Task J - Location recce shots

Above are some photographs of the various locations used in my production. These locations have been each identified to suit the narrative and conventions I am trying to apply and they give a strong representaion of my ideas. One is an image of the studio I used to film the chorus of the song, however I had to move locations due to there being insufficient space in the original studio. Moving locations enabled me to get a wider range or shots and camera angles in order to give a more professional 'studio' feel to the piece. The top photograph is of an old abandoned building which was selected to convey a sense of loss and isolation for the main character. The two 'natural' scene locations were selected to reflect specific lyrics in the song.

Task G - Draft of each ancillary text with photos off the internet (Magazine Advert)

Today I used my technological skills to put together a magazine advert using images found on the internet. Overall I feel my attempt was weak as I found it hard to find suitable images from google. Another factor contributing to this attempt was the colour I chose for the title. I want my title to be bold and stand out, however I feel that what I have produced here does not achieve this aim and therefore when creating my own magazine advert in the near future, I will firstly ensure that I get multiple photos so I have a choice of images at the editing stage. Secondly, I will aim to project the title more powerfully so it is striking to the audience and communicates a sharp message to the viewer. I will ensure that I apply this learning.

Task G - Draft of each ancillary text with photos off the internet (Digipak)

This is a draft of a digipak that I created using images of the internet through search engines like 'Google' and 'Yahoo'.  I felt this task challenging and struggled to find images that matched my ideas for my own digipak. However, after saying this I believe I can take some knowledge away from this task as I now know that I want to use natural imagery within the digipak to match the theme I am trying to create both with my magazine advert and music video.

Ideas Towards The Style I Want To Create

I have decided to use the song "With Or Without You" by 'U2'. This song is a very unique song for the band compared to other songs they released by and as a result I feel I have to adapt my ideas accordingly towards both the music video and the two ancillary tasks. This song has a slower tempo when compared to that of other so called 'rock anthems' and is more matched to a 'Soft Rock' or 'Indie Rock' style. Therefore when creating my products the mise-en-scene will be that of an Indie rock band such as 'Coldplay' and the 'Foo Fighters', rather than a heavy rock that 'U2' mostly produce.

Questionnaire from target audience

Today I interviewed 5 different people I believe match my initial target audience. I also made sure that before selecting them that they were fans of the music genre I wanted my music video to fall under.
Here are the results:

Task 12 - Target Audience

U2 have been hugely successful with their target audience by evolving with the times. They were distinctly different to the other boy bands of the early part of this century but they still managed to produce alternative rock tracks and sustain a great reputation. By contrast, bands such as Boyzone and Take That (who were seen as similar type of artists to U2) were pushing closer towards Pop than Rock. The view of the music industry was that this would leave U2 without a large target audience, because teenagers growing up tended to prefer the new 'Pop boy band' image (especially girls 8-14). However U2 have adapted the songs so that their previous target audience would still continue to listen to their music.

A lot of people still listening to U2 from the 90s still liked the new music they were bringing out post 2000 even if it was not quite the same sound as past hits. At the same time they are still picking up new fans who started listening to newer albums such as “All That You Can't Leave Behind”  (2000) which has the track ‘Beautiful Day’ which was a smash hit and won 3 Grammy awards. 

Task 11 - Inspirational Director (Nigel Dick)

Nigel Dick

My inspiration for my music video is Nigel Dick due to his great success in his work and the fact he has worked with some of the most famous artists across the globe. He works with a wide range of artists ranging across multiple genres and still keeps his own unique style of production. This is one of the main characteristics I would like to have as a director.

The award winning, British born, film-maker Nigel Dick has directed over 350 music videos and more than 25 documentaries and feature films. He has won 3 MTV awards, 2 Billboard Awards and 3 MVPA awards. His videos have been nominated for a further twenty- one MTV awards, twenty-six Much Music Awards, two CMT Awards, a Grammy and won one Brit Award. His many personal nominations include a Cable Ace Award. He was awarded a second Lifetime Achievement Award by the MVPA (Music Video Producers Association) in May 2012 and is one of the most well know directors across the music industry. 

Task 11 - Inspirational Director (Mark Romanek)

Mark Romanek who was born September 18, 1959 is an American filmmaker whose directing work includes feature films, music videos and commercials. Romanek's music videos have won 20 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best Direction for Jay-Z's "99 Problems", and he has won three Grammy Awards for Best Short Film  Music Video, which is more than any other director. Romanek's 2002 music video for Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" has been hailed by many critics and fans alike as the most personal and moving music video ever made. The song expresses self-loathing and the futility of worldly accomplishments; this content took on a new poignancy when sung by Cash near the end of his life, quietly performing in his memorabilia-filled home, with shots of the flood-ravaged "House of Cash" museum and archival shots of a younger, cockier Cash edited in. The video was nominated for seven VMAs, winning one for cinematography and also won Romanek his third Grammy. Another reason why I believe that Romanek is personally an inspiration to me is due to his work with U2. He was the director behind their hit songs “Summer nights” and “Invisible” and as this is the same artist that I have chosen my song for, I feel personally inspired by his work.

Task 10: Research into the record company

Mother Records

Mother Records was a record label founded by the band U2 in 1983 and distributed by parent company Island Records. I have decided to research into this label as they were founded by the most popular band within the music genre I have decided to work in (Irish rock).

The label was registered on 19 October 1983, and subsequently launched on 1 August 1984 by U2. Its debut single was In Tua Nua's "Coming Thru". In 1990, the label was reorganised into an independent record company. Debut artists for the revamped label were The Golden Horde, An Emotional Fish and Engine Alley. The Golden Horde's album released on Mother Records The Golden Horde, was voted joint No1 record with U2's Achtung Baby in the prestigious Hot Press Music Awards of 1991. Engine Alley's debut album 'A Sonic Holiday,' produced by Steve Lillywhite, followed in 1992. Also at this time, The Sugarcubes joined the Mother label roster.

After leaving The Sugarcubes, Björk stayed with Mother for her solo releases Debut, Post, Telegram and Homogenic. Other artists to join the label's roster were Longpigs, Gil Scott-Heron, Alicia Bridges, Tanita Tikaram, Lena Fiagbe, Audioweb, and Adam Clayton's and Larry Mullen's "Theme From Mission: Impossible".

In 1997, the U2 PopMart Mix of M's "Pop Muzik" was released for Mother Records and was under license to Island Records on U2 releases.

The label ceased operations in 2000. Yet according to the Irish Companies Registration Office (CRO) it was dissolved only on 14 October 2011 and was registered at their former accountant's former office.

Task 9 - Analysis of Digipak (Coldplay - Viva La Vida)

Coldplay released their fourth album 'Viva La Vida '(or death and all his friends) on 11th June 2008. The album was a huge success, both critically and commercially, winning best rock album Grammy in 2009 as well as a nomination for album of the year and being the best selling album album of 2008. However, the success did not stop there as by 2011 the album had sold more than 10 million copies.

Viva La Vida is the Spanish for "Live The Life" or "Long Live Life." This refers to many themes of love, death and life that run throughout the album. This also links to the front cover of the digipak, which is very conventional featuring the title of the digipak and an image which gives identity with the album, featuring the artwork from Eugene Delecroix's 1830 "Liberty Leading The People." The historic painting depicts the french revolution of July  and a Lady leading the revolution holding a gun in her left hand and the French flag aloft in her right. She is the personification of freedom and liberty, leading the people over the fallen bodies. These themes of liberty and freedom are also explored in the songs of the album. The front cover does not contain the name or image of any of the group. This is conventional for a 'Super Band' such as Coldplay with a huge fan base to not need to create an image for new fans because that image is already heavily engraved with their brand.

The back of the album is also very conventional for a digipak with a simple song list, branding and necessary other things such as bar-code. The font and colours used for the text are formal and contain themes of royalty and wealth due to the gold colouring. This links to the front because in more modern times an archaic painting would be something owned by a higher class person and accompanied by gold in framing or decoration. The black background helps to continue the formal theme which is used because Coldplay have a very wide audience for their music and therefore need to tailor their digipak, and by avoiding bright colours and keeping to a more neutral theme they can appeal to all ages and genders.

The inside cover features four action shots of the band members in black and white. This is used to represent the band in an artistic style that represents their melodic style within the genre. The right inside cover features a very similar style to the back with the plain flat black background and the gold text featuring the artist name and album name.

Task 9 - Analysis of digipak (Kendrick Lamar - To pimp a butterfly)

The front sleeve of Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly' shows the aftermath of a black revolution on the White House Lawn. The image is shot in striking monochrome with the quality of a vintage Polaroid, and it features a large group of mostly shirtless black men and children – plus one baby, cradled by Lamar himself and, possibly, one woman – arranged in a victory tableau on the lawn in front of the White House. This image possibly challenges the degree of equality of black society in America and Lamar expresses these political views in other songs on his album such as 'Blacker the Berry' and has followed on from other artists such as Marvin Gaye and Bessie Smith.

The back cover of 'To Pimp a Butterfly' shows the tracks listed in Kendrick's handwriting which exaggerates to the audience that it his own genius creation. Also, the simple black on white colouring gives it an urban feel and I believe has a good effect. 

The lone image of the butterfly links with the title 'To Pimp a Butterfly' which itself is a riff on Harper Lee’s classic novel T'o Kill a Mockingbird'. Also, butterflies symbolise hope, which could be used to show Kendrick's hope for equal rights for black people.  

Task 9 - Analysis of Digipak (The Killers - 'Sam's Town')

The band's name, The Killers,  connotes violence therefore referring to their genre which is rock, as they are stereo-typically shown as quite aggressive, which at times matches their music. The font used in the digipack is very bold, black capitals to attract the attention go the audience. The target audience for this CD cover would be both genders but mainly males aged 17+ due to the rugged look, which emphasises their genre. 

Front Cover:

The dominant image on the front cover is of what appears to be a run-down barn/house due to the peeling white paint, and broken window. On the left is a ram which is sitting down and on the right a woman in a bikini with heels. It seems as if the album has a country theme, where the group are out in the desert. This then links to the name of their album, which is called ‘Sam's Town’- it could maybe symbolise their hometown, and where they are from. This then ahas the effect of adding a personal touch to the album.

Back Cover:

The actual band is featured on the back of the CD, where the track list is. They are shown from a long shot, therefore displaying their outfits; each band member is wearing a similar outfit, with jeans and a jacket or shirt. They are all quite casual outfits, with a rugged style to match their genre of rock. The colours are mostly dark which again matches their rock genre. The main singer set forward in the photograph directly addressing the audience, therefore emphasising his dominant stance, being the leader of the band. They are standing side by side which then highlights their unity as a band. Their facial expressions are quite serious and plain, hiding any emotions. Their facial expressions tend to be minimal, as they do not associate something ‘happy’ with their rebellious, sometimes aggressive music. In addition to this there is also copyright details, links to the band's website and a bar code on the side. These small details will be vital when ensuring my digipak looks realistic come the end of production.

Disk:

One of the most striking images on the digipak is that of the goat. Its horns perfectly follow the curve of the CD. It is quite unusual for a CD to have purely a picture without a band name on it, but this is what the band have chosen to do.It gives them a unique identity.

Task 8 - Prelim photography task

Realism - "The quality of being very much like real life : the quality of seeming to be real"

 Surrealism - "A 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and literature which sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irrational juxtaposition of images"