Music Video - rough cut

Here is the rough cut of my video:



Currently the video is not complete. The first two verses have been put together, however not perfected, and the third verse has not been completed yet because the clips have not been fully cut down and positioned fully. These changes are still in the works now.

Dolby

Harrison- what software are you planning to use for the website? Wix? If so, plan using this.

Progress update - December 6th

All performance shots and 90% of narrative filmed and captured onto Final Cut Pro. Audio file for the song is also added onto Final Cut, meaning I am now working on putting each shot in the correct order and cutting them to the correct timings. Any shots I notice that may need rerecording will be marked down and redone as soon as possible.

Progress update - 30th November

Filing narrative today. (30th November)

Website Progress

To start off the planning of my artist website, I made a basic layout plan on Publisher.

This gives me a very basic impression of how I could layout my final website design (note that the colours used are not representative of the final product).
The blue and red boxes at the top represent the toolbar and the search bar. The toolbar provides shortcuts to each section of the website. These sections will be things like 'About the artist', 'Upcoming events', 'Photos' and more features along those lines. The toolbar could also include links to the artists social media pages. The search bar allows the user to search for something specific if they are unable to find it on the main page. These two features improve the ease of use of the website and them being at the top of the page makes them much easier to find.
Underneath those two boxes are the two promotional image spaces. There are two boxes there however there can be anything between 1 to 5 images pinned up there. This is where popular or recent images of the artist can be displayed, whether they're taken by photographers or taken from the artist's social media pages.
Finally, underneath those features are the main articles and the shortcuts. The main articles are where any recent news or updates about the artist are posted to the homepage. They are the largest features on the page, so that they are easy for the user to see. The shortcuts are advertisements for other parts of the website similar to the top toolbar, but they are also links to sites where fans can buy the artist's music and merchandise.

One problem I do have with this layout is that it is very similar to the layout of Logic's actual website. Of course this plan is subject to change and may not turn out this way. Judging by the look of existing Wix websites, it most likely will look different but it remains to be seen whether that is a good thing or not. I will be developing the actual website on the website production site Wix. I will be updating my blog with screenshots and progress reports on how it comes together.

Filming Schedule

Cast List:

My video only requires three roles to be played. These are the artist, Logic, a young teenager and the teenagers father.

The actors that I will be using for these roles are:

• Ryan Manzoni as Logic
• Steve Smith, my dad, as the teenagers father
• Fred Smith, my brother, as the teenager

(My brother currently may not be able to maintain the role so I may have to step in myself to play the role. This may be a little more challenging but at least if it does happen, I will know what to do.)

Below I have attached my filming schedule:

Digipak Progress

I came up with my initial idea for my digipak and decided to draft it on the computer programme Microsoft Paint. I then added basic colour fillers to the drawing to get a better idea of how it would look.

The images above show the artist with another person working on the album. The front panel depicts this from behind the two, with their work in view. There is text on the front cover which is the artists name and the name of the album. The font used for the artists name is called Loki-Cola and has been chosen because it is the font that the artist uses to represent himself on all of his albums and promotional material. This helps to keep my content in line with the artists themes. Loki-Cola is not an available font on Microsoft programmes, so I had to copy and paste an image of the artists logo. I tried to choose a font that is very similar to Loki-Cola for the name of the album, however I don't think it fits very well with the images. The font is called Aristocrat SF.

The back panel depicts the same image but from the perspective of the screen, showing the front of the two people, along with the track list above them. The track list has been written in Aristocrat SF to keep continuity across the digipak. However, again, I feel this font does not suit the images very well.

The idea for the inside left panel is to show a close up shot/screenshot of the music being produced. The drawing I have produced for the left side panel is supposed to be representing something like this image below, hoever obviously showing one of his songs in creation. The image may even have more of a focus on the top of the screen with the file name, to keep the focus on the name of the album.

I have not had an idea for the disk tray yet however it may be something similar to the inside left panel and use images of music production software or hardware.

This idea for my digipak has come to mind because of the fact that Logic's other album covers/digipaks have cover that represent Logic in different scenarios and situations, some of which show Logic's hard work. Logic also posts a lot of images on social media similar to these. Here are some examples.

All of Logic's albums use very talented illustrations for their cover images which helps to make his digipaks unique. If i were to replicate the theme of illustrations, I would most likely use photo editing software or filters on a camera to edit a photo and replicate the results, since my art skills are not on such a high level in comparison.

Plumtree

Good progress being made, you just need to get your animated storyboard and Digipak ideas posted onto your blog.

Progress update - November 21st

I have now began to move on to drafting some basic ideas for my digipak whilst the construction of my video takes place. I am starting by doing basic sketches on Paint or by hand, and then using real life sample photos that I will take to replace the sketches and see how they look.
I have also done the same for my promotional website and have created some basic layout ideas of the website which I will be posting here later on.

(further update)
I have filled in the draft digipak with colours on paint to see what it is like.

Progress update - November 8th

I have been working on my animatronic storyboard as well as my filming schedule. After I have drawn up my storyboard plan, I will be using serif movieplus to match the shots to the music.

(further update)
I have now finished my storyboard drawings and will be animating it soon.

Audience Profile

For my artist, Logic, I would consider myself to be as part of the target market. By this I don't mean just being a fan, but classing myself as the common type of of person who listens to his music.

From what I have picked up from comments on his music on YouTube, and comments on his social media posts, a lot of his fans are males who are in their late teens or in their early 20's. The lowest common age of the fans is around 13 years old, and the highest average age of his fans is around 35. There are a lot of females in the fan base however I would estimate the division of male and female fans to be around 65% male and 35% female. They are primarily American fans, however his music is appreciated by fans worldwide.

People who listen to Logic are people who enjoy more from their rap music than either just good lyrics or just good backing music. Logic writes about more than just himself and will often incorporate the fans within his music which is something that is very appealing to his audience. Logic fans also appreciate meaningful lyrics like the lyrics from the song that i have chosen 'Run It' because they are inspirational and they empower the audience.

To summarise the common audience of Logic, they are predominantly English speaking males, aged 15-26 with an interest in quality music and meaningful lyrics.

Run It Lyrics

Here is my quick analysis of the lyrics of my chosen song which is Run It by Logic. This popplet contains examples of lyrics, a quick analysis of the lyrics, and then some rough ideas of what shots to use for the different sections of the song.

Pitch and Feedback

Before I began planning and creating my video, I had to pitch my idea to my teacher to get their opinions on my idea as well as suggestion they had to make sure I was successful with my video. I have included the audio file of the conversation.

My teachers main comments about my idea were to do with finding suitable people to play the artist and possible characters in my video which is something I had also had concerns about. I will most likely get a friend do play the artist since they listen to the same style of music, and therefore will be better suited to lip syncing fast lyrics rather than someone who does not listen to rap and hip hop.
I must also consider how I will use two or more locations in relation to the lyrics to create appropriate visuals for the video, and how I will use the lyrics to create visuals that relate.

After this talk with the teacher, I have concluded what tasks I need to complete leading up to the creation of the video. I must carry out some audience research firstly to get a feel for who my target audience is and build an audience profile. I already have a rough idea of my target market, since I would include myself in my chosen artists target market, however it is important to get as much information as possible. I must also begin to storyboard my idea to aid with my planning.

Dolby

Harrison- don't forget that you are making a promotional package- the real media artefacts that you analyse should ideally be for the same artist so that you can see how branding and house style works across all three products.


The comments on the digipak seem less focused; by describing the layout or colours as just 'good' you are not reflecting on what makes the case successful in terms of communicating meaning to audiences.

Analysing Existing Media Artefacts - Digipak 2

This is the digipak for the album Under Pressure by Logic.

The two covers of this digipak use images of the artist and friends in a small dark room. The front cover is Logic and his friends chilling and working on music. The back cover is an image of the same room at night, with logic sleeping on the sofa. These two images work very well together and give the impression that the artist is dedicated to making great music because he spends all day and night in the 'studio' making music. The images are illustrations rather than photos which gives the impression that the album has had a lot of detail, time and effort put into it, much like the illustrations. The setting of the images is used to promote the artist as someone who is quite laid back with how he makes his music and not over the top. It may also be used to show his less fortunate and difficult early life which he also references frequently in his music.
The font style used for the text on the covers is used for all text on the digipak. The font gives the impression that the text is scrappy or handwritten. This fits with the theme of the illustrations because the conditions and the setting are also very scruffy and makeshift in comparison to an actual studio. The colours of the text are also very similar to the colours of the illustrations which helps to make the album look more professional. If the album looks more professional, then audiences are much more likely to pick up the album.
All of the albums by Logic have a common theme where the digipaks are all illustrated with pictures of the artist. This allows the artist to establish his own style and promote his music in a way that not many artists from the rap/hip hop genre do. A common convention of rap/hip hop digipaks is to use mid shot or close up images of the artist with very large and flashy text in an attempt to show the artist and make them look powerful and appealing to the audience. Logics digipaks however challenge these conventions which shows Logic as an artist who is different and unique to others which attracts a different type of audience. It also means that it is a lot easier for people to recognise a Logic album amongst other albums of the same genre.

Analysing Existing Media Artefacts - Digipak

The digipak that I will be analysing is the four pane digipak for the album 2014 Forest Hills Drive by  J Cole. 

The colour scheme used on the album is very basic and uses primary colours, mainly green and blue. The colours aren't very bright either which makes the album look quite chilled which helps to entice a certain audience. The image then also mirrors the style of the music. The title on the cover is also very simple. It is written in quite a basic font and it is not really big and in your face like a lot of other album titles are. This also adds to the chilled feeling of the image/music. The angle of the photo taken is very effective at focusing the cover on the artists because he is in centre frame and takes up the majority of the cover. The low angle shot used also helps to show the artist as a dominant force within the genre and a person who is on top of his game. This is very common in the rap/hip hop genre for the artists to show themselves as the best.

The art for the disk also follows the simplistic theme of the digipak. The image is simply a brick wall with a house number as 2014. The title of the album is also present at the bottom of the disk as well as all the logos for the companies involved in the albums production. The album title is still written in all capital letters and uses the same font as on the front cover. I feel that this design for the disk clashes with the style and colours of the cover because it uses brighter colours and doesn't stick with the theme of being chilled and laid back.

The back cover of the album is good because it relates to the front cover and retains the same theme. It has the same type of lighting uses this to create and maintain the same themes and impressions that are given off with the front cover. The text used for the track list is the same font as the title which adds to the simplicity of the whole album. It also uses a photo that incorporates the name of the album into the image.

The inside covers follow the same theme as the other two outside covers. The left inside image is another shot of the artist in a basic location using a small range of simple colours. The setting for this shot is an American restaurant or diner which is similar to the forest setting of the front cover image. These basic settings help to show the artist as a laid back person and represents the chilled theme of the music.

The inside cover on the right uses a close up shot of rusty mailboxes. The shot uses very minimal amounts of colour which sticks with the theme of the digipak. The fact that the mail boxes are rusty and old means that this image shows the opposite to a rich and glamorous lifestyle that a lot of rappers usually associate themselves with. This helps to promote J Cole as someone different to the majority of the other artists out there and entices the audience into wanting to hear his music and buy it.

Analysing Existing Media Artefacts - Webpages

Analysing Existing Media Artefacts - Video 2

Childish Gambino - 3005

The next video I am analysing is the video for the song 3005 by Childish Gambino. The video for this song is very unique and challenges a lot of the common conventions of a rap music video. The video uses almost no common features of a typical video of the rap genre.

The lyrics are illustrated through the way the shots progress over the video. The lyrics of the song are about being with someone for a long time and staying with them through whatever. During the video, the artist is pictured sitting with a teddy bear at different points in time. The ferris wheel turning represent time passing and as time passes, the bear and the artist become older. This age is shown by the bear getting worn and scruffy between shots of the artist and the bear. The video is also set during the end of the world which helps to represent the artist sticking with the bear through hard times.
This is very unique for the genre because the vast majority of rap music videos do not follow any narrative and use purely performance shots.

The video does not cut to the beat of the song, mainly because the video does not cut at all. This is very effective at representing the passing of time in relation to the lyrics and the theme of the song. During the chorus parts of the video, the camera stops fixing on the artist and the bear because the artist is not lip syncing in this section of the video. The camera turns around slowly showing the ferris wheel from different angles and shows off scenes of a burning city and then turns back to the seat of the ferris wheel to show the artist and the bear in a worse condition. These shots are used to help represent the change in pace of the song.

This video is part of a series of videos from the same album that have a continuing story throughout them where the artist becomes infected his double and starts to take over the world. The teddy bear has become his only friend because his previous girlfriend was taken. This is shown in this video by the burning city and the teddy bear because fans of the artist will recognise that they are in the video because of the other videos before this song. This helps to get the viewers of the video interested because it makes them think about the story and gets them interested. This will help to sell the record because people will want to watch the video for the story as well as the song. This video also helps to create an image for the artist that shows him as a rapper who is different to the stereotypical rappers who have videos with money and sexualised images of women. This then also helps to make the video appeal to slightly younger audiences.

This video is a combination of narrative and performance based visuals. The video takes primarily a narrative aspect because of the way it is part of a continuing story between videos. However, throughout the whole video, the artist is lip syncing to the words of the song which gives the video a performance side to it. This also allows the viewers to keep an interest in the lyrics rather than purely the narrative visuals.

Analysing Existing Media Artefacts - Video

Logic - Young Sinatra III

The video I am analysing is for the song Young Sinatra III by Logic. The video was directed by GRVTY. The video for the song uses quite a lot of characteristics that are found in many other videos of that genre. These include the use of medium close ups of the artist rapping directly to the camera, and the use of fast paced shots that fit with the tempo of the music/lyrics.
The visuals in the video do not illustrate the lyrics of the song, however they are used to amplify the lyrics and make them more affective. For example, the artist uses strong hand/arm gestures and body movement to show his passion for the lyrics. Also the artist raps directly to the camera for almost the entire video which helps to keep the audience focused on the lyrics and keeps them engaged with the artist.

At the beginning of the video when there is no lyrics and the music is slower, the shot is shown in slow motion and then once the artist starts to rap and the music picks up, the shot comes out of slow motion. This use of slow motion effects helps to show the change in pace for the music. The shots occasionally cut to the beat of the song but they mostly either cut between lines or cut halfway through a line. This might have been done because cutting to the beat would have made the shots too fast paced and possibly quite boring because the beat stays the same throughout the song. The shots change very quickly which can make the video quite confusing to watch. The instrumental parts of the song are shown in the video through the use of shots that are the opposite to when he artist is rapping. Over the shoulder shots and shots of the artist from angles that aren't the front are used which are different to the shots of the artist facing the camera directly. The shots during the instrumentals are also slower paced and use a lot of the slow motion filter again which helps to mirror the pace of the music.

The main images of the artist used are medium close ups and close up shots and visuals of the artist doing hand gestures that show the artist as a person who is passionate about his lyrics and wants to emphasise the lyrics to the audience. These motifs are common throughout the artists other videos.

The video does not sexually display any people in the video which challenges a popular convention throughout rap music videos. Most rap music videos use sexualised images of women in order to attract the audience to the video and song. This video challenges this convention because it is not trying to attract the same audience. This video is trying to attract fans of a more modern style of rap music aimed at younger people around the ages of 15-25.

Intertextuality has been used clearly in this video because it uses a lot of features are common throughout other videos of this genre. Shots where the camera is moving around are very common in rap videos in comparison to stationary shots,especially when the artist is rapping directly to the camera. The grafitied walls/alleys used for the main setting of the video are also used frequently in other rap videos as they are a good symbol of rebellion or expression which are very common themes in rap. The costume of the artist consists of black coloured hoodies and jackets which are very common in other rap videos by Logic and also other rap artists from 90s who would also rap about themes like rebellion and expression.

The video is made up of all performance based shots which is common throughout other videos in the genre. This is done to keep the viewers engaged with the song and the lyrics rather than using a concept or narrative video which could lead to the viewers losing attention from the song itself.

There are a lot of features of this video that I would like to use for my video. The mid shots of the artist from the from the front rapping directly to the camera work really well for this genre of music. I also think that the pacing of the shots fits the music really well which gives me a very good idea of the length of shots that I would need to do. The setting is also very fitting for the video because it is quite a basic setting yet it is very representative of the lyrics and the genre.

To summarise this video, it is clear that this video does not challenge many of the conventions of a typical rap music video. It is a very basic video that doesn't use many complex shots and the video does not relate to the lyrics in many ways. However, it a very effective video for getting the audience to engage with the lyrics and creating an image for the artist.

Letter to Copyright holder