Magazine Cover

In order to connect with fans, music artists often do interviews and appear on the cover of magazines, particularly music magazines. I have looked at the covers of several different music magazines for indie music as well as general music magazines and designed this cover.

I chose to use this specific image of Jay Harper as it gives the readers a clear picture of what he looks like. Additionally, in this image, he looks quite serious which is a common quality of indie artist as they are focused on their music and take it seriously. I positioned this image in the center of the cover as it makes it the focal point, drawing the reader's attention to it and therefore to the artist. 

     'Jay Harper' is written in bigger font than other wording on the cover as this once again draws attention to it as well as what is written underneath. The quote is from the interview with Harper which will appear inside the magazine. It reads 'it's hard to believe that just three years ago I was busking by my local shopping centre'. This is something that can be used to connect with fans as it gives them a backstory to buy into and something that they may be able to relate to having either witnessed busking themselves or having taken part in it. It also connotes that like an indie artist Harper has worked hard to achieve success rather than just being given it.

Creating Jay Harper's Facebook Page

Mike Masnic speaks about the importance of an artist connecting with fans. Social media is a good way to connect with like-minded people as well as spread the word, so, I created a Facebook page for Jay Harper. Through this, Jay Harper can post updates and other Facebook users can share his page to help build his fanbase, because, as Henry Jenkins states 'if it doesn't spread it's dead' signifying the importance of creating something which can easily spread.
     The cover photo for the page is the image from the front of the digipak as this will re-enforce the image and therefore encourage people to buy the album. It is also something that the target audience may recognise. Additionally, to create the profile picture, I edited a picture of Jay with his guitar to put it onto a wooden background. This was important because the guitar connotes that he is an organic indie artist as well as the use of the wood in the background.
     On the page, there is an 'about' tab which has a biography for Jay, details of his management and bookings as well as a link to the official website. The link to the website is very important because it encourages the audience to connect and interact with Jay using a different site which they can use to explore what he does in more detail as well as sign up for newsletters.

Changes to the Digipak

We put the digipak onto one template to see what it would look like and then we printed it out and put it in a empty CD case to see what the final product could look like. This was beneficial as it allowed us to check the dimensions, and as a result, we saw that some of the sides needed to be made larger so that they would fit properly. Additionally, since our first draft, we realised that we were not making a single, but rather an album so we had added in some more songs on the track list.

   Another change we have made since the last draft of our digipak is related to the font. After conducting more research into different fonts, we decided to change the font again to a more basic one which still had a vintage appearance and therefore connoted Jay's authenticity. The new font also looks a lot more professional and therefore makes our digipak look like a real media product.

Furthermore, we moved the thank you message to the corner of the inside cover as we did not think it needed to be as big. We also looked at other things which should feature on a digipak such as song credits and put these into the inside cover.

     A third thing we added was a picture of Jay with his guitar on the inside cover. This was done to reinforce his authenticity and the fact that he has other talents than just singing. This is was something that we felt was very important in the construction of Jay's organic, indie star image and so was something we wanted to incorporate wherever possible. 

Changing our Font

We have decided to change our font as we now feel that we have found a better one which is more inline with what we have seen used for indie artists like Tom Odell and George Ezra.
     We decided to use it because it had a vintage appeal to it that would therefore connote authenticity and Jay's organic nature. It is also quite simple, something we realised was important after looking at fonts for similar artists. I also feel that this font is recognisable and stands out on all of our products and therefore can be used by the audience to easily link the products.

Mike Masnic - Connect with Fans and Reasons to Buy

Mike Masnic says that it is important for an artist to connect with fans (CwF) and give them a reason to buy (RtB), rather than forcing them to pay. This is similar to Amanda Palmer who asks her fans for help, instead of making it so that her fans had no other choice but to pay. Masnic says that CwF and RtB helps create a new business model for artist in the music industry helping them to bypass it.
     Masnic also talks about there being more content, opportunity and access than ever before and that the music industry is not just the recording industry but rather all other aspects that go into an artist. This is because while people are spending less money of CDs, they are spending more on other aspects such as going to live shows and merchandise. Masnic emphasises that it is still important to CwF and give them a RtB these other products provided for them.
     The fact that there is more content available than ever due to bedroom producing, means that not everyone makes money from the production of music, signifying how important it is to provide the fans with a reason to buy, making them want to buy rather than feel like they are being forced to.

HOW CAN OUR ARTIST CONNECT WITH FANS

Connecting with fans is simple to do with the increasing availability of social media. Jay Harper has a Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube account and the links to these are found on his official website.
    Harper will post on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts, talking about what he has been up to and replying to fans. This is important as it means that he is directly connecting with the fans on a personal level, giving them a reason to buy as they have a more personal and intimate connection.
     On his YouTube channel, Jay Harper's latest music videos will be uploaded, however, he will also post vlogs in which he will give the fans an insight into his day to day life. This is something that George Ezra had done with things like 'George Ezra - The Story of the Ezra Express' and like the Vevo Lift Series which gives fans an insight into the life of the artist which may even include a question and answer session.
     Often artists send out a newsletter in order to keep their fans up to date a release official information, and sometimes, they even name the recipient. Jay Harper sends out monthly emails in which he summarises what the has been up to that month.
     Having a fanmail account is another way of connecting with fans as it will allow fans to email Jay Harper directly and therefore create a unique personal connection between that particular fan and Jay, something which will be different for each individual artist.

WHY WILL THIS GIVE THE FANS A REASON TO BUY

This will give Jay's fans a reason to buy because they feel like they have a more personal and intimate connection with him, encouraging them to spend money as they feel like they know the artist.
     Additionally, by giving the fans constant updates, the set pattern of album, tour, break is broken. This is because the internet has allowed for these constant updates. If fans are not updated about what the artist is doing, they have less incentive to buy because they will lose interest. Constantly updating the fans is a way of maintaining the connection with them and therefore maintaining their interest in the artist, giving them a reason to buy.

Group Messages

When working on our website, I used iMessage to talk to another member of my group to discuss the background possibilities. We also spoke about how we could get our artist to connect with his fans and decided that we could make an instagram account as well as Facebook and other social media accounts. I found this a very useful way of speaking to those in my group and making sure we were all on the same page about the next step in the project.

Inside of the Digipak

This is the inside of our digipak. We designed the Thank You message after looking at how this was done on other digipak and used the same image for the disc as the front cover in order to create a sense of continuity.

Music Magazines

Our Music Video Linked to Various Narrative Theories

Merchandise for the Website

Another stream of revenue for artists is merchandise which fans can buy through the artist's website. Artists make and sell merchandise because in music in the online age, they are receiving less money from single sales and music sales due to the emergence of streaming so need to find other ways of making money. Merchandise is a good way of doing this because it can enable fans to outwardly show their support for the artist and the merchandise may not cost that much to produce.

 In order to understand what merchandise we should put on our website, I have looked at what merchandise Hozier, Tom Odell and Ben Howard sell.

Common things sold alongside music included t-shirts, hats, posters and mugs. These items are very simple, with only a picture of the artist or the album cover and maybe the artists name. They also use colours which are not particularly bright. This is important in helping present their star image as the simplicity of these items highlights the simplicity of the indie artist and the lack of bright colours and basic design helps to connote their organic nature. 

When creating the merchandise for Jay Harper, we should consider the type of product we are going to sell, keeping them basic. We should also ensure that the design is simple and that we use simple colours. This will all help to not only connect with our fans and bring in another stream of revenue but also may help to enforce our star image through the presentation of these products.

Hozier's Website

Writing the Message for the Inside Cover

To understand what the inside sleeve of a digipak should include, I looked at the sleeve for Tom Odell's album 'Long Way Down'.

After looking at this, another member of the group along with myself created this one for our album.

Outside of the Digipak

We decided to use this image for our digipak.

We chose this cover because we felt this would best connote that our artist is an organic, indie artist. This is due to the images of Jay which are used as the use of the guitar adds to his authenticity and the profile on the front is an alternative angle and shows Jay in mid-song again highlighting his authenticity. 

    We chose this font because we felt it was appropriate appropriate for an indie artist as it has a hand written appearance, conforming to the DIY nature and attitude of indie artists. It is also bold and easily stands out and would be very recognizable. 

Possible Digipak Images

It was very difficult to decide on the front and back covers of the digipak as each member of the group thought of different ideas. As a result of this, we ended up designing a few images which could have been used for this, mainly the front.

Fonts for the Album Cover and Wesite

We looked at various different fonts which could be used. It was important that the font looks good on both the album cover and the website because from our previous research, we have noticed that it is important for consistency and it also applies to the Richard Dyer's star image as it makes the artist's products recognisable.

This was the one of the fonts we used for our website, digipak and merchandise. However, I thought that it was too feminine to represent our artist. We also tried to put this font in an aqua blue font which again was too feminine for our artist.

The second font we tested for our artist and although it was better than the first, we went on to find a third font which we preferred and wanted to use.  This is the font that we wish to use for our artist as we feel that the DIY, painted appearance has indie connotations and signifies authenticity, something we want our artist to symbolise.

How to Get the Vintage Effect

We have decided that we want to try to add a vintage effect of our footage as this may help make the narrative clearer as well as make our artist seem more organic as the colouring will look older and therefore connote that our artist is natural. The vintage effect removes the bright colour to give the footage an ageing effect.

In his video for the song 'Photograph', Ed Sheeran uses old footage which already has a vintage look to it, however, this does make him seem more organic and natural.

Another example of a music video which uses the vintage effect is Ben Howard's 'Old Pine'. This makes the video look older and makes Howard seem like a more organic artist as it highlights the natural colours and therefore makes him seem natural.

In order to try this out on our own video, we need to know how do it, therefore, I have looked at some tutorials on the internet to give me an idea of how to do this. I looked a range of sources including YouTube videos as well as articles on blogs.

Applying Carol Vernallis's Theory to My Music Video

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS THEORY?

• The use of jump cuts to speed up time
• Narrative is not complete but is suggestive of an idea
• Camera movement can give the illusion of an edit even if there isn't one
• The fourth wall is broken

HOW HAVE I APPLIED TO THIS?

• There are several jump cuts both between narrative stands and within them.This allowed us to show a variety of different activities quickly and helped us maximize the length of the song. Within the length of the song, this meant that we had more time to show more footage and connote the narrative to the audience.
• All of the narrative threads in the video are not complete as this leaves it open for the audience to interpret what they have seen. Despite this, the narrative is clear enough to give the audience an indication to what is going on and therefore, they can understand it.
• Sometimes, we moved the camera which gave the illusion that we had cut between shots, when in reality, we had continued filming in a different place.

Narrative Change, Clips We Added, More Feedback

After receiving feedback on our 3rd rough cut, we tweeked the narrative again so that we would just have Zoe cheating on her boyfriend, therefore demonstrating her 'best fake smile' by pretending that she is happy and in love with him while actually she isn't and is going out with Jay behind his back.
    We therefore filmed some more footage to add into the thread. As a result of previous feedback, the needed to film more with the actual boyfriend to emphasise that him and Jay are 2 different people as this was confusing the focus group.

After adding these clips, we played the edit to the same group again to see if there was any difference, writing down the feedback, most of which was the same as before, including the fact that it was still unclear that the girl was cheating on either boy.

Star Image Within Our Music Video

When shooting on our video, we needed to make sure that we were representing the star image of our artist correctly and as we had planned to do. This was done through the costumes that he wore as well as his action when singing in the forest.
     The costumes worn by the artist in both the narrative thread and the performance element connoted that our artist was an organic, indie artist, as he worn simple clothing such as a flannel shirt and black jeans. He also wore a jacket in some shots. We constructed the costume in this way, taking inspiration from other indie artist like James Bay, Tom Odell and Hozier. The use of this clothing signified that our artist is an indie artist as it is relaxed and casual, much like these other indie artists. This also conforms to indie artists not standing out based on their appearances as the clothing was nothing special, just simple shirts and jeans.

     In the video, Jay is seen to be wearing wristbands which we feel help connote that he is an indie artist as they can be used to demonstrate where he has been and the things he has experienced. This is important because as an indie artist, he writes songs from personal experiences and things he has seen. The wristbands therefore signify all the places he has been and the things he has witness or gone through. Additionally, in some shots, Jay is seen to be wearing a pork pie hat which makes him easily recognisable and also further identifies him as an indie artist. This applies to part of Dyer's Star Image theory in which he states that artists have something that the fans can imitate and copy and that also makes them recongisable. This is something we have done through the use of the wristbands and more importantly the hat. Dyer states how this is important as it is something that the fans can wear to be 'just like Jay Harper'.

     An additional aspect of Jay's appearance which is significant in the connotation that Jay is an average person is the fact that he wears glasses. This is important because it signifies to the audience that he like everyone, he too has imperfections but wont hide away from them. This suggests that he isn't afraid to show who he really is as well as connoting that again, his appearance isn't what he wants to use to achieve success as he could construct the image that he is perfect by wearing contacts, however, he chooses not to and to show his true, natural self.
     During the performance element, we connoted that our artist is a serious indie artist through directing him to use his body language to show his passion for the song and musicality. It was important that he didn't smile in this element as this would not have connoted the right attitude for an indie artist. I think that it would have been even more successful in connoting that our artist is a serious, organic, indie artist if we used the guitar on location.

     Furthermore, when filming in the studio, we featured a guitar which further signifies that he is an organic, indie artist. This is because the use of this instrument connotes that he has other talents than simply singing. We took a wide range of shots including close-ups and wide angle shots. I feel as though the close-ups are particularly important because they can show the audience that Jay can actually play the guitar and that he is doing so in the video. The shots from further away will be less effective in highlighting this because although it can be seen that he is playing the guitar, it could be hard to tell that he actually is playing it rather than just moving his hands around.
     In terms of location, we represented Jay's organic nature by having him perform in a rehearsal studio as this connotes that he is practising to perform and is working hard to master his craft. This therefore signifies that he is hard-working and determined to do well, however, like an indie artist is shows that he wants to do well based on his skills and talents as an artist. We also placed Jay in the forest and outdoors locations constantly throughout the music video. This was done to make him seem more organic and natural by surrounding him nature and organic objects. He also clearly enjoys being outdoors and is in touch with nature which connotes that he is an indie artist as it is unlikely that a pop artist will be found in the forest.
     Overall, I believe that we have effectively demonstrated that our artist is an organic indie artist using a variety of methods from costume to props and locations.

Vinyl for Similar Artists

As we have decided to make a vinyl for our artist, I have looked at some vinyl records for artists that are similar in conjunction with their digipaks.

From this, it can be seen that the packaging for both the vinyl and the standard CD is the same as they show the same images. On the centre of the record itself is an image which is also similar to the one on the CD in the digipak.

     Therefore, it can be seen that the use of the same images creates continuity and is important in allowing the audience to recognise the artists products easily.

Digipak and Vinyl

To ensure that we are correctly creating our digipak, we had to check the dimensions.

We have also decided that we want to make a vinyl for our artist to sell and again, we had to check the dimensions of this because this would be different to that of the digipak. For this, we will need dimensions for the actual record as well as its sleeve.

Paolo Nutini's Website

Jay Harper's Biography

To help me write the biography for Jay Harper, I made a list of all the facts I wished to include:

• 19 year old British singer/songwriter from Winchester
• Started to learn guitar aged 7 
• At the age of 16 he started to play gigs in small local venues as well as busking in Bournemouth 
• From this he started to gain attention and build a fan base
• At 18, he was noticed by a representative from Moonlight Records who offered him a record deal
• Released his debut single in November 2015

After doing this it was easier to structure the biography and I found it much easier to write.This is the first draft of the biography which will appear on Jay Harper's website.

British singer/songwriter, Jay Harper (born 7 April 1996), from Winchester is an emerging indie artist with his debut single 'Best Fake Smile' being released in November 2015.
     The 19 year old was brought up in a family surrounded by music, his mother was a singer in the local choir and his father taught him how to play guitar from the age of 7. Harper later began to take guitar lessons at a music shop close to where he lived where he was encouraged to sing and write songs.
     At 16 Jay Harper began to play live gigs in small, local venues as well as busking on the streets of Winchester near The Brooks Shopping Centre. Harper was approached by a representative from Moonlight Records, who praised his raw talent and song writing skills,while performing in a pub at age 18. The label then signed Harper as they believed that they could nurture his image in a way which would preserve the qualities that the representative first took note of.

Writing the Biography for Our Artist

George Ezra's Website

Review of Editing So Far

When editing the video, there have been both strengths and weaknesses, however, I believe that overall, we have been successful in creating a product which we are happy with so far.
     At first, we edited the video using the storyboard for guidance, however, due to the fact that wen changed the narrative, we stopped using this as it was no longer applicable. We did however, use the timeline we had created as a guide to help us with what shots we had and hadn't used.

     We did have some difficulty when matching the audio with the lip-syncing. This was because Jay did not sing all of the words in a lot of the takes, making it hard to find the right part. Additionally, the clips needed the be rendered constantly as they were lagging, making it even harder to match with the audio.
     Due to the fact we wanted to include close-up images of the guitar as Jay played it, we had to isolate the correct part of these clips for the music which was hard because we wanted to find the clips that looked the most accurate and match them to the audio as well as the clips where the chords were played the best. We did manage to do this successfully but it was time consuming and fairly difficult.
     Moreover, due to the obvious grain on certain clips, we had to edit those separately, making them darker so that the grain couldn't be seen. This was not difficult but was annoying as it meant that we had to leave gaps for those clips and remember what we wanted to put there.
      When cutting the clips to the beat, we had to listen very carefully to the music as without this, it would've been very difficult to do. I believe that we were successful in cutting to the beat.
      Overall, despite the difficulties we have had, we were able to overcome them and I feel as though we have been able to edit successfully as a group to produce a complete rough cut of our music video, 

Photos from the Photoshoot and an Initial Edit

These are collages of the photos taken at our photoshoot as well as a slide show with each shot.

We also have an initial edit of something that could be used as the album cover for Jay's album. The person who edited this had attempted to give it an authentic, rustic look because as a group, this was something that we thought would be good to show Jay's authentic and organic nature as an artist. 

Rough Cut 3

We have finished editing a complete rough cut with no gaps to be filled and held a focus group so that we would be able to get feedback on what we can improve further as well as help us understand what the audience would be seeing and if they can see what we had intended. We asked a group of 16/17 year olds as they are members of our target audience so therefore we are getting advice from those who are likely to watch the video.

From the feedback, it is clear that the audience didn't quite understand the narrative with a lot of them commenting on the fact that the reason for this is that there was only a small amount of footage showing Zoe and her boyfriend. Another thing that was mentioned was the fact that it should start with Zoe and her boyfriend, not with Jay. This is something that we will be able to correct because we are arranging a shoot day where we can film more of Zoe and Ben and then after this, we will be able to edit more of this and incorporate it into the video.
     Another comment made was that some of the lip syncing was out of time. This is something that is very important and will need to be fixed in order to give a convincing performance as well as look professional,
    Some of the people in the focus group also thought that some of the shots of Jay were too quick which is something else for us to look at. As well as this, both groups believed that this was a pop video when we were actually targeting an indie audience, giving us something to think about when we go back to edit as well as something to look at in terms of the audience understanding of an indie artist.
    Both groups said that they really liked the music group, with some of them stating that they liked the use of locations throughout the video. One group said that their favourite part was the end shot with the sparklers.
    The focus groups thought the video was well cast although more emotion was needed by Zoe at times. They also liked how it was cut to the beat of either the guitar or the drums.
    From this feedback, there is a lot for us to consider before we finish editing and lot of areas for us to improve on in order to create a successful music video.

Rough Cut 2

After filling in some of the gaps in the video and adding in the new narrative thread, we exported the video, creating a second rough cut. There are still somethings that need to be fixed, including the fact that there are still black gaps in between some of the shots. Additionally, we realised that there was a shot which is repeated when Jay is singing in the forest. This is something that we will need to change as it is very obvious that it is the same shot. Some of the shots are still grainy which is again something that we will need to look at. 

                                    

Rough Cut and Feedback

We exported what we have edited so far. This rough cut contains part of the narrative with Zoe being happy with Jay as well as the performance elements we have filmed.

                                       

After having exported the video, it was clear that there were several areas that needed improvement. This included the fact that we still had gaps to fill as well as the fact the some of the shots are quite grainy. At this point, we had not added the new narrative thread to the edit, therefore, this is something that we will need to do when we are editing again. 

I showed the edit to 2 other people in order to confirm what we already knew needed improvement, such as the filling in of the gaps, which it did. The feedback also allowed us to see if the audience understood the narrative. 

Our Photoshoot

We organised a photoshoot so that we had pictures for the album cover. We asked our artist to wear different clothing to what he had previously worn while still keeping to the same style. This was important because the fashion sense of our artist is a big factor in the creation of his star image. We took a lot of photos from different angles as well as some with a guitar and some without.

Audience Reception of Indie Artists

Filming Review 07/11/2015

Due to the change in narrative concept, we needed to take some extra footage. We needed to film Zoe out with her boyfriend, who she is cheating on, representing her boyfriend as nasty and mean to her. This is because our narrative is about how she is being fake by pretending she is happy with him when really she isn't.
     We decided it would be a good idea to get some shots inside as otherwise the majority of our video would take place outside. We went to a park with a cafe so that we could film both inside and outside. We asked the owner of the cafe if it would be ok to film in there and thankfully, they were happy for us to do so.
     The weather was not good when we started filming as it was pouring with rain and the sky was dark, however, this was good because we could use the idea of pathetic fallacy, connoting the unpleasant nature of the relationship through the weather. It did start to brighten up as we progressed which could be used to signify Zoe's realisation that she is happier with Jay than her boyfriend.
     Overall, I believe that the shots we took were effective and when we put them into the video, they will connote the narrative as we had hoped.

Benjamin Clementine

Shots for the New Narrative Concept

Due to the fact that we have altered the narrative concept, we do not have the footage of Zoe and Sam's unhappy relationship. We will therefore need to film this and have put together a list of shots which we could take that we believe will effectively signify this idea.

• Sam arrives late to a date with Zoe and doesn't seem to care that she has been waiting for him to arrive
• The couple are sitting on a bench but are clearly quite distance and not enjoying each other's company
• The couple are walking together but when Sam reaches for Zoe's hand, she moves it away
• The couple are on a date but Sam is ignoring Zoe, sitting looking at his phone instead
• Sam and Zoe have an argument
• Sam doesn't hold the door open for Zoe and doesn't give her his coat when she is clearly shivering/ the umbrella when it is raining. 

Change of Narrative Concept

On review of our narrative thread, we decided that we were no longer going to have the girl hiding her relationship from her disapproving friends, but rather have her cheating on her boyfriend with our artist. We wanted to keep to the idea that she is hiding something and putting on her 'best fake smile' and believe that this is a better way to connote this idea.

Here is the updated narrative concept:

• Jay (artist) and Zoe are secretly together
• Zoe is already in a relationship but is unhappy with her boyfriend, Sam. who she is constantly arguing with
• Zoe would rather be with Jay as they are happy together and Jay is aware of the fact that Zoe doesn't want to be with Sam anymore
• Zoe has a memory book filled with happy memories of her with Jay as well as her friends, reminding her of the reasons she enjoys Jay's company and why she would rather be with him
• Jay is singing about the fact that he wants Zoe to be happy and not pretend to feel that way in her relationship with Sam when in reality she could be in a fun, carefree relationship with him instead

why changed to this and then why we didnt use it

Re-filming the Performance Elements

On review of our footage, we have been able to see that our artist is not giving a convincing performance as he has blank facial expressions and looks very unsure of the lyrics. This has resulted in us having to re-film these elements.
     We used a different location for filming in the forest this time around. This was not a problem at all as the location still had the same connotations and was therefore still appropriate to use in this video. We filmed out side in a forest-like location as we wanted to keep to a natural setting and help connote the organic nature of our artist. When we filmed this, we took different shots which we could use alongside the outdoor performance shots that we had already taken and create a new performance thread in the video. We took a range of different shots, including a tracking shot and a shot with the artist sitting in the tree to add visual interest to our video.
     We also re-filmed the studio performance to make it look more like the artist is performing in a small venue to a small audience. In this, we still used the black backdrop, however, we placed amps behind our artist, gave him a guitar and put a microphone in front of him. We directed him to perform as if an audience was actually there to help him become more animated. We also used 2 cameras when filming this instead of 1 like the previous time. This was very beneficial as it helped enhance our efficiency. This was because we could take the shots from 2 angles at a time, rather than having to move the camera every time. This meant that we could get more shots done as we were not relying on just 1 camera each take.
      Overall, I now feel confident that we have enough footage of the performance elements to help connote the image of our artist effectively. I also believe that these shots will be very useful in the editing of our music video.

Vlogging Our Shoot Days

We decided it would be a good idea to vlog throughout the day when we were filming. We started this at the beginning of the day, however, as it got later, we didn't have time to do this as much as we would like.

Filming in the Studio

Part of our music video features the use of the studio for the performance element, so we used the studio we have at school to do this. We used a black backdrop as we had previously stated that we wanted to use. The lighting was set up so that we could clearly see the artist performing and we used a guitar to help connote the desired star image.

     We managed to get a range of shots which we thought we would be able to use, however, upon review, we decided that the footage was not suitable and therefore we would have to re-film. This was because the artist's facial expressions made it look as though he was unsure of the lyrics and therefore this would not give a convincing performance. 

     Additionally, we were unhappy with the shots as the artist just looks like he is standing in front of a black curtain, therefore, when we re-film, we will be using a microphone and some guitar amps to make it appear as though he is performing in a small venue.

Editing the Music Video

We have started to edit our music video as we now feel we have enough footage to do so. This clip shows what we have done so far.

From this, we have been able to see that part of the narrative thread is not going to work as we had hoped and therefore we will remove it. This is the part with the school as we don't feel that the concept will work with the rest of the footage, therefore, we will change the general narrative concept while keeping to the fact that the girl is hiding something. 

      By producing this we have also seen the need to re-film some of the performance element, in particular the studio sections as the artist is not animated enough and therefore does not show the passion we want as a part of our star image. 

Starting to Edit

When we started to edit, the first thing we did was look through the footage we had. This allowed us to see what we had to work with. We then downloaded the song and began to edit.
      As we haven't yet been able to shoot in the studio, we decided that we would put another shot in and put a title in that says 'replace/studio' so that we would know what to replace it with. At first we thought this was a good idea, however, we discovered shortly after that this wasn't working as we couldn't just note that we would replace a shot once we got the filming done. We were also not happy with this as we couldn't actually see that the shots looked good if we didn't have the right ones yet.
     Another thing that we noticed when filming is that part of the narrative is lost as we don't have enough footage to connote that at school, the girl is friends with the popular, but nasty girls. We have since decided that we need to take more footage inside school to allow us to accurately show the narrative thread in our video.
     Following from this, we will be completing all of the shooting before we start to edit again.

Review of Filming 23/10/2015

When filming the scenes at my house, I feel as though we were very successful,as we were able to overcome any problems we had by finding suitable solutions.
     One problem that we had when setting up the equipment was working out where to put the camera. This was a problem because of the furniture in the room. We were able to move somethings out, however, not everything. This was particularly a problem when we wanted to take shots of the girl looking in the mirror but also show her reflection in it. Eventually, we were able to find a suitable place to put it and were able to film the shots successfully.
     Another problem that we had was the fact that we couldn't turn the lights on in the room or the hallway as their reflection would show in the windows. Instead, we decided to use the outdoor lighting kit to help give the room a bit of light as without it, it looked too dark.
     When we were filming, we had to sit on the bed to be able to take certain shots. Because the mattress moved when people sat on it, we decided that only the person taking that shot would be allowed to sit on the bed. This was done to avoid any camera movement when someone moved.
     We were able to work very efficiently in with the time we had, spending a total of 3 hours filming in the room. We split the time so that we could take a range of shots in the room. We took shots of 4 different activities in the room, some of which were in the story board, some which we decided to take on the day, and we split the time so that we spent about 40 minutes taking shots from different angles for each activity. I think that this worked really well as it allowed us to ensure that we had a range of footage that we could use.
     A second success is that the girl we had cast was able to take our directions well and followed what we asked her to do. This was important because it meant that we could work well and efficiently while getting the shots we needed. The girl was able to accurately portray her character which is important for the narrative element.
     Overall, I believe that we were successful in filming and think that we have enough footage to use when we begin to edit.

What Tribe Does Our Artist Belong To?

Lighting the Studio

As we will be using the studio during the filming of our music video, we wanted to test out the lighting to make sure we were able to have it the way we planned. In this part of the video, we wanted to artist to be lit against a completely black backdrop. This has allowed us to get a better understanding of the ways in which we should light the studio when we film in school.

Organising Our Shoot Day

We found that the easiest way to communicate as a group would be to use Facebook as this enabled us to send direct messages to a group of people as well as see who has read the message. This proved very useful when it came to organising our group for the film day and making sure we had permission to film in certain locations and sharing links and ideas. I think this was a successful method of keeping everyone up to date with what was going on and making sure we were all on the same page.

     We also used Facebook chat to talk to our cast members and keep them informed about when they would be needed to film. This was very important as we did not have everyone's mobile numbers but did have them all on Facebook. We sent out group messages about what to wear, sending example pictures as well as telling them the basic details of where to be and when to get there. This was very successful as on the days that we filmed, our cast showed up in outfits very similar to the ones we had asked them to bring, this was particularly important for the artist as we needed specific clothing to connote that he was an indie artist. We found that although we gave our artist the lyrics in person, it was very helpful to remind him of where to find them and emphasise the importance of learning them by messaging him as if he did not know them, then we would have to organise to film a different day and the performance element may not have been very convincing.  

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Making the Props

As we are using a photo album as one of the props, we needed to decorate the cover to make it more interesting as well as take photos to put inside it. We decided that while we can't put the photos in yet as these will be taken on the first day of filming outside of school and we need to have the photos developed, Sam would start to decorate the front so that we would have less to do later.