in the locations we would do it.

RB - contribution so far...

-Digi-pack mock, including poster and booklet.
-Record smashing shoot.
-Helped edit the video after the first rough cut.
-Tested certain shots at home (speaker shots).
-Filmed the flour drop shot
-Filmed the flour on drum shot.
-Filmed the flame shot.
-Final Digi-pak prototype

JD - Completed Tasks

So far in the production I have done:

- 2 minute rough cut
- Hastings shoots
- Drama studio shoots:
+ Instruments
+ With Tina
- Speaker shots
- Other half page advert
- Took photographs for Digipak

RB - The record smashing shoot.

During a lesson last week we shot the record smashing sequences. we started off in the studio but the records wouldn't smash on the wooden floor, so we went outside to smash them on concrete :).  Trying to smash the records proved quite difficult as they were very plastic-y so trying to throw them hard enough and at the right angle accurately was quite hard, but we got it done. Here are some pictures from the shoot:

SA - Looking at a Music Video

At this point of production, we were advised to look back at a music video that appeals to us and just look at the bigger picture of what a music video should be and look like. When producing and editing our own video, it is easy to get lost in your own footage and lose what the overall picture of the video should conform to, or not if applicable.

• I looked around for a music video that broke with the normal conventions of a music video because our genre doesn't usually make music videos, although more are coming through nowadays.
• I found 'Power - Kanye West' and this is completely unconventional as a music video, it is a continuous slow pan outwards with extreme CGI and super slow-motion. It has Kanye west in the middle looking straight at the camera and there is rapping over the top but his mouth in the video never moves and neither does his body.
• The video is only 1:42 minutes long making it extremely short as a music video, also the super slow motion and high definition of the video makes it a really rich video to watch.
• Below is the video:

SA - My Completed Tasks in Production

So far in the production I have done:
- The Hastings Shoot
- The Drama Studio Shoots:
1. instruments
2. with Tina
- The Record Smash Shoot (at school)
- One of the half-page adverts for a magazine
- Co-edited with Jake

JD - Studio Shoot #2

Overall I feel that this shoot went very well.

- We used mainly red light to get the same feel as the shots with the intrumetns and it helped to link them together.

- We directed Tina, our singer, to show more emotion in her singing due to the feedback we got form our rough cut.

- When we first started shooting we were using only the red light at full power, but after a few shots we found that this created very stark shadows under the eyes, so we got Tina to move backwards so the light was more infront of her than above her. We also reduced the power of the red light and turned a white light on that was facing her to help eliminate the shadows.

- We could have tried to use different coloured lights rather than just red to give a variation through the video.

Feedback #8

posts? Nothing for a week?

SA - Further Mag Advert Development and Final Advert

Here is the further development of my magazine advert for our music track.
Starting from the top left the progression goes across and down.

I have changed the font style and position, and added the song name. I also added both record labels to the bottom left of the advert to make it seem more professional, also I have added the websites of the bands and the main record label. These little details will make the advert more realistic and make it look like it could appear in a music magazine.

I have also turned up the contrast of the background so there are darker areas that create a more dramatic look to the advert, I felt the original image lacked a certain look.

THIS IS THE FINAL ADVERT:

RB - Mock Digipak write up.

These images are of my mock digipak. I used images that are all similar to each other and edited them on photoshop to make them black and white and I blurred them abit using gaussian blur. I also used photoshop to create and arrange the images in the correct orders. I then used a fullsize template to arrange the images in such a way that allows me to fold it up to create the main digipak without cutting any of it. In the final digipack I will be using my own images and one or two images from either Sam or Jake due to different cameras/lenses needed to create a certain effect.

The only problem I have found with creating this digipack is trying to get the booklet to be the right size after it has been printed, cut and folded. With the final digipak the booklet will be alot bigger. The correct size will be worked in the coming week.

The material the digipack will be printed on will be thick card to closely resemble existing digipaks and to make it seem as realistic as possible. I will also be using one of the plastic disc trays in the digipak to make it seem more professional. This is the final layout and design before making the actual digipak.

JD - Rough Cut #1 (With Feedback)

After showing our 2 minute rough cut to the class the feedback we got was extremely helpful.

Strong Points:
- Good Syncing
- Variety of shots
- Bright colour work well

Weaker Points:
- Loud points of vocals not carried over in performance
- Need a variey of close ups
- Camera movements need to be faster
- Not enough first person mode of address

SA - Further Mag Advert Development

- After looking at the way the first advert was panning out, I decided that it didn't really work , and there was too much difference in the band name and the re-mixers name. I also felt that the graffiti wasn't going to work very well.

- So I decided to make the advert a half page advert, that would still appear in 'Mixmag'.

- The measurements would now be 23cm wide and 15cm long.

SA - Mag Advert Development

After the initial sketches I created the document on Photoshop, with the measurements on 23cm wide and 30cm long. I made a dark background and found the 'Chew Lips' graphic and cut it out, fitting it onto the white circle and then creating the 'Karen' text and picked the colour from the wood texture of the graphic.

I then used the 'extrude' filter on the 'chew lips' graphic, which created the block looking texture on the letters. I then added the 'Netsky' text and the graffiti photo at the bottom. I faded it the photo into the black background using the rubber tool and then moved the text so it was on the line of the join of the two sections.

SA - Rough Sketch for Advert

This is a rough outline of an idea for my magazine advertisement that would appear in 'Mixmag'. I have used light trails as a main feature of the advert and the name of the original band, name of song and the remix artist.

The measurements of 'Mixmag' are 23cm wide and 30cm long, this sketch isn't to scale. When I create a mock up of the advert it will be the right size and there will be colours and more refined designs and font.

RB - Advert Analysis

This is a print ad for the album 'Crazy Itch Radio' by Basement Jaxx. The reading path in this ad start with the eye being drawn to the fairly odd radio-dog and then, because you look where the dog is looking, you move up the the band name, Basement Jaxx. Then you jump down to the text underneath the image which is the album name 'Crazy Itch Radio' followed by the information about the album. This reading path lets the reader spend more time looking at the ad and taking in more information about it, whilst keeping it simple at the same time.

The main linguistic sign in this advert is the band name, 'Basement Jaxx'. This helps us to identify the band and allows fans of the band to instantly recognise what the ad is about. The second linguistic sign is the album name 'Crazy Itch Radio' which in a way lets the reader get an idea of what type of music it is (alternative pop)

and is also connected to the main image of the ad. This title also constructs the band image as quirky and alternative.

Iconic signs in this advert are the font of the band name. It is futuristic looking which relates to the bands electro/dance subgenre. This helps create the bands image and will help people looking at the advert establish the thype of music the band create, in a short period of time. A second iconic sign is the font of the album name, its it quite generic but at the same time feels different to normal basic fonts, this could connote the bands sound is different but in some way feels like you know what to expect.

Another iconic sign is the colours of the ad. They are very bright and flourescent which could connote the bands electro/dance subgenre once again.

These signs help to construct the bands image by showing thier alternative/electronic/pop sound and signifies a youthful feel with the use of bright colours and quirky/random images.

Feedback #7

Rob - ad analysis from lunchtime? Also - as a group, post on editing progress / digipak etc

JD - Studio Shoot #1

- On Thursday we shot in the drama studio for the instrument shots we had storyboarded.
- We were able to experiment with the lighting to get exactly what we wanted. The shoot went well and the few shots that we managed to get into the edit and sync looked good and fitted in well.
- We may do another shoot in the drama studio with a dslr to get some more depth of field based shots.
- When we were playing the snare niether of us play the drums, so it took a while to get the beat right.
- When we were shooting there were points where I forgot about my shadow from the studio lights, so we had to repeat quite a lot of the shots.

JD - Hastings Shoot #2

- Weather turned out great and we feel that we got all the shots we need for the performance parts of our video. We also got some more slow motion shots with robs camera, experimenting with different frame rates.
- We found that the really high frame rates (240fps for example) began to loose quality, so we did the shots on 60fps and 240fps to see which come out best in the video.
- We didn't look at our story board at all during the shoot. This could have been because we went to Hastings the week before to practice and check the locations so we already knew what we were doing.
- After doing the shots we needed we explored Hastings a little further and found a new location next to the Childrens Library
- One of the locations we had chosen was infront of a garage, but when we first went there it was open with a car infornt of it so we had to go to a different location and hope that it was down when we went back, which luckily it was.

Feedback #6

Jake / Rob - ad analysis?

Feedback #5

Well done for completing the animatic to deadline. It is great to finally see how you are structuring the video.

I like the overall concept and feel - my comments are as follows:
1. It is all riding on a compelling performance from vocalist - make sure you clearly direct her and show her the animatic so that she has a sense of how close up the shots will be and can perform accordingly

2. I know the "slo-mo" style is a key part - however the track's beat really will demand a fast cutting rate in places. Particularly in opening 20 secs I think. Your animatic doesn't reflect that fast pased cutting rate - there definitely needs to be some montage sequences - think about the video with the birds eye of the decks.

Good luck this weekend _ I know JF was unexpectedly away on Friday; I hope you have all the equipment you need

SA, JD - Animatic with some footage

SA - Deconstructing Print Media (Advertisement)

This is a magazine advertisement that i found in 'Kerrang', although this is not the genre of music our track is associated with, i thought this advert suits the abstract/simplistic element of the track and original artist.

- The layout of the advert conforms to the Rule of Thirds with the band name covering the two top of points of the thirds. This draws your eye to the band name straight away and then your eye runs down the advert reading the album title and then the other information that is present on the advert, this reading path helps someone to take in all the information in a very short space of time.

- The first main linguistic sign is the band name, 'Kids in Glass Houses', helps us to identify the band, and can draw a fan to the advert. The second linguistic sign is the album name, 'Dirt'. This connotes teenage rebellion, nature and a sense of fun and youth.

- One of the iconic signs in the advert is the font of the band name, this is a block font that is coloured in a brown/red. It is a sans serif font with a slight eroded effect applied to it, this shows the band as being youthful and quirky as the font is quite unusual. The second iconic sign is the font of the album name, which has an ironic pattern applied to it. The flowery pattern on the word 'dirt' is an oxymoron and shows the band as quirky, and indie. Also the big, bold font adds to the overall look of the advert.

- Another iconic sign in the advert is the colours, which appear to be quite feminine with the pinks and light colours, however this style of graphic can now sometimes be associated with indie bands and the quirky/abstract look to band images. It shows the metro-sexual attitude towards males that can be represented with feminine iconography.

- The sum of all these signs creates the bands image to be one of indie/rock band. The font and colours of the advert represent the band as youthful, and not taking things too seriously. The flowers and light colours connote nature and the outdoors, yet the name of the band suggests something contrasting this. Although the band image would fit the random name they have, and this could be the reason for the quite avant garde design for the magazine advertisement.

- The ideological discourse present in the advertisement would most likely be youth and a feminine aspect. Although these ideologies are represented, the band's random image and name don't really match it, creating an overall band image of quite a random and indie feel. This also helps to explain the indexical signs that the audience would follow from this band. the audience would probably have the same avant garde and indie style that the band image shows.

SA - Researching Magazine Adverts in 'MixMag'

• After looking at the various music magazines that are popular today, I have come to the conclusion that our track would most probably be promoted in 'MixMag', which is "The Worlds Largest Dance Music and Clubbing Magazine". I think this style of magazine would suit our music track's electric/dnb genre and i can't see it fitting into any of the other popular music magazines.
• I bought the November issue of MixMag and flicked through to see some of the artist adverts, I found that a lot of them were for live shows. Some take up whole pages, whereas some are half pages or quarter pages. The bigger the artist the bigger the advertisement seems to be the key.
• The style of the advertisements in the magazine are quite simple designs with not too much of a busy pattern surrounding the text. In terms of text, it also seems to be quite simple.

Below are some examples of magazine advertisements I scanned in from Mixmag magazine:

Feedback #4 - research assessment

Well done, as a group you are working effectively to plan and research the production and are all working at approx a mid-A grade level (18/20). As far as I can see, Sam and Jake have contributed slightly more in the way of edited recce shots and ideas development, although Rob has improved detail on research posts . General feedback to all three:

• excellent use of ICT in blog and prezi for pitch.
• Clear contribution of relevant focused research into similar products, with a progressive improvement in using using critical frameworks to inform analysis (excellent use of semiotics, although confused use of Adorno)
• At this stage, time management very good
• Ideas communicated effectively on blog
• Pitch very well presented visually, however could have been clearer in actually clearly explaining vision for video.
• Use of recces as a planning tool has been very effective in beginning to resolve issues with concept

Key points for securing A grade planning:

• Audience research findings need a clear evaluation of results with a link to concept development
• storyboard sketches - take photos and upload to show progress towards animatic
• Rob - you need to use more images to illustrate posts
• Jake - I would have liked to have seen changes to posts as discussed, particularly product evaluation
• Rob - you need to post separately on initial digipak ideas that you presented in pitch too
• The actual Pitch post needs to have a clear list of all the areas covered in the prezi, so the moderator can see what it contains

JD - Hastings Shoot #1

Unfortunately we were not able to do the shots with the female singer as she had to look after her horse that has fallen ill.. We have rescheduled the shoot for next weekend. We still went to film in Hastings and used the time to practice smooth camera movement and find more locations for the performance shots as well as using the time to get some shots that we will be able to use in the video. This will enable us to concentrate fully on the performance shots next time.

RB - Mrs Fernandez...

I have added to these posts:
 - Responding to a track
 - Mini analysis
 - Technical analysis
 - Deconstructing print texts

I have also posted our concept ideas so far.

RB - Concept so far...

So far in our concept we are planning to use a variety shot styles in our video. Our concept mainly consists of arty shots in which we will use lighting and slow motion effects to make them effective. It will also be very slightly performance based where we will have a singer walking/running while singing the lyrics. These shots will mainly be close ups and mid shots. Another idea we were thinking of using is the use of instruments, mainly being the drums. close ups of the instruments being played to the song will help link the video to the track.
Order wise there isnt a set order, our shots are going to be storyboarded however may be subjected to change in order during the editing process.
The majority of the arty and instrumental shots will be shot in a studio where we can controll the lighting so we can be sure to get the effect we are looking for, however the performance shots will be in public outdoor locations.

SA - Half Term Filming

In our half term we are planning to go to Hastings to the locations we found on our reccie.

• We will be filming the majority of our shots that need the female singer in this location and these shots wil need to be lip synced and matched to the track in editing.
• The shots will have some movement to them but not be too jerky, they will be MCU mainly with a few close-ups and longer shots to fill in between the singing parts of our remixed song.
• We will film much more than we need on location as it would be an inconvience to go back there for a reshoot.
• We will have the school camera, and Robs two cameras in order to get different angles of the same shot and the different cameras have different looks and effects that can be adjusted on them.
• For example, we will use Robs DSLR camera to film the shots with pullback focus and depth of field effects as it is easier to change the focus while recording, with out too much jerky movement on the camera.

Feedback #3

Have a look again at Don't Stop by Red Hot Chilli Peppers and their use of Erwin Wurm's minute sculptures. What is interesting (although it does focus on band) is how they bring together lots of very random visual "gags" and ideas.

Feedback #2

Well done - your blog continues to be a thorough reflection of the creative process. Use of ICT was excellent in the prezi presentation and it demonstrated thorough primary/secondary research. I am interested in your visual ideas - where are you planning to shoot them? It would also be a good idea to practice some of them.

Rob / Jake - what can you add to this post? Any ideas/issues?

SA - More Shot Ideas following on from Pitch

Below is a more detailed list of specific shot ideas and concepts that we have decided on. We will need a lot to fill our long song.

• spinning in slow-motion
• speakers with things bouncing on top to the beat
• panning up and down to change location
• slow motion of flour being dropped
• slow motion close up of bass guitar strings
  
• words on screen as female sings
• vinyl record being dropped and smashed
• popping balloon in slow motion
• tap dripping
• water splashing in puddles
• MCU and CU of female singer standing up against different walls
• Various different creative shots using Jakes parachute
• Close up slow motion shots of rob on bike
  

Filling shots in between our main concept ideas will include:

• Handycam shots of interesting patterns in locations
  
• Quick shaky CU shots of costume

SA - Why is Storyboarding Important?

Storyboarding is useful as it allows us to visualise our ideas on paper and we can experiment with different ways of shooting the particular ideas that we have come up with.

• Last year for our two minute opening of a film we made a storyboard and animatic which helped us to plan each shot and gave us a sense of how long our production would be.
• In our production of our music video we will need to storyboard extentsively in order to have enough shots planned to fill the length of the track, and keep interest throughout the track.

Below are some examples of storyboards:

RB - Pitch Evalation

The feedback from our pitch was generally quite positive. However there were a few things we need to adress:

• The track is too long. 5 minutes is the maximum length the exam board will allow and ours is 5:30. We have a 2 points in the track where we can cut it. This is makes the track only 3 minutes and 50 seconds.
• We need to add examples and our own tested shot ideas into the pitch. To show the kind of feel were going for in the video.
• We need to come up with more ideas to keep the video interesting while at the same time not repeating anything.

Once we adress these issues the pitch will be given the green light and we will be allowed to begin filming.

JD - Prezi Pitch

We decided to put our pitch together in prezi. This was a collective decision as it allowed us to make a more creative and slick looking presentation. Prezi also showed good use of ICT as it's harder to use than powerpoint and shows that we have developed another skill.

JD - Audience Research

When we were putting our questionaire together on Survey Monkey we decided that we were going to go with quantitive rather than qualititive as we wouldn't have time to organise a meeting of people and we also didn't know enough people that our into that sort of genre of music to be able to give relevent feedback. If we went for quantitive we were able to post the survey on various Drum & Bass forums and Facebook.

RB - Deconstructing Print Media

• The visual signifiers on the album cover are the woman with motion blurring on her face to give a ‘two sided’ sense.
• The linguistic signs are the band’s name (Placebo) and the title of the album (Meds), both of which are in a fairly generic font, as a fancier font that would commonly be found on a more popular, trendy album covers intended for a mass audience wouldn’t suit the bands own unique style.
• The title ‘meds’ coupled with the image of the woman with what appears to be two faces suggests that the album could relate to two sidedness or things like schizophrenia. There are no non-representational graphic signs on the cover art.

• The woman on the front of the cover is positioned in the centre of the image. This challenges the common ideology that males are more important/more dominant than females.
• The woman is also not wearing any clothes, which reinforces the common ideology that women are seen as objects. However she does look almost too thin to the point where she looks ill. She is also quite pale. This not only challenges the dominant ideology that beauty is shown through thin bodies and smooth skin (as the woman has both of those attributes) but creates a connection between the album art and the title of the album by relating the word ‘meds’ (short for medication) with an image of an ill looking woman.
•  When you look at this album art your eye is first drawn to her face(s) then it follows the bit of hair on her right, across her right shoulder and down her arm to the band name and title. This sort of cover reinforces the bands alternative/indie-rock style as it quite odd and almost disturbing.

• Social myths conveyed in this album cover are: album art is quite strange, which adds to the authenticity of the band by representing their alternative style. The cover is also sort of disturbing which again promotes the bands wierd style of music.

• The indexical signs in this album cover connote the buyer’s taste of music, and the fact they are diverting from the trends in society by buying an album different to the popular, trendier style. This also allows them to construct their personal identity through the products they consume, as the band is quite strange and odd the consumer will want to relate to that and create their own identity around that kind of style.

JD - Hastings Reccie

When Sam and I decided to go to Hastings th weather wasn't great, but we managed to get round this by finding an underground subway and underground carpark to get some practice shots in. We felt that the carpark may be a good location for us to film due to the colours on the pillars and the reflections in the puddles.



During the practice shots I have found that I need to work on using the tripod and focusing at the same time as sometimes it comes out juddery and not as smooth as it could be. This could be resolved with practice or using 2 people.

JD - Deconstructing Print Media

I have chosen to deconstruct the album cover of a High Contrast album, as he produces music in a similar style and genre to that of Netsky, who remixed the track we have chosen for our video

- The visual signifiers on this album cover are the artist himself, the lights on the wall, the obviously textured wall and the writing on the top left of the album cover; 'True Colours' in a rainbow colour and 'High Contrast' in plain white. These are all the iconic signs of the album cover.

- The album cover appears to be fairly unconventional with artist appearing in the centre of the cover, making him seem like he is not what your eyes are meant to be drawn to first. This is also enhanced by the fact that the whole background is in black and white. The light in the top left corner helps to create a leading line diagonally downwards through the writing and finally to the artist. The fact that the album name 'True Colours' is in the colour spectrum, connotes that the music may be happy, but on the other hand the 'True Colours' could be another reading, that the music is more about the artist and how he feels; his true colours, which may not necessarily be happy or good.

- The way that the album cover is laid out helps to create a star persona around High Contrast. It connotes that he is a very independent artist, which is a generic theme surrounding DJ's, but this dominant ideology is beginning to be challenged as DJ's are beginning to work together to bring new music into the genre. An example of this is Magnetic Man, a collaboration of three very 'famous' DJ's: Skream, Benga and Artwork. These artists are trying to bring Drum & Bass to the wider audience by creating a buzz factor around their work by using Web 2.0 and the radio to 'tease' their audience and attract listeners that may not have thought of listening to Drum and Bass before hand.

SA - Deconstructing Print Media

I have chosen to deconstruct this album cover from the Chew Lips, as they are the band that our remix originates from.

- The visual signifiers in this album cover are the three people, who are the band members, the overlaying images of the peacock and the two parrots, and two sets of font, one is the name of the band (Chew lips) and the other is the name of the album (Unicorn). These are all the iconic signs of the album cover.

- The female is situated in the centre of the cover and dominates over the two males in the background, this shows her challenging the residual ideology that males dominate over females. Although she is still very feminine, and shows this by seeming to be wearing nothing, and this reinforces the dominant ideology that beauty is shown through smooth skin, make-up and a thin body. The overlayed image of the peacock connotes beauty and finesse, reinforcing her as a 'beautiful' women. The two males have the overlayed image of a parrot, which isn't as beautiful as the peacock, connoting that the two males are there to make the female look good. Although it is not quite as simple as that, another reading could be that the abstract/indie nature of the band is reinforced in the construction of the album cover.

- I think the use of the over-laying of images shows the band authenticity of creativity, and the use of the female singer as the centre of the cover shows the social myth of feminine beauty, with the near perfect look to her.

- The indexical signs present in this album cover are ones that make the listener feel like they are part of the quirkiness and authenticity of the band. There are signs, like the fashion and 'indie-ness' that the buyers can use to construct their identity through what they consume, making this album cover quite postmodern in its stylings, also another way it shows postmodern qualities is the use of the overlaying of images, this has been used many times in photography and art and the band have 'borrowed' and used this technique quite effectively.

SA - What is a Digipak?

• As well as our music video, we will have to create an advertising poster and a digipak for the CD to be placed in. A digipak is different from a traditional CD jewel case, it is made out card and is significantly more graphically appealing.
• They are made up of at least on folded piece of card with a sleeve or clip for the CD to be placed in. On a digipak all the sides have to be covered with graphics, text and information that adds to the overall aesthetics of the digipak.
  
• The difference between a digipak and a jewel CD case is that the digipak is a form of subsidiary media that helps to construct the star persona of the artist as it can include unseen photos and other seemingly exclusive things that make the consumer feel close to the artist.
  

Below are some examples of digipaks:

JD - Representation Of Females in Drum & Bass Videos

After looking at Katy B's Louder in terms of a full analysis, I thought I'd look more closely at how females are represented in the video. All of the main characters in the video are shown as being fairly young and full of energy. The other people in the video, for example the old lady walking past the camera at 0.12, look to be less happy, maybe even depressed, than the 3 girls are shown to be in the cafe. These people are also shown to maybe in a rush and busy with a job, unlike the youthful characters that are enjoying being free and able to socialise. The girls are also shown to be very genuine characters. Throughout the video the females are the main focus, with the few men being fairly insignificant in the narrative which may challenge the residual ideology of men being more important than women.

SA - Representation of Gender in Abstract Music Videos

• I have looked at Kap Bambino's video for 'Red Sign' before and after looking at other videos for their songs, I have seen that they are a duo made up of a man and women.
  
• This symmetry of genders this challenges the residual ideology of men being 'better' than women, as they are both equal in the way they are positioned on screen and their actions in the videos.
  
• This representation of the artist is also shown in the way the social group of gender is shown with the other people in the video for 'Dead Lazers' by Kap Bambino.
  
• In this video a group of men and women are running through a tube station and they are all equal and no one person is leading. This reinforces the Emergent ideology of men and women being equal.
  
• However in this band the female is the lead singer, so in the shots I have taken from the video below, she is in focus and the male is further back and out of focus, this is one exception where the residual ideology about men being more important than men is challenged.

Kap Bambino - 'Dead Lazers'

Kap Bambino - 'Red Sign'