Experimenting on Photoshop: Logo

This isn't my first attempt in creating the logo for my music video, but it's what I have managed to achieve through my first attempt of using Photoshop.

It's pretty difficult in trying to find what you're actually looking for and the layout isn't exactly friendly, but I think i'm managing well as you learn as you play around more.

Here, I have used a dark green against a black background and also small usage of the colour red to emphasise again the genre of music as well as the style of the bad which will be confirmed when I complete the magazine advert.

other inspirations #; unite against gun/knife crime logo

This is something I came across when doing further research into marketing my product. Though the message which it implies differs from 'hypnotize' and is about gun&knife crime,it could be related as it contains a deep MEANING.

In terms of graphics, the simplicity of it inspired me. Ironically, red is also used which confirms that this colour is brilliant to get the target audience invovled with your produce. Like wise to my aim of preventing stereotypical characters, this advertisement also dismisses the use of actors, who in this case, most probably would have been a young black teenager.

I feel that i'll adapt this simple format, perhaps add some form of animation or extra computerized effect in order to persuad my target audience to purely concentrate on their individual interpretation of my product and message, rather than leaving room for sociey's influence over it.

Faceless Society

This is just an experimental piece of the ideas brought together. I have simply reconstructed the statement in the album name and believe that creativity will build up from here.

Preperatıon For Marketing

Group/Band name: Ataraxia.

Ataraxia is another term used to describe tranqulity, peace, freedom and liberation. I feel that it represents the song choice decided upon as the lyrics in the song consist of : "they disguise it hypnotize it." As a Media Producer I aim to encourage my consumers to find themselves and break free of the bad influences of society. Hence, the lack of physical attributes as it is important that one feels beauty and not look it.

Album name: Faceless Society.

Faceless society is pretty self explainatory as it defines and mirrors that stated above^. Again, applying emphasis of the absense of stereotypical features present within society.

Preparation for Marketing of our Product

We've recently been introduced to the second section of the portfolio which is to market our music artist(s) through magazine advertisement and a DVD cover of their album.

Reading deeper into the work and progression of Jay-Z influenced me into giving my target audience the philosophy rock music implies. I have chosen to eliminate any stereotypical features such as a centred icon or clothing wear, therefore there will be no person from the band, but a reflection upon our music video consisting of people on a general sepctrum.

poster analysis 3#, Damien Rice, 9

Damien Grice is another artist to use minimalistic techniques.

• This advertisement poster uses the font: Courier
• The basic information wondered by the typical audience is provided i.e. the date etc...
• The simplicity could be translated into evoking suspense (the artist hasn't over exaggerated the layout of his product but leaves his audience to buy and discover the true 'taste' of his music themselves)
• He goes against the conventions of the English Language - none of his words are capitalized
• He hasn't emphasized any specific letters through the use of varied fonts/styles
• It is a theme clearly, clean, fresh.

poster analysis 2#; Metallica

Metallica has managed to appeal to its audience through the use of dark tones. The title 'Master of Puppets' has been played around with as the band play play the role of the pupetteer and the graveyards play the roles of the puppet. This poster is also minimalistic and simple. The sunset breaks away from the darkness and adds more personality to the band itself.

Font

Metallica is bold, outstands and has been angled in such a way that the first thing the audience see is the name of the band. This is important, the recognition of the band name attracts the eye and persuades the audience to purchase/look into.

poster analysis 1#; Radiohead continued

This is another influential poster belonging to Radiohead. The choice of colour, use of slight animation and variations of font have all contributed to making it seem like a historical piece of propaganda when in fact it is a contemporary piece.

poster analysis 1#; Radiohead.

The minimalistic, yet eye catching poster produced by Radiohead highlighted to me the importance of considering font to attract my targeted audience. It is remarkable that without having any physical features of the band members, they have managed to convey all that is demanded for in the music sector.

My aim is also to use a minimalistic effect on my album cover to convey my message and to reach the expectations of my audience at the same time.

album cover analysis 7#; The Eraser, Thom Yorke

From the leadsinger of Radiohead, Thom Yorke has also produced a CD cover which is very effective.

• This poster has been sketched
• Radiohead are commonly known to use art for their CD covers and this is yet another prime example; it's abstract, may be interpreted to have many layers to many people
• The red font used clashes agains the black&white in order to engage the eye of the audience
• It's achieveable, realistic and not expensive to construct
• It's pretty modern
• Again, nor the label or the appearance of the band is exposed, instead a less self-centred cover has been created in order to attract its typical audience

album cover analysis 6#; Death Cab for Cutie, Translatlanticism.

This album cover has definately inspired me. The bird is burdened through the red strings, and its beak is shut. Death Cab for Cutie has managed to appeal to its indie audience through this original idea as it is out of the ordinary and managed to provoke many interpretations.

The font is Times New Roman, basic and straight to the point. The absense of the band can yet be seen again, showing the attiutude of the band itself towards their audience. It is possible to say that;

• There is a sense of mystery within this album
• This mystifying of the audience is waiting to be revealed
• It's tempting to purchase due to its suspicious tone
• Definately experimental, yet, follows the conventional concepts of Indie Rock and Rock as whole

album cover analysis 5#; Colplay, Viva la Vida.

It is interesting to see the similarities between Indie Rock and Alternative rock in regard to album-art. From my research so far i have discovered that Indie Rock tends to portray their genre as abstract and as it has it in its name 'indie'. Similarly, Coldplay have also adapted such an approach even though they go down under the genre of Alternative Rock.


The most outstanding thing of this cover is the font. It's eye-catching, contrasts with the dull colors in the background and manages to highlight the tone of the band through its messy/angry way of presentation. By looking rushed and handwritten, it exhibits the message of the painting - French Revolution - as well as foreshadowing to its experimental audience the song awaiting them - a rebellious melody.

album cover analysis 4#; We Are Scientists, With Love and Squalor

We are Scientists are yet another Indie Rock Band. Intriguingly however they have managed to use a conventional form of media and have adapted the 'rule of three'. Again, the identity of the band members have been covered up slightly with the use of cats however their fashion has been exposed. This is a technique used in order to distinguish the 'look' of the band as well as its audience but with a hint of mystery. Mystifying the typical person, they manage to add much more depth and attitude to the status of their band.

One criticsm of this cover may be the use of colour. Tones of red are common on the two characters towards the right where as the one on the left has decided to use darker tones. However, the use of cats takes the distraction away and therefore balances the flaw out.

album cover analysis 3#; Klaxons, Myths of The Near Future

The Klaxons have also produced album art inspired by montage style. Their Indie Rock genre is bridged from this abstract collage of art. This album cover rises many questions and opinions, for example;

• The items chosen - picked specifically and carry meaning
• Retro - appealing to the fashion senses of its audience
• The cut-outs may represent per song in the album(?)
• Choice of font - colourful; bold; full of persona

Through using some of the conventions stated above, it is possible to see how Klaxons appeal to their targeted audiences. It hints at a tone of surrealism as eyes are disproportioned and isolated locations of the world are exhibited. The absence of the band itself portrays their main concerns which clearly isn't about their own image but of the music itself; the audience itself. Though there is a lot going on in the cover itself it is also possible to classify this piece as a minimalistic one, merely because it doesn't include high-tech use of digital technology and can be achieved by anyone with imagination.

I have enjoyed analyzing this piece very much as the experimental approach taken to appeal to its audience inspires me to do the similiar when attempting my ancillary task. Therefore, it is important that my music video connotes this principle.

album cover analysis 2#: JAY-Z, The Blueprint 3.

Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint” is an important example of an abstract album cover. Taking music ‘back to the basics’, Jay-Z has exhibited the transformation of his style as well as underlining his personal tone on the subject of music. I have been influenced by the absence of the artist and the minimalistic look created. By having musical instruments as the central attention of his cover, it has remarked the importance of talent and the irrelevance of the artist.

This album cover is ‘faceless’ yet contains a very deep meaning. It can be interpreted that Jay-Z’s aim was to change the stereotypical perceptions of ‘hip-hop’ into a more respected one. Similarly, I would like to portray the genre of rock as a movement for opinions being exposed.

album cover analysis 1#: Built to Spill, Keep it Like a Secret.

The Indie rock band; Built to Spill have produced a very eye-catching collage styled album cover.

• Feels hand made and full of effort
• Low budget
• The contrasting colours are faint, adding to the style once again
• Manipulation of the photograph has obviously been made however the presentation of it is acceptable and persuasive
• The font is basic, however has character trough the "O" in "To", the spiral adds to the retro style of it

Conclusion to Music Video

Our Music Video has now been finished and we have successfully achieved an 'out of the ordinary' piece of Media that has taught me a lot at a personal level. Through my blog, the researched videos had inspired me and my group into using many techniques. However, when applying it into practice, I came to the realization that: LOW BUDGET music videos are not easy ones to construct and require: time, dedication, perfection ... However, I do believe that we as a group can be credited on the experimental approach taken during certain sections of the video. For example, using the new software, Final cut, we managed to blend in two shots and manipulate them into working together in an intriguing way. This I believe, added great character to our work and broke away from the use of monotonous editing techniques.

Attempt 2 Filming Footage Experiment

Firstly we uploaded our footage into iMovie and decided to do a testing editing scene to see how well the filming in London looked. Though the effects available to us on iMovie were rather useful, after the final cut tutorial we realised that there were many other effects on offer to make our music video much better.

For example, the footage that we had of Picaddily Circus seemed mundane, therefore we replaced one of the advertising screens with a persons face miming the song. We applied the same effect onto another frame this time with one sign being replaced by the footage of Picaddily Circus.

Attempt 2 to Filming in London

I went to film in London.

• I started my journey by taking the northern line to Waterloo and walking towards the Southbank to get frames of the street performers and London Eye
• Then, I visited the skatepark to get shots of urban life
• Crossed the bridge towards Trafalgar Square - done this shot to relate to the lyrics 'Tianamen Square'
• Leicester Square following on to Leicester
• Piccadilly Circus
• Westminster - Big Ben (and view towards London Eye)

There was a lot of room to film advertisements, people and set the scene of our video - London. A lot of locations allowed us to have choice whilst editing.

I adjusted myself when shooting and thought about my target audience. Already, the planning constructed included notions of political aspects and a dominant tone against consuermisim without care, therefore, aiming for footage in the chosen locations in London were ideal as they portrayed exactly this. Picadilly Circus includes major companies and business logos, Trafalgar Square and Westminster portray more political and historical content into the music video, Leicester Square balances this out due to the re-birth it gives to art.

Experimenting of the Footage Filmed: Did Television Make You Buy It?

This frame was taken by me. I think it's brilliant in the way it supports the lyrics.

"Television made you buy it"

McDonalds being a world wide company, greatly capitalist and who in some cases exploits its workers/consumers, was perfect to include in emphasising the message of our song. The bin man wearing such a rich companies logo and being in a low paid/status job advertising for more profit simply; rests my case.

Experimenting of the Footage Filmed

Today myself and Stacie looked over the footage we filmed on the Tuesday. I pointed out that the footage wasn't the exact way we wanted it. There were many problems with proportion and too much of the characters appearance was revealed. In order to fix this problem we've decided to have this section of filming constructed by myself. I believe that the unsuccessful Tuesday benefited us greatly as we managed to experiment.

example of shot is above ^^

Filming in London

• The filming in London wasn't as we had planned and hoped for. There was heavy rain - as usual - causing the lens of the Camera to block.
• There weren't as many people as we hoped for to be standing within Trafalgar Square - Everyone was trying to escape the rain!
• And due to the weather conditions it was really appropriate for us to walk around in t-shirts

BUT,

• We did however manage to get some very effective shots of scenery around central London
• The rain created a symmetrical effect where a lot of the objects focused on ended up being reflected on the ground due to the water

note: we aim to go and film next week Tuesday again, in the hope that the sun will smile at us.

Shooting Schedule

It is Week A and we have decided to film on:

Monday 5th October: Period 5 for 1hr
Tuesday 6th October: After period 2 from 12:15pm until whenever required as we all have free lessons. We are planning on going to London to film this section of the video in order to capture shots of great advertisements and consumerism.

Bob Dylan - Signs Have Been Made

In continuation to the Bob Dylan music video, here are the cards I made:





I tried my best to make them similiar to those slogans seen at protests. It's remarkable that RED has been a colour to dominate much of this video and it captures the audiences eye. I think it's been a good contrasting colour to use against black, also fitting the conventions of the rock genre.

Quoted T-shirt Example

This is an example of one of the t-shirts (the one i own). It's white with black writing simply because it would be easier for the viewers to read what is actually on the t-shirt. We've quoted it in order to show those who look that it has come from somewhere, to them, for them.

Decided Quotations

The decided quotes;

"you can never imprison my mind"

Ghandi

"be the change you want to see in the world"

Ghandi

As you can see these quotes have been taken from one of the world's most well known inspirational yet controversial individuals, Ghandi. There are many reasons to why these quotes were decided upon, firstly, - as constantly mentioned - the music within our video is a controversial one which opposes against the regimes of this cynical world. Like wise to Ghandi, the lyrics could be classed as quotable as they also carry deeper meaning when analyzed. The targeted audience need to pick up on these quotes and search deeper with the other footage for the MEANING behind our music video and why it's not cliche (including the artist, physical attributes, a tokenized sub-culture).

Dress Code of Character(s)

• Black bottoms.
• Slogan T-shirt.
• Hair natural.
• Eyeliner/No facial make-up.
• Nail Varnis (black).

- The black clothing is in order to specify the genre of our chosen music - rock. We don't intend on showing any phsycial attributes, however, still require neutrality from the character.

Props List

• Red Paint
• White Sheet
• Slogan T-shirts
• Guitars
• Drum
• Smoke Machiene

These props are needed as it's required that we produce T-shirts with slogans on. I believe that this is an appropiate choice to go by as the notion of 'slogan' shows signs of mutiny and again the sincere personalities held by the media producer (us).

A white sheet is needed in order to produce an art piece of the whole situation, we were thinking to cover this sheet with flags of the world and then throw paint over to exhibit the emotion of guilt and obviously blood. Perhaps also tying instruments together with chains infront of this piece in order to show them that our voices have been taken away, but so has our music.

A smoke machiene would be ideal in order to underline the genre of rock and its polluted/smokey atmosphere.

The Lyrics to Hypnotize

Why don't you ask the kids at Tiananmen square?

Was Fashion the reason why they were there?

They disguise it, Hypnotize it

Television made you buy it

I'm just sitting in my car and waiting for my...

She's scared that I will take her away from there

Her dreams that her country left with no one there

Mezmerize the simple mindedPropaganda leaves us blinded

I'm just sitting in my car and waiting for my girl

I'm just sitting in my car and waiting for my girl

I'm just sitting in my car and waiting for my girl

I'm just sitting in my car and waiting for my girl

Notes on Storyboard

We have managed to complete over 50 shots of story boards in full colour and adequate detail. A lot of effort was put in from every member of the group as we all contributed with great care to the timings, shot type/angle of the frames.

- The most important and troublesome area of the storyboard is getting the art piece we're trying to produce to work and at the same time look reasonable. Due to paint and paper, it's going to force us slightly to use materials that we don't neccessarily have access to, however, the thought proccess is still ongoing and we are thinking of other substitutes. For example, a computerized version instead.

Story Board

Annotating the Lyrics of Hypnotize

Following on from yesterdays lesson, we have annotated the lyrics to our chosen song in order to engage our thinking to shape our music video. The following have been decided upon;

• Replace the "Tiananmen Square" with a shot of "Trafalgar Square"
• Replace "Propaganda Made You Buy it" with footage of advertisements in Central London i.e. Piccadilly Circus
• We are planning on incorporating an artistic/abstract element through the use of paint
• Due to the song exhibiting a political meaning, and the lyrics allows us to use countries, we are liking the idea of incorporating flags and red paint over them in order to highlight the corruptness caused by globalization
• Writing/Quotes/Moral Message underlined
• Like Bob Dylan, the use of cards to follow the lyrics at times during the video

System of a Down Research - General Background of Band

Originating from Armenian-American roots, system of a Down presents to its audience music which challenges the generalised views of merry sound. Explicit issues have influenced the band into constructing verses of deeper meaning and to some un-bearable notes. SOAD offer a wide range of topics within their songs:

Love
Hate
Political

The band is a part of the Axis of Justice, a non-profit organization co-founded by Tankian and fellow musician Tom Morello, dedicated to bringing together musicians, music fans, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_of_a_down ]

I personally favour this group as they deal with the realities of the world rather than just the limited society they’re surrounded in. The attitude which they portray is genuine and the music which they produce isn’t aimed at a particular audience, in other words, they do not make the effort to attract their listeners, the listeners become engaged with their music because they feel and agree. For example, another rock band to contrast to the genre of rock produced by SOAD is Simple Plan, they: portray the typical attitudes of famous people and are very commercial. By attracting and aiming at a certain audience they force themselves to act and behave (and undertake the issues) like their audience – teenage kicks.

System of a Down Hypnotize - The Chosen Song Audio Track

the original video wasn't available for embedding due to copyright restrictions, but if you want to check it out anyway it can be found at this address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTtuNseSjuo&feature=fvw

Music Video Analysis 6#: Cibomatto

Music Video Analysis 5#: Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues

We were inspired by the video below to use signs/cards with writing relating to the message/lyrics of the song used. Due to this music video being very well known, and successful in expressing an important message, we believed it may do the same for us.

I have been appointed with the responsibility of creating similar cards.

Music Video Analysis 4#: The Killers - "Somebody Told Me"

Yet again, the video is based on a performance.

• Energetic
• Editing is perfect
• Shots have been cut in time to the beat of the music
• The lip syncing is in time to the lyrics
• Projection in the background adds a different sense of appearance to the eye of the audience
• the lights used are also effective as they manage to blend in the sense of a discotheque

Music Video Analysis 3#: Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

One of the most popular music video/song.

Like I've stated in my previous posts, Rock Music videos rely mainly on the performance of the music they produce in order to create the video.

• It does not matter on the appearance of the performers/band members unlike it does in pop videos
• the way the performance is held can be changed and adapted to fit the content of the chosen music
• Nirvana have managed to appeal to their targeted audience through this music video due to its normality. There is no artificial use of editing software, lighting, make-up [etc]: very neutral - hence the audience will be similar to that in the music video

Music Video Analysis 2#: Avenged Sevenfold - Gunslinger

This Music video has a narrative. The beginning of the Music video is a brief introduction of meaning to the background of the song. This highlights that there is no structural way of constructing a music video, as long as it is effective on its target audience.

• It is not an abstract music video
• Whilst illustrating the lyrics, it manages to also highlight a moral message: war and the effect is has on soldiers
• Death is underlined: the personal intentions of the band are exposed

possible inspirations for own music video

• to go against the 'normal' conventions of music video
• to show target audience more than just narrative
• involve the audience with the video played

Music Video Analysis 1#: Linkin Park - "New Divide"

This music video has been filmed on the set of Transformers. The quality of the video is very good due to the graphical ingredients. Again, though the typical conventions of a rock music video has been changed, the band still have kept the performance and therefore are able to continue to identify with their target audience.

• Highly energetic
• The scene/shots are in beat with the rhythm of the music
• The lip syncing of the singer is also perfect
• Dark tones have been used throughout the music video for obvious reasons - in this case due to being a 'sub genre rock' video
• I like the way they have adapted the effects of the editing software used. It's different; unique and manages to give the video a richer quality

possible inspirations for own music video:

• to include the band performance
• incorporate graphical techniques rather than using monotonous footage editing at a simple level

Research and Planning: Led Zeppelin

English Rock Band formed in 1968 by:

from left: Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals), John Paul Hones (bass, guitar, keyboard and mandolin) & John Bonham (drums)


This particular rock band has been very inspirational for a lot of the younger generation as well as those listening to it during the time its music was being made. Many of their videos appear to be performance based and when typing the group into YouTube I found that there were a lot of concert clips on show. This highlights not only the popularity of the band, but its interaction with the listeners of its music.

• They clearly lead a healthy relationship with their audience
• Are appreciated and inspirational by/for their listeners
• Their clothing is simple: nothing for the sakes of consumerism
• Their performances are not over exaggerated but, extremely passionate

Research and Planning: Conventions of a Rock Music Video

Rock Music Videos tend to have a performance based foundation. Though the shots may not concentrate totally on the performance of the band, during the climax of the music the camera tends to turn towards the instrument vigorously perfoming at that time.

here is a photograph to illustrate my point:


Photo: AFP/GETTY, rollingstones.
<- Though this is a live performance photo, it is notable that the use of live footage is also common within Rock Videos. Showing the fans, the music, staging, lights [etc...] boosts up the energy of the performer towards his/her audience and the audiences' response to it.

Because Rock, like any other genre, divides into sub-genres, it cannot go unnoticed that through time, contemporary adaptations of rock have taken place and the music videos constructed have become more narrative or abstract. Unlike in the past where many videos consisted of merely the group performing and limited creativity.

Decisions

Okay, todays lesson has been about getting together with our group and deciding on the song we're going to use.

What we came up with:

• It has been decided that we are going to create a music video to the song 'Hypnotize' by 'System of a Down'
• The name of our created band is going to be 'Ataraxia'

What to do in next lesson:

• Annotate the lyrics to 'Hypnotize' and aim to gain as many inspirational ideas as possible
• Research further into the genre chosen; Alternative Rock
• Decide on the techniques needing to be used in order to attract our targeted audience(s)
• Begin story boards

Research and Planning: Survey

Here is a Survey I carried out in order to gain a better understanding of the concept: target audience. I asked many people from a broad range of demographics what genres of music interested them. I have created quantitative data therefore