Dolby

The use of black and white and the framing is lovely. Try and get some more footage up and maybe contrast with some colour scenes or get pace in some way through editing tokeep it more interesting.

Promo: first draft

Editing: Day 1

My first time editing my footage via the Macs mainly consisted around getting to grips with the software. It was challenging however i eventually picked it up and started uploading and capturing my footage. I also uploaded my track and i dont feel that it needs cutting down. The track is 3 minutes and 24 seconds i feel that this is a good amount of time to reveal the artist, the genre, the story and style therefore it is unlikely that i will cut the song down. My progress so far includes the uploading of the track and the first scene i filmed which consists of my actor singing. I matched the scene up to the music quite easily and added a cross fade at the beggining and end which creates the sad mood i want to narrate the story. I also played around with the effects and i and considering having my promo in black and white due to the nature of the song.

Day 4 of filmimg: refllection

Yesterdays filming session was a great success. I got all four of my planned scenes done. The first scene needed quite a bit rehearsing as we wanted to get the timing of the singing perfect. My actor worked very hard yesterday and we managed to get around 3 minutes of filming done. Luckily it wasnt raining so the location will not look overly different whennit comes to putting the scenes together. I tried out different shots on the last scene. i focused on my 'artist' and his emotions (which promotes the artist and empphasises the narrative) then panned out the the lake ('water') which again matches the narrative. I feel that most of the timings are accurate, the shots promote the artist and help narrate the song therefore overall yesterday was the best filming session i have done so far. I also managed to capture a few photos of my 'artist' however they were slightly rushed and i may re think the location.

Day 4 of filming

As i got no filming done on tuesday my plan for my next filming session is to re shoot two scenes that were slightly blurred and slightly too short. I also need to film the final scene of my promo and another scene of my actor singing. Once this is done the rest of my filming will be of me and the actor, but as i have already shot two ofg those scene i have the majority of my first draft completed. If this session goes to plan i will be confident on meeting my dealine.

Day 3 of filming: reflection

Yesterday's filming didn't go to plan as I didn't get any filming done due to another class members filming over ran, but he got a lot of work done so it was worth it. However I have the camera booked out for today and have the scenes planned out so there is no reason for me to not get my re shoot and final scenes done. The weather down by the lake will probably be misty and cold like yesterday which won't overly match my previous scenes but hopefully the sun will come out, but if it doesn't I will have to try and draw attention away from the sky which shouldn't be hard as the promotion of the artist is the most important thing anyway.

Day 3 of filming

Today I will attempt to do a re shoot of my actor singing half a verse. It needs re shooting due to the camera being out of focus and the the camera was over exposed. However I do not not have priority over the camera today as another member of my class has more work to be done and I also feature in his promo therefore I am wiling to him help him but hopefully I will get my the shoot done today.

Day 2 of filming: Reflection

Yesterday afternoons filming session went well. I completed 2 more scenes. The weather turned out ok which is good as it means the first scene i filmed won't look out of place. In todays lesson i will upload the footage and edit it. I feel that my filming is going well. My actor has been working hard and i think i will only need to have 2-3 more filming session and then maybe 1 more session for re-shooting if it is needed. I have captured one photo so far so i will need to take some more on my next shoot which is planned to be monday.

Moving image 2nd draft

Day 2 of filming

Thursday afternoon: I will try to film the three chorus shots today as the weather is good enough to create the right atmopshere for the scenes. If i complete the chorus filming today i will only need to have 2-3 more filming session. Today i will be needed to be filmed therefore i have asked someone to help me film. the camera will be on a tripod and i will focus and place the camera to how i want. I will also tell the person who is filming the basics of the camera to ensure my shots do not go wrong.

Day 1 of filming: Reflection

Tuesday afternoon was my first day of filming. I filmed roughly a minutes worth of useable footage. I filmed Dan (my male character) on a wooden pontoon right beside the water. The setting and weather was perfect. The sun was out and refelcted off of the water and the ducks in the background created a great atmosphere, however i do not think the weather will be as good during the rest of my filming sessions so i will have to plan filming around the weather.

Mrs D

Your planning for your webisite looks good and has clear links to your research. Please put some filming and editing reflection up asap.

Web page explanation & Wix

For the web page part of my ancillary task i will construct it via 'wix' which is a free software that will allow me to create a fully working website to promote my band and their music. I will start from scratch with my web page therefore i will be adding, text, photos, music, videos as well as creating my own colour scheme, layout and fonts. This will allow me to reveal my bands genre via the web page and make it look appealing to the target audience.

I have started my layout for my web page. i have decided to have a big image on the home page to ensure the audience know who's website they are on and to promote them. Below the image will be essential information about the band to introduce them to new audiences and for the already fans to learn a little more about the band. I have created four additional pages to the home page, media, live, store and social.

The media page is essential as during my real media artefact's research i found that 99% of the websites had a media page. The page will include photos of the band, links to tracks, and i will also display my music promo for Down By the Water when it is completed. This page is a great way to get people listening to more of the bands music, buying more of the bands music and via the photos get to know more about the bands style and genre.

The live page will give the audience concert information like dates, times, places and where to buy tickets from. This is useful for the fans as instead of searching the Internet they can just click the links on the official site and know their purchase would be legitimate. This page will not contain much content but i feel it is necessary to bring the audience closer to the band and would be useful.

The store page is also another way of bringing the audience closer to the band. During my research i found lots of websites with a store page. Merchandise is a great way of promoting a band through and accessories as well as something other than music for the fans to buy from their favourite band.

The social page will be a great way of promoting the band and their music. The target audience roughly ranges from 15-22 therefore the vast majority of these people will use at least one social networking site. Facebook and Twitter would be the two focuses for my social page as they are the most used. Links to the bands Facebook and Twitter pages would be displayed on the page as well as fans tweets. This page would be a great way to connect the fans to the band and each other. Social networking sites are also a great promotional strategy as people talk about music through them and share You Tube links and images.

The best way i could promote the bands website for people who didn't know about it would be to put it on the back of my Digipak.

Casting

Now I have taken a second look at the lyrics and my storyboard, the female character in my promo is not overly important and it has been hard to find a female character also, therefore when the female character is needed I will appear in the promo and another member of the class will help me film. I have given the male character the lyrics to learn and explained his role so hopefully rehearsal time will be at a minimum. I am excited to start filming and get to grips with the camera.

Mrs D

The storyboard is a good first draft Ellie. You need to go back to the lyrics - you have put in your blog that it is about unconditional love and feeling alone - you haven't reflected this in your storyboard. It is very 'safe' and there is no camera movement. Check the mark scheme and go back to RMAs for help.

Dolby

Go back to your schedule and be more detailed

Moving image 1st draft

Storyboard

Calendar

Dolby

Lots of good general ideas here. Now look specifically at colour schemes, layouts and images that you are going to use- go over the mark schemes for print and web to make sure that you are looking at the areas for assessment.

Props

Mood Board: Props on Prezi

Webpage plan (Home page)

Webpage ideas

Digipak ideas

Casting and letter

My music promo will be a narrative love story. If I can find two people willing to act as a couple I will need a male and female character. However if I am wasting time trying to find a female willing to help I will just use a male. This won't be a major problem as the male character would be the most dominant part anyway.

This will be sent to the cast to gain permission for me to film/photograph them for my music promo:

Hello, for my A2 media coursework I will be making a music video. I would like you to be a character in the video so I will be filming and possibly taking photos of you. I am planning on filming my video at Horseshoe Lake so it is local. The female character will only need to smile and walk the male character will only need to do the same as well as lip sync but both characters will need to act like a couple and wear indie looking clothes. If the timings and song are rehearsed this should not take up a lot of your time. I hope you are interested and up for helping me make a great music video.

Sign here to confirm that you want to take part:


Thanks, Ellie

Webpage (written) plan

Creating a webpage for my band would promote the promo, song and band well. By researching similar genre bands/artists websites I can compare them and learn skills and techniques they have used to apply to my product.

The websites I analysed, Friendly Fires, Florence and the Machine and my chosen band The Drums. By analysing these webpages I have learnt what additional pages I will need to include to ensure the audience can see all the information they need. 

All three web pages I analysed had a media page which let the viewer watch the bands/artists music videos, view exclusive pictures and listen to music content. I will create a media page on the website as it will bring the audience closer to the band as they can directly find the music they want on the website rather than having to search the Internet. 

The colour scheme is important too. I will use the same/similar colours as I will on and in my Digipak to create repetition and make the website recognisable to fans therefore all of my products will link and the audience will recognise the branding.

My Webpage needs to be simple looking and user friendly. All of the websites I analysed and have seen start with a home page and have around three to five links at the top of the page that reveal more information. To make my webpage and simple as possible but including the essential information I will start with a home page plus three other links to different pages, including a media page.

Font Ideas

Product Placement

For my A2 media coursework I will be creating a music promo, Digipak and Webpage. My chosen song is Down By The Water by The Drums who are an American indie/pop group. The song is based on love therefore my video will be a narrative based piece.My research has and will help me throughout the making of my music promo, Digipak and Webpage. I have learnt about codes and conventions of my specific chosen genre. I know who my target audience is and how I need to attract them with the use of colour, styling and Mise en scene. My character will look stereo typically 'indie' by being dressed alternatively and the way the target audience are likely to dress. in my promo i will also include a guitar as this is a visual stereotype of both indie and pop genre music videos. I also have learnt how fonts colours and images can reveal a genre therefore to ensure my genre is obvious and clear I will use stereotypical elements of 'indie style' in my work.

I feel that the best placement for my digipak would be in a music store like HMV and online. The best place online to sell my product would be via 'itunes' and on my bands webpage. the majority of people who do not download music illegally download their music off 'itunes'. It is popular, successful, reliable and sell all different types of music. Selling my digipak in HMV would also be successful as for the part of the target market that would rather physically buy the CD HMV is the biggest and most well known music store.

The placement for my music video will be on music channels on TV and via the Internet. The best channel for my video is MTV Rock as its a popular channel and doesn't just show what's it the charts but the best of indie and rock music. I feel that TV would be good publicity for the track and band as alternative genres are becoming more popular in the music industry. I also think the promo would get seen by being showed on the bands Webpage and on YouTube and indie music isn't a very popular genre therefore fans are more likely to have to look for music. The product placement for my music promo is important as indie music focuses on the fans and the music rather than the money so promoting the genre is important.

Digipak plan

The colour scheme i will use will be determined by the photos i take of the location as i want to match the colour on the digipak with the colours in the photos. Two to three images will be used in my digipak. one on the cover, one on the back cover and possibly one to cover the actual disk.

Digipak written plan

Before planning and creating my Digipak I needed to research into indie/pop and rock advertising techniques within their products. This will help me create an eye catching album with the right colour scheme, fonts, images and stereotypical characteristics of indie/pop music to ensure the genre is clear

The first album Digipak I researched and analysed was Florence and the Machine's Lungs. The supporting band for this indie/pop group a few years ago was The Drums therefore analysing this album will help me compare my Digipak to theirs as the genre is the same. From analysing this product I have learnt that certain fonts conform to a certain sex and that it is effective to connect the album name to the images.

The second Digipak I analysed was The Kooks 'Inside In Inside Out'. This album is traditionally indie/rock and from I've learnt that a simple front cover is effective and that the colour scheme is important to reveal the genre and remind the audience of the band.

The other Digipak I looked at was alternative artist Lana Del Rey . Analysing 'Born To Die' was beneficial as it is current, similar genre and successful. The text is large on the cover but the femininity of the artist is dominant therefore to ensure both the image and text are equally dominant in my work I will find a balance with the use of colour, font and contrast.

The colour scheme for my Digipak will be predominantly male. Blue, black, grey and green are colours I may use as they are fairly dark and therefore conforms to the edgy sound of indie music. Plus my images will are likely to be of the location I want to film my promo in which is by a lake so the colours will match nicely to the cover image.

The font I will use is essential for revealing the genre and gender of the band. The font I will use would be straight to avoid it looking feminine. The colour of the font needs to create a contrast with the background image to make it stands out. White would be the best colour to use as my background is likely to be dark and I is a unisex colour so I don't overload my Digipak with masculinity as the band has both a make and female target market.

The image/images that I will use in my products will come shot photos I will capture during my filming of my promo. This will ensure the lyrics and visuals match. The repetition will make the promo and the song be remembered.

Mrs D

The prezis look good. Would just one for mes work rather than lots of little ones?

Costume/Style

Mood board: Costume/Style on Prezi