Group - Photo Shoot

In todays double session, we plan to take a photo shoot for our promotional poster. We have brought all the equipment and costume needed and will shoot it as soon as possible. Once we have done this we will begin to work on our final promotional poster as well as digipak. Along side this we will also continue to edit our final piece. We are aiming this lesson to export our narrative part and move it into the file on DaVinci Resolve along with the performance part of our piece.

DW - Progress Update

Today I went through the blog updating posts with reference to the mark scheme, making sure they take full advantage of being a multimedia web page. I updated a few posts in detail, adding videos, images and screenshots with reference to our progress. 

I also exported and uploaded our demo RGB channel split, and our narrative footage. Our narrative footage was edited and colour graded in Adobe Premiere, ready for importing into our performance timeline. To get the narrative shots into DaVinci Resolve, it had to go through Premiere Pro to be exported as an .XML. Because our narrative footage was already edited and colour graded, to save time I exported the Premiere timeline to an .m4a which we will import into Resolve and can edit if need be. 

WB - Progress Update

Within todays the task I took on was to touch up the blog as well as well as take a secondary role in editing. As an editing post has already been made I wont talk in much depth about it but we have started to make some great progress after a very slow start due to some technical difficulties we have faced.

Regarding the blog work the Storyboard Animatic post was very vague as we hadn't answered the questions regarding the post. Thus I worked on this beginning to answer the questions in order to then present how the animatic has influenced our production of our piece.

I also went through other blog posts reading through, adding images to posts that need them as well as correcting grammatical errors and rewording certain phrases and sentences that would not be up to standard.

Within the lesson before, I worked on the blog much like this lesson except I didn't take any part in the editing. Instead I continued my previous work on the promotional poster in which we will be conducting a photo shoot for hopefully in the next few days.



JP - Progress Update

In the latest lesson I was tasked with drawing the mock-ups of 2 of our panes for the digipak. I ended up creating the base concepts for both the front and back cover, as shown below:

Group - RGB Channel Split Tutorial

After being moved over to a new machine running DaVinci software as opposed to Adobe, we have had to find a new tutorial to create an RGB channel split. DaVinci Fusion is their equivalent of After Effects, so I started looking for a tutorial on that. I then found out you can do an RGB channel split on DaVinci Resolve, and it is a lot quicker than After Effects.

Ross and I experimented and managed to do one in 15 minutes on a test shot of me playing the drums. In the final product, the RGB channel split will only be a short shot, but we left it longer to fully see what we could do in Resolve.

- Vimeo tutorial we used to do our RGB Channel Split



- Screenshot of our RGB channel split, using nodes, matte layers, and channel mixers

- Our RGB channel split demo

Group - Editing Update

We got off to a slow start with editing, as we found our footage was too high a quality for Adobe Premier to handle, as we needed to run 10 tracks at a time. This left us unable to edit performance footage for a few weeks, while the school technicians figured out what to do with our group.

We spent our time working on Royal Blood digipaks and advertisements, and editing our narrative shots on Premiere.

We have now moved all our footage to a specialised machine with an improved graphics card, which can handle our footage with up to 15 tracks. We are also now using DaVinci Resolve as opposed to Premiere. This has taken a little bit of getting used to but we are starting to appreciate the benefits of the software, like being able to mute channels while we cut out the unwanted bits of each performance track.

As of today we have now started editing out performance footage, and are making progress on getting a finalised performance track before overlaying our narrative footage, which needs to be converted into .xml through Premiere Pro to be compatible with Resolve.

Group - Promotional Campaign Update

Our promotional campaign will consist of a four pane digipak, and an A4 and A3 advertisement.

We have chosen to go with a 4 pane digipak over 6 pane, because it is more conventional for our genre of music. We plan to conform to Royal Blood's existing digipaks with a very plain, black and white look, but then for the inside pains add a performance shot of the band to add colour and depth to the print work.

For our advertisement we are going to have two magazine advertisements that would appear in magazines such as NME. The first one will be a landscape A3 double page spread, consisting of an image of the band against a wall. We will take use of filler space to insert text, promoting the band and their Careless EP. The second will be a portrait A4 image of Ross, using similar techniques to also promote the EP and music video.

30 Second Rough Cut Extract (Opening)

Group - Digipack And Promotional Poster Electronic Mock-Up

These are some rough mock ups Joe and Will have done on photoshop, to get a rough idea of our designs before starting the final process.

 

 

 

Group - Week 10/11/14 - 14/11/14

Throughout last week we began to edit our performance part of our video. We also made a start researching and creating a mock up for our promotional poster and digipak. On top of this we completed our Storyboard on Premiere and then finished all our filming by going to Halsted as well as Will's house to shoot our narrative part of our music video. The details of this shoot have been highlighted in another group post.

Group - Shooting Update

Over the weekend we filmed our narrative sequence, and have now got all our footage ready for editing. We ventured out to Halstead, and visited an old bomb hole, allowing us to get some really low angle shots of the protagonist, as well as over the shoulder surveying shots. We also went to Will's house in Seal, where we filmed the opening to our video, as well as some filler shots for various points in the song.

We have reviewed the footage as a group, and are very pleased with the variety and quality of shots. We have a large amount of footage for both narrative and performance, so putting them together should be easy as it will be hard to run out of shots, therefore we will avoid repeating shots too much.

We will now start overlaying our narrative onto our performance footage, to merge the to ideas together. We have had some slight technical issues regarding our computer and Adobe Premiere, where it will not respond to the high quality and frame rate of our footage. This has slowed down our editing some what, but we are on our way to getting the first rough cut together.

Group - Storyboard Animatic

Throughout this process of creating a Storyboard Animatic we have learnt a lot about what we want to achieve within our video, regarding camera, distance, movement, and angle. We have now emulated some of these shots within our piece such as close ups on the instruments and the band throughout the performance part. We have also aimed to emulate the mirror shot shown by having Ross cycling away from the screen getting closer to the mirror of him before disappearing.

Whilst constructing our Storyboard, we came to the decision that we would quite like to have quite an illustrative link between lyrics and visuals. This led us to base our narrative on a teenage boy who has broken up with his girlfriend; as she has recovered and moved on, he is distraught and thus leads him  to go off the rails.

We also used some of The 1975 videos and took inspiration from the locations they use. The shots where they are in a skate park on a half pipe we felt were really effective. Although we didn't go to a skate park, we did emulate a few of these shots by using the edge of a bomb hole in which we filmed at. We felt the mise-en-scene in this was really good and the location really fitted our concept for our music video.

Although this task took a very similar format from last year, within this years animatic we had to think about a lot more making it a great deal more complex. Whilst last year we thought from shot to shot, this year we had a very different task. We didn't really work in a chronological order to begin with and instead just thought of all the different shots we would like to include at some point throughout the song.

Group - Band Image Print Work

Through researching Royal Bloods print work, it is evident that they often have very simplistic designs. Usually they have a white background with the same font for their typeface. Moreover, many of the digipak's hold a similar style in using a weird, peculiar image, with black and white. This can be shown in a few images below.

For the promotional poster, it follows a similar pattern in that there's a basic, but effective design. The only problem with Royal Blood is that due to their designs being quite simplistic their is only so much we can do to make it look as high level as possible. We are considering, in order to change the design from the digipak, to use the band members on the promotional poster.

Group - Shoot Update

We have now completed filming for our performance shots, and acquired over 30 minutes of footage for what will equate to about half of our video, around 2 minutes.

We shot in a drama studio with the band and instruments positioned in the middle of the room. We turned the exposure down on our camera, and lit the band with bright stage lighting. This caused the background to be completely black, and leave the band in full view at all times.

Overall we are really happy with the quality of some of the shots we have, as we made sure to shoot at a variety of angles and distance, as well as lighting conditions, so we have something to fit every point in the song.

We made sure to record full take of the song at every angle, including tracking and moving shots, as well as extra chorus and drum fills to get emphasis on those sections. This way when it comes to editing, we will sync up every take in multiple lanes of Adobe Premiere, and slowly cut out sections we don't want until we are left with a full rough edit of the performance. Once we have filmed our narrative shots will when then overlay them in the appropriate places until we have our finished sequence.

RG - Digipak Analysis

The 1975 Front Cover



The 1975 Back Cover

The 1975 Inside

Throughout the digipak the images follow a black and white colour scheme. This connotes darkness and makes the digipak seem more edgy. This causes the digipak to apply to two target audiences, the edginess would cause it to appeal to a young adult/teenage audience, where as, the black and white also creates a more polished, classy look which means the album could also be targeted at an older audience.
The use of black and white is also an example of showing synergy throughout all parts of the product. This will also make the cover stand out when placed with other albums as it is unusual to have a black and white cover. Also shows synergy with music videos from the album.

The costume worn in the image is very simple, the black hoody worn by the lead singer could be seen as intimidating to the older audience as it gives connotations of hooded youths causing trouble, whilst also attracting to a younger audience as they are able to relate to the artist. Also, the clothing worn is very plain, this suggests the band are similar to their target audience and do not need or have the want for expensive clothing. Could suggest a lack of interest in their appearance.

The image shows the artists to be looking away from the camera, which shows no direct mode of address. Therefore, the digipak does not create a connection with the audience, which suggests attitude being shown from the artists which will appeal to the hormonal feelings many teenagers have.

On the front cover there is use of neon lighting this suggests nightlife such as clubbing which could attract a younger audience as this is an activity they are likely to take part in. This goes against the connotations of the genre which the album is part of (Alternative/Indie Rock).
The word 'Deluxe' being on the front also attracts people who are already fans of the band as it shows that there is something special about this album over their other ones.

The use of their very simple band logo on the front of the cover gives them identity. As it shows they are an established band as all that's needed on the front is the name of the band to appeal people to buy the album.

On the back of the album cover it features record label logos, which are not only there for copyright reasons but also attracts fans of other music signed to these labels. The images suggest that the album will be worth buying as the record labels have backed it.
The back cover also features stylized track listing, for example the use of "//" at the beginning and end of the disc numbering. This creates a link between this and other communication from the band (e.g tweets) where they have previously used a similar layout. This appeals to a media conscious audience as they will be able to recognise the band across all platforms. This audience is likely to be a younger one as they often spend more time on social networks.

DW - Digipak Analyisis

The genre of the artist is noise rock, a style of rock music that uses a lot of dissonance and distortion to create extra noise. This is made prevalent through the grungy overtones of the album cover and the use of visual techniques to covey this.

The black and white colour scheme is very minimalistic, and stereotypical of the genre as it is harsh and bare, lacking contrast, depth and emotion. The typeface used is also very edgy, and looks distorted in some way.

The titles and artwork mainly lie in the centre line of the frame, and little attention has been put into the rule of thirds. There is also equal lettering on either side of the centre line, royal - blood. This connotes a polished feel and a symmetrical, clean look.

The use of a Victorian style image connotes the bands isolation, as it is seen as a regressive step back in history. The way only the eyes and hands are fully shown also connotes this. The head of the person is coloured with what looks like the solar system or space, further connoting their isolation and coldness of the digipak.

These techniques are used to connote star status when looking through Dyer's principal of the star image. The ideas of rebellion, anger, disregard for social values and drugs could all be seen through these visual techniques, connoting the band as a teen idol of angst and rebellion.

There are very little linguistic devises used on the digipak. The album is self titled 'Royal Blood', so no analysis can be undertaken of the album name, and the only other writing is the song listings on the back. The songs however can be used to connote isolation and anger, for example such song names as "You Can Be So Cruel", "Little Monster", "Careless", and "Better Strangers".

As an album cover for a rock band, the print text is unlikely to be consumed on a large level, as it will be targeted towards select audiences, who will be likely to have already heard of the band, making them more prone to consuming the record.

Overall, the band are represented to be very alone from the album, and distant from the audience. This could be for two reasons. Firstly, it is their debut album, so they do not have a fully established fan base ready to consume their material. The isolation of the album could be a reflection of their isolation in the music industry, and a metaphor for the start of their careers, as it will build up over time. Secondly, and adding to this, when seen through Dyer's theory, the digipak portrays the band to be absent from the audience and incomplete. This will make the audience go out and actively listen to their songs, and consume their videos, to feel indulged in the incoherence of the band image.

JP - Digipak Analysis

Rammstein - Made in Germany (Digipak)

Genre:

• The genre of the album is Industrial Metal which is known for its minimalistic style using continuous riffs and relying on instrumental development. This is evident in the digipak through the minimalist art style used as it consists of simply the band members' heads painted to seem like marble statues, overlayed by uniform typography to denote the album and song names.

Media Language:

• The visual techniques used convey the artistic nature of the band yet also their uniform image through each member being framed in the centre third of each section. Futhermore, the lack of mise-en-scene (apart from casting) creates an ominous tone which is evident in the band's overall timbre in their songs and their lyrical themes.
• The album title, 'Made in Germany', connotes that the band (like statues) were forged and 'chiseled' in their home country and exported globally.
• The subjects in the images, whilst being the band members, are seemingly intertextual references to human statues and the idea that they are viewed as living art such as musicians in the modern day are too.

Representation:

• The band are represented as embodying their work through literally being a part of it in the form of real life art. This adds to their postmodern meta-narrative and helps to sell the product through audience intrigue.

Institution and Audience:

• The text would be consumed through ambient observation as there is very little to it due to its minimalist nature and would mainly be used for finding out what's on the album.

Typography:

• The gold font colour denotes the paramount nature of their music and highlights it on the digipak.
• The text is always centre on the page making it the second point on the reading path of each pane.
• The typography style itself is industrial and clean, connoting both the blatant connection to industrial metal and the refined and methodical nature of the band.

WB - Digipak Analysis

Royal Blood are part of the rock genre, thus they present themselves to be quite edgy and grungy. This is represented on the album cover from the grungy overtone it holds.

The colour scheme on the album cover is black and white, a very minimalistic style quite stereotypical of the rock genre, and the noise rock sub-genre more specifically. The black and white typeface is also very edgy typical of the horror genre. The use of a white background is an example of synergy within

The Victorian style image is typical of their band and could represent there isolation from the rest of society as they often present themselves to be regressive in the way they step back in history. This could be reinforced in that the character in shot, only shows his/her hands and eyes.

Dyer's theory of creating a star image is enforced with Royal Blood. They present themselves to be youthful, rebellious, and have a disregard for social norms and values. This is represented throughout many of their videos, lyrics, and digipak's.

As Royal Blood are a rock band, there music is unlikely to be consumed on a global scale. Instead it is more likely to be consumed by a selective audience.

On the front of the album cover the only text shown is 'Royal Blood', the name of the band, so apart from 'royal' possibly linking to the Victorian theme, there is no other real analysis liking to the name of the band. Nevertheless, on the back of the album cover, although once again having a very simplistic design the names of the songs give us a very good idea of the style of the band. The grungy rock theme is enhanced with song names such as 'Blood Hands', 'Ten Tonne Skeleton', 'Little Monster', 'Careless', and 'Out Of The Black'. The name of the songs connote anger, frustration, and generally negative dark themes.

Group - Plan For Shoot

This week we are planning to film the performance parts of our video. We are using the drama studio and have booked to use it Wednesday after school. We need to organise the attire and props needed for our shoot although already having everything we need already at home. Will and Dan have both learnt the song on bass and drums as well as Will learning the lyrics for the song to add realism to the performance. We will film the whole song multiple times from different angles in order to have multiple choices for what angles suit what parts of the song. We will also then fill other shots with narrative shots that include Ross as the protagonist next week.

 

This is the type of look we will be hoping to achieve. Will as the one on the left and Dan as the one on the right.

Group - Teaching Will the Bass Part

We want the performance aspect of our production to look as realistic and believable as possible. However, as Will (the bass player and singer in our video) can't play bass, I spent some time to learn the part myself and teach it to him. The shots above show how it was taught through example as well as utilising some practice angles that we want to try in the final shoot (mainly CUs on specific aspects of the performance such as just the right or left hand and shots angled down the fretboard as he is playing).