Research into Digi packs

A digipack is usually made out of heavey card or cardboard material which opens out like a book. In some cases it may have three parts to the digipack so that one part opens out to the left and the other opens out to the right, with the CD in the middle. Usually the portion which holds the CD is made out of plastic, similar to the traditional jewl case CD.

The the left is what a traditional jewel case CD looks like.

Here is an image of what a digipack looks like .

Digipacks were first created by MeadWestvaco in 2000. The Digi pack styling is usually used to create CD singles, special editions for album covers and it has been used for the tall Digi pack.

Filming schedule

Take 1 - Zooming in and out of different sized candles in a dark room to give a blurred and mysterious setting. I have done this because the lyrics state "red hot red blood" which in my opinion suggests fire and heat.

Take 2 - Taken photographs of a Lego man in front of a black background so that there are no distractions, the main focus is on the Lego man. For each shot I have positioned the Lego man so that it looks as though he is break dancing. Using Photo Shop I was able to remove the props which were used to hold the Lego man up so once on full speed, the footage would look as though the Lego man is alive and moving on its own. On the same day, I also took photographs of Jenga, the photographs were such that, once played on full speed it would look as though that the Jenga blocks were building itself. However, I have not included this into my music video because it looked out of place together with the rest of the footage of my music video, I did not link in with the grunginess of my band members and my music video.

Take 3 - Listening to the song repeatedly and looking at the lyrics of my chosen song, I soon decided to include a girl in my music video. I had a photo shoot with Charlotte. The character she was acting was representing a girl who is depressed and upset and binge drinks. To show this, I gave her instructions to wear shot minimal clothing and a rocky leather jacket to show the rocky style and not someone girlie. Her makeup was also done so that it was smudged down her face to make it look as though she has been crying. At first I was initially going to include this into my music video but once the rest of the filming was done, showing the band members, I decided not to put it in my rough cut of my m music video.

Take 4 - I filmed my band members in a park, I made sure that the locations was not peaceful looking, sunny, full of leaves or that represented happiness. I made sure of this because I wanted a grubby look to my music video when showing the band. At this time of filming the band I just filmed a mixture of shots including low angled mainly showing their shoes walking and chasing each other through the bushes. I also filmed one of the band members smoking and setting a plastic bag and a cigarette box on fire to relate to the lyrics of the song "Red hot red blood...fiasco". To link the filming I did of the candles I placed candles around the trees and the band.

Take 5 - Filming the band playing the instruments and singing the song. I have done this in a plain black coloured room so that it adds to the grubbiness of the music video but to also give a rocky atmosphere to the song and to highlight the genre of my chosen song. Here I have done a mixture of close up and high angled shots of the band playing the instruments. Contrasting the when I filmed in a park, I asked my band members to act how they usually act when they are together which included shots of them smiling and messing about with the instruments and each other. I wanted to include this in my music video because to reaches out to their fans by showing them how they act when they are together and it also reflects their friendship and not just as a band.

Desired camera angles and shot types for music video

In my music video, I want to include a range of camera movements and angles to achieve a professional quality look. I also want the camera angles to portray the genre of the music, so fast pass and quirky shots of the band would help to reflect this to my audience. Seeing as the genre of the music that I have chosen is indie, punk rock I will want to use a range of camera movements, mainly close up shots showing instruments being played; I have found that this is common in music videos of this genre. I also want to show extreme close up shots of individual band members whilst they are playing the instruments or to show lip synchronisation.

I would also want to use a mixture of long and medium shots of the band members to show the style of clothing that they are wearing to my audience but to also show the locations of where the band is seen in my music video. Long shots may also be used to show all of the band members, so that the audience can tell how many people are in the band.

Furthermore, I want to uses low and high angled shots of each band member playing the instruments so that the audience can see the people in the band from different angles and not just from the front at eye level.

I may also consider using tracking shots to show the movement of the band members. I hope to use this so that the audience can "see in the eyes of the band" and take the position of the band members. In order, to create tracking shots, I will ask the each of the band members to hold the camera at their chest or below their chin, but have the camera facing the ground so that the camera will take footage of their shoes walking through the woods. This will bring out the mysterious atmosphere I want to portray to my audience.

Meet the band...

The band that I have chosen my song from, initially has four band members. However, I have included three band members to act in my music video because i thought that they fitted well in the frame of the footage that I have taken but also because of the camera angles and movement, three band members was easy to film with. below are photographs of each of the band members and a brief description about their personality.

 Above is Declan (Dec), I have chosen him to be the lead singer and guitarist in my band.

Here is Alex, I have chosen him to play the keyboards.  

Here is Alex playing the keyboard. I wanted him to play the keyboard because he is the tallest out of the three, so he would stand at the back while the lead singer, Declan and the drummer, Jacob would be in front. This composition of the band members is done so that they do not look odd.

Here is the drummer, Jacob (Melfi) I wanted him to be the drummer because he is the cheekiest one out of the three and so the viewers would expect him to do something crazy like bashing the drums with force.

Animatic for Fiasco by Edelweiss

Above is the second animatic that I have done, this time it is for a different song because the first song I did not like. I have created this for my song "Fiasco" written by Edelweiss which is my second and confirmed chosen band for my music video and digipack promotional release. The animatic above shows my initial ideas which I have and intend to create for my music video.

Equipment to be used for my music video



I would be using a tripod to ensure that the movement of the camera is steady to give an even flow for my music video. However, not all the camera movements and angles will be done using a tripod; I intend to use some handheld camera shots to give an eerie atmosphere for my music video.

This HD Panasonic video recording camera will be used to film my music video. I have chosen to use this because I want to footage of my music video to be clear and not blurry.





I will also be using my DSLR camera to take photographs of Lego men break dancing and moving Jenga pieces. Once I have taken these photographs I will then edit them using Photo shop CS4 and on imovie I will put the photographs in the frame to make a moving image. Furthermore, I will also use my DSLR to take photographs of the band for when I create and design my magazine advertisement cover and CD cover.

At the start of my music video I intend to show the electric wire leading to the ampifier in jurky stages so that it goes along with the beat of the song. It will also be used for the electric guitar so that the sound is louder.

I have also used stage lights to flash on and off and to focus on the band members. When the lights flash on and off, I have done it so that it goes along with the beat of the song, this also adds to the quirky aspect of my chosen song and my music video.

At first I was intending to use a microphone with a stand. But when it came to filming, I could not get hold of one. So I decided to film the band singing the song as they are standing in front of a black background. I made this choice because it looks clean cut and has a professional finish to the music video. I have also decided to film the band singing the song at a park through bushes as this is the second locations that I have chosen to show the band.  I have chosen to have just two different locations to show that band because I did not want my audience to get confused in the different locations of where the band would be situated. By having two locations, it makes it easier for my audience to recognise the band. Furthermore, it makes it easier for me to film as there would be that many costume changes or filming in various locations that my slow the process of creating the music video.

Moodboard

For this mood board I have collected images from the internet to show how my ideas and inspiration for my music video has come from. The mood board consists of equipment, camera angles and shot types, props I may use in the music video. I have also included costumes and hairstyles of how I want my band image to look like, to and reflect the genre of music I have chosen. Through the choice of costume you can see that I am looking for a quirky, indie look, it is not too dressed up but it is not too subtle for a casual look either. I want my band to stand out and have their own individual look and to keep it quirky. Furthermore, their individualism towards fashion would be reflected in my music video as I want to intertwine wired yet funny objects into my music video. I also think that these ideas would flow and relate to the song that I have chosen because it is upbeat and wired sounding. Moreover, I have also included an image of the Arctic Monkeys to show that I want my band image to be similar to them.

Target audience for my chosen band

I have chosen this song because I am into this kind of music; I also thought that this song would be easy to work with to create a music video through narrative and introducing the band. I also think that this song is good to create a music video because it is upbeat so a lot of fast past quirky footage would be required. Having this in mind, my target audience would be people who are around the age of 17 to the mid 20's. The gender divide would be equal because the genre of my chosen song is indie punk rock, which has an equal quantity of male and female fans that are into the indie fashion as well as the genre of music.

Types of clothing for my band

Tops/Shirts/Jumpers

Below are some shirts, tops and jumpers in which I would want my band members to wear similar clothing to. This is so that I can create a band identity, but to also reflect the genre of their music in the clothing that they wear.



Coats/Jackets

Jeans/Trousers

Shoes

Hair Styles for my band

Above I have chosen a few hairstyles in which I would like my band members to have. I have considered these hairstyles to be good and indie looking because I want the style of my band members to reflect the genre of their song. This would also create a band identity for my band Edelweiss because it is a unique quirky style which fans of the band may want to copy, to have this kind of hairstyle.

Locations and Settings for my Music Video

In my music video I want to show the band wondering through a mystical forest because it is edgy and mysterious like the song that I have chosen from the band. I would also have to make sure when filming that the trees are still bare and not full of leaves because it would not give the same effect. When it will come to editing the footage taken in the woods; I would consider darkening the colour to make it look eerie.

I may also film the band on stage, to show them performing their song in front of a large crowd. This will be done to show to their fans that they are an up and coming band so they will be performing in little venue gig type events.

To also give an eerie atmosphere to the band I would consider filming in a dark room. Here I would show the band playing the instruments and singing their song. Furthermore, I think that the plain dark room would help the audience to have a clear focus on the band, whereas if they were filmed behind a busy background there would not be as more concentration on the band. I also think that the plain background would help to give a smooth finish to the music video when I show the band.

I want to keep the locations simple yet effective. In my opinion, I think that by having to many different locations in a music video my spoil the eerie and mystical atmosphere I want to give to my audience and so this is why I have kept a minimum of three or two different locations to show my band.

Music Video Preparation - Props

At the beginning of my music video, I plan to have candles glowing in the background. The camera would focus and blur out of the candle to give a glowing effect in the music video. I would also place candles around the band whilst they are playing. 



 

I want to create an mysterious atmosphere once the band are shown to show the audience that they are new and waiting to be discovered. This would also reflect their music genre. I want to include the lead band member inside sleeping in a tent in the middle of a forest so that it shows that he is lost and confused of where he is but it would also reflect the eeriness in the song.  

To reflect the rebellious and fun personality of the band members of my chosen song (Edelweiss) and the people who are going to star in my music video , I want to put water onto the drums and on the hair of the drummer so when it is filmed in slow motions the effects of the water splashing from the hair and the drums would create a wonderful image for my music video because it is different and it would also it would reflect the lyrics of the song as it is about going against rules which in turn creates a "fiasco".

This will be used by the lead singer only; he will also play the guitar at the same time. This is because I have shortened the band members to three instead of four because I thought that the three fitted will inside the frame for the music video and I thought that four people in the music video felt that it was too crowded.   

In my music video I would want to show the band members drinking and smashing bottles of alcohol on the ground so that it would reflect the lyrics of the song but to also show the rebellious side of the band members. Stating to their viewers that they are not pop artists, they are alternative rock artists with the elements of gypsy punk included in their songs. As this will be shown in the music video, I would be aiming for an older and mature target audience, preferable those who are of the age of 16 and above because there will be reference to alcohol in my music video

Smoking would also be shown in my music video which is why I would be aiming for a mature audience.

I want to show fire in my music video because it reflects what the song is about and thus emphasising what the fiasco in the song is about.