Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 3

Evaluation Question 2

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

The melodic house music genre is known to be unique and artistic in the way is conveys itself in a very unique yet powerful way. It rejects typical flashy and dramatic traits associated with the pop genre. 

Arctic Monkeys Example:

In terms of the music promotion video, the Arctic Monkeys use a series of shot reverse shots to capture the energy of their music. In our music video we employed this technique to capture the different places of his whereabouts. Some scenes in A.M's video have been recorded live, whereas our has been recorded in several locations at different times over a period of several weeks.

The synergistic element of all three of our products (digipak, video and magazine advert) is our lead singer, who features on the face of every product. Comparatively, the full Arctic Monkey's band feature on the front of their digipaks/cd's/adverts. Our three products share this identity.

Our target audience reckon that our products are successful in creating a large fan base. This is primarily because our lead singer features on all three products, and so this means he is the attraction, particularly with a young female audience.

Evaluation Question 1

Magazine Advert Plan

The Aim:

Our music promotional magazine advertisement will need to capture the message of the song, in this case 'All to You'. It will need to appeal specifically to our target audience - young adults - 20-30 years of age - who may be able to relate to the song because of their youthful experiences of love, or their current relationship or mission in finding love. 

Image Choice:

We plan to look at some images we have taken of the singer/actor on his own, particularly where he is looking directly into the camera, as this directs his gaze solely on the audience.

We will also take into consideration the background features of the images we have taken, for example the park and naturalistic environment.

Design:

Also we need to ensure that the layout/design of the magazine advert is consistent with the layout/design used in the digipak. This will include the image, the text and its font/colour. 

Text:

The font of the text will need to resemble that which is included on the digipak, to enhance the continuity and consistency of the design.

The name of the artist will need to be positioned in the centre of the frame above the name of the song/album, in this case 'All to You'.

Other text content which could be included are quote's from acclaimed album critics, and the web address so people can access the artist's personal website.

Other Requirements:

We will need to include relevant institutional information on the advert which is consistent with that which is contained on the digipak. This will include the logo of the recording label and production company. 

A barcode will not be necessary for a magazine advert but will be for the digipak for commercial purposes. 

Social networking symbols such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ and Instagram could also be included on the advert as a means of communicating with the fan base.

How will we set out about producing an effective magazine advertisement?

We will look at previous A-Level work from other students who have produced magazine adverts to promote their song, and take notice of the attributes of their designs. The above examples scored highly.

Audience Feedback to Raw Footage

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK TO RAW FOOTAGE:

From what we have recorded so far in terms of raw footage, we have added the soundtrack to accompany the on-screen moving images to get a feel of what the finished product could potentially look like. Our teacher suggested the following improvements:

- To commence the video with a shot of the lead singer in the recording studio, rather than starting the video with unsteady camera work > This will enhance the lip syncing element, so that the singer is mouthing the lyrics of the song.

- To arrange the shots in a chronological order, so that the audience can see the order of the singer's day out/mission to find his true love!

- To remove any footage which may be inappropriate or insignificant to the vision of the music video

- To avoid any use of black blank frames, unless it works effectively (e.g. when singer is on the bus).

This clip shows the lip syncing of our main actor. We have decided not to use this raw footage in our final music promotion video, as he does not appear to be miming correctly to the words of the song. Also, he is naturally laughing as most actors normally do in first-takes, so we have decided to not include this.

This clip allows us to see footage from the journey passage on the bus. We have decided not to include this passage in our final video as it does not properly encapsulate the essence of the scene. There is also general silliness but that aside, the camera appears to be lacking stability, possibly due to the speed that the bus is travelling at. 

Post-Production - Editing Process

EDITING

What software do we intend to use for our music video?

The software we intend to use is Final Cut Pro, a software which we have used for previous projects including at A.S Level.

What will this editing software enable us to do?

Final Cut Pro will enable us to select the best parts of our raw footage that can be used in the final video. 

What is the likely time scale of the editing process?

Once all filming is completed and uploaded to Final Cut Pro, we will be able to edit and construct a final video within 2 weeks.

Health/Safety/Filming Conditions

Audience Feedback on Pitch

Individual Mini Pitch

https://soundcloud.com/biblecodesundays/13-now-were-princes 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onD4uzt1iME&safe=active

'Now We're Princes' by Bible Code Sundays

This track is from a highly successful London based Celtic-rock band called 'Bible Code Sundays'. The name reflects the mild lunacy of the band, and is of no particular relevance, other than the fact that they are all Catholics ('Bible-Code') and regularly perform gigs on Sundays!

Coincidentally, my uncle (Andy), who plays button accordion in the band, wrote this song - 'Now We're Princes'. The song highlights the rise of the emigrant communities throughout British history, in particular the Irish emigrant community - concentrating on how they have gone from being marginalised in society to becoming one of the most vibrant cultures in Britain, particularly in London.  'Now We're Princes' is sung by the band's lead singer, Ronan MacManus, who is the younger brother of Declan MacManus (a.k.a. Elvis Costello).

The reason I feel that this song would be an appropriate suggestion for the group's mini pitch is because  it offers something original but at the same time contemporary. 

Genre Research - Rock

Where did 'rock music' come from?

Rock music - a form of popular music which evolved from rock and roll and pop music during the mid and late 1960s. Harsher and often self-consciously more serious than its predecessors, it was initially characterized by musical experimentation and drug-related or anti-establishment lyrics.

Rock music originated in USA in the 1950's, and developed into a range of different styles in the 1960's and later, in the UK and US.


It has its roots in the 1940's and 50's rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by blues, rhythm and blues and country music. Rock music also drew strongly on a number of other genres such as electric blues and folk, and incorporated influences from jazz, classical and other musical sources.


What instruments are typically used in rock music?

Musically, rock has centred on the electric guitar, usually has part of a rock group with electric bass guitar and drums. Other instruments include acoustic guitar, piano/keyboards, electric violin.













What themes are prevalent in rock music?


Typically, rock is song-based music usually with a 4/4 time signature using a verse-chorus form, but the genre has become extremely diverse. Like pop music, lyrics often express love, but also address a wide variety of political/social messages. The dominance of male white musicians has been seen as one of the key factors in shaping the themes explored in rock music. Rock music places a higher degree of emphasis on musicianship, live performance, and an ideology of authenticity than pop music.


What impact has rock music had on society?

In the 50's and 60's, British youths adopted the 'Teddy Boy' and 'Rocker' subcultures, which revolved around US rock and roll. The counterculture of the 1960's was closely associated with psychedelic rock. The mid-1970's punk subculture began in the US, but it was given a distinctive look by British designer Vivienne Westwood, a look which spread worldwide. On the punk scene, the 'Goth' and 'Emo' subcultures grew, both of which represented distinctive visual styles.

Rock music has also been at the centre of charitable events, for example 'BandAid', which is the work of Bob Geldof, helped raise money to help impoverished people in Ethiopia and other parts of Africa. This presented rock music in a positive light, and its power to highlight global issues.

MAGAZINE ADVERT - PART II

MAGAZINE ADVERT - PART I

DIGIPAK RESEARCH

DIGIPAKS

Essentially a digipak offers the audience a lot more in terms of content than a disk with a regular CD cover. It is a marketing tool intended to offer the buyer an incentive for purchasing the hard copy from a high street or online retailer rather than downloading/streaming the music.

It is particularly important as sales of albums have dwindled as buyers often prefer to download their favourite track(s) rather than pay out for the full album.

The incentive is basically extras added to the CD/DVD in addition to the actual disk and its case with front and back covers.

It will include:

Front, Back, Spine, and at least four additional panels.

The additional panels will comprise some or all of the following:

Membership postcard / flier

Lyric section

Disk impression

Band info section / booklet

Free image / poster / set of postcards

Examples:

'Oasis'

A 6-panel right-tray clear gloss UV digipak. This digipak is for an ‘Oasis’ CD. It has been folded from a ‘net’ to form a 6 piece digipak, with the cd encased.

The three exterior covers include the main cover, the back cover with song titles and their duration, and other institutional information (record label etc)

'Led Zeppelin'

I thought that this front cover was very striking due to the bold use of colours. You can tell that the genre is rock because of the lightning bolts at the top of the album. This is one of the conventions of rock music and this symbol is widely recognised.

The bold use of colours - You can tell that the genre is rock because of the lightning bolts at the top of the album. This is one of the conventions of rock music and this symbol is widely recognised.

I liked how the layout was simple on this digipak as many digipaks have unique layouts. Personally, I prefer this layout as it is more practical. Moreover the CD ties in with the theme of black and red adding continuity. In addition, it seems that this digipak is very similar to the layout and appearance of a regular cd cover. 

The insert is similar to the front cover. This is so the audience is familiar with the style they are trying to achieve. Moreover the symbol of the plane is very iconic for 'Led Zeppelin' which adds to that brand image.

Own Example - 'Leitrim Equation 3' CD

This digipak is for a traditional Irish music cd, entitled ‘Leitrim Equation 3’. It is unique for a music genre of this type to utilise the latest technology to produce a digipak. In fact, it is the first traditional Irish music CD to come in the form of a digipak.

This cd was produced in 2013, by trad musicians Donal Lunny, John Carty and Seamus Begley. Although not known to a global audience necessarily, they are famous within the tradition. This angle shows the front cover, with the interior aspects of the disc and notes on musicians and the recording team (sound engineers etc)

This shows 3 of the 6 sides from the original flat design. It features a message from the artists, the tunes/songs which were recorded, and the album cover. 

The back cover features tunes/songs. Also included are the barcode, and the logos of sponsors/funds which have supported the production of the CD (institutional info) , namely Leitrim County Council and the Irish Traditional Arts Council.

SEMINAL MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

Analysis of A2 Music Video - 'Crystal Whites' - 'To Anyone'

Technical Aspects:

Mise en Scene - Casual - jackets, t-shirts, hoodies, jeans. This is reflective of the rock genre, adopting a 'cool' look. The intial setting is at night beside the River Thames, and this is frequently interspersed throughout the video, with the band playing in a park.

Editing - This has enabled the rough original cut to be arranged into a final cut. In addition, it has enabled each of the shots to follow a sequence, interspersed shots of the main singer and the band in two different locations and time periods.

Representation:

The gender of the video is male, potentially with a female target audience. They are all young male 'musicians'. They are represented through the technical codes as typically suiting their age, their interests and the way they dress.

Audience:

Because of the way they are represented, the obvious audience for this film would be female. They are a 'boy band', and have the potential to generate great commercial success, as well as creating a huge fan base.

Goodwin's Theory:

Andrew Goodwin, in 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' has identified the following features of music videos:

Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics - Male/Rock Band

There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.

There is a relationship between music and visuals.

The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style)

There is frequently reference to the notion of looking.

There is often intertextual reference.

Conventions of Music Video

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