E-mail

I have only just realised that I never uploaded the screenshot of the e-mail I sent to Columbia Records. I meant to upload it but forgot to do it at home as school computers don't let you see images on the blog.

As of yet I haven't recieved a reply.

Today's Lesson

Today we looked over the footage we filmed for the weather report in front of the green screen and was shown how to edit the green background into any image or video we wanted.

I was quite surprised at just how simple this process was and will definitely have a look at seeing whether I can use the green screen for my video.

Tonight I will be taking home my recording equipment so that I can capture some footage over the half-term holiday.

Green Screen

On Thursday's lesson we will be looking at the new green screen and recording a short weather report so that we can learn how to use the green screen most effectively.

Then on Friday's lesson we will be using the editing software to put together the weather report.

This will be useful for us to see what we are capable of producing with this new piece of equipment.

Next...

What I have left to do before we leave for half-term next Friday:

• E-mail Columbia Records to ask for permission to use She's Always A Woman.
• Storyboard the first minute of my video.
• Look into who would be willing to be in my music video.

Questionnaire Results

Here are the results of my questionnaire. I handed them out to 20 people so that way I could get a more definite idea of what people expect from an easy-listening music video.

Handing Out Questionnaire

I am now handing out my questionnaire and will upload the results later today. By doing this I will know what people expect of an easy-listening video and this will help me with storyboarding my video before I go off for half term.

Questionnaire

Mood Boards

Here is my mood boards for 'She's Always A Woman To Me' by Billy Joel.

Song Decision Made

I have decided to produce a music video for the song She's Always A Woman by Billy Joel. I think realistically I will be more able to produce this video than the Neil Sedaka one. I think my idea for the Billy Joel video is much stronger, more realistic and I think it matches the song really well.

I will upload my mood boards for the video by the end of today and have my questionnaire results uploaded by the end of this week.

Digipak Analysis 4 - Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday

The cover for ‘Pink Friday’ by Nicki Minaj features the reoccurring motif we have become familiar with of this artist. Audiences are able to relate certain, colours, symbols and trends to a certain artist. For example, Nicki Minaj is dressed in a very extravagant costume as she is renowned for her unusual and risqué attire. It also reflects her eccentric personality.

Nicki Minaj’s body on the image is perfection and almost doll-like. This is reflective of Laura Mulvey’s theory of male gaze and that using a female’s attractiveness helps to draw in a more demographic audience.

Also, the colour pink is used predominantly throughout this digipak which links with the album’s title ‘Pink Friday’. Pink is also a popular colour Minaj tends to wear in videos and at appearances. Nicki Minaj is a hip-hop artist and almost all of her songs include her both rapping and singing. This genre of music tends to be dominated by males more than females and so I think the perhaps overuse of the colour pink on the album cover is to emphasise the fact she is a female artist.

The word ‘Pink’ is in pink to match the obvious connotations of the work and the actual font of the word is more handwritten and girly to further reiterate that this is a hip-hop album produced by a female artist.

The back of the album cover uses the same colour scheme as the cover to be in keeping with the house style of this digipak. The main image is of Minaj again wearing the same clothing as on the front cover but just in a different pose.

The track listing is in simple white font; this keeps the focus on Nicki Minaj.

Again, the exaggerated use of the colour pink is very feminine and innocent emphasising that this hip-hop album is produced by a female artist. 



Memory Stick

In between doing my digipaks I have been trying to complete my mood boards and questionnaire. I had started doing them but the files have somehow vanished from my memory stick. The mood boards and my questionnaire are almost done and I have finished all of my digipaks now and just need to upload my final one at home as I can't see images on my blog at school.

Digipak Analysis 3: Nirvana - Nevermind

As I am going through these different digipaks I have noticed a common convention of rock/alternative rock albums is that an image of the band does not feature on the cover of the album. It is more common for it to be an abstract, political or controversial image to reflect the rebellious or unique stereotype.

The cover image for 'Nevermind' by Nirvana is of a baby trying to grab a dollar in the water. This could show the lack of innocent or the baby represents life and seeing as he is trying to get money means that life revolves around getting money. The fact the dollar is attached to a fishing line it also shows that money reels people in. Therefore the bands view of money is obviously negative and their resentment to money and power.

The bands logo is on the front and in fairly large writing. As it is black it also stands off from the blue background. The title of the album 'Nevermind' is writing in a wave style font in keeping with the water theme of the cover.

The back cover interlinks with the front as the water theme is continued. The water could be used to represent freedom and this would coincide with Nirvana's non conformist attitude. The image on the back features a photograph of a rubber monkey in front of a collage created by Kurt Cobain (frontman). The collage features photos of raw beef from a supermarket advertisement, images from Dante's Inferno, and pictures of diseased vaginas from Cobain's collection of medical photos. 

Nirvana are no strangers to abstract images on their album and also some that would offend people. This is because they were adamant to alienate any form of popular chart music of the time and were a grunge band -  noted for their unkempt appearances and rejection of theatrics.

Digipak Analysis 2: Muse - The Resistance

The cover of The Resistance by Muse is filled with lots of bright and vibrant colours. This not only makes the cover stand out but it could also suggest that the album is more upbeat. 

The shape on the front of the album is round and almost earth like. This could represent the scale of Muse’s popularity and that album is to be listened worldwide. 

The only text on the front is ‘Muse’ and ‘The Resistance’. ‘Muse’ is in bigger writing than ‘The Resistance’ to show that the band is more significant. The positioning of the band’s name is important too as it is in the top left-hand corner – a more visible and noticeable place than ‘The Resistance’ in the bottom right-hand corner. 

A common convention of Muse albums is obviously the Muse logo which also appears on the cover of 'The Resistance'.

The image on the back of the cover severely contrasts the front cover image as it is black and white. The image is of the band walking and as its the only image it shows their importance. The image is also blurred slightly but the text clearer which could suggest the emphasis on the songs rather than the individuals of the band; as though the musicians are solely focussed on making music. 

The track listing is in simple font so its easy to read and the colours seem to sweep across the text area with blue in one corner and red in the other (the text in the middle is all the colours in between). This interlinks with the colours used on the cover. 

Digipak Analysis 1: Coldplay - Viva La Vida

The image on the front of the album is a painting by Eugene Deloeroix and named 'Liberty Leading the People', and is a painting of the revolution of France in 1830. This gives the impression that the album could have a political theme with strong messages coming through in their songs. It also shows the desire for freedom.

A convention the album cover does however break is that the name of the band does not appear anywhere. This indicates that the band doesn't need to state their name in order for the album to sell and for people to know who it is by.

The title of the album is ‘Viva La Vida’ which means ‘Live the Life’.

This unique front cover reflects on the band's unique sound and the genre of music they fit into - alternative rock.

The back cover of the digipak is in a classic and formal style with the track listing central. It is quite a contrast to the front cover which is more hectic. The background is plain black and with the writing being in gold it suggests high quality music. Also the colour gold suggests wealth and that people who aren’t rich can enjoy.