Magazine Advert Mock-up

 

Digipak Mock-up

 

Risk Assessment

Location Planning

 

Costumes, Props & Actor Decisions

 

Storyboard

 

Shooting Schedule

 

Treatment

 

Brainstorming Ideas

 

Applying for permission to use chosen track

Track Lyrics

These are the lyrics for the track I will be using for my music video. I chose this song because I really like the meanings and emotions from within the lyrics, and feel that it is different from most tracks as it relates to friendship and the ups and downs, unlike a majority of songs that relate more to relationships and either being in love or heartbroken. I felt that this would make the portrayal of the lyrics through the music video more interesting. Also I really like the artists style and feel that this influenced both costume ideas and also the chosen location for the shoot.

'This is what makes us girls' - Lana Del Rey (2012)

'Remember how we used to party up all night
Sneaking out and looking for a taste of real life
Drinking in the small town firelight
(Pabst Blue Ribbon on ice)

Sweet sixteen and we had arrived
Walking down the streets as they whistle, "Hi, hi!"
Stealin' police cars with the senior guys
Teachers said we'd never make it out alive

There she was my new best friend
High heels in her hands, swayin' in the wind
While she starts to cry, mascara runnin' down her little Bambi eyes:
"Lana, how I hate those guys."

This is what makes us girls
We all look for heaven and we put our love first
Somethin' that we'd die for, it's our curse
Don't cry about it, don't cry about it
This is what makes us girls
We don't stick together 'cause we put our love first
Don't cry about him, don't cry about him
It's all gonna happen

And that's where the beginning of the end begun
Everybody knew that we had too much fun
We were skippin' school and drinkin' on the job
(With the boss)

Sweet sixteen and we had arrived
Baby's table dancin' at the local dive
Cheerin our names in the pink spotlight
Drinkin' cherry schnapps in the velvet night

Yo we used to go break in
To the hotel pool, glimmer and we’d swim
Runnin' from the cops in our black bikini tops
Screaming, "Get us while we're hot. Get us while we're hot"
(Come on take a shot)

This is what makes us girls
We all look for heaven and we put our love first
Somethin' that we'd die for, it's our curse
Don't cry about it, don't cry about it
This is what makes us girls
We don't stick together 'cause we put our love first
Don't cry about him, don't cry about him
It's all gonna happen

The prettiest in crowd that you had ever seen
Ribbons in our hair and our eyes gleamed mean
A freshmen generation of degenerate beauty queens
And you know something?

They were the only friends I ever had
We got into trouble and when stuff got bad
I got sent away, I was waving on the train platform
Crying 'cause I know I'm never comin' back.

This is what makes us girls
We all look for heaven and we put our love first
Somethin' that we'd die for, it's our curse
Don't cry about it, don't cry about it
This is what makes us girls
We don't stick together 'cause we put our love first
Don't cry about him, don't cry about him
It's all gonna happen'

Track

Interscope Records

History of Interscope Records
Interscope records is an American based record label owned by the Universal Music Group and is based in Santa Monica, California and was founded by 1990 by Jimmy Lovine and Interscope Communications' Ted Field with financial support from Atlantic Records who owned a 53% stock in the label. The labels first release was Gerardo's Mo' Ritmo (a Latin Rap artist) in 1991.

At first, the labels focus was upon the Hip-Hop and Urban Music genres, but by the mid 1990s its range of genres began to expand, signing artists such as Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, rock band Limp Bizkit, and also the Latin artist Kings Of Flow (through partnership with a Los Angeles based indie Latin label).

After the Universal Music Group acquired PolyGram in 1998, Geffen Records and A&M Records were merged into Interscope Records. This was followed by the merging of DreamWorks Records with the Interscope-Geffen-A&M group in 2004, bringing artists including Blink-182, Nelly Furtardo, The All-American Rejects, Papa Roach, Rise Against and many others. These artists were divided amongst Interscope and Geffen with most going to the latter. In 2005 Interscope launched Cherrytree Records, with the main focus of the new label being emerging artists, and this soon saw the signing of artists such as The Lovemakers, Far East Movement and Robyn. Lady Gaga was also part of Cherrytree Records but as of 2011 has been transferred to Interscope Records.

In May 2007, Interscope announced they were joining forces with Justin Timberlake to create a new label known as Tennman Records, and the first artist to be signed to this label was Esmée Denters.

The Interscope Record label has received criticism from some artists such as Nine Inch Nails and 50 Cent. Nine Inch Nails claim that the Universal Music Group overcharged him for his album 'Year Zero' in Australia, and also claims that when he asked why it was so much, they replied "you've got a core audience that's gonna buy whatever we put out, so we can charge more for that. True fans will pay whatever". They are no longer signed to Interscope Records nor do they associate with the label. Rapper 50 Cent engaged in a feud with Interscope stating that "Not everyone is committed to releasing my new album" (referencing his yet to be released fifth studio album).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interscope_Records

Polydor Records

Polydor History

The Polydor record label (founded in 1924 by Deutsche Grammophon) is owned by the Universal Music Group, but headquartered in the UK. Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical music label that was founded in 1898 by Emile Berliner and is also linked to the Universal Music Group.

 

Polydor became a popular music label in 1946, and in the early 1960s, Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers, who later became known as The Beatles we signed to Polydor by orchestra leader Bert Kaempfert. Popular German entertainers such as James Last and Bert Kaempfert appeared on the Polydor label alongside many Latin American, French and Spanish figures. In 1969, Polydor opened a US division, but we not prominent in the US record industry until they purchased a recording contract as well as a back catalogue of R&B star James Brown in 1971. Also at this time, Polydors parent company PolyGram (founded in 1972) took over the MGM Records label in 1972, pushing the Polydor label further into the spotlight. Previously in 1970, Polydor purchased Diamond Records, a Hong Kong based label which was founded by Ren da Silva, a Portuguese merchant in the late 1950's. Throughout the 1970s, Polydor became a major rock label and was also associated with disco, being home to acts such as the Bee Gees and Gloria Gaynor.

 

Into the 1980's, in spite of becoming overshadowed by its sister label Mercury Records, Polydor continued to sign deals with acts. By the early 1990s, Polydor began to under perform and therefore began to operate under the umbrella of the PolyGram Label Group (known as PLG). This newly constructed label was specifically designed to oversee  PolyGrams lesser performing record labels, including Island Records, London Records, Atlas Records and Verve Records.

 

In 1994, Island Records recovered and resulted in PolyGram dissolving most of PLG into it. Also for a brief period of time, Polydor and Atlas Records merged and were known as Polydor/Atlas. The began operating through A&M Records, also a PolyGram subsidiary.

This merge of record labels Polydor and Atlas Records only lasted until 1995, when Polydor/Atlas simply became Polydor Records again.

 

Polydor UK

In the early 1970's, the main source of income for Polydor Records is reported to have been from the hugely successful UK band Slade. In the 1970s and 1980s, the label was also home to acts such as The Jam and successful British Glam Rock act Sweet, who were signed to the label in 1977. Even though the American Polydor Branch is no longer in operation, the UK Polydor remains one of the strongest record labels in the country. Now, the label consists of artists such as Esmée Denters, Take That, N-Dubz, Cheryl Cole, The Saturdays, James Morrison, Ellie Goulding, Lawson and many more. There is a wide range of Genres within the Polydor label including indie bands such as Elbow, White Lies and The Maccabees.

 

Polydor UK works with Interscope Records and acts as the UK label for American based acts under Interscope-Geffen-A&M, such as Eminem, Limp Bizkit, Timberland, The All-American Rejects, The Black Eyed Peas, Pussycat Dolls, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Lana Del Rey and many more.

 

Polydor launched Fascination Records in 2006, a label that is dedicated to pop music, with acts such as Girls Aloud and Sophie Ellis-Bextor transferring to the new label. Several teen pop acts, such as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez & the Scene have been signed to Fascination Records.

 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydor_Records

Indie Pop Genre Research

Indie Pop is a sub-genre in music, (formed from the main genre of Alternative Rock), that originated in the UK in the mid-1980s, with its roots in Scottish post-punk bands such as ‘The Smiths’. Indie Pop was inspired by punks DIY ethic and related ideologies, and generated a thriving fanzine, label and club/gig circuit. Indie Pop differs from Indie Rock to the extent that it is more melodic and less abrasive.

The term "indie" had been used for some time to describe artists on independent labels (and the labels themselves), but the key moment in the naming of "indie pop" as a genre was the release of NME's C86 tape in 1986. The compilation featured artists such as ‘Primal Scream’, ‘The Pastels’ and ‘The Wedding Present’, and "indie" quickly became shorthand for a genre whose defining conventions were identified as melodic power pop song stuctures. Originally, the genre was dubbed "C86" after the tape itself.

The Indie Pop scene is now recognized as a pivotal moment for independent music in the UK, and continues to have a strong following and inspire musicians, not just in the UK but around the world with new bands, labels and clubs devoted to the sound.

The birth of indie pop can be traced back to the post-punk explosion in a limited-circulation of small shop-based record labels such as ‘London's Rough Trade Records’ and ‘Glasgow's Postcard Records’. The publication in Record Business magazine of the first weekly indie singles and album charts (for the week ending 19 January 1980) and the adoption of such charts in the UK music press stimulated activity. In order to reflect this, the British musical weekly New Musical Express released an era-defining compilation cassette called C81. This cassette featured a wide range of groups, reflecting the different approaches of the immediate post-punk era.

Artist Research

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lana_Del_Rey

Storyboarding Task



We were asked to choose a one of the  music videos we previously analysed and storyboard for a 30 second segment of the video to give us a better understanding of how detailed our music video storyboard should be. I chose to storyboard for the Lana Del Rey track 'Born to Die'(2012) in this task because of the many different types of shots included and chose the segment 2:18 - 2:48. The completed task is on the slide share below.

 

I found this task extremely beneficial as it made me realise how detailed the storyboard had to be to portray the types of shot and different angles used in the video. A total of 11 shots appear in this 30 second clip and this made me realise how many shots it must take to make an entire video that is good quality and has the repeatability factor through the use and combination of different shots.

Evaluation of Digipak Analysis

The process of evaluating digipaks has been extremely beneficial to me, as I have gained a better understanding of the different aspects included (e.g. images, text, font, how they house the CD or Booklet etc.). I also found looking at digipaks with different numbers of sides also beneficial as this gave me ideas on how a digipak is made interesting and attractive to the target audience but how it also links to the band/artist and the music genre. For example the Evanescence digipak reflects the heavy rock genre through the use of the graphics (e.g. the thorns and font style and how the two are integrated together). Overall I have a better understanding of the use of digipaks and how some of the sides appear as wallets to hold the CD's and booklets or contain a plastic case to hold the CD.

Digipak Analysis - (Daughtry) Deluxe Edition

FRONT:

 

All the different sections of the front cover are laid out centrally, first drawing our eyes to the main image of the singer and the band name. A full body shot has been used of the lead singer but only his head and torso are in focus as the rest of his body appears slightly blurry. This draws our attention to the singers face whilst creating a connection between the star and the consumer. Also the fact that his body is out of focus allows the background image and the image of the star to flow, as the rest of the band are burred in with the background, allowing the singer to stand out and reflect his significance. As the band is name after the lead singer, the ability to only see him clearly below the title creates this link. The band name is written in a white font and almost appears to have been sprayed onto the background image. The messy edges of each letter combined with the spacing used between each letter makes it more eye catching, whilst the white colour helps it to stand out to the consumer. The album name is the same as the band name and therefore the deluxe edition information tag is positioned on the right under the title. The same font style has been used but the is smaller. However as it is yellow is stands out from the green tinted background image and is therefore clear to the consumer.

 

INSIDE:

As this digipak has 6 sides, there are 3 sides inside which have been made into wallets to hold the Cd's and a booklet. The background image used has been spread across the three sides, and shows the crowd at one of the bands concerts. This creates a flow between these 3 sides and is reflective of the DVD content.

Side one is a wallets which contains the booklet. The contains all the lyric information and actions shots of the band on tour. This side of the digipak has 3 images that are slightly overlapping each other showing the band on tour, reflecting how they are a playing band but are also snapshots from the included DVD. These images have been given white borders allowing them to stand out to the consumer whilst tying in the white and green colour scheme used on the front cover of the digipak.

Side two shows one image of the lead singer playing guitar at one of the bands concerts, again a snapshot from the DVD. This side has a wallet that holds the CD, and combined with the use of the image, it again reflects the bands name and how it relates to the lead singer. Again the image has a white border reflecting the use of colour used on a majority of the digipak sides, tying the digipak together.

Side three shows the 3 images that are slightly overlapping, mirroring the layout style on side one of the digipak. This creates continuity and ties the digipack together. This side is a wallet that holds the DVD which shows 5 music videos, 2 live concert performances and an interview. This again enables a connection to be created between the band and the consumer.
 

 

 

 

 

OUTSIDE:

This side has a black and white image of the lead singer. This high angle shot is looking down on the star who is climbing some stairs, possibly reflecting the singers climb to fame through TV talent shows and allows a connection between the stars role in the music industry and the consumer. The use of black and white is perhaps also reflective of the lead singers journey to fame and how there are good and bad aspects that you have to overcome to reach your goals.

This side also contains tag information on the content of the DVD, which is positioned on the top right in small white writing. The Titles of each section of the content are in capitals to make them stand out more to the consumer, whilst Director information is is lowercase below.

 

BACK COVER:

The back cover has a black and white photo of the band on an American industrial estate. This is clear through the American style cars and trucks in the background. Also this is a low angle shot perhaps reflecting power whilst the use of black and white helps this cover to tie in with the colour scheme used throughout the digipak. The bar code is place over the bottom right corner of the image.

Below the image is the track information. The track numbers are in a basic Ariel red font helping them to stand out from the black background. The Track names are in the same font but white in colour, separating them from the track numbers and making them clearer to the consumers eye. Also the bonus tracks and DVD content are listed below yellow titles. All the writing is in capitals.

The Record label logo's are small and located at the sides of the release and copyright information at the bottom of the pack. This writing and the logo's are also red in colour so that the consumers eyes are more drawn towards the track names written it white.