I have no intention to use pictures of the band for my digipak or the advert because I want to take the attention away from the band and their image and focus on their sound and the music. However, I wanted to follow Richard Dyer's star theory and include a booklet of pictures of the band as fans want to be able to see pictures of them. I was inspired by my research into the band James as they also included a pullout with photographs of the band and instruments.
This page of the booklet is a monochrome theme with pictures of the guitarist, the guitars and the band as a whole. The bottom picture is blurry to try and fit with the idea of taking the attention away from themselves as a band but this still fits with Dyer's theory because audiences get to view the band.
This will be a red theme page. These photos are taken in the same light as that shown in the music video because this follows a running in house style.
Photos taken in the same location however with a different colour for both of them.
I chose this blue photo as the main photo because it shows the main singer in the band and this is who a lot of people would aspire to be like because he is the front man. There is just a small photo of the singer and another band member in the top right corner to try not to focus the attention too much on the front man.
I have printed out my inside cover and CD and inserted it into my jewel case. I have decided that this fits with the theme because the inside cover is the same model from the front cover as this is a brand identity. I decided to have my model facing the wall to make it seem as though it is one photo. The yellow visualiser fits into this house theme of continuing throughout the digipak.
I used PhotoShop to create my magazine advert. For the advert I have decided to stick with the psychedelic theme and have the visualiser from iTunes as my image. I have used the same typography as on my digipak to follow a brand identity.
This is the advert for the new album 'Tainted Eternity'. As can be seen it has the lights as the photo. I dragged the band name and album title from the front cover to make sure it was exactly the same typography and colour to follow the brand identity. I have used the same font for the date and all the other information included on the advert. I have shown that it is available on different platforms and it can be purchased from iTunes. There is a website link on the bottom too so people can read more about the band on this. Also there is the record label in the bottom right corner to follow codes and conventions of magazine adverts.
I researched different magazine adverts but found that many bands do not often promote albums in magazines. I discovered multiple adverts such as The Killers - 'Day and Age' and Kings of Leon 'Only By The Night'. Both of these magazine adverts are for bands within the same genre of music and so I used them as my inspiration for this. Both of these bands have a sense of brand identity. They both use the same typography on their album covers and both of the images are the same as their front covers for their albums. I wanted to show some diversity so decided to use a different pattern on the front cover and magazine advert. I followed the same codes and conventions as these two adverts by having names of singles that will be featured on the album. As well as this convention I added where the album is available, much like on the Kings Of Leon advert and on both of the adverts the record company logo is visible on the bottom of the page. I also did this and added the bands website to the advert.
Sundara Karma are the band who's song I chose to use. They are an indie rock band from Reading. According to their Facebook page they formed in early 2011 but only recently emerged because of their 2014 single 'Indigo Puff'. This song has gained them recognition and they have grown from then. In 2016 they played the main stage at Reading Festival and they also announced their debut album 'Youth is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect' coming out in January 2017.
Sundara Karma also have the psychadelic theme about them as can be seen on their wesbite with the logo for their album. Their single 'She Said' has had a lot of media attention as it was BBC Radio 1s track of the day and Radio 1 get a lot of listeners. Lot's of people have already pre-ordered the album and this is proof that they are slowly becoming more popular.
Below is the music video for the song 'She Said' which is the song that I have used for my music video.
As can be seen in the above images I have slightly adapted the album typography. It used to be more spaced apart as can be seen here. One of the reasons I did this was because it fitted with the psychadelic style I was going for. This new spacing of the album name 'Tainted Eternity' makes the eyes go funny and it is hard to read. This is similar to the autostereogram which many young people in the mid 1980s used to stare at whilst listening to music. I wanted to encorporate this into my digipak somehow and decided that the green screen would not be enough. This adds to the psychadelic element of my brand identity as it is fairly sharp on the eyes. Within the title there seems to be the word enter and I thought that this would add to this theme because it is telling the audience that they are enetering a new world when they listen to this album.
James are an indie 80s rock band from Manchester. They released a 'Best of' album because they have many popular hits and so put them onto one CD to appeal to their audience. The digipak does not include photographs of the band themselves on the front, back or inside covers much like the digipak I created. This is because they care more about the music they produce rather than their own image, however, they included a pullout of photographs of the band as their fans still like to see photos of the band. This album was my inspiration as it was more about creating a unique sense of branding rather than the 'Star Theory' that Richard Dyer created.
Front Cover
Pullout
Pullout
Pullout
Pullout
The pullout in this album digipak has photos of the band including close ups and performance shots. This adds variety to the digipak as it shows the band off in different ways. The front cover is unique with their famous logo being stamped in different colours. It appears throughout the pullout as the logo is on different pages.
This is a printout of my digipak. As can be seen the front and back cover are too big. I will have to change the sizings of it to get it to actually fit into the cd case. I followed the sizes on a separate digipak template which can be viewed in the link attached. This issue is not a big deal as it is just a case of resizing and also it shows the journey I have had to take to get to my final product.
As well as the size, the colouring on the front cover has been altered slightly. The original from photoshop can be seen below.
Front Cover
Back Cover
After showing my focus group my initial front and back cover I had a few different reactions. Anna said "This is really nice. Really gives a sense of brand identity because these lights are also in your music video." However Josh gave constructive criticism as he said "I like it but the typography should be exactly the same to follow the house style." I worked on this and copied and pasted the front cover title and the line underneath it straight onto my back cover. Charlton said that I should "add the band and album name onto the side so when it folds into the cd case the name is on the spine so when on a shelf it is easy to spot the cd." I agreed and am currently working on this as it gives it a sense of identity and makes my digipak look more professional.
This is an update on my music video. After telling my focus group that I was not following codes and conventions by having a narrative, they told me that I should add more cutaways with the green screen effect as it gave the video and the ancillary products a sense of brand identity. I decided to add the effect to the drums as there were no cutaways of the drumming. Also I added the effect to my subjects face as I thought this would look good and it follows this brand identity.
My research has definitely informed my practice as I have noticed how different genre's have different codes and conventions for music videos and their anciliary products. These conventions have helped shape how I put together my video. Often those videos that are mainly performance shots and don't include a narrative fall under the indie genre which is what my song is. Also the psychadelic feel is common in many videos, especially in Tame Impala's - 'Feels Like We Only Go Backwards' and Wolf Alice's - 'Freazy'. Both of these videos fall under the indie genre and both of them have very psychadelic feels to them.
However, I have not followed all stereotypical codes and conventions as I have not got any form of narrative in my video as I did not feel it was necessary for the song and would not have fitted. This is why I have chosen to do a mainly performance video with many cutaways.
The powerpoint below is the analysis of the album 'An Awesome Wave' by Alt-J. I chose to analyse this album digipack because it is unique and minimalistic and what inspired my digipak. I like the simplicity of it because it makes it clear to the audience that all they want people to do is to listen to their music and not worry about the Star Identity such as their image. However, the lack of image may have infact made their Star Identity to be that they have no image. This means that they get attention for not having a certain feature. This is similar with Sia who has never shown her face as she believes that the industry is about music and not image. However, this statement has meant that she has gained Star Identity for being so different.
The image above is the flatplan for the digipak. I chose a six panel plan as it would let me be able to express all of what I want to. I decided to keep the theme of the green screen idea as it gave the band a sense of brand identity. I am going to include this light theme on the front cover, inside cover, back cover , left cover and on the disc itself. I chose to use the same talent for the album cover as, again, it gives the band a sense of identity as the hair becomes a key image. I decided to name the band 'The Habits' as there would be trademark issues if I used 'Sundara Karma' who are the original band. 'The Habits' came about as I was inspired by the band 'The Last Shadow Puppets' in particular the song 'Bad Habits'. They are the same genre of music and so this fits. The album title came from the idea of revealing a secret, in this case the secret being the album itself as it will include one single.
Magazine Advert Flatplan One
Magazine Advert Flatplan Two
Both the above images are flatplans for the magazine advert. I am not sure whether to use the band in the advert with the name of the band and the album title or to use a photo of the sun as this is conventional for indie bands. The sun is not conventional but not using the band on the advert is as often they prefer to take the attention away from themselves and let them focus on the music and how the music they play is art.
The embedded PowerPoint shows the different codes and conventions of music videos. This links with Goodwin's theory of music videos as he talks about how videos often follow similar conventions but these differ slightly based on what genre they are representing.
The following photos are from the storyboard that I created before shooting my music video. Although the drawings are not the best it helped me as I knew what the shots were I wanted and when in the song I wanted them.
Richard Dyer came up with the concept of Star Theory. This theory is the idea that icons and celebrities are shaped and manefactured by institutions for their own financial gain and benefit. Dyer believes that stars are constructed to represent 'real people' who expereince real emotions.
Dyer's theory is split into three sections:
1. Stars as Constructions
2. Industry and Audiences
3. Ideology and Culture
Stars as Constructions
Dyer believes that stars are constructed through music videos, magazines, advertising etc. It helps if the star has a USP that can be easily copied or parodied. Pop stars over the years who have a unique image include the likes of Justin Bieber with his hairstyle, Bono with his glasses and Miley Cyrus with her 'twerking' phase. These pop stars are all well known for these things.
Bono from U2
Industry and Audiences
Stars are manufactured by the industry for one purpose - to make money out of an audience who respond to various elements of a star persona by buying records. Record companies 'groom' and shape their stars to what they think that dominant audiences want. This is why often many boybands and teenage bands are fairly similar in terms of style.
Dyer says:
"Stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strenght of their meanings."
Ideology and Culture
Stars represent shared cultural values and promote certain ideologies. Audience interest in these values often enhances their star quality and it is through conveying these ideas and beliefs that their star persona is built. A star may often initiate a fashion trend or maybe something deeper than this through their opinions. Twitter is often a place where they can initate these trends or voice their personal opinions.
Lady Gaga is an example of this as she often tweets about LGBTQ+ issues and this gains her media attention and allows her to grow as a star.
Beyonce has beliefs that women are strong and independent and this is expressed through the lyrics in her music and many people believe in what she is saying and so they listen to her music and she get's money from this.
Beyonce
This theory links with Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory as both talk about the appearance of the star and how this gains the insititue revenue.
Front cover of Foals' fourth studio albim 'What Went Down'. The cover portray's a lonesome sillhouette potentially bending down but it is not clear. The rest of the cover is fairly simple. The colour transition from the dirty green/blue at the top of the album slowly transends into a lighter blue. The name of the band and the album title are in the top left of the album.
Logo
Throughout the analysis of the band Foals I have noticed that since their second studio album 'Total Life Forever' they have used the same logo. This gives the band a sense of brand identity which is key in the music industry. As well as their fairly unique sound they also have their visual identity. The logo is very similar to that of the rock band 'Muse' which could suggest that they have been inspired by 'Muse' as they both have unique sounds. In 2008 when Foals released their first album 'Antidotes' they had a completely different logo and vibe. They portrayed themselves as fun and young as the typography portrayed this. The album cover's for all of Foals' albums are unique. The last 3 albums have been photographs of different things however their first album was a sketch rather than an actual photo. This shows the band have changed a lot since 2008.
Foals first Album with the different logo
There is a clear difference between the front cover of 'Antidotes' and 'What Went Down' as the logo appears in a different location with a different typography. There is also a photo rather than a sketch as the album artwork. As with many indie bands, Foals haven't included a photograph of themselves on the album anywhere. Other band's that have done this are The Courteeners with St Jude, Circa Waves with Young Chasers and Two Door Cinema Club with Tourist History.
Back cover including track list of 'What Went Down'
This is the back cover of the album 'What Went Down'. Again, it is very unique as the tracks are split up into a table. They also have the timings on the furthest right. The track names are in bold and all capital letters which is a running theme that Foals have. The credits, copyright notes and record labels are all together at the bottom of the table. The barcode is on the right side of the album. I will take inspiration from this back cover as it is unique, minimalistic and professional which is how I want my digipak to be. I will also include a barcode to follow conventions of a professional digipak.
The CD itself
This is the CD that comes in the digipak. It is black and very minimilstic. It has the logo and the album title in the same typography as on the front cover. It has all the credits at the bottom and then other details around the side. This is the only thing that let's this digipak down as it is almost too minimalistic and doesn't have much to it.
The website that Foals use is very simple to navigate. There are six tabs at the top which are clearly labelled. When clicked they take the user to the section that they have requested to view. The theme is continued from the front cover as the blue colour is the background of the website. This is a good brand identity because it shows that the website is for the band Foals. The band logo is present in the top left corner again and in the right corner there is links to their social media accounts.
Foals on the cover of NME
This front cover from NME is a perfect representation of the band. The image used shows that there is a clear front man, in this case Yannis Philippakis. It is clear that the rest of the band are not as prominant as Philippakis as they do not have as much space on the cover. This cover represents the band as quite serious but also fun. They are all pulling serious expressions but the frontman is jumping and kicking which shows that they are a fun band. I feel as though this band have a very good presence as there is 5 of them and they are taking up all the space. The white background fits the minimalistic image that is shown on the album cover.
Foals are a unique band as they are possibly the first to create a 360 degree music video. This video is completely original and features the band all playing their instruments and singing in time with the song. The video is shot in black and white which gives the band a sense of brand identity. This video also gave them publicity as NME posted an article all about the video.
This artefact works brilliantly across all different forms of media as they all follow the same brand identity which reflects the value the band is trying to bring to their target audience. Their target audience would be indie/alternative rock fans as this is the sound they produce in their music. Foals have a unique sound which matches their brand identity as it is completely unique.
This is my main talent I shot in my music video. I chose to use her as she has a very distinct look with her curly ginger hair. There is a lyric that says "Started off with her hair" and so with her hair this links very well. Also she is a good actor with very distinct facial features. Although the original song is sung by a male singer the lyrics are "She Said, I don't wanna go out chasing" and so I have decided to get her to lip sync as if she is saying "I don't wanna go out chasing". The inspiration for this idea came from the video for Common People by Pulp. View lyric analysis to get an idea of my breakdown of the lyrics.
Leeds Bridge
I chose to shoot at Leeds Bridge as the water was very still and it fitted with the song tempo. Also it was an asthetically pleasing shot and the lyrics are "voices telling her to stay behind". There is a shot with my subject looking over the water and this is her thinking about wether to go out or not.
Band Rehersal Space
This location is a rehersal space for the band that I filmed. The lights can change colour but I thought that the red would look good as it emphasises danger and also makes it eye catching to the audience. The red is a recurring theme and part of the band's identity and so having this location with colour re-appearing, the band become associated with the red.
Local Park
I chose to shoot some of my music video in the local park as I wanted it to be a normal relaxed style video. I also chose it as the sky was blue and so worked for the blue/green screen effect and this really allowed me to experiment with the psychadelic lights in the background. Also it shows how the girl in the video doesn't "wanna go out chasing" she just want's to have fun and dance.
Youth Subcultures have changed dramatically in the past two or three decades. In the mid-80's and the 90's youth subcultures were completely different to what they are now. People used to dress based on the music that they chose to listen to, for example there were the punks who clearly listened to punk music such as the Sex Pistols and The Clash. Punks used to have brightly coloured mohicans and wore leather jackets with their own customised studs all over the jacket. There were also metallers who listened to heavy metal music. They would stereotypically wear all black with baggy trousers with silver chains on them. There was a clear link to the youth subcultures and music in the 1980's. Nowadays it is clear that this has changed. There are a few reasons why this may be. One reason could be that the youngsters of today are too concerned about their futures in the current financial climate to be creative. Another reason may be because teens are so satisfied by the plethora of entertainment on offer that they don't need to rebel in the way that they dress.
British youth subcultures were first recognised by an American sociologist named Talcott Parsons who came up with the idea of "youth culture". Many sociologists worked on subcultures but there was one that really defined Britain. This was Hoggart and Hall who researched different cultures such as Hippies and Skinheads (who are a main part of subcultures in Britain). The Beatles are one of the biggest bands ever from the United Kingdom and they had a huge following. Their crowd were seen as quite outrageous as after one concert they found urine staines on the seats. This shows that the Beatles' fans were quite outgoing and didn't really care what they did and who it affected. Many people thought this was ridiculous but only because they didn't understand the trend of the 60's.
NME and the Death of the Music Press
Music magazines today are now nowhere near as big as they were in the nineties. Q magazine used to be selling three times what it is now. They used to sell around 200,000 copies a month which has now dropped to around 50,000 which is a big loss of customers. NME is the same, selling only 20,000 copies in one week. NME has rebranded completely in the past few months. In August NME sold it's last copy ever. It rebranded and is now a free music magazine as they weren't making enough money to survive. The first copy of the free edition had Rihanna on the front cover who is a pop musician. NME is traditionally and indie rock magazine with Noel Gallagher having been the person on the front cover the most. This is suggesting that NME has tried to appeal to a completely different genre of music by having Rihanna and Taylor Swift on the front cover. The change has completely ruined the experience that the indie, alternative youth subculture used to have before it became free. My genre (indie,alternative rock) now have to suffer as we do not get the pleasure of seeing our favourite bands or rock musicians on the front.
Indie Rock is a genre of music that was first formed in the 1980s. It initially derived from the term 'independent' which was when bands had a do it yourself attitude and they produced much of their own music and recorded it without being signed to a major record label who controlled when albums and singles should be released. In the 1980s The Smiths were one of the first indie bands to get some form of attention. They signed to Rough Trade which is a famous indie record label.
The Smiths
By the end of the 90s indie rock had developed multiple subgenres as indie rock bands were those who stuck to their independent status. During the 90s alternative music started to slip into the mainstream with the rise of grunge in the USA with bands such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana achieving commercial chart success. In the UK the same was happening with the break through of Britpop with bands like Blur and Oasis who abandoned the regional, small-scale and political elements that were present with indie music in the 1980s.
Blur
In the 2000s music was completely changing and the rise in music technology meant that bands could release their own music withouth being signed to record labels. An example of a band who took advantage of this was the Arctic Monkeys. Commentators have suggested that they "represented the possibility of a change in the way in which new bands are promoted and marketed". This can be seen to be true as many bands and artists now are promoted and marketed through the internet rather than actual live performances.
In my first draft I thought of making it fairly psychadelic by having a lot of colours in it. I thought I would film the visualiser on iTunes as it is a fairly unique idea. As I placed this shot into my video I thought it would make it more psychadelic and fit my genre even better if I had it placed behind the main subject and kept it as a running motif so I did.
The first step I took was to drag the footage of the visualiser and place it as the base footage. Doing this meant I would be able to place cutaways above it.
The next thing I did was to place the footage I wanted to green screen as a cutaway shot. In this example it is my subject miming to the song as if she was saying the lyrics "I don't wanna go out chasing, kinda wanna go out dancing" to show that she is the one who is saying this.
As can be seen there are different effects I can add to this shot. I played around with the split screen but it didn't work for the style of music video so I tried the green screen by simply pressing the button in the top left of the shot.
This is the final process in the green screen effect. I played around with the rubbing effect to try and get the visualiser to be behind the subject. This is the final shot and it can be seen in the first draft of my video at 1:13.
