Creating my digipak and posters

My poster designs

below are my initial poster design for my band.

Poster design 1.

This poster design worked well with the style of the band. I decided to create this design as it had an in depth artistic meaning whilst also visually looking different from mainstream posters. The reason I decided not to use this as my final poster is because I believe it is too artistic and different than the typical poster as i wanted to keep conventions from other posters I researched in my research.

poster design 2 .

I have decided to make this my finished poster as it is exactly how I wanted my poster to initially look like. I decided to neaten up the edges and use photoshop to visually make this a better poster.This design is simple and would relate well to my bands/ artist's style as it differs from other poster designs.My Research and planning helped me create this style of poster as my bands genre ( indie) differs from the mainstream style as new and different ideas help create a new way and style of designing posters. The simple colours on this poster work well together as i used the colour wheel to determine what colours would work well together.

Poster design 3.

This rough design in my opinion also would work well as the bands final poster.However, to make this poster stand out more i would of had to have been more adventurous with my colours as there are many shapes and patterns within this design. The other issue i had with this design was that there was too much to look at. I decided to go with the above design as it was simplistic and suited the bands image, this however i believe was slightly unfitting to the bands genre and style as the design was too complex.

Poster design 3.

This poster design worked well with the style of the band. I decided to create this design as it had an in depth artistic meaning whilst also visually looking different from mainstream posters. The reason I decided not to use this as my final poster is because I believe it is too artistic and different than the typical poster as i wanted to keep conventions from other posters I researched in my research.

I have decided to create a digipak for the bands cd.I thought a digipak would be a good idea as it is something i haven't done before and was appealing to create. I started off with designing my digipak on paper with several rough designs. Below is the rough version and ideas for my digipak.These aren't necessarily the final designs for my digipak as changes can be made.





My next step was to scan in the digipak onto the computer.I uploaded it onto photoshop elements and was ready to begin designing.

After i have my digipak scanned onto the computer my next step was to add colour. My main problem with adding the scanned digipak design was that it lost its visibility and quality. I corrected this by having a dark background and contrasting colours so my digipak would stand out. ( below is the tool i used to colour my design)

After i used layers to include text and colour i had most of my design underway. - below is how i included layers on my digipak

Below is my other Digipak cover. I decided not to use this in the end as it was not professional enough for my band. This digipak does not follow the conventions I included in my final Digipak as this rough design didnt work.
Digipak rough design 3. - I decided not to go further than design what it would look like as this in the end didnt suite my overall image of my ideal digipak. I do however like the artistic style but will nt use this as my final digipak design.

Below is my dipak design on photoshop. Using last years foundation project skills has helped me with this project. It has allowed me to use the skills I learnt for the digipak and poster designs.
I decided i needed colours and a certain style which represented my band. I decided to design my digipak with the main colours being black, red and silver This is how my digipak looks after including layers of text and colour.

After designing and finally creating i have finished my digipak.I decided to change my digipak design slightly as it suited my overal design.Below is my final digipak, i had several problems including - cropping my text and adding colour as some times it changed several colours. Below is my final digipak.

I decided to do it in this quirky indie style as it fitted well with the bands image.If i decided to keep the digipak just black it would of lacked colour and would be simply uninteresting to look at. I decided to brake conventions as this style takes on a different and layout to typical digipaks.I believe the digipak could have been better if i had spent more time designing my ideas and layout.If i had spent more time on this side of my planning i believe the final result could have been slightly more professional.However, taking this into account i still believe that the digipak was a success.Even though i faced several problems ( stated earlier) i still believe the digipak worked well with my bands image and overall style as the idea behind this digipak helped me create an imaginative and creative digipak.

researching band posters and cd covers ( digipak)& Diary

Project diary
I have decided to create a diary for my project. This will enable me to comment on what goes wrong or how the tasks are going as my diary will continue until the end of this project.


diary..
Friday 5th Feb 2010 - Today I started my planning for my music video ideas. As I have already got my band organised I will have to discuss with them at a later date what they are wanting to do within the music video. At this stage I have not yet decided whether to do a narrative, performance or a combination of both within my music video.However, I have looked at serveral locations for this inside and outside so I can have a variety of locations to choose from for my music video


Thursday 18th feb 2010 - As I have now planned most of my video I have decided to look for actors today. With success I found two actors ( one male , one female ) who are willing to play the two lead roles within the music video. I have decided to create a performance narrative music video as this I believe is more interesting for the audience.


Monday 22nd Feb 2010 - This is an important day for my project as I have filmed a significant part of my music video. This was a success as the weather was what we wanted ( even though it was just about to rain when we left ), also the timing worked out well as the actors came on time whilst the band were also their. My group consisting of other members James Goodman and Chris Morris worked well with the actors as we knew what shots we wanted to shoot as we already knew how long the filming would take.


Wednesday 17th March 2010- After a period of editing the music video it is starting to look professional. Today I was pleased as we worked hard and worked well as a team, the editing is almost finished and we are on schedule to complete the project in time.


Tuesday 23rd March 2010 - Today worked out well as the music video is near completion. With a few more adjustments the music video will be ready as the time we spent on it has really shown within the music video.Even though I am a few days over on schedule for this it hasn't set me back as my other work is getting done whilst I make this video better.


Thursday 8th April 2010 - Today I started my Digipak rough designs. For this I am still currently researching other cd covers and Digipak designs as this research and the use of following codes and conventions will ultimately benefit the outcome and final product of my own Digipak. I have several ideas of what type of digipak I would like as I need a variety of different ideas for my Digipak.

Below are some examples of CD's and posters of bands. This will help me distinguish differences in genre as there are close links between the layout and the music genre of the band.This research will help me with my own ideas as the variety of examples show codes and conventions typically found to make a good digipak,final poster and music video.


Cd cover examples ( digipak)


TRIVIUM ( METAL BAND)



Below is the band Trivium's album cover. We can see the band are a metal band due to to the Gothic/ Japanese imagery on the cover. As the image portrays death the genre is distinct as this attracts a certain audience.

50 cent ( R&B/RAP)

Below is the cd cover for the rap artist 50 cent. The audience can distinguish the musics genre as the image of 50 and the gun represent a clear image of a gangster lifestyle linking closely with the R&B genre being perceived. The cover is simple and is easily recognisable due to the common codes and conventions typically found. Collecting different genre cd covers has enabled me to research ways into creating a cover for my band CrayolaR as i can identify what works well on the cover.

The Wombats ( indie band)

The Wombats cd cover distinguishes the bands genre ( indie) through the low quality images and low cost.A collage of images have been placed together to form this cover

Poster research

System of a down (HYPNOTIZE)

This is the poster for System of a downs " Hypnotize". The poster reflects the bands rock genre through the artistic style and dark colours. Finding and researching the posters enable me to target a specific audience as well as give me ideas of what to include and also what type of style. With these posters there are a wide range of artistic style such as pastels, inks and photo prints.

Noah and the whale

Below is the poster for Noah and the whale. As the band are an indie group their poster reflects the genres taste and style. This poster has made me think more outside the box as influences of different style has made my ideas change and varied as they have taught me to not necessarily stick to common codes and conventions.

STORYBOARD

Below is my initial design for my storyboard

My storyboard has helped with my overall final media product as I was able to apply last years foundation portfolio ideas to my current ideas. I followed my Storyboard within my filming so I would be able to stick to a schedule.

Possibilities for the music video

Below are the different types of videos which i can produce.

Simply click on each selected below to view each type of video

Analysing music videos for my own video

Below is my research in music videos.I have produced an analysis on three music videos to help with my overall final video which i will produce.If you simply click on both of the text pages below you will be able to see this analysis. I have found several positives to these video which i could use within my own video with the band crayolaR.
I have decided to include the analysis without the pictures for this post. After the analysis there are versions which you can view with the pictures and my final analysis

-----------Analysing music videos-------------

I have decided to analyse three videos which I would possibly like to include within the creation of my final music video for my band. Within this analysis of each music video I aim to cover what the video represents and what makes the video a ‘good video’.
There are my aspects of the video which make the video appeal to its audience and the specific genre of music within the industry. My first music video which I am going to analyse is Linkin Parks ‘New Divide’. The beginning starts with a slow erupting flame, this contrast well with the dark background and the combination of the slow guitar rhythm and the heavy beat of the drums increasingly getting louder like a heart beat. There are many special affects used within the opening of the video which are very symbolic of there feelings. A good example of this being used within the opening of the video is the dark blue colours which reflect their emotions of possible isolation and hurt. This is used and reflected well within the video as the special affects help capture the solidarity of the group. The camera shots establish the bands placement within the action of the video well with detailed establishing shots of the band as a ‘whole’ and many action shows which suggest what the plot is about. As the video was created for the newer, second instalment of Transformers the movie, the audience see a close link between the films content with action packed cuts of the films content such as the many fights included to make it more thrilling and gripping for the audience. Many shots visually are spectacular such as the meteors crashing down towards the defenceless earth’s atmosphere, the combination of these high quality ‘expensive’ shots and the constant beat create a fusion of tension and a strong sense of emotion between the characters and the bands lyrics as there is a clear link between the lyrics and what is going on within the narrative of the story such as “Your voice was all I heard, I get what I deserve”. This ties in well with the story between the two main characters Sam and Michaela banes as their relationship within the movie is again established in the music video.

( was a picture here)
( shot taken to show the effect of technology and special effects within a music video.)

The style of the video being that of a performance/ narrative style helps create a fine balance between the film and the band. This idea could be used in my final music video for my band being used as there wouldnt be too of a specific thing , therefore making the video more interesting and exciting. This has successfully been created within Linkin Parks – ‘ New Divide’ as stunning visual effects help define what the narrative of the video is and helps attract a wider audience as Linkin Park cross genres to appeal to many who also enjoy the transformers aspect within the video. The video uses many conventions to explore the representations of love. Colours , shots and camera angles all help to create the feelings represented htroughout the music video.Many close up shots are used to show the emotions being portrayed as this is an effective way to capture the audiences attention and create an establishment of what the lyrics mean within the narrative.

The second music video which I am going to analyse is System of a downs ‘Lonely Day’. I chose this video as it reflects the message of the band through visual effects and has an artistic feel which go well with the bands representation. The style of the video fits well with the genre of system of a downs music as this video helps indicate issues within society and is quite a powerful message to portray within a music video. Many shots within the video are simply mid/long shots of a city which the band goes through. The idea behind this helps enable a more ‘ down to earth’ and realistic video which many of the audience can relate to due to it highlighting the negativities of day to day life. Throughout these shots within the city, there is as suggested within the lyrics a deep depression and realisation of aspects of life portrayed within the video. This close link between realism and the video captures the audience’s attention as there are many symbolic references within the video.
I decided to choose this video for several reasons, another of these within the video to analyse is the use of colour. The imagery and visuals created benefit the impact it has on the audience as there is clear symbolism used to reflect aspects of problems surrounding us. This is a positive way to make the audience become drawn in with the issues raised within the video as the video highlights issues which we all may face within our lifetime. This has a deep effect on the audience as it is created a rapport between the band and the audience as they can relate to what is happening within the video. This connection helps create an overall effective music video whilst showing a clear view of social issues through detailed visuals and shots.










(Above shows the clear distinction between contrasting colours which ultimately create a greater artistic feel)
My final video which I am analysing is 30 seconds to Mars’s ‘A beautiful lie’. Whilst first viewing the video the audience see the mesmerising scenes landscape of Green land which is the surrounding the group. Even from the beginning of the video the lyrics have close relation to their surroundings as this links back to the songs single name ‘A beautiful lie’ referring to the effects of global warming. This video suddenly draws in the attention of the audience as the message within the lyrics and the quick shots establish the importance of the message they are trying to send out to the audience.
The music video also includes the addition of an actual native person talking about the effects global warming has had on his group within Greenland and what will ultimately happen if this does not change. The inclusion of this person is effective as this shows an ‘unglamorous’ side of life and creates a powerful message towards the audience. Many shots within this video show the beauty of the Arctic Circle and Greenland as angles such as bird’s eye view shots and establishing shots with the band create the sense of isolation and desperation, again closely linking back to the message within the video.
There is a pureness and truth within the lyrics and video which the audience are exposed to. This is helped to be exposed to the audience by the use of the clear white backdrop as it is simplistic whilst also looking extraordinary and symbolic as the white reflects the pureness represented to draw the audience’s attention in on the band and the overall message.

(Image below shows the introduction and reflects the affects of global warming)

( image unavailable )

Below is the analysis with the pictures,
Simply click on each below.

Creating my video.

I used final cut pro to create my final music video. Even though I havent use this programme before I was able to editing and form a music video professionally with only practicing using this programme over a short perios of time.

I was able to synk the music into this programme along with my footage and then edit my work to create a finished product. The image above is a screen grap of this in action.