Post Production

Having filmed our music video last Tuesday (19/11/13), we are now embarking on the post production stage of the process. We have converted all of the footage from the tapes onto one of the school Mac's and have imported them into Final Cut Pro. The creation of our draft video was a valuable experience as it has equipped us with basic knowledge of this editing programme which means that we can work more efficiently this time around. In accordance with this, we found that when editing our draft music video it worked well if we were each allocated approximately a minute each to edit.

As a result, we have decided to separate the work between us- Jess taking responsibility for the first minute of the video, Meg focusing on the second minute and I will be editing the final minute of the video. This works in our favour as it means that we can be time efficient because we are able to work on the video at times when it is most convenient for us, even if other members of the group aren't available. Consequently, Jess has now finished her editing and Meg is hoping to have completed her section of the video by the end of today(27/11/13). Proceeding from this, I will aim to finish the editing process tomorrow so that Friday can be dedicated to the three of us working collaboratively in order to amend any minor mistakes. Despite the fact that we have all individually contributed to the video, we have also been assisting one another if necessary.

As we have altered various aspects of our video from the draft version, we decided to create an entirely new storyboard and work from there. Because of the fact that some shots have been kept the same as before while others are completely brand new, there has been slight confusion when reviewing what we have filmed. It has also been slightly difficult to work through the storyboard for the new video as we were unable to film some of the shots due to the fact that the location (The City Rooms) had decorated their large ballroom with drapes which were previously not there- which created continuity issues for us. In accordance with this, we have also struggled to keep the lighting consistent throughout. This is because when we filmed our draft music video we only had three artificial lights as oppose to our final filming day where we had four. In an attempt to overcome these problems in the post production stage, we are hoping to adjust the contrast and brightness to ensure that all of the shots look similar.

We are continuing to work on the editing of our music video so that we have completed it by 29/10/13 and will meet the official deadline.

Audience Feedback

Magazine Advertisement 

In terms of the poster, I think that the photograph used is incredibly effective as it is of a high quality, well lit and presents the girl well. Within the Pop genre, artists own appearances are highly important and work as one of their main selling points- the use of a large midshot shows that you have acknowledged this and that you are well informed about conventions of the genre. The fact that the girl is making direct eye contact with the consumer is also an effective feature as it encourages viewers to feel that they have a more personal connection to the artist (also drawing the fans own eye in). Additionally, you have styled the artist well in accordance with your target market (adolescent girls) as she is dressed modestly and appears quite wholesome which won't intimidate fans.

The use of minimal text on your poster also works well as it retains the focus on the image and keeps the design simple and clean cut. The composition of the overall poster is aided by the fact that you have positioned the text to the right hand side. This shows that you have considered the fact that people generally look from left to right and therefor consumers attention will initially be on the photography and then proceed to the lettering. I like the way you have separated the text with different colours- black and pink- as this creates a distinction between the artists own name and the title of her album. I also think that the use of different sized text is good as the more important information is prominent.

In terms of what could have been improved, I think that you could of rearranged the imagery and text on your poster in order to include some ratings/ reviews as this is often a convention of Pop magazine adverts. However, I realise that you wanted to make the image of the artist a focal point and therefore enlarged it so that there was no space for ratings or reviews. 

Digipak

The comments that I previously made about the image on your poster apply to the one used on the cover of your digipak (as they are the same). The fact that you have used the same image is effective in some ways as it links both products together well. The style of both your poster and digipak correspond successfully too. However dissimilar to your poster, where the image was placed on the left hand side, I like the fact that you have centralized it. This creates a pleasing composition and allows the photograph to take command of the cover. Yet again, you have kept text to a minimum which I think works well on the cover as it means that there are no distractions from the imagery of the artist. The title 'Keys' has been aligned well and the bold, pink font manages to distinguish itself from the photograph behind- ensuring that it isn't lost on the page. I also like the way you have designed the back cover and the way which you have centralized the track list and corresponding legal information/ record label. Your digipak would be even better, in my opinion, if you had made the two inside panels white to connect with the back and front cover. However I don't think the fact that they are black is an issue- it's subjective. 

Digipak Booklet

I think the fact that you have included a small lyric booklet to go inside your digipak is a really nice detail and shows that you have thoroughly considered all the ways to make the product more interesting for consumers.Your use of additional pictures of the artist in the booklet was a good choice as it means that people will be more inclined to buy the digipak in order to get the unseen images. It has been put together really well and I think the fact that you have reduced the opacity of the pictures beneath the lyrics is helpful as it means the text is easily legible. The 'with love' lettering also works well as it tricks buyers into thinking each album is more individualistic (despite the fact that it has been printed on them all).

Overall, I really like both of the products you have created- taking into consideration your genre of music. I think that you have considered conventions well and effectively composed all aspects of your work. 

Final Magazine Advertisement

Final Digipak

Location Enquiry

As shown in a previous post, we have now received feedback from our draft music video and received 30/40 for our efforts. Although we were fairly pleased with this, there are various parts of the video that we would, ideally, like to re- film. The production of our draft video allowed us to take note of certain problems we encountered and also drew our attention to the various shots that weren't successful. Our own review of the draft combined with the feedback we received from our teacher will be incredibly helpful when it comes to re- filming the video. With this in mind, over the next week, we will begin to recreate a new storyboard which takes into account all of the amendments we need to make.

We have decided to use the same venue that we used for our draft, The City Rooms, as we felt it was successful and suited the style of video we were aiming to achieve. However, when we re- film there are certain things we will have to reconsider; for example the fact that the flooring in the venue is on a slight slant (to counteract this we can lengthen one of the legs on the tripod) and we will also have to avoid getting certain signs (such as 'no smoking' and 'fire exit' signs) in the shots. We struggled to avoid having these signs in the shots as the viewfinder is not completely accurate to what is being filmed- although we are able to crop the frames in Final Cut Pro, this reduces the quality. In order to correct this we will have to be constantly conscious of the fact that the viewfinder is slightly out and be extra careful when framing shots.

Below is an email I have sent to The City Rooms enquiring about the use of their venue over the next few weeks. As we are currently unaware of the dates both of our models are available on, I have simply asked for the available dates between now and 29/11/13 (our final video deadline). 

Digipak Secondary Draft

Magazine Advertisement Secondary Draft

Magazine Advertisement Development 1

Above is some development I have worked on for the design of my magazine advertisement. As displayed, I have decided to do choose a portrait page as the posters I have analysed and researched are also portrait- conforming to pre- existing conventions of the Indie Pop/ Synth genre. Initially, I started with very simple and plain ideas (taking inspiration from The XX's 'XX' poster) as I felt that it was a good starting point which would give me room to manipulate and alter my poster accordingly. While focusing on the white background and black text posters, I experimented with boarders and the positioning of text but felt that I could still further my ideas. 

Consequently, I chose to experiment with a black background and white lettering- yet again adjusting the boarder and placing of wording on the page however was still unsatisfied with the results. Proceeding from this I used Photoshop Elements 6.0 to edit a pattern and place it behind the text. I used a layer effect called 'multiply' so that the bands name 'Influxx' would appear to have been filled with the abstract artwork. I decided that I wanted the band's name to be the most prominent feature on the page and therefore avoided using the pattern within any of the other text on the page as I felt it could potentially distract from 'Influxx'. To ensure that it remained the focal point, I placed the other wording layers above the imagery so that it remained white. I considered having the font in a grey shade but felt that there wasn't enough of a contrast between the background and lettering and wanted it to be easily legible. 

Similarly, to many of the posters/ albums that I have researched- I chose to avoid having photography of the band featuring on the design. Despite having attempted to use a picture I had taken of the band on my draft copy, I decided that I was ultimately unhappy with the outcome and discarded that idea entirely. As I have discussed in previous posts, it is common for Indie Pop/ Synth artists to want to showcase their music before their appearance- holding their 'artistry' in higher regard than themselves as a 'brand'. Because of this, I felt that my decision to use merely lettering on the poster and digipak was justified and conforms to our selected genre's conventions effectively. The absence of reviews and tour dates on all of the above designs (and the record label on some of the above designs) can also be understood when viewing the posters I have already analysed and researched- as I have found that these features aren't an integral part of the design. 

As the development progresses, I personally like the designs more. I feel as though there are still various tweaks which could be made to the poster but overall I am adhering to a minimalist design, having been inspired by various other pre- existing magazine advertisements and digipak's. I plan to continue to further the development of my poster until I am completely happy with it but feel that I now have a fundamental idea concerning how I want it to look and also a better understanding of the direction I want to go in.

Digipak Analysis- MØ

Digipak Analysis- Haim

Digipak Analysis- James Blake

Magazine Advertisement Analysis- CHVRCHΞS

Magazine Advertisement Analysis- Tame Impala

Magazine Advertisement Analysis- The XX

TO DO LIST- Week Commencing 04/11/13

Last week we prioritised the post production of our music video in order to reach the deadline on 04/11/13. Having, collectively, completed the draft music video my main focus for this week is the digipak and magazine advert- both of which need amendments before 08/11/13. The feedback I received from both of these over half term will help me when it comes to making these adjustments.

- make appropriate changes to digipak and magazine advert
- to justify the design of both of these I will need to do research & planning and also analyse three digipak's.

Digipak & Magazine Advert Draft Feedback

Before half term we had a deadline to hand in a draft copy of our poster and digipak. They have now been marked and we have received feedback.

Moodboards X
Examples of other texts/style models X
Analysis of music videos X
Analysis of digipaks/magazine adverts NO
Band biography/profile X
25 word pitch X
Pitch feedback X
Storyboard NO
Animatic X
Location shots/test shots X
Colour Palette X
Audience profile X
Risk assessment X

The 'X' represents the work that I have completed, and 'NO' represents the work that I have not yet completed. The grades that I received were two B's, 8/10 on the digipak and 7/10 on the poster.

 My digipak received the highest of marks, however needed many improvements. The main issue being the fact that the digipak was not set in the highest resolution of quality. I failed to ensure that the settings on Photoshop were set on the highest quality this made the final digipak look blurry and didn't give the final draft any justice. I also need to include the band name 'INFLUXX' on the spine along with the catalogue number. After completing these tasks, I aim to get 10/10.

There weren't many comments on my poster, as I didn't do enough research to bring up the grade to be higher. Therefore I need to research more posters and show how similar they are to my own. I had issues with the stretch and blurriness on the image as the original artwork was square, next time I will make the poster square with can be compatible within the CD case.

 

Digipak & Magazine Advert Draft Feedback

Over half term both our digipak and magazine advertisement were marked and we have now received feedback. As I created my work fairly quickly prior to my absence, I was aware that both weren't of a high standard and wasn't surprised to receive two C's (scoring 6/10 for both pieces of work). This process was helpful however as I now have direct advice which will guide me in the correct direction when it comes to improving my work.

In terms of my digipak, the feedback I received commented on the fact that the height difference between both the male and female models was very pronounced- to amend this I will have to retake the images, using a small platform for Ellie to stand on. It was also mentioned that the title 'Hurricane' should be altered so I will reconsider this aspect of the digipak and select a title that isn't a track list.

The main comment about my magazine advertisement was that it appeared disjointed from my digipak and so I will have to ensure that the styles correspond when I make improvements to it. In order to achieve this there are a few adjustments I could make- for example I could incorporate the text used on the magazine advertisement onto the digipak to create links between the two. I may also adjust the boarder on my magazine advertisement and make the background the same colour as the digipak.

During the course of the next few weeks I will work on the research for my digipak and magazine advertisement in order to justify some of the decisions I have made and ensure that the style I have chosen is clear.

Research on posters

As I am wanting to make a poster that is square, I am researching other bands and artists that do this, in order to gain inspiration from the layout and the way artwork or images have been presented. 

I have vigorously searched for bands and artists with square posters, but have failed to find enough. The only bands I have found that do this are The XX and Tame Impala. 

The reasons why I want to create a poster that is square, is because it doesn't follow the usual conventions of a typical poster. Most posters that I researched were A3. 

Tame Impala

The XX

I need more inspiration from other posters which fits with the genre of INFLUXX. Initially for the poster I don't want writing of any kind on the poster, I like the minimalistic approach to posters. I am also researching the more artistic side of the posters, in terms of editing and some conceptual photography. 

I found that most of the posters were extremely different from the the CD covers, therefore I could be taking a risk that it is too similar. 

Final DigiPak Draft & Magazine Advert

DigiPak Final Draft:

Magazine Advert Final Draft: 

M

Abscence: 15/10/13- 27/10/13

Unfortunately, I will be absent from the remaining three lessons this week as I am on holiday with family. Although this organisation isn't ideal in terms of my media work- I intend to take my laptop with me in order to keep up to date with posts over half term. As the majority of our work revolves around the blog, I will hopefully be able to upload posts which can instantly be viewed by both my teacher and fellow group members. Because we have already filmed our video and are now about to embark on the post production of our footage, there may be a few opportunities where I miss out on the editing- however I hope to catch up with the rest of the group when I return and put in extra effort so that the workload has been distributed fairly. Due to the deadline of our digipak and poster being this Friday- 18/07/13- I decided to complete both prior to going away just in case I were to encounter any problems with wi-fi or the actual production of both products whilst abroad. This has lessened my workload slightly, however there are a few tasks which are yet to be finished and will have to be completed while away, such as:

- The analysis of three digipak's
- Posts which document the creation of my draft digipak and poster: colour pallet's, the photoshoot, the making of my pattern etc.
- Amendments to my CHRVCHES music video analysis
- A post concerning the work experience I did on 27/09/13 (with attached reference) and the course I am currently doing at Hinckley college