Evaluation Activity 3

Evaluation on Prezi

Evaluation Activity 1 Section B

Activity 1 Question B



1) A shot that shows a link between the lyrics and/ or music and visuals

This is a shot from Katy Perry's music video 'fireworks', there is a clear link with the lyrics and visuals as when she sings "baby your a firework" we immediately get a shot of fireworks shooting out of her.

2) A shot that typifies the way a record company would want their artist to be represented.

This shot is of Lady Gaga coming out of a pool in her video 'poker face.' The video was one of Gaga's first therefore the shot of her illustrates the unique way in which the record company decided to represent her.

3) A shot that illustrates how a video uses music genre

Lil Wayne is known for his amazing lyrics and rapping skills, this shot emphasises his music genre; rap, as he is surrounded by women in a limo which also shows his power and wealth. He also has a 'thuggish' look which also helps to identify his genre of music.

4) A shot that shows intertextual reference

This shot of Twiggy has intertextual reference as one of the bandmates our video is made to look like Twiggy, we felt this had a good connection with our music.

5) A shot that demonstrates use of camera

Shot 5 is from Lady Gaga's recent music video called 'Born this way.' The camera is filming from a birds eye view angle. This is a good camera technique as it captures all the bodies in this scene which also adds an effect t the video and changes it from th typical close up shots.

6) A shot that demonstrates use of lighting

This shot is Lady Gaga again from her 'Born this way' video. As most of the video is dark, this shot has excellent use of lighting as we are able to see her face clearly in full colour, which also adds to her star image.

7) A shot that demonstarte the use of mise-en-scene

Also taken from Gaga's video 'Born this way' this shot justifies the use of mise-en-scene as her and the actor are made to look like walking skeletons. The use of make-up helps to create the image but the costume takes away Gaga's 'girly' side as a gender of a skeleton cannot be recognised easily.

8 & 9) Two shots which you feel demonstrate something which shows you have watched other music videos

Shot 8 is taken from Britney Spears video 'Oops I did it again'. The close-up shot is typical of a pop video, it enables the consumers to easily recognise the artist as a star image is created.

Shot 9 is from Nicki Minaj's music video 'Moment for life' again there is a close up shot of the artist but this particular shot creates a link between the lyrics and visuals as wel as music. The music sounds similar to a  Disney princess film which connects with the way Nicki Minaj looks as she looks like a princess and sings "I wish I could have this moment for life" this being in regards to her bing a princess.

Evaluation

Activity 1

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e Music videos)

1) A shot that shows a link between lyrics and/ or music and visuals

This shot shows a link between the lyrics and visuals as it is a reference to the very first 2 lines of the song which are "Fashion is the only cure ,It always leaves you wanting more." As the opening sequence of my music videos continues there are more shots of the girl walking down in different fun and colourful outfits.

2) A shot that typifies the way a record company would want their artists to be represented.

This is a close up shot of one of the band members this is something that the record company would ask for as it creates an identity for the artist which leads onto star image. The shot of the band member singing into a hair brush with clothes hanging in the background emphasises the age group and genre that the band is appealing too.

3) A shot that illustrates how your  video uses music genre

This close up of the whole band together is something that is consistent in every pop video, therefore I decided to incorporate this into my music video as it creates a star image that consumers can recognise. As like every pop video, star image is key and therefore the way the artists look is very important, this is easily established by using close up shots.

4) A shot that shows an intertextual reference

This shot was inspired by Twiggy who was a fashion mogule as well as an actress and singer. As the song is about fashion I felt that by using Twiggy as an intertextual reference emphasises the lyrics as she is best known for her modelling and fashion choice.

5) A shot that demonstates your use of camera

This is a long distance shot that we decided to use as we were able to film the whole outfit as well as the bandmate walking towards the camera. By using this shot it allows the audience to see the bandmate from a distance and feel more of a relationship with the artist when she finally walks towards the camera as if she was walking to them. For our other shots we decided film whilst having the camera on the ground as we were able to get clear shots of the shoes whilst the bandmate is walking.

6) A shot that illustrates your use of lighting

This shot shows the use of natural lighting as the greenery adds to the shot making the walk stand out more. Also as the artist is dressed in black, we are able to see what she is wearing more clearly.

7)  A shot that demonstrates your use of mise-en-scene

This show clearly emphasises the use of mise-en-scene as the whole song and music video is about fashion, we decided to film in a 'typica' girly bedroom whilst one of the artists throws clothes out of her wardrobe. By throwing out the clothes it creates a messy room which also is streotypical for when a girl is getting ready or trying to find an outfit to wear.

8 & 9) Two shots which you feel demonstrate something which shows you have watched other music videos.

This shot illustartes that I have looked at other relating pop videos as it is a close up of one of the bandmates.

This still was encouraged by one of the Rogue Traders other songs called 'Voodoo Child' although they use different lips singing the song, I decided to use jewellery in order to emphasise the lyrics of the song as well as the music.

Possible fonts for album cover and magazine advert

When choosing the font for my album cover and magazine advert I wanted something which was unique but girly and was noticeable easily. I decided to ask people in my classses which font they thought was more suitale for the genre of music and the song. Using the feedback I have recieved I decided to use te same font as i did for my band name as the font for the album cover and also the magazne advert. This will help consumers notice the band easier and also it will tie all the products together.

Back Cover

This is the back cover of the album, again i decided to use red in order to tie in with the whole colour scheme. I decided to keep the back simple and readable as it has the songs which feature on the album. I used images of the shoes which feature in the video of 'fashion' as this is the bands debut song it will be easily recognised and noticable.

Front Cover

This is the front cover of my album. Using the feedback i recieved i decided to use these two images at the front of the album. I also chose to repeat the bands name in the background and also featured the album name in the middle. I thought by using the green for 'Envious Eyes' will help tie in with the name of the album. I decided to use a red background to tie in with the bands name and kept the name simple with black and white in order for it not to be over the top.

Inside left

This is the inside left of my album. I decided to make it stand out with colours and the repetition of the bands website in order to catch the eye and make it stand out.

Inside Right

This is the inside right of my album which will be the image on the CD. I think its fun and the cherries emphasises the band name.

Possible images for Album cover and Magazine advert

These are the possible images that I might use on my album cover and magaz, I have used photoshop to add effects to the images and make them look more professional.

These are the shots which i have taken from my video and also the filming of the video. I wanted to use similar images from the video in order for my whole product to tie in together and also for it to be recognised easily. I wanted to use images tht tied in with the colour scheme of my album and also ones that were fun and stand out. Before making a final decision i wantd to gather some feed back from possible consumers. I asked which of the following 4 images worked best together and several people said the first two shots were more fun and catched their eye. Also because they had been edited and had an effect on them it also added to the band name and also music video as well as the name of the song.

Possible magazine advert

1)

2)

3)

These are the 3 possible magazine adverts i have created. I decided to use red on all of them as it ties in with the band name and also its the colour scheme for the album. Also i have used the same images as i did on the album in order for it to be recognised more easily and noticed.

Final magazine advert

I have chosen this as my final magazine advert. I decided to use the same images and font as my album cover as this will help consumers understand and notice the group easily. Also i have used the album on the magazine advert as while i have been researching magazine adverts most of them use an image of the album. Using the album image also helps consumers to recognis the album when in stores.

Album cover analysis- Pink

Pinks album ‘Missundaztood’ is the second debut album from the artist. The album cover features pink lying down on what seems to be a couch with graffiti on it. We get a close up shot of the artist as she lies down with her name ‘P!NK’ written in bright pink at the back. Pink is a different type of artist as we can tell from the way she spells her name and also the irony of her name and the music she creates. Pink can be seen as a ‘boyish’ artist who dresses in baggy clothes and likes to ride motorbikes although she has a name like pink which is also her hair colour. The album title is spelt ‘Missundaztood’ rather than misunderstood also this is ironic with the way the word is spelt as it can be misunderstood. We get a sense of a graffiti scenery as the title of the album is written as if it was graffiti on the sofa and so do the other words around pink. Her hair colour is blonde although she has a streak of pink in her fringe; this is done as it goes with her name and also for her to be more recognizable and noticeable.

Thinking about the target audience

Rogue traders

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Feed back on band name

After thinking of a name with my group for what we should call this group and what the album should be called i decided to ask classmates for their feedback on what they thought was more suitable for the song.

I asked them 3 questions
1) which name do you prefer for the girl band?
Fashion Fix, Cherry.Couture, CLF (cherries love fashion) or The Cherries
After asking 30 people the results were that 16 people liked 'The Cherries' as it was simple and easy to remeber. 1 person said CLF, whilst 8 people liked Cherry.Couture and the remaining 5 liked Fashion Fix.

I decided to go along with the results and decided that 'The Cherries' was the most suitable name for this genre of music and the song.

I then decided to ask them which of the fonts suited the name more

A)

B)

C)

D)

I found that most people liked C and therefore i decided to use this as my font. I found all the fonts from UrbanFonts.com

I then asked my 3rd and final question which was on the name of the album.

3) Which one of these album titles do you prefer for 'The Cherries' debut album?
Fashion Galore, Envious Eyes, Pop Control
I asked the same 30 people and 23 people chose envious eyes as it features in the song whilst a mere 3 chose Fashion Galore and the remaining 4 chose Pop Control

Photoshop

Photoshop is the programme I will be using in order to edit and create my album covers, inlays and magazine adverts.

The programme has many advantages to it one being that there are many effects you can use in order to create the image you want also it is a fairly easy programme to use. I can easily add text to images or change the colour scheme on them or even take out any background I do not need or want. Also as I need to create a digi-pack using the programme to do this will be easy and quick as I can easily create my final product into it.

If I find myself to become stuck there are many tutorials on Youtube.com that explain what I can do and also there are many different effect techniques also.

Final Cut Express

Final Cut Express is the programme I will be using to edit my video using an Apple Mac computer.

The programme has many benefits, the main one being it is easy to use and understand. It is easy to add effects to the video clips and edit out any unnecessary parts I don’t need. I plan on using many different effects and techniques in order to enhance the quality of my video. I also want to make the video exciting by adding colour or distorting clips. As the song by Rouge Traders is very upbeat and has a fast tempo I plan on cutting the videos to make them change fast and quick in order to go with the beat and music.

As Final Cut Express has many layers when editing material, it is easy to create different effects with the layers and also you can play it with the song to see if it works.

The programme allows us to import pieces of material that we need in order to create the video. Also by being able to export the final version of the video we are easily able to upload it to the blog and other internet sites such as Youtube for feedback.

Independant Record Labels

An independent record label (or indie record label) is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.  The boundaries between major and independent labels, and the definitions of each, differ from commentator to commentator.  The traditional definition of a 'major' record label is one that owns its own distribution channel. Some independent record labels, in particular those with successful performing artists, sign dual-release agreements (and make other deals) with major labels and may rely to some extent on international licensing deals, distribution agreements, and other arrangements with major record labels. Major labels may also wholly or partially acquire independent labels.

TVT Records is an independent US record label founded by Steve Gottlieb. Over the course of its 25 year history the label released some 25 Gold, Platinum and Multi-platinum releases. It included Nine Inch Nails, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, Underworld, The KLF, Sevendust, Brian Jonestown Massacre and Pitbull. Its biggest commercial successes were the triple platinum Nine Inch Nails's Pretty Hate Machine, two double platinum releases by Lil Jon, and platinum releases by Snoop Dogg and the Eastside Boyz, Dashboard Confessional, Default and Ying Yang Twins.

Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record label. Gurewitz took the name from a King Crimson song of the same name. Throughout the 80s and 90s most of the bands on Epitaph were punk and pop punk groups, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands signed to the label too. A large portion of the record label, known as Hellcat Records, is owned by Tim Armstrong, front man of the punk rock band Rancid. Several sister-labels also exist, such as ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Fat Possum Records, Hellcat Records and Heart & Skull Records that have signed other types of bands. Current artists signed to the label are 30 MILES, Alesana, Bad Religion, The Blackout, The colour of violence and The Draft.

Record Companies

Record labels may be small and independent, or they may be part of a large international media group. The largest four record labels are called ‘Major Labels.’ Since 1988-2009 there has been a change in these major labels. It first began with the ‘Big Six’ consisting of record labels such as Warner Music Group, EMI, Sony Music, BMG Music, Universal Music Group and Polygram. Over the years this has decreased to just 4 labels now being called the ‘Big four.’ Till today the big four record label groups are Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Group and Warner Music Group.

Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world’s largest group of record labels in the recording industry. It is the largest of the ‘Big Four’ record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations.  UMG owns a music publisher named Universal Music Publishing Group, which became the world’s largest following the acquisition of BMG Music Publishing in May 2007. "Universal Music" was once the music company attached to film studio Universal Pictures. Its origins go back to the formation of the American branch of Decca Records in 1934. Artists signed to UMG include Akon, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Robin Thicke, Lady Gaga, Lil wayne, Drake and many more.

                                                 Lil Wayne is signed to UMG

Warner Music Group (WMG) is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies. Warner Music Group also has a music publishing arm called Warner/Chappell Music, which is currently one of the world's largest music-publishing companies.  WMG is the only one of the big four record companies that cannot trace its ancestry, WMG's roots date back to the founding of Warner Bros.  Diddy, Alesha Dixon, Gucci Mane, Gym Class Heroes, Madonna and Plan B are all artists signed with Warner Music group.

                                                      Madona is signed with WMG

Sony Music Entertainment abbreviated SME is the second largest global recorded music company of the ‘big four’ record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America. The company which evolved into Sony Music was founded in 1929 as the American Record Corporation (ARC) through several smaller record companies. Sony renamed the record company Sony Music Entertainment (SME) on January 1991. Sony Music Entertainment throughout the years have signed many successful music artists. Some of these include Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Bob Dylan, Kings of Leon, Leona Lewis and one of the most widely beloved entertainers the late Michael Jackson.

The EMI Group (Electric and Musical Industries LTD, is a music company headquartered in London, England. It is the fourth largest business groups and family of record labels in the recording industry making it the fourth of the ‘Big Four’ record companies. The Electric and Musical Industries LTD was formed in Mrach 1931 by the merger of the UK Columbia Graphophone Company Columbia Graphophone Company and the Gramophone Company, with its "His Master's Voice" record label, firms that have a history extending back to the origins of recorded sound. Artists with EMI Group include The Beatles, Katy Perry, Queen and Letoya Luckett.

Album cover analysis - Rihanna

LOUD is the fifth studio album from Rihanna, we can see a dramtic change in image and in her music by just looking at 3 of her albums. Her first album ‘Music of the Sun’ uses the conventions of an album cover having used a simplistic colour scheme which also featured in her song "Pon de Replay." We get a close up shot of Rihanna gazing straight at us, from the album cover we do not know what is to come from the artist this is created by the imagery used as Rihanna poses with a ‘mysterious’ sort of face, this emphasises the fact that she is a new artist and we can never predict what will be to come, this indulges listeners as they are excited to hear what is next. Her name ‘Rihanna’ appears at the top left hand conrner of the album cover in a different colour scheme to the one used on the rest of the album, this is done in order for the image and the artists name to stand out and be more noticeable. 

 Rated R was the fourth album to come from the singer, looking at her first to the fourth there is an overwhelming and dramtic change to her image and possibly music. The album cover still has the conventions of an album but the colour scheme is dark and dull. Rihanna poses different as to that of her first album as here she is in a moody and contemplative pose, wearing a leather top with her hand covering her right eye and each finger wrapped in an intricate set of rings. The image was taken by fashion photographer Ellen von Unwerth who stated that "Rihanna was looking to create something a bit new for the look of the album.” Unlike all the other album covers ‘RATED R’ does not feature Rihanna’s name on the album cover, this could possibly due to the fact that the imagery of the album is so powerful anybody would easily notice her although the name of the album helps to understand who she is with the ‘R’. The strong image on the cover instantly gives away the sort of music which is to be expected in this album as at the same time there was the controversy of her abusive relationship with singer Chris Brown. The album shows another side to Rihanna that we have not encountered with yet, by using such forceful and strong imagery it instantly defines her and her work.  As Rihanna would be soon touring the album helped create a ‘buzz’ of what was to be expected with the costumes, background visuals and performances.

Recently Rihanna has released LOUD her fifth album, yet again we have a change of appearance as now everything is red. Rihanna braced us with her red hair in her video of ‘Only Girl.’  Her red hair can be seen in the corners of the album and noticeably her lips are also red. Her lips are in the centre of the album cover, this may have been done in order to emphasise that Rihanna is now becoming a very successful aritst and she has the voice to speak out. The name of the album; ‘LOUD’ is also powerful as it could be said that she now has the opportunity and voice to write about things that matter to her, she does not need to create this image no more. The red in itself is loud as her prior album was black and white.  Rihanna’s name does not appear on this album cover also, as now she is a well established artist who is known worldwide, it shows how powerful and successful she is.