Draft 1 of my Music video

My Digipack

Creating my Digipack

This image above is my digipacks front cover. I chose it for my front cover because it is a really good shot of my actresses from my video. I love the graffiti in the background behind them because it is suits the theme of my video. I really like the red theme that is portrayed from the front cover of my digipack. The red really stands out on the coat, shirt and on the wall. It is a solid and passionate colour to use for a front cover that is bold and stands out.

In this image below you will see there was a bag on the floor which was in the shot. I photoshopped out the bag so that it wasn't there on the final front cover. 

In this screenshot below it shows the starting stages of making my digipack. It is the standard CD size 4.7 x 4.7inches. After editing each of the images that I wanted on by digipack I imported them into Indesign, fitted them to the appropriate size, added texts and polished each of the images to the best they can possibly be.

The screenshot below is of the inside of my digipack. It is some graffiti that I shot in some of my footage. I doubled it up with a mirror effect and I thought it would be a great background for the white text on the grey wall background.

Here is the editing of my back cover. It was a picture of some graffiti too however I photoshopped the 'No More' graffiti on there so that it fits with my digipack and is a bit more original.

I also Added on the barcode for purchasing, the QR reader for a link to the CD website and finally the copy right acts that are associated with the song and the digipack images.

Editing has started

My Editing

I started my editing on Final Cut Pro where I imported all my footage in and then added my song. I download the song from iTunes and then simply imported it in too. You can see my song in the green box in the picture above.

Here you can see my editing whereby I dragged my clip into the appropriate place in the song to make up the music video. You can see some overlapping of where clips crossover to make the change much sharper and quicker. 

To the right you can see clips of Izzy my actress. I used these clips with the simple brick wall to do my lip syncing. I used the singing from the video then cut out the sound of her really singing then placed it in with the lyrics of the song. It was hard to get right but due to her good pronunciation it made it slightly easier.

Equipment

My Equipment

My equipment for my music video will consist of my Cannon SX60 HS PowerShot, my GoPro hero 4 and my Velbon tripod. The Cannon will be used for the majority of shots and then the GoPro will be used for the more action related shots. The transition between the two styles of shooting is hard to achieve however will look effective and different to other music videos. The tripod will be used for the steady shots in my music video to help be achieve higher and lower steady angles in my video.

Storyboard

Storyboard First Draft

Locations for filming

Possible locations for Filming

At a club or party is one of my most preferred places for shooting parts of my music video. The darkness with the flashing lights and dancing really fits with the genre of music video I have decided on.

Shoreditch is one of London's trendiest places and being on my doorstep I really would like to use this to my advantage. Shoreditch is full of unique graffiti and will look really good in my music video with the girls walking through the streets here. 

A newsagents, corner shop is a weird place for me to mention that I want to film in, however is best suited to my music video. The video is about breakups and struggles of young people a drinking and smoking are a common theme represented with young people. That is why I think filming them buying drink etc is a good idea.

The front room of my house is a very stylish newly refurbished room and I would like to make full usage of it as a locations for filming. The room could just be used for in between filler shots.

Boris biking is a popular activity that everyone in London loves and I think some effective shots would be of the girls cycling around the parks of London. They would be action shots and would tie in well with the more upbeat parts of the song.

Filming in and around the tallest buildings in London would be another location I would like to film in. The Urban sense of it is different and would fit in well with other shots of the music video.

Stations like Great Portland Street on the Underground are hundreds of years olds with so much history. Part of that History is the original brick work which I think would look really good in my video as the whole part of getting around London.

Shots from music videos moodboards

Moodboards

Digipack Research 2

Expansion into Digipack Research

Disclosure the English electronic music duo released the album Caracal in September 2015. The album was one of their biggest ever and features some of their top songs including 'Holding on', 'Omen' and 'Jaded'. It reached number in the UK official chart too.

I have chosen to do some research behind the album and the creative design of the cover because Disclosure being English fall into a similar genre and style of music as Gorgon City my artist.

The album cover has a caracal on the front of it which is a large wild cat. But the caracal has the face template that features in many of disclosures videos and promotional campaigns. An example of this is in the music video 'Latch' featuring Sam Smith. You can see two face templates flash up on random faces in the video. And because of these the face template has been used on the album cover.

Above is the Disclosure type face. You will notice that it is the same type used as the one on the Caracal front cover. To promote the whole Disclosure image using the same typeface keeps the duos familiarity for their fans.

This is the back cover to the Caracal. It lists the 14 songs in the album in order and also who features in the songs. It has the barcode for scanning in shops and also the record labels it was sold under.

This screenshot above is from iTunes which is where the Album gets sold. You can see the album cover is represented with the price and then then list of songs in the album. There is also a review that iTunes have given so you can get a sense of what your buying before you purchase the album.

This is the CD to the Caracal album. Again it features the Caracal in the disk front. The caracal is faced side on with is agin a different perspective to the front and back cover. Its almost like you see the Caracals face when you are viewing it. Then if you buy the album you get to see more about the singles and a different view of the cat. Then finally as mentioned before you get to see the cat on the back cover once you have unveiled all the songs on the album.

Finally this is the inside of the cover album. Once again the caracal features with less definition of the cat as it is just a shadow. The inside cover also gives a deeper description of each of the songs too.

1.

2.

3. 

4. 

In the four small shots above you can see the Caracal album with the caracal animal in each of them. I mentioned previously that the album unfolds as you listen to the singles. And as the music unfolds so does the story of the caracal animal. You start with a clear cut picture of the Caracals face on the front cover before you buy the album then one you have bought it you can open it to find picture 2 of the caracals head side on. This is printed onto the CD. Next comes the caracal lying down behind the CD once you have listened to it. And finally the back cover shows the caracal up and looking as it it is ready to kill. 

This is a great metaphor using pictures instead of words and then the singles just speak for themselves. The design of the whole album back to front is so clever and something I would like to bare in mind when I have to design my digipack for my Gorgon City song.

Inspirational Shots and Techniques

Potential Shots

 These three snaps, to the left; the poster and the concert are from the music video 'You and Me' by Disclosure featuring Eliza Doolittle. The video features a love story and I really like the way it is shot. The low angle on the couple is really effective as it shows the song is solely about

them and the attraction they have for each other. I like the fact they go to a Disclosure concert in a Disclosure song. The snappit from the concert shows they at it and the craziness of the shooting at the concert.

The screenshot above and the gif below this are from the music video 'Thinking about it' by Just Kiddin. I really like the mid shot used on the couple in this shot plus the location used and their style of outfits. It is really fitting to the type of music video that I want to produce as they are a couple and that is the sort of thing I want in my video. 

The gif below shows them walking through the arcade and then running towards the game they like holding hands. The slow motion effect used is really effective and a popular technique used my producers of music videos recently (especially more up beat songs).

 The gif to the right here is from the music video 'shy' by The Magician. Of whom I have mentioned in my blog before. The thing I like about this video and the style it is shot in, is the backwards and forwards editing. The editing is in time with the beat of the music as well which is a really difficult technique to get right and if pulled off looks first class. The angles of shooting in this gif to are clever. You will notice the camera is placed underneath to make the actors seem bigger and the main focus behind the video.

The shooting in the newsagents/corner shop in this picture is from the music video 'seeing is believing' (also previously mentioned in my blog). I like the fact the camera is filming them from outside of the girls inside. It is almost like it is hiding as if the actors don't want to be filmed. Which is strange because in most music videos it is mainly about the focal pint of the video being the actor.

From 'Best is yet to come', this filming is set in a nightclub. I obviously won't have the facilities to film in this sort of location however a party would be an appropriate location for parts of my filming. And the reason I have selected this gif, is because I like the way it is shot with the light, dancing and props like the bottles in the ice bucket. 

Digipack Research

What is a Digipack?

A digipack is a trademarked product firstly made by MeadWestvaco. They are made out of cardboard or any other heavy paper material designed to hold and protect CD's. There are a few different designs to this type of CD packaging; it can either be flipped open like a book e.g. like a normal jewel CD case or there is the three panel digipack design which means the CD is placed in the center of the packaging so this time there is a left and a right panel to be flipped open, this allows more room for multiple CD storage and album cover art.

 A normal Jewel CD Case on the left.


And a three panel CD case on the right.

Research into famous Digipacks

Below I have chosen a selection of Album covers that I can gain inspiration from when shooting my music video and hen I made my own digipack. They each say a lot about the artist of artists featured within the video.

This first album cover by Ministry of sound, of whom I have mentioned in my blog previously I really like. The cover is simplistic and powerful. On most of Ministry of sounds album covers the logo is very big and bold however with the black and white theme, the lips and small logo it is a powerful design. The logo is meant to represent a heart, to say 'I love garage' however the logo replaces it which is a quirky technique that I really like.

This next album cover by Disclosure again follows the black and white theme which I like. The two separate type faces; Disclosure (face template) and Caracal really compliment each other as it follows the chalk on chalkboard effect. You will also notice that the Caracal has the Disclosure white face over the top of it. This is a unique effect that features in some of their videos and other album cover which I like the direct link in between.

Gorgon City being my artist of choice had the have a mention and as a matter of fact I do like the album cover for 'Lover Like You'. The cover has a brighter green/turquoise colour to it with a women swimming underneath the water. What I like about the cover is that it has nothing to do with the song and this makes is unique. I Like the Times Roman typeface that Gorgon City always stick too as well.

'Beauty Behind the Madness', was released in 2015 and was the biggest album released by The Weeknd. The cover has a black and white face with The Weeknds face on the front of it. It almost looks like his face was cut up and stuck on which was is effective and could depict the stresses that he went through the make the album and the amount of cuts it took. The yellow font sticks out and makes it unique.

My final album cover of choice again by Ministry of Sound is one of their old school album covers which just shows their history. The over features a large Ministry logo like I mentioned previously. The colour scheme of the cover is purple with two pink and yellow lights on the side and a reflection which is different to the others of my choice. The album states in the corner 'Anthems', so once you've seen that you know exactly what it is you are buying.

Another different concept of digipack that I loved was this more interactive one that Rudimental play at the start of some of their music videos in the 'Home' Album. This clip at the end, as a motionless picture is actually their album cover. However they have expanded the idea turning it into a time lapse effect that pans downwards from the sky. It then does actually pause at he end giving details of the album etc. Such a clever idea and one I have never seen before.