CD Cover Research

To help give me inspiration for my own cd cover I decided to look at professional artists cd covers that were within a similar music genre to my group. A lot of them have a water or ocean theme to the imagery, this coincidentally fits in perfectly with my music video and the theme I was going to continue into the cd cover and website anyway. 

Although the majority of the covers include people on the front they do not make that persons identity really know as they are either blurred, facing the other way or underwater. The Everything Everything cd cover appears to be copying the previous Blur cd cover. 

At the bottom is the actually Alt-J cd case, this differs from the others in design and style. The case itself is different as is the fact the case does not have the band name or album name on it.  

From this I was able to apply some of these features to my own cd cover design. I kept the colour of the digi pack blue, in particular dull grainy blues as these represented the theme of the song, oceans, and also reflects the emotions in the music video. This created synergy with my music video and media product. I also kept the identity of the couple unknown on the front cover as I found in my research that the people on the front cover were often hidden in some way. I did use a image on the inside cover that shows the guys face as the scene it is taken from ties in with the drugs that appear next to it. 

(The bottom to images are the front cover and back cover, with the top images folding down to be on the inside)

Evaluation Analysis 1

Good Points 

• In question one the group realises key convention that are relevant to their music video and genre, and the audiences response to these conventions. What is good is the group think about what they have done that challenges these conventions too. 
• In question two the group talk a lot about the audience response to music genres an how the ancillary task links to the video. They also talk about how the ancillary task come from researching similar music group designs. 
• In question three, they talk about their use of social media site Facebook, an important feature that allows a wide scope of responses. 
• In question four they continue to mention the forms of technology used mention new forms that I haven't already thought of such as a site were you can upload audio. 

Bad Points

• They could go into more detail when answering the question as some points lack context and seem to brief. 
• When they are talking its not always clear what they are saying this is either because of the music playing in the back ground, their pronunciation or them rushing what they are saying. 
• Some of the time it seems that they don't quite know themselves what they are talking about and they often struggle to get their words out. 
• The whole evaluation is done by pod-cast and get fairly boring. 

Logo

I have been struggling to find a logo that I'm happy with representing the song and band after initially wanting to use the Greek delta symbol (uppercase), as the group name, Alt-J, when used on a mac creates the delta symbol. However the actual band use this symbol as their logo. After trying different logos and even trying the lowercase delta symbol.
However after talking things through with my teacher it turns our that I an in fact use the same logo as the official group. Yay.

Additional Sounds Effects

For my music video I wanted to include the sound of ocean noises or a wave breaking surf, I felt this would tie in well with the music video both visually and lyrically as it has a nortical theme. I also planed on calling the  album Ocean Noises, this is another way the sound links to the project.

Here is a Youtube video of the type of noise I am going for, I intend to play the sound at the start and end of the music video.

Band Websites -Steeling Sheep

Listening to the radio last night my songs band, Alt-J, were being interviewed and had taken over the station for an hour or two choosing songs that they liked. I found this insightful as they played songs that were of a similar genre of music. One group was Stealing Sheep, of which Alt-J have played with on a number of occasions. The reason this was insightful was because it meant I could look at a relevant groups website, looking at features from a band within a similar genre.

The website is very basic, but there are features that I can take away and try to use within my own design.

The site has a side panel that has features for the audience to follow the group on a number of different social networks, it also includes quick play of the groups latest songs. 

The site has a more of a blog feel about it with images of band posters, pictures and CD covers.
Here is the website link, http://stealingsheep.co.uk/

Wix Trial

Today I spent time in class using the website that I will eventually use for part of my auxiliary task. The site is easy to used and I was able to navigate through the setting and tools well. Because of this I decided to change my own personal blog from Blogger to Wix as Wix gives me a greater freedom with posting on new pages.

http://christopherpanayi1.wix.com/christopherpanayi#!home/mainPage

Youtube videos

Recently I've been watching loads of Youtube tutorials on how to use Final Cut Express as I have never seriously used it before. Videos can obviously range if there usefulness, however I have found one 'youtuber' who I found effective even though there was no dialogue. I decided to subscribe to his videos, this way I'm able to keep up to date with further tutorials he posts.

Here is the video that I watched, it demonstrates how to put the light leaks effect onto the video. Unfortunately this is for Final cut Pro so I will not be able to use it, also with no dialogue it may be hard to follow. Yet I found it effective as I now knew the name of the effect I desired, Light leaks. I feel that this effects over the dream stage of the music video will work nicely to create a dream like atmosphere.

I am still looking for an alternative, currently looking at downloading a effects program onto my home laptop to edit the footage, then put it all together on Final Cut Express and sixth form. This after discussing with my teachers and the it technicians is the best route to take. However, I do not want to me spending a small fortune on this. I have tried downloading the free 30 day trial of After Effects however the download for some reason wouldn't complete. So I am now looking for another way.  And as I do not have an Apple Mac at home Final Cut Express or Pro are out of the questions.

(Add image, faill attempt of after effects)

Performance Music Video

These are music videos where the band or artist performs, it can be a live on stage performance, set up in a room or recording studio or even in an unusual location, such as the beach, desert or roof top. Performance videos tend to include other footage of the band or artist. This can be backstage footage of the artist relaxing and fooling around.

This video is set in an unusual location of a church, with the lead singer as the priest or vicar and the other band members possibly as the quire.
Links with Goodwins's seven as there is a lot of close up of the band members, especially the important members like the sings and lead guitarist.

This is an official live performance of the group, yet it has obviously been set up as the audience is mostly women. This is to create a sense of identity for the band that the are attractive woman magnets.  

The video demonstrates the same examples of Goodwin's seven as AC/DC with close up shots of the group being used. The band is also ranked on how they look, depending on this decides how much screen time they get. 

Unknown

This is a video I came across whilst looking up the director to one of my Alt-J music videos. At first I thought the video was from that actual director, however it turned out not to be. I have included it in my blog still as I thought it was original, and peaceful as a video. It also has that sense of individuality  of which the band Alt-J seem to incurrporate in their music and music videos but in a different way to this video. Capturing the innocence of childhood, yet still highlighting the poverty of this particular child. I would love to talk more about the video, maybe when I have more time I will come back to it. For now I shall just post it for you to enjoy.

Previous Student Work

Mr Brightside - The Killers
During my research of looking at music videos I came across several past students work. One of the most interesting in my opinion was a students music video of Mr Brightside by The Killers.

The song is in a different genre to the song and group I have chosen, Dissolve Me by Alt-J, but there are techniques video and features of the storyline that I can adjust and hopefully I can apply to my own video.

The reason I am so interested by this student music video is because it plot-line has certain elements the link it to my own plan. The video starts with the main male lead in his dim light room. The video then goes into a more colourfully shot and we see a happy couple taking a few novelty photos in a photo booth. This is a part of the music video where is incorporates a link between lyrics and visuals, as we see the couple kiss with the lyrics "It was only a kiss". Yet as the video continues we see a divide in the relationship, caused mainly by the girl, seen by her shrugging him off her shoulder and when she answers the phone whiles he is serenading her. In the end we see the video go full circle, as the guy see that the girlfriend is cheating on him, he is back in his dim light room. The aspects from this plot-line that are similar to my own ideas are for the break up of a couple. My video will also start with the couple being happy together and then show their split, but I intend on making the signs of their break up more subtle then the rudeness seen in the students music video. I also want the actual break up to be more smooth, rather than the guy seeing his girlfriend with another man. I will have the girl actually talk and have it so she is also sad that their relationship has come top an end, a element not seen in this students work.

 The students music video also has a band performance which shows really good skills and understanding of the technology used as the band members playing and the singer are all in-sync with the music. I was particularly impressed with the drummer who is very believable and the singers lip-syncing.

The music video also used a range of shots and angles in the video, and the pace of the video also varies depending on the music.When the editing is faster paced it is fluid and well linked, even when we see images and memories of the couple quickly flash up.

Overall analysing this students music video has given me an opportunity to see what I can achieve and how I can make my music video more relatable to the audience by using actors (and actresses) a similar age as the audience.


Street Lights - Kanye West
Another example of a music video from a student that I thought was good is Street lights by Kanye West.

At the very beginning of the video we see a couple arguing, but they have been muted and a narration has been put over the top.  The narration is a spoken message about how to 'play this game of life'. This is something different that I haven't seen before in a students music video and is even quite rare in actual official music videos. The use of the message is very effective over the imagery and sets the scene nicely for the music video itself. 

From the narrated intro the music video starts with an effect of some lights, including street lights at night. The lights are out of focused, and slightly blurred. This is a cool effect and is made more significant when it is repeated again halfway through the video, when the two main character bump into one another and brush hands. 

  

The bumping into one another is probably my favourite moment of this music video. The scene is repeated three times, each time the camera shot changes and zooms, from a mid shot, close-mid shot and finally a close up to show their hands brushing. The repetition not only emphasises the moment and it's importance but is also in keeping with the rhythm of the music, showing a good skill of cutting to the beat. 

Another strong feature with this video is the use or lack of colour. Scenes which are from the present day are black and white, and scenes that are memories are show with a warm colouring. The likely reason for this is so the audience will have positive connotations with the memories. What I like so much about this music video is the editing of the shot, with the black and white effect on the present day, and the warm colour on the characters memory.

The actors involved in this music video were very genuine and realistic, this helps the videos believability. Also having the cast at a similar age to the audience helps the audience to engage. I have taken a lot from both of the students music videos, maybe the most important, that having a simple storyline can mean a really good music video, as it will be easy to follow and allows the ability to focus on detail and to edit later on making the video look even more professional. 

One Shot Wonders!

The song Sitting, Waiting, Wishing is from singer/ song writer Jack Johnson, the sixth song from the album In Between Dreams. 

The song is about a man you is continually rejected by a woman, and is asking the question "Must I always be waiting on you". Yet the actual video to the song does not have a strong link between visual and lyrics. 

The music video incorporates revers narration with Jack Johnson being the main focus and other coming in and out of the room.  The setting is a random room that starts of in chaos, with broken furniture and objects thrown about. As the video is played we see the room become cleaner as the objects come back together and food flys out. The most impressive feature of the music video is the fact singing Jack has to learn and sing the song in revers, so when the song is played back in revers he appears to sing properly.  

The playback narrative of Sitting, Waiting, Wishing is very similar to ColdPlay's The Scientist of their album A Rush of Blood to the Head. In this music video we see lead singer Chris Martin singing in revers as the video is played back, also seen in Sitting, Waiting, Wishing. The song has a better storyline to it then Sitting, Waiting, Wishing but then The Scientist is not a one shot wonder.

Alt-J Music videos

Breezeblocks was directed by Ellis Bahl, a relatively unknown and yet-to-be discovered director. Apart from the Alt-J Breezeblocks music video is was hard to find any other work from her. Because of the relative unknownness of the director and also the bands uniqueness the video hasn't been awarded or particularly highlighted. This does not mean however that the video wasn't good, the video itself demonstrates the attention to detail needed when playing back a video, especially when it includes a complex story line. Throughout the music video we assume that the make character is attacking the woman, this is until the last minute of the video where we see what's really happening. The storyline takes a huge twist as we now see the woman has his wife hostage and is in fact attacking the man, he is just defending his way of life. 

In my research to find out more about the director, Ellis Bahl, I came across the website www.ellisbahl.com/. The site has a number of work from various directors/artists, they all incorporate and embrace they indie warmth feel(?). The site has other work of Ellis, one is the example below called Ohio by Robin Bacior. The video is split into twelve, showing a dancer dancing in a empty room. The is effective as it keeps the attention of the audience.



Fitzpleasure is another music video from the band, this time it was for director Guillaume Cagniard to make his own, and he does just that. The video for ‘Fitzpleasure’ was shot in one day in a studio in Paris. The video includes living artwork performer Tim Steiner, tattooed by Wim Delvoye a Belgium artist who works with COSA. Tim turned his back into a piece of art and came especially from London to be part of the shoot.  Wim Delvoye was also asked to assist in the music video, we can see his input with the strong themes that run throughout the video. Delvoye takes inspiration from art history, Gothic cathedrals and sculptures of the 19th century, these themes can easily be recognised with in the video. 



Cagniard has previously worked with French artist and photographer JR, creating music videos for his huge urban based artwork. Also Cagniard is not afraid to nudity in his videos. With it appearing moderately in 'Fitzpleasure' and also blurred in 'Ain't Got No' by Patrice. Below is the music video, it uses a stop- motion animation effect of the speaker artwork to make it look like the artwork face is singing (I'm not sure of the significance of the naked people with trolleys is though). The other video below is just one of the examples of the collaborations the director has with JR.

 I feel by looking into other music videos of the band and also the directors, producers and artists they have worked with I am able to understand the bands specific characteristics and criteria for making a music video for them. After my research I am now more confident that the plan I have for my music video will fit into Alt-J's style of music video. 

About my Song ... and Band!!

Band Profile;

The bands names, Alt-J, is the command used to write the Greek letter Delta on Mac keyboards, the ban is also know by this Greek symbol for Delta ∆. The group is made up of;  Gwil Sainsbury -guitarist/bassist, Joe Newman -guitar/vocals, Gus Unger-Hamilton -keyboards and Thom Green -drums. The band first met and formed at Leeds university in 2007, but it was a few years until they signed with Infections Records.

The song;

The song itself is upbeat and jolly throughout, using a range of instrements which is why it fits so well in the alternative music genre, specifically folk-step.

When listening to the song there are three main themes I pick out. Firstly this idea of forced sleep, clearly the person is having trouble sleeping and is trying different methods to get some sleep. These are references in the song; "Now dissolve me, two tabs on your tongue" - sleep tablets, "herd now the shepherds, who herd there sheep, sleep now my only one" - counting sheep to fall asleep and "She makes the sounds, the sound the sea make to calm me down" -  finally listening to ocean noises to relax. This links directly with the next theme which is the coast or beach. Throughout the song it references to "the sound the sea makes". Lastly there is a theme of a couple breaking up or a couple in conflict. Referenced  by "broken sweethearts who sleep apart", there is also this idea of her calming him down by making sea nioses. My opinion on this is that she has told him she wants to break up, and that's the reason for her to calm him down. 

Director Study - Michel Gondry

These are just some examples of Michel's work.
The slide show talks about Gondry's success in film and music videos. Arguably his most successful film is Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. This film explores the directors creativity and plays with the concept of remembering.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind Trailer 

Gondry has worked with various music artists creating iconic music videos, such as Around the World by Daft Punk. This video is iconic for the way it separates each of the dancers to move to a particular beat or rhythm within the song. 

Or Kylie Minogue, Come into my World. This music video uses rotoscope, whereby the video is traced over another to give the impression of more than one Kylie.

My final example of Gondry's work is The White Stripes, The Hardest Button to Button. This video we see numerous Jake Whites, this effect is created by using stop-motion.

Applying Goodwin's Theory

Music videos godwins theory from panayimedia

Goodwin's Music Video Theory

Goodwin analysed music videos and picked out these seven characteristics which apply to either a genre or artist types music video. Not all findings will apply with every music video but one or two will. 

Music videos demonstrate certain genre characteristics, for example; metal and rock music videos will have a live stage performance, boy/girl bands will have dance routines and (gangsta) rap videos will have scantily clad women, bling and money as key themes.

There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals, this is usually used to illustrate the lyrics but can be used to contradict them.

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

The artist may develop motifs or iconography that recur across their work (a visual style)

There is frequent reference to the notion of ‘looking’ (screens within screens, filming, cameras) and particularly voyeuristic (pleasure through looking) treatment of the female body. This is more common in R&B, rap and Hip Hop.

There are often intertexual references – mostly to film, television and popular culture, to engaging with the audience more.

Music History Time List

Some of musics most historic moments, from the 1800's to the here and now;

1894 - First example of’ Illustrated song’, still images projected onto a screen

1926 - Arrival of the talkies’

1930 -Music films, musical film genre were songs were interwoven

-          “Screen songs” introduced, audiences encouraged to sing along

-          Ancestor of the Music Video, artists featured in dramatized performances of hit songs

1940 – Arrival of promotional clips, short films with famous jazz artists

1956 – Rise of Television, format exposes new artists

-          Elvis, Elvis Presley started in a number of films promoting and creating songs

1964 - The Beatles, modern music video with motion picture “A Hard Day’s Night”

1965 - The Beatles use promotional films, Filmed 10 films to promote album releases

1981 - MTV launched, 24hr broadcast meant music videos had a more central role

1983 - Thriller, Michael Jackson most influential music video, short film at 20mins?

1985 - VH1 launched, softer music catering for older demographic

1988 - Hip Hop Growth, popularity as MTV release YO! MTV RAPS

1992 - Rise of the Directors, listed in credits

1995 - Scream, The Jackson’s most expensive music video costing seven million

2005 - YouTube, allows people to watch videos online

-          iTunes Opens, allows music to be downloaded from the internet

2010  - One Billion, Lady Gaga’s “poker face” reached one billion views

-          New Heights, music videos reached reached 34 billion views 

Why Does Love Do This To Me - Music Video Trial

In class we were set that task of making a music video to the song 'Why does love do this to me' by The Exponents. The class was split so that there was about four people per group, and in these groups we were able to use team skills and divide the work load. The task also put into practise the skills we had learnt from the previous task; colour manipulation, chroma key, green screen and

Here is the original music video.

For our groups music video of the song we tried to include as many skills as possible, to sow our capability but also to practise using the technology for when we had to use it for our actual music video projects. In the music video we use; Split screen, cutting to the beat, green screen and lip syncing.
(our video is yet to be located)

Music and Identity

Music has a variety of genres and sub genre, yet the main ones are typically; Acoustic, Alternative, Blues, Classic rock, Club, Country, Crunk, Death metal, Electro, Electronica, Emo, Experimental, Folk, Funk, Garage, Hardcore, House, Hip Hop, Indie, Jazz, Latin Metal, Pop, Punk, Rap, R&B, Reggae, Rock, Soul, Techno, 2-step. With each of the genres listed, and the numerous others, a certain style has been associated to the music, which links the artist(s) to the fans.

Deciding what music you’re into has a few factors, and it’s not just as simple as what music you like. Age has a big impact on what we listen to as we change what we are listening to as we get older, think back to when you were a child and what you were listening to then to what you are listening to now. It’s unlikely that you still listen to those artists, at least less often as you did. This could be because of your social group, and fear of being judged. I for one am a big fan of the groups Busted and McFly, yet I won't play them when I’m with mates as that’s not the music that connects the group together, it seen as socially unacceptable. 

What's socially acceptable in a group changes between groups, yet social groups are most often made up of people with the same taste in music therefore; the identity of that group will be similar in characteristics and appearance. Though there may be subtle differences. Even people that claim that they are individual are grouped together, which makes you ask the question, how individual are they?? But with so many styles and groups it's hard to know which group you actually fit into. There is now a way to find out, http://uktribes.com/, was set up by Channel Four and Crowd DNA to look at the characteristics of teens and young adults. The site has divided social groups into five main styles;

1.      Aspirant Mainstream

·   Trendies

·   Rahs

2.      Mainstream

·   Ravers

·   Townies

·   Chavs

·   Boy racers

·   Sport junkies

·   Street rats

·   Casuals

3.      Urban

·   Get paid crew

·   Blingers

·   DIYers

   ·Trackies

4.      Alternatives

·   Gamers

·   Emos

·   Scene kids

·   Skaters

·   Metalheads

·   Young alts

5.      Leading Edge

·   Hipster

·   Geeks

·   Craft kids

Its thought that whatever music you are into will be determined how you dress and the social group you end up in. Applying this to an actual artist would mean that a fan of;

a Michael Bubble fan or Josh Groban fan you think of women like this. 

Michael Bubble typical fan

The Typical Grobonite

Both are mid (plus) aged, and are clearly into more sophisticated style of music. Stereotypically they won't be into the heavy beat or energy of popular music, but prefer a more relaxed music. Both Bubble and Groban are in a similar genre of music, and have a similar fan base. Compare those fans to the fans of Justin Bieber –  other wise know as 'Beliebers'. 'Beliebers' tend to be young teenage girls, and stereotypically thought of as the screaming over dramatic drama queen fan (see below).

The crazy Beliebers!

 However music has become more than just what you listen to and who you spend time socializing with. Music has affected the brands people go for; from shopping (Topman, Animal and Fat Face), where you eat (McDonalds or Starbucks), social networking sites (though everyone seems to use Facebook and Twitter now) and most importantly how we listen to music (radio, iTunes/iPods, legally downloading, illegally downloading). As the way we access the music will also affect how we listen to it, whether we are with mates, or on our own. Then the environment of where we listen to music has a knock -on- effect on how the person dresses. To conclude music and identity has become a complex circle of; social groups, genres and branding.

Controversial Music Video

Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa by Sigur Ros is set in Iceland in the 1950’s, an era when homosexuals and homosexuality was looked down upon – even today there is a negative connotation with homosexuals and gay relationships. 

We first see the act of homophobic  brutishness from the father of a young boy playing with two old china dolls. The father runs towards the boy in horror with what he is doing, snatches the dolls away from the son and throws them out into the open water.

We then see the same boy in a football match with his father on the sideline supporting. As the boy scores a goal the team and spectators celebrate, in the celebrating we see the son on the floor kissing another boy on his team. The pair are ripped apart by the father, who charges on to the pitch to break them up.

The music video was directed by Stefán Árni Þorgeirsson and Sigurður Kjartansson, both from Iceland, as is the band too. The Band Sigur Ros actually have cameo’s in the music video as; the coach, scorekeeper, referee and a spectator. The choice to have the video focusing on homosexuality was decided as members of the band are gay. The video is more controversial than other music videos featuring gay action, such as Katy Perry's - I kissed a girl, due to the set up of the music video. It is a lot more serious than the upbeat curiosity of liking 'cherry chap stick'. However on the other hand the video might not seem as controversial as other music videos with scenes of; nudity, drugs or violence. Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa sends a powerful message out about homosexuality and the judgement that still hangs over it. The video actually won an award in Iceland for Best Video in 2002.