Ancillary Tasks

Ancillary Task - Magazine Advert Prototypes

First edits for magazine advert

As part of our task we must create a magazine advert to accompany our music video. To create these adverts I have used the editor GIMP 2 instead of Photoshop as I find it easier to use. I created 2 rough first edits of my magazine advert taking inspiration from other Indie/Pop magazine adverts.

Here is the photo editor (GIMP 2) I used...

I used GIMP 2 as i find it easier to use and I find it gives better results than Photoshop. Using this I have created 2 first edits of what I imagine my final advert to look like.

Edit 1...

                                   (original image)

This is my first edit for my magazine advert. I have used a picture of my artist and manipulated the threshold to turn it black and white. I did this as black and white is convention of the Indie genre. I think the black and white works well because it makes the artist look mysterious and the fact her face is hidden adds to the mystery. The name Sam Banks needed to be bold and at the top to catch the consumers eye. I chose the album name Birds, as the artist's songs are about nature and simple things that bring us a sense of pleasure. I added the musicians website and album release date as they are 2 components that need to be on an advert to sell the artist. The font I have used is called Steelfish, after some research i found that this font is used by a handful of Indie/Pop artists on their albums and magazine adverts 

Edit 2...

                                                             (original image)

I decided to try one in colour as not everything needs to be black and white to be classed as Indie. I decided to go with a more fun theme by choosing a photo that portrayed the artist as a fun and young female, I also think that this picture would appeal to males and females as everyone enjoys having fun. I stuck with using Steelfish as the font as I think it stands out and is bold against the plain white background. I chose the red and blue for the artists name an album because the artist is wearing a red top in the shot and the blue goes perfectly with it. I turned up the brightness and the contrast on this picture, sharpened her eyes to make them the main focus on her face and i also sharpened her lips. I changed the background and made it pure white so I could add the other components such as the artists website, album release date etc. On this edit I decided to put on a star rating from Q Magazine as I felt that without it, it was a bit plain and lacking something, I also like the way it makes it look more professional. This is because people recognise Q for being a top Indie magazine so getting a good rating from them always looks good.

Settings Board

Settings Board for filming just the artist

Why have I filmed in these places?

I have filmed in these locations below as the are in keeping with Indie/Pop music genre. In many music videos of the same genre, the settings tend to be very similar.
I chose to film in the woods as they are natural and I like the way the leaves look in the shots, it adds a sense of season to the film.
Also filming by a river was to give the same illusion of nature and calm as these are 2 words that the song I am using for this project conjure up.

These locations are relative to the genre I have chosen. The settings are isolated therefore give the illusion of escapism and showing that the artist doesn't follow the crowd, this fits perfectly with the Indie genre. Also looking at the real music video for this song we see that she is alone in open spaces and has 2 main places of filming being the beach and a meadow where her 'home' is.

These are some of the locations used in the real Home music video by Gabrielle Aplin.

Dark Footage

Dark Footage

After doing some filming I realised that it was far too dark to use in my final media text.
I tried to colour correct the footage, however it made it look bleached and was easy to tell it had been edited like that.

Here is the footage I edited for the first 20 seconds with the music showing the dark footage.

From making this mistake i have learnt that:

• Filming in those particular woods, it was too dense and should find somewhere lighter to film.
• If this mistake was too be made again i can always use colour correction to brighten the image however i will not rely on this as i would prefer to not use it.

Magazine Analysis

Textual Analysis - Magazine advert for Indie/Pop artist

Artist & album - Lana Del Rey - Born To Die

I am doing this research so that when I produce my own magazine advert for my artist I will know the codes and conventions that makes a successful Indie/Pop magazine advert.

Why this text?
I have chosen this text as the artist is the same genre as mine and the simplicity of the advert is something I would like to incorporate into mine when I make it. 

This is the magazine advert for Lana Del Rey's album Born To Die taken from Q magazine which first of all is important as that is an Indie magazine therefore this emphasizes that the genre is Indie. The advert as a whole is very simple with not much to it but is straight to the point. The dominant image is of the artist looking directly at the camera and the shot is a low angle shot making the artist look important. We can tell it is a low angle shot as the artists eyes are looking down to the camera. The costume, make up and hair for the artist is very plain, she wears a simple white shirt, minimal make up but with song mascara and a strong red lip that stands out, this could be because everything else is so minimal and her hair is neatly curled. The background shows she is outside and a re-occurring nature theme seems to be emerging from what I have already analysed. The font is all in capitals to stand out and is a simple Arial font, the colours chosen are neutral and fit in with the conventions, they are light blue and white, however they stand out as they are on opposite coloured backgrounds (blue is on white, white is on blue). The rest of the text is in a more curvy and smaller size font telling us the release date, songs from the album and the artists website, all key things that need to be on the advert.

COMPARISON... 

I am going to compare Lana Del Rey's advert with a magazine advert for a mainstream pop artist. I am doing this so I can see what features are universally and what features are specific for an Indie artist's magazine advert.

I am going to use Lady Gaga's magazine advert for The Fame Monster/The Fame album

Straight away we can see that this advert is a lot more polished than Lana Del Rey's. The first thing you notice is that there are 3 sections to this advert with 2 dominant pictures of Lady Gaga instead of the 1 big picture of the artist, also the pictures of Lady Gaga are clearly shot professionally in a studio whereas Lana is shown to be outside.  Another notable feature is that Lana Del Rey's advert was in colour and surprisingly this is in black and white which is usually a convention of an Indie artist. Another feature that is on this advert there is a quote from Rolling Stone magazine selling the artist again this doesn't happen on Lana's advert. Another difference is that on this one Lady Gaga's album cover or both versions are shown on this advert. The font for this advert is very bold and stands out they have also used the exact font and 'cross t' used on the front of the album cover.
Some similarities between the adverts are that they both obviously include a dominant picture of the artist, the fonts are white, big and bold.
Overall this advert is a lot more polished than Lana Del Rey's advert to show Lady Gaga at her best whereas Lana Del Rey's advert is more to show her style and is less polished to stick to the codes and conventions of an Indie artists magazine advert

What I have learned from analysing these texts...

• The best font to use is simple and straightforward and to use white on a darker colour to make it really stick out and to have the rest of the information in a more curvy smaller font.
• To have a dominant image of the artist, but unlike Lady Gaga's advert just have 1 image instead of trying to cram 3 into a small space as 1 adds to the simplistic feel that should be shown in the Indie genre.
• Have the shot of the artist outside, as nature and the outdoors seem to be coming up a lot.

Digipack Analysis

Textual Analysis - Digipack for album

Album - Lungs by Florence & the Machine

I have done this to see what sort of look an Indie/Pop digipack has and if I can take any ideas/fonts etc and use them im my own when I make.

Why this text?
I have chosen this text to analyse as it is of the same genre my music video/artist is and will also have a similar target audience. The colours of this text are a contrast of dark and light which sticks to the conventions for an Indie/Pop artist therefore I will incorporate this factor into my digipack when I make it.

Front & Back cover's...

Front
The front of the digipack is very simple but effective. The dominant image on the front of the digipack is of the artist surrounded by nature. The artist is wearing a floaty dress with a necklace that is a pair of lungs which ties in with the name of the album, her nails are black going with the background and she is also not looking directly into the camera which makes her look shy. The rest of the background is plain black. The name of the album is hidden almost just below the artist and has a different font to the one used for the name of the artist. The font used on this digipack is the only bit that doesn't really go with the conventions of Indie/Pop as it is curvy and looks more like the font that would be used on a Pop digipack.

Back

The back of the digipack is very simple with just the names of the songs and a picture of a pair of lungs tying in with the album name again. The interesting thing about this is that the songs number are associated with a certain part of the pair of lungs. The background is plain black with white writing, this keeps the simple look and the font is simple as well.

Spine...

Spine
The spine of the digipack is also very simple with just the artists name and the name of the album on a black background. The only thing on the spine that is notable is that there are 2 different fonts used for the name of the artist and the album which is the same on the front of the digipack.

Inside the booklet...

The pictures inside the booklet for the digipack are all very similar they are of the artist with some lyrics from every song underneath/above/beside her but not all the lyrics just the ones that obviously mean the most to the artist. The pictures are all very dark and in all of the pictures the artist is not looking at the camera and is always looking to her right or left, this adds a sense of mystery to the artist. The font used for the lyrics is the same for every picture and is the same as the font on the front of the digipack for the name of the album.

The CD...

The CD is of, I assume the artists hand squeezing a piece of fruit. This image has nothing to do with the rest of the digipack and adds a sense of confusion and mystery to the album. The picture is actually very blurry so is difficult to see exactly what is going on. The title is central on the CD. The image behind the CD is the same as on the front, it is the nature background that is behind the artist and is also on the inside of the spine. The repetition of the same background is most probably due to the simple aspect of the Indie genre.

Who is the target audience?
I think the target audience for this digipack would be girls between 15-30 (young female adults). I think this due to the simpleness of the digipack and the feminine background and the fact that the artist is attractive, this might attract girls as they might admire her also this might attract young males.

What I have learned from analysing this text...

• Having a simple black background is very effective if you want the main image to stick out.
• Adding confusing to the pictures can be effective because the consumer will want to find the answers why it is confusing
• When choosing the font a simple, straightforward font is better for this genre but you can go against the conventions and add a font that is more feminine and curvy.

Textual Analysis

Analysing an existing Indie/Pop music video

The text that I will be analysing is Florence and The Machine's song Rabbit Heart (Raise it up). I have chosen to analyse this text as it is the same genre of music (indie/pop) as the music video I would like to create.

  The video for Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)  

The video starts with the artist behind a jewels glinting in the bright light focusing the viewers attention. The other notable feature is that there is a hazy filter on the video making it look mystical again this will draw the attention of the viewer.

The next shot is a zoom out to a close up to show the artist surrounded by other people. The lighting is very desaturated to give the video a laid back mystical feeling which is parallel to the song. From what you can see in this still from the video the location is outside in a meadow/forest, the costume looks quite regal and the viewer is drawn to the artists hair as it is the brightest part of the image.

The camera then zooms in on the artist to an extreme close up. The lighting becomes more focused and bright to emphasise the pale skin contrasted to the artists hair, still keeping to the codes and conventions of an indie/pop music video as the colours are still neutral and not for example bright greens/blues etc. The make up is simple to fit in with the simple feel to the song and music video so far.

It then cuts to a close up of a harp, this is definitely a convention of an indie/pop song/video as a harp isn't a mainstream instrument to use and it makes the song more individual or 'indie'. The lighting is back to being less saturated and neutral and the light is glinting off the strings of the harp making it the main focus of the shot.

In the next shot we see it is a close up of the artist on top of a mid shot of the party going on in the video. This duel shot creates a mystical feel to the video in keeping with the feel of the music. The lighting is again saturated keeping with the neutral theme running through the video. From this we can see the costumes faintly, they are dresses for the women and suits for the men, this is contrasted with the outside scene as you would expect them to be in more casual clothes this in keeps with the individual style of the music video.

This then cuts to a mid shot of a long table with a banquet on and everyone sitting around it but the camera focusing on Florence in the middle. The lighting has stayed the same and so has the costume/make up/hair. This shot is an establishing shot of the banquet.

 The next shot is a long shot of the table and we see the people around it throwing the food at each other and tipping the table up to create a sense of chaos which fits the song at that moment in time. We also see this from the lighting it has become much brighter and not so saturated. We can also see that the people at the table are not the only people at the 'party' there are people in the background adding this sense of chaos as everyone is everywhere.

The penultimate shot of the music video is an extreme close up of the artist. This is to emphasise the song lyrics as this is the calm after the crescendo, so this shot is to emphasise the meaningful soft lyrics as the video comes to an end. The light has gone back to being mystical and saturated.

The video then ends on this duel shot of the artist and a coffin floating on the water. The shot of the artist is an extreme close up and the shot of the coffin is a long shot, these 2 contrasting shots create a sense of calm and end the video in a sombre way. The expression of the artist makes me think that the shot of the coffin is meaningful to her. The lighting is very saturated now almost like the video is fading away which fits in with codes and conventions of an indie music video.

From doing this textual analysis of an existing indie music video I have realised that:

• You don't need to use black and white to get the desired effect of an indie music video but using a saturated filter on the video makes it look mystical and does create a nice effect still sticking to the codes and conventions of an indie music video.
• The costume and setting need to be appropriate for the type of music and for this genre the woods/meadows are a suitable option.

Test Footage and Settings

 

Here is some of our test footage that we took to see how well lip syncing would look and to get a sense of how using this type of background would look with the song.

We used 2 different types of shots as we didn't have much time. We used a close up with the actress in the centre and one of a medium close up with the actress slightly off centre so the audience could see the background more clearly.

We also took some pictures of this filming location so we could see what was around it and if it would be usable for the final music video. From the pictures we can see grey buildings etc which take away from the shot meaning this might not be the best place to film.

From doing this test footage I have found that:

• To emphasise the lyrics, when the actress is lip syncing, the camera needs to be in a close up. So in my final text I will try to use close ups frequently to emphasise the lyrics.

• That this setting probably wasn't good enough to use in my final text as you can see cars, buildings etc in the background with make the shots look unprofessional therefore I need to find a more suitable place to film eg the woods.

Audience Research

Once we had figured out what type of music video we wanted to create we now needed to do some audience research to find out what people would expect to see in an indie/pop music video. We played each of our interviewee's the song above (Home) and asked them a series of questions so we could gather the relevant information to make our music video what people want to see.

The questions:
What would you expect to see in an indie/pop music video?
What do you think of when you hear this song?
What would you expect to see in the music video for Gabrielle Aplin - Home?
What do you think is cliche for this genre of music?
Who do you think the target audience is for this song?



 

From the answers given we found out that the target audience will be primarily girls between 13 - 20. I imagine the target audience to look like...

People want to see the kind of cliche look about the video as thats what is recognisable in an indie/pop video. Also they will be expecting to see a mix between seeing the artist perform and some kind of story to go along with it. Now we have this information we can start to story board our actual music video.

Reply from Gabrielles Manager/Record Label

After we had sent our e-mail asking for permission we waited 2 days for a reply. We finally got confirmation on the 18th September that we were allowed to use the song to create our video. The response came from her manager/owner of Never Fade Records James Barnes.

Regulation Research

The regulating body for TV shows, music videos, adverts etc is OFCOM (The Office of Communications).

OFCOM is a government appoved scheme to regulate the content of any broadcasting, telecommunications and postal company in the UK. OFCOM was set up to represent the interests of the public and the consumers by regulating what can and cannot be broadcast to the public which could be considered harmful or offensive material.

It was announced OFCOM would be created in the Queen's Speech to parliament in June 2001 which would replace existing authorities. It would be known as a "super-regulator" to over see all media channels.

OFCOM have a set of specific rules to which anyone making a peice of televised media must stick to.

The first set of rules is to protect under 18's from being exposed to harmful/sexual content./drugs/language.

The term children is used for under 15's therefore any content shown before the watershed (any content that defies these rules must be shown after 9pm and before 5.30am) should stick to these guidlines for children:

• Material that might seriously impair the development of people under eighteen must not be broadcast.
• Broadcasters must take all reasonable steps to protect people under eighteen.
• Children must also be protected by appropriate scheduling for programmes that have unsuitable material for them.

Drugs, smoking, solvents and alcohol

Drugs, smoking, solvent use and excess use of alcohol must not be shown in any programme aimed at children. Generally it must be avoided and must not be condoned, glamorised or encouraged if shown before the watershed
It also must not be condoned, gamorised or encouraged in other programmes likely to be widely seen or heard by under 18's.
OFCOM understands that a younger audience may be influenced by seeing these types of images and try and repliate them that is why these rules are in place.

Violence and dangerous behaviour

OFCOM regulates the amount voilence that can be shown before the watershed. They regulate violence, its after-effects and descriptions of violence, whether verbal or physical. This must be appropriately limited in programmes primarily aimed at children.

Violence, whether verbal or physical, that could be imitable by children that could be harmful or dangerous to others must never be shown before the watershed and never in promgrammes primarily aimed at children.

Offensive language

The most offensive language must never be used in any program before the watershed or in any program directed at children. if used beofre the watershed it must be justified by the context and frequent use of any offensive language must be avoided at all times before the watershed.

Sexual material

Material equivalent to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) 18+ rating must not be broadcast at any time and adult sex material (material that contains images and/or language of a strong sexual nature which is broadcast for the primary purpose of sexual arousal or stimulation) must not be broadcast at any time other than after 11pm - 5.30am

Employing under 18's

When employing an under 18 to be used in a tv program/music video etc OFCOM has rules that all broadcasters must comply with. Broadcasters must take into account the child’s welfare. If under sixteen broadcasters must ensure that there is consent from a parent or guardian. When given consent by parents or guardians, OFCOM believe it is the broadcaster’s duty to make sure the parent understands the full implications of their child’s participation. Program makers are told to highlight both the positive and negative likely outcomes from participating in program.

Flashing images

Flashing images can cause seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. OFCOM have specific guidelines for broadcasters who use these flashing images in their programmes. All broadcasters should give a clear warning before the programme that flashing images will be used.

My music video

After reading the OFCOM guidelines i now know what i can and cant put in music video. 

• We were not planning on using any images of drug use, nudity or using any offensive bad language in the video so therefore those guidelines do not apply to the type of video I would like to create.

• I will have under 18's in my video so I will need to comply with those rules however they are older than 16 so I do not need written parental consent to have them in the video.

• I wasnt planning on having flashing images in my video but if I do I will need to make sure that they comply with the rules.

Permissions

To use the song by Gabrielle Aplin we had to aquire permission from the record label and or her manager. For this we had to email both of them and ask to use the song otherwise it would infringe the copyright laws set by OFCOM.
Here is the e-mail we sent..

Now all i have to do is wait for a reply from her record company saying whether i can or can not use her song!

Conventions of an Indie Music Video

Indie music and videos are less common than pop or popular music meaning the codes and conventions arent set in stone however most music videos today share the same codes and conventions even if they differentiate in genre from indie to rock. The definition of indie music is that it is a sub culture of pop or popular music but is independent music and this is where the word 'indie' comes from.

Music videos use a range of different techniques, camera shots and mise-en-scene to create a story, give emphasis and set locations.

Editing is an important factor in making a good music video the pace must coincide with the pace of the song. Jump cuts are the predominant editing technique in music videos this is because as it allows the scene to change quickly with the song.

The costumes the actors/artists/bands are wearing usually go with the genre for example in pop videos artists might wear bright clothing but in a rock video they might wear more black.

Sound is obviously dominated by the vocals of the song, instruments and in some cases they might stop the song for the talking/acting.

Lighting ties in with the type of music, for example some videos are visually bright. The props, clothing, lighting etc are all brightly coloured to tie in with the genre. 

Understanding these different codes and conventions is key for creating a good music video that the target audience of that genre will want to see. I have chosen 2 videos of the same genre i would like to do for my final project. I have done this to identify and prove if the music videos do stick to the codes and conventions no matter what genre they are. The music videos that I have chosen to evaluate are Florence and The Machine - You've Got The Love and Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans.

Above is the music video for Florence and The Machine - You've Got The Love

From watching this video you can tell it is an indie/pop song as it sticks to the codes and conventions of an indie music video.

This is the establishing shot of the video. This sticks to the codes and conventions of an indie music video as it uses dark colours and a close up.

The screenshot above is a long shot to show the location and is neutral colours not too bright and the props are also neutral.

The screenshot above is a close up of the artist and the colours are again neutral to stick to the codes and conventions the mist creates a dreamy feel to the video.


The next video is Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans

  

Above is the music video for Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans

I chose this video as it is also an indie music video but less of a pop song/video and really sticks to the codes and conventions of a true indie music video.

The screenshot above is the establishing shot for the video and this is a close up and also a long duration shot lasting for 30 seconds. Also the colours are black and white to reflect the sad nature of the song and fitting in with the genre.

This shot is an etreme close up when the artist is putting emphasis on a certain part of the song. Again the video is still in black and white.

This mid shot of the singers head shows her location (a swimming pool).

After looking at these 2 videos, I have seen that they do include a lot of the obvious conventions that all music videos seem to have, but this genre uses and twists them in a different way. To make my text look more profesional i need to incorporate some of these specific indie codes and conventions so the target audience will be satisfied with the end product. From watching and analysing these music videos in my text i will need to maybe add black and white in, use neautral colours and have a simple background/idea. 



Preliminary Ideas

Initial Ideas

After deciding to create a music video as my final piece of practical work, I started looking for potential songs I could use. i had a few ideas of the genre i wanted to use so i mainly researched videos of indie type bands and music.

Here are some of the songs I may potentially use for my music video...

To Build A Home - Cinemactic Orchestra...

 

Good Morning Sunshine - Alex Day...

 
Home - Gabrielle Aplin...

This Kiss - Alex Day...

We decided that the type of music video we wanted to create was best suited to Gabrielle Aplins's song Home. We then went on to find out which record label Gabrielle Aplin was signed to and Started to write them an email asking for permission to use her song

History and Development of Music Videos

History

A music video is a taped performance of a recorded song, usually accompanied with dancing and a story line that will interpret the lyrics.

In 1894, sheet music publishers Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern hired an electrician named George Thomas to promote sales of their song "The Little Lost Child".
Using a magic lantern, Thomas projected a series of still images on a screen simultaneous to live performances. This would become a popular form of entertainment known as the illustrated song, the first step towards a music video

Between 1902 and 1917 was known as the 'phonoscène era'. This was the prelude of what would be the music video. It combined a sound recording with a camera shot of actors lip-synching to the song. The recording and film were synchronized by Léon Gaumont in 1902. The first phonoscènes were presented by Gaumont in 1902 in France.

In the 1950's the Scopitone (like a visual jukebox) was invented in France. This meant that short films could now be produced by many French artists, such as Serge Gainsbourg and Françoise Hardy to accompany their songs. The use of the scopitone then spread to other countries and similar types of technology came about, such as the Cinebox in Italy and Color-Sonic in the USA.

The earliest music video of a Top 40 hit, was Jan & Dean's "Surf City", which was produced in the summer of 1963.

Music Videos today 

Music videos today are extremely popular, and even have their own channels including The Box, Viva and the most famous MTV.
MTV is an American network based in New York City. Launched on August 1^st 1981 MTV's original purpose was to be “Music Television” showing music videos 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. MTV had a huge impact on the music industry and popular culture, the idea of a dedicated video-based outlet for music was introduced and both artists and fans found a central location for music events, news and promotion.  MTV have faced criticisms for the moral influence they have on young people, including issues related to censorship and social activism.

Technology & Developments

MTV aired their first music video of The Buggles' song 'Video Killed The Radio Star'. After this music videos became incresingly popular but at this stage when a video ended the screen would go to black while someone changed the video tape in the VCR. Over the years and as technology has become more advanced videos have become available on the internet as well as television and the 2 most used websites for this are Vimeo a small video sharing site and Youtube.

YouTube is a video sharing website which was created in 2005. The site allows users to upload, share and view videos. Music videos are uploaded to youtube everyday with many singers having their own personal accounts. Youtube allows more people to view the video as many times as they want and whenever they want. This has meant that the viewing of music video channels has declined rapidly.

Now in the music industry there is more affordable and faster equipment to create better quality videos. Cheaper laptops,  better software and filming equipment has allowed upcoming singers/song writers/film makers to create their music video to a higher standard. YouTube and similar social networking sites have allowed these people to share their music videos with the public including people high up within the music industry looking for creative and talented individuals.