Digipack

Made the final alterations to our digipack so it is finally done. Among the suggestions we made we have managed to use different ideas (images, texts, fonts and effects) that we each came up with. One idea of mine that we agreed on was using the grass texture image as a neutral background throughout the inlays. This is relevant to the rest of the digipack as grass is on both the front and back covers as well as the image that would be under the CD housing (reverse side of the back cover, which was a collaborative idea between Grace and I). It gives more feel to the inlay itself without overwhelming the consumer with intense imagery as well as being a nice background to read the lyrics off. It also ties in well with  video as 'nature' is a theme that occurs frequently and the blend between natural and artificial.

In the process I learned to use photoshop for apple mac to a reasonable ability. I wouldn't say I'm an expert but I can manipulate enough of an image to give good effect, learning how to:

• Select and move layers
• Select specific parts of a layer using the 'magnetic select' tool (confirm name)
• Make alterations to the image size, colour, contrast, sharpness
• Add text and alter text there after

Digipack Feedback

Feedback on our digipack says that we need to find a more interesting and quirky font so this is something to aim for as well as our evaluations in uncoming few days.

Final Digipack and Magazine Advert

FRONT COVER - CD and Inlay

First Double page spread of Inlay

Second Double Page Spread of Inlay

Thrid Double Page Spread of inlay

Back Cover of Inlay

CD Holder

BACK COVER - CD case

Magazine Advert

Digipack Design

I have been playing around with photoshop and starting to use the images we have to create a front and back cover.

By doing this I have come up with the following designs.

These will need to be discussed further with the group, however we now have the template to be working with.

FRONT COVER - The original image that was taken, the people looked too small so with careful cutting and re-colouring I have been able to lay one image over the other and make it even better. It has enabled me to place them onto the hat so that they are sitting at the front of it. I then played around with the text and decided to put the artist name as though it was written on the hat. I chose the colour blue for this to add more sky colour into the image and so that is subtly stood out from the black and green grass. The yellowy, beige font on the album name I decided to use as it made it stand out from the grass but kept the natural colour in the image.

BACK COVER - This image was enhanced as a group making the frost on the grass stand out more. From this I have then used a the same style font as on the front cover and the same colour to keep the continuity. The black panels down the sides I have kept simplistic as from studying other albums these tend to have the same font used on the front cover but the background to them is generally a block colour. I also added the barcode and the EMI logo for extra effect. The track names were given to us by the original artist.

Fonts

 Henry and I have been looking at certain fonts from the wbsite dafont.com
We like the section script as we feel that there are many possibilities within it that can be used.

Here are some examples fron the Script - brush sections:

There are many other sections as possibilities to look at including Fancy - Eroded (Birth of a Hero and Master Plan). There are also some under Script - Handwritten (Throw my hands in the air [Possible inlay], Luna Bar and Hand of Sean).

I (Grace) also have a CD with over 1000 different fonts which can be looked at and imported if any are liked. 

Meeting

When we met today we managed to discuss the following:

1. Photoshoot date and time for digipack - Wednesday 24th November 8.00am at Newport - Weather permitting and Sam permitting
2. Insert for digipack (including fonts and sizes) - We decided on the photos to include in the digipack insert and have discussed possible content for the other pages including lyrics and credits.
3. Photos that we need to take to include in digipack other than those from the video - We need to take a pamoramic image of the band and also some posed photos (poster pictures) as well as the front and back cover photos with the hat

We managed to put together an rough overall layout of the digipack inlay booklet - this included making it as a physical object to make it easier to visualise it as a completed component. We agreed that the inlay should be a booklet rather than a 'fold out' and that the centre page should include one larger photograph of the band together.

Front cover of insert same as album cover

First double page spread - we were thinking that this would consist of lyrics from the tracks and maybe a couple of images. We believe there should be about 7 tracks on this album as this is generally around the number that are on other new releases albums. We have emailed the original band to ask for some more track names and lyrics to save us some time in making them all up.

Middle double page spread - this would be a panaramic image of all the band members and down the sides would be an artistic design maybe including some iconography and some images that link with the names 'Said the Hatter' or 'Out of a Hat'.

Last double page spread - one page will contain the other track lyrics that were not displayed previous and the other page will contain credits with an image of a soundboard across the bottom - the credits will include things like record label and mixing e.t.c. This page should probably also include a small section about the label and who the band are signed to.

Back cover of insert - 4 images taken from the music video

Digipack Designing

We have come up with a couple of images which we would like to try and create for our front and back cover. This has been done through much research and thought.
When looking we found that the front cover tends to be busy and have a lot going on partly to attract the audience through the use of the particular image and partly to give a message of whats to come inside. The back cover we found was much more simplistic in most cases, generally using the same location as the front however with only the use of one or two props (maybe the same as the front cover) but making them look less like the main feature. Partly the reason for this is because on the back the track names must be readable.
As we have the album name 'Out of a Hat' we wanted to make this image stand out and thought that by visually displaying it it would become more interesting to the audience. We have also taken the theme that has been running throughout our video of the artificial in a natural environment and tried to continue this on the front and back cover.


FRONT COVER
The connotations of this are that there is alot going on. The hat and band dominate the image. It gives the message that there is a lot that has gone into it and that there is a lot to come from the album. This links with the theme of the 'Mad Hatter'.
The sightlines in the image will all be different. A couple of the artists will be looking at the camera and the others will be looking at each other or at what they are holding/doing. The artists should be fairly straight faced as this is what creates mood and atmosphere in the image.
The colours in the image will be natural to link with the theme of artificial in a natural environment. They may be enhanced slightly to make them look bolder and to sharpen the edges slightly more.
The hat and artist are positioned centre of the image and fill more of the page to link with the connotations and to make the image stand out.
The image may be cropped slightly to ensure that the hat and artists are centre and fill the image.
Within the image there is some instruments and a radio. This are to add to the 'busyness' of the image and to generally make the image more interesting to look at. The objects also link to the music video and what was included in it.
Dress will be similar or the same of that used in the music video to keep a constant theme and to ensure that the indie genre is kept.

BACK COVER
This contrasts the front cover. It displays to the audience that the album is finished. They have listened and watched the business of the band and now it has come to an end - this is done through the use of an empty image. There is still the hat left to signify that there is still something left of the band.
The majority of the image will be similar to that of the front cover however as said above the content is reduced and the 'busyness' is reduced to wind down the album - this then links with the music and the video in that they both reduce in hype and 'busyness' towards the end. The hat is positioned off centre and is relatively small in comparison to the rest of the image to show the reduction. It is the only prop in the image, so the audiences attention is drawn to it.

Website - Digipack

After consultation as a group we decided to proceed with a magazine advert rather than the website due to the mass of information and complexity of constructing an entire website. Some principles however can be carried through, such as using some of the stills from the video to include though we may not necessarily do this.

Simplistic Design

Looking at the magazine adverts in different music magazines they tend to be very simple with either a plain background with a few images, or they have a large image as the background with text on top. Over complicating things can be counter productive as a potential consumer will look only briefly at an advert. In that time they may not be able to decipher the information and thus ignore it.

Too much information?

Website

Finally got round to having a detailed look at the website which Henry has started. From what I've seen and played with it seems to be a good idea though filling a website for a band with relevant information when the band is fictional may prove difficult.
This is though an option for the digipack/ancillary texts as we have to produce a CD pack and Magazine advert and/or website.

The basis for making a website and the principle behind it is sound. The majority of our demographic will be internet 'savvy' either due to work or life style and will use it regularly enough to make a website worth while. In an ideal situation the information that would be on the website should we choose to continue down that path would include:

band biography
individual information
songs/lyrics
albums
tour dates
release dates
merchandise

A couple of different band websites that I am looking into for ideas include Paramore, Arctic Monkeys and Coldplay.

Website

Today Henry showed Jonny and I what he had started on the website.
I am very impressed with his design and today have chatted with him and had a play around with the features available. It is very simple and easy to use.

I like the fonts the Henry has picked and agree with the reasons for the choices in that the soft flowing font for 'Said The Hatter' communicates the individuality and the indie genre and then the hard font underneath shows the solidarity of the band and also helps to ensure to the audience that the website is trustworthy. It creates a bond between the official and truthfulness of the website with the audience.

I have linked the band Facebook page to the to the homepage of the website using HTML code.

As Henry has said we are only able to use it at a basic level so unable to upload videos and audio clips to it. However I have overcome this problem by using the custom HTML tool and using the videos from our YouTube account and embeded the code into the box. This works just as well as uploading the video straight onto the website because it communicates to the fans that the artist also has a YouTube channel, where they may be able to view more footage.

I also thought it would be good to include videos and images of the video in progress and so during the lesson today added the Video in Progress Page. One reason for this is it is often interesting to the fans to see the stages of production and how the finished outcome has been improved from the original rough cuts. It also brings the fans closer to the artist as it can make the feel involved in the decision process.

Henry showed me what he had accomplished on the band members page for two of the band members in terms of dragging and dropping the layout, and also what he had used to create the layout. I agreed that the layout worked well and I then completed it by adding the other two band members to make it a complete page in terms of layout.

We need to take stills from the video to put onto this website to help add more content and to bulk out the text.
As of yet we have not published it because it is unfinished and does not contain much content.

Website Design

Yesterday,  realised that to further promote the artist, a website is usually available to view information on news, band members, photos and tours. This is why I put forward to the rest of my group the idea of creating a website for our artist. This enhances the authenticity of the artist and may also give us some handy market research information from our audience.

I initially used "Moonfruit" to build our website. I created a "draft" account to test the different layouts and effects available, then I started to input some information. After I did this I soon realised that to use the website I had to pay a monthly fee. It was only because it had offered a "14 day trial" that I was able to start it up free of charge.

So I turned my attention to other alternatives and soon found "Weebly.com". This is a free website builder (but it only allows you at a more basic level - so unfortunately video and audio content are not available).  It is very simple to use: just 'drag and drop' the items you want and you can start looking at the design and then the content.

For example: These are the options it gives you under the 'basic' tab, you have more technical options under the multimedia tab.

I started to edit it yesterday - once I had notified and got the 'go-ahead' from my group. This is what I managed to accomplish:

• I edited the heading banner i.e. the name of the artist for the website using different fonts and colours. For the moment I chose a 'ready-made' background of headphones due to the obvious link to music (this may be changed to an image of our band or something similar in the near future if the right images can be obtained from our footage so far). Firstly, I chose a soft flowing font for the name "Said the Hatter" as I believe this represents the band and indie genre quite well; as the this style seems similar to the bands attitudes and characteristics (i.e. free, relaxed, artistic/creative). Underneath, I chose a second font, one which is strong and bold to illustrate the second side of the band - showing the strong characters within the band aswell as the solidarity and commitment they show and represent. For example:

• I added pages to the website under certain headings to give information on: band members, tour dates, photos of the band (in action/performing) and music (any songs they "produce", or even music and artists that inspire them). The creation of these pages should help gain further publicity after the artist's official album release, as fans will search for more information on the band. This should consolidate fan's interest in the band as they learn more and will allow the band to have a certain "fanbase", from this they can continue to grow.  This in turn will help to increase the sales revenue of the band's (debut) album and help give the band longevity - as information about tour dates is shown. For example:

•  I edited the 'band' tab and set this out so that it will contain the name of the band member and their role, a photo and further information (possibly something about their personality and individuality and messages to fans or visitors to the site). This same layout was used for all four band members. I 'dragged and dropped' different 'elements' within the website to create the initial framework for these pages. Grace then finished this process off today. For example:

 

Storyboard

I have finally put together the rest of our storyboard and uploaded it to YouTube.

Storyboard

Below is a video of our storyboard. It is not to time as each poststick note represents a shots so some of these will be under a second in length.
This is not entirely finished. We have the last chorus and also the closing scene to add to this (we have been writing on poststick notes for 5 days!) but we are aware of what is going to happen in this for filming purposes, so will update this asap.

Final Costume Choices

Here is a list of final costume choices for our music video decided on as a group.

Lead Singer - Emily
Costume 1 (Recording Studio)

• Denim Skirt
• Sleeveless Top
• Scarf
• Plimpsoles
• Ruffled hair style but refined to a point

Costume 2 (Performance)

• Black leggings
• Long top - white with logo
• Black pumps
• Neat, side parted hair (wavey or straight)

Costume 3 (Out and About)

• Skinny Light colour jeans
• Plain bright orange t-shirt
• Jacket (possibly leather style)
• Vans
• Ruffled hair

Guitarist - Sam

• Black Shirt
• Bright Yellow Tie
• Dark Jeans
• Smart shoes

Drummer - Sean

• Checkered Shirt/ Striped Shirt
• Dark Jacket
• Dark Jeans
• Trainers (Vans)

Keyboard - Jonny

• Yellow t-shirt
• Waistcoat (black)
• Grey Jeans
• Pointy Black shoes

Storyboard

After much deliberation as a group we managed to out line a story board toward the end of last week. Since then I have been refining it to the point where it progresses for the most part shot by shot. To do this I have been in contact with Grace and Henry for reference and extra ideas. On top of this, at the weekend we spent some time working on it as well as filming.

Hopefully, it will be entirely finished with in the next few days.  

Meeting 3 - 11/10/10 - (Storyboarding and ideas)

On Monday we spent time working on the storyboard and coming up with ideas for the lyrics and the overall video and also the techniques to use within the video. Please note that this is our first full run through of our storyboard.Ideas (and therefore shots) are still at an early stage and are likely to be changed before filming.

The images below show our work from Monday:


"Poured my head into the stream"
CU of Lead singer's (Emily) face at "stream"
Silouette profile shot looking up

"Shouted let me start again"
CU of Emily at "Let Me", MS at "start", LS at "again"

"Men of sin where does it end"
Emily in recording studio (Black and White hue?)
Overlay silouetted shot of other band members
(3- Point Lighting)

"I will give you all my dreams"
Other band members brought to the foreground (silhouetted)
Fill Light up, Key Light up

Reverb (at bridge)
Camera still ...
Drum and Lights up (performance)

"Smoke words blend repeat" (4x)
(1) Emily with the band, different shots of Emily (as the lead singer)
(2) and (3) Cycle through the other band members whilst performing (slow montage)
(4) Shots where the lyrics "words blend" are shown to audience, as they are sung by Emily

(Instrumental part of song)
Cycle through performance shots but intertwine this with shots of the band as a whole on a night out - exploring/doing something?

"God knows I want to go home"
Emily comes forward singing to camera: CU, MS, OTS Shot.

"With a bucket for my bones"
Emily walking away from group (LS / MS)
Shot of her looking towards the camera (smiling, interacting with audience through camera)
then look back to the group (OTS / shot of other members of the group laughing, joking)

"Money full of dry holes"
OTS shot continued
Two shot (MS) of some of band members
Single shot (MS) on the other face
(other band members - all boys - then catch up with Emily who is walking away)



(Duplicate - covered this in the above captions)



(Duplicate - covered this in the above captions)

"With a bucket for my bones" (line lasts for 4 seconds)
Emily arrives out of the studio (after rehearing her song)
Other band members arrive (somewhere)
4 shot montage at bands location, CU of their faces
Camera then tracks them focuses on fashion of costume (mise en scene aspect / "Alice in Wonderland - waistcoats, tophats, shiny shoes)
Emily is seen out and about, singing the last word "bones"

"Money full of dry holes" (3 seconds)
CU of money (silver coins - to try and catch the flickering effect on camera and can be found in mass numbers) falling through (a) hand (slow motion)
Emily standing arms out to her sides, shows a grin to the audience

"Left everything in the back of the car" (4 seconds)
Band's Instruments are in car, they go back to get them
See members of band (3) grab their instruments (guitar, keyboard, maybe drumsticks/snare drum to represent the whole drum kit) - CCTV Shot (voyeuristic, being watched) in black and white, aiming  for grainy effect

"Drank everything within the hour"
(in bar or walking alone - showing her depression/loneliness)
360 degree rotation (around Emily's face) then over her head / (High Angle) Over her head then 360 degree rotation (around Emily's face)

"Played the radio..."
LS of band (High Angle), Walking to the sound of the radio
Shot showing band member physically turning up the radio (vintage)
Follows in to guitar solo (band member shown playing guitar)

"Smoke words blend repeat" (4x)
(1) Emily singing in street on her own
(2) band performing with their instruments
(3) Emily singing...
(4) band performing, specifically focused on drummer (worm's eye view/low angle)

"Took the long road in to the desert"
CU/MS showing car driving on an abandoned track
ELS showing car going away with dust cloud behind it
LS then MS finally revealing the driver (Emily, the lead singer)

"Where I found a river fell beside it"
(shot of Emily walking beside river - depending on location(s) available)

The lyric sheets they we printed off containing notes on possible ideas in different parts of the song

Blog Design

Regarding the blog design, I had worked out how to change the theme but was waiting to consult the group (view my twitter - we didnt see each other monday so today was the next time we were together) - however Jonny went ahead and changed this before I had to chance to consult to group but I am happy with the theme he has chosen because as he has said in links in well with music videos.

Blog

I found how to change the theme settings of the blog. As such I worked out how to change the background to something more suiting the theme of the project. It is now an image of a live gig with the image being shown in black and white. In the centre you cannot see the actual band because the white is so bright the image of the band is not picked up. However, it does mean that through visualisation of the audience (readership of this blog) you can imaging our group/singer live on stage!

Blog Enhancement

In response to Henry's problem with the weather gadget and the fact that he was unable to use a UK postcode, I spent some time researching into other ways to embed weather onto the blog and found a website that enabled me to generate a code to embed the weather to the blog (weather shown below posts). Again this is a use of synergy to bring together two media texts.
The weather information will be useful nearer the time we come to filming as it will enable us to see when the best times to film will be, if filming outside.
You can view my success on twitter.

Blog Enhancement

Simarlarly to Grace and Jonny I have now linked this blog page to my twitter account and vice versa. I did this through my profile page on twitter. It allowed me to add a website in the information section and I selected this page. This allows for synergy between these two websites as they both can be accessed on either site. I have also added a weather forecast / report to the blog, you are able to type in your post code to give details for an area. I think this will be useful in determinining when and where we film our music video.