Website analysis and research

 

 TAYLOR SWIFT 

Taylor Swift's website is very appealing to the target audience as it is very pretty and colourful, which is what the majority of teenage girls like. The image that it portrays is very princess like, which is parallel to her songs. The purple background, which is likely to have been produced in photoshop, really sets the design off and brings the eyes straight into the image. The handwriting makes the website look more personal and this will make the fans feel closer and more connected to their idol. The website mainly consisted of photographs and videos of Taylor, both in performance and photo shoot. There are videos of her performing, with tour dates and a latest news blog. 

                                                                                  BEYONCE

Beyonce's website design is in black and white and is very plain. The 'white space' similar to that used in advertisement, is a way of drawing in attention to the photograph of her. Here I would say Beyonce could be portrayed as looking vulnerable yet I believe the idea is that she looks edgy and attractive. The rest of the website contains the usual videos, pictures and tour dates along with a blog and a vote system. There are also articles and videos about 'getting the Beyonce look'.

                                                                           MARIAH CAREY

In my opinion, Mariah Carey's website design is slightly odd as the Christmas theme has given it an almost childish look, which goes completely against what her album portrays. It is snowing in the background and in the image, which is surprisingly partly hidden, she is wearing a Santa costume. This is however, very low cut. On the other hand, people always get very excited about Christmas, so this could also serve as a huge advantage for this website. It is very interactive, this time allowing the biggest fans to create an account and 'log in' as a member. There is a lot of advertisement again around the idea of Christmas. There is the chance to download a newsletter and look at photographs of Mariah, including ones from her personal life such as on her holidays. The rest of the website is taken up by a blog of recent news and events. 

               CHRISTINA AGUILERA
The first thing you notice when you go onto this website is the moving picture. There is no single image like you would expect, but the option to switch between them. Again here there are the usual features: a calendar blog, a newsletter option, latest music, events and pictures. There is also an online shop where you can buy tickets and merchandise such as Christina perfume.

 LEONA LEWIS
The image of Leona Lewis strikes me as being very intimate. It is the sort of image that is likely to attract the male audience. The background is black and white, putting the attention on the image of her, particularly on the red lipstick. The rest of the website contains the usual features as stated before along with a 'MEMBERSHIP' section, which is appealing to the audience as it makes them feel as though they are slightly more connected to her than the rest of the fans.

Digipak cover research

I have recently been researching some digipak cd covers to find out what kind of things are used and the general layout of the cd covers. This will help me get some ideas for my own digipak cd cover design. I have chosen covers from similar artists to Alicia Keys so that I can identify the type of layout for this genre and type of artist.

The first cover I looked at was the Fearless album by Taylor swift

I think this digipak is very appropriate for the artist and the genre as it is very focused on Taylor Swift and emphasizes her beauty. This is relevant because her target audience is teenage girls who see her as a role model and an idol.
The plain clean colours of white and tan reflect the innocence of the artist and genre, and there are no images that could offend anyone or seem inappropriate.
The handwritten name makes the cd cover look like it has been signed by Taylor Swift which will also attract the taget audience as they will feel more connected to there idol. This font also makes the artist's name, and the title of the album easily distinguishable.
The back of the cd cover has another similar picture of the artist and a list of the songs on the album. There is also the barcode and the copyright details on this side, in a smaller font.
The CD itself is very sinmple with the same name and title across the top, and the copyright details and small logo at the bottom. This is again very simple and illustrates the innocence of the songs.

 Beyonce- The image on this digipack is definitely in your face. It is a very bold image with Beyonce looking straight down the camera lens. This is a very powerful image and gains your attention in a shop very quickly. The image is likely to attract both male and female audiences as it is very strong, and also very intimate. It is very simple with the picture and then her name in the corner. The picture does all the work. The back cover is very similar with Beyonce wearing merely a leotard and high heels in a very revealing position. This will definitely attract the male audience. There is then a list of songs followed by the copyright information and a bar code. The CD itself is strikingly different to the case as she is wearing a very long dress and the image is very formal. On the Cd itself there is the image and again the list of songs on that one CD, as well as some very small institutional logos.

 Christina Aguilera

 

Mariah Carey's CD cover is the complete opposite of her current website design which appears to come across very child like and innocent, whereas the image on this Cd is very intimate and reveling. The wet hair a top look with nothing but top and knickers is very likely to attract the male audience. I like the design of her name going either side of her head and the fact that 'OBSESSED' is in capitals emphasizes its meaning. The back cover contains the same image as the front with a list of songs and the copyright details, bar code and logos. The Cd itself in my opinion is pretty boring, simply having a black CD with the title and songs on it, with a selection of institutional logos at the botton.

Evaluation of past student work...

As a class activity, we watched and evaluated six past students work. I found that the pieces that scored the highest marks had a relationship between the music and the visuals as well as the lyrics. They had a variety of different shot types and angles and the shot length matched the song. The images matched the genre and you could tell what genre the song was from. The best videos had very good lip syncing and had confident actors who were willing to look straight down the camera. They all had good mise en scene that made scence and made the video look the best that it could.

The videos that got lower marks had bad lip syncing, unnecessary effects, shaky camera, poor actors and too much repetition.

Song Lyrics...

That's How Strong My Love Is Lyrics

(Verse 1)
Some people they call me crazy
For fallin' in love with you
They can take me and lock me away baby
Cuz there's nothing those bars can do

(Hook)
I'll be the rising moon after the setting sun
just to let you know you'll always have someone
I'll be the clear as day when the rain is done
So you'll always know

(Chorus)
Through the shake of an earthquake
I will never fall
That's how strong my love is
Like a ship through the storm
we can risk it all
That's how strong my love is

(Verse 2)
I used to feel kinda lonely
Cause the world can be so fake
All it matters I'm tellin' you
It's you and me only
And the fortress from love we make

(Hook)
I'll be the water you need
in the desert land
Just to let you know you'll always have my hand
I'll be the woman you need to be a better man
http://www.elyricsworld.com/that's_how_strong_my_love_is_lyrics_alicia_keys.html
So you'll always know

(Chorus)
Through the shake of an earthquake
I will never fall
That's how strong my love is
Like a ship through the storm
we can risk it all
That's how strong my love is

Ooooh Can nothin' break us down
Oooh Cuz we are heaven bound
Like a mountain standing tall
Immovable we're here to stay
Ooooh Can nothin' get in the way

(Chorus)
Through the shake of an earthquake ( I will never fall)
I will never fall ( I will never fall)
That's how strong my love is (that's how strong my love my love is)
Like a ship through the storm
we can risk it all (We can risk it all Ooooh)
That's how strong my love is (Looove is)

Through the deepest waters I won't let you drown
That's how strong my love is
There's a balloon in the sky that'll never come down
That's how strong my love is
That's how strong my love is
That's how strong my love is

Here are the lyrics to the song I am using. We can see that there are two verses and three repeats of the chorus along with a couple of hooks and then a few additional segments. This will help me organize what part of the narrative and performance will go where at each point of the song. I also hope to film a part of the narrative before the song starts. 
A copy of the lyrics will be given to Sophie so that she knows the Lyrics, and this will make filming a lot easier and will make the lip syncing better.

Weather at the moment...

These are the weather reports for the areas I will be filming in. They automatically update themselves. This helps me find good days to shoot.

Permission email - Amber Valley Borough Council

Here is a screen shot of the email I sent to Amber Valley Borough Council, the owners of Penny Town Ponds, Somercoates, asking for permission to film in this location.

Dear Sir or Madam,

My name is Ashleigh Chrich and I am an A Level Media Studies student at Bilborough College, Nottingham. For my coursework, I am producing a music video. I am writing this email to gain permission to do a small amount of filming on a pathway around Penny Town Ponds. The filming wouldn't take place near any of the ponds and would not disturb anyone. No evidence of our presence will be left after filming. There will be a maximum of three people present. The filming would take place between 25th October and the 1st of November.

Thank You for your time, it is greatly appreciated,

Ashleigh Chrich

I recieved an email back saying that i didnt need permission to film in an outdoor public area but they were glad that i had let them know.

Actress has accepted role!

I'm so happy and relieved to say that my first choice actress, Sophie Trueman, has accepted my invitation to play the main role in the production of my music video. This is a huge step forward in my production schedule! :) I have chosen Sophie, as she is a fantastic actress, dancer and singer, so I know that she will put everything into the role. Even though we will not hear her voice, the fact that she has exceptional vocal talent, will make the video look more realistic, as when she sings along side the tape, she will be able to convey the emotion. I know that Sophie will be a reliable member of the small cast, and I hope that she will also enjoy the experience. Thank you so much Soph, for accepting. You are a star!

Here are a few pictures of Sophie Trueman.

Video influences...

Here are some music video that have influenced my ideas for my own music videos.

The first is Jason Mraz with Lucky. Here we see the emotion between the couple and also a lot of outdoor scences which is what I want to incorporate in my own video. I also like the shots that are different and include a variety of different angles. 

The second video is for 'outside' by Sarah Buxton. I like this video because of the opening shots of her walking down through some trees. Here we can see that the natural light works well and the shadows look effective. I would not use any of the comical ideas in this video as my idea is very emotional. 

The  third video is for 'Just the way you are' by Bruno Mars. This is my favorite video because it shows a lot of emotion and the range of shot types and angles are brilliant. I especially like the sofa shots from behind and in front and hope to create a scene like this in my own video. I also like how this video starts with a narrative before the music starts, as it hopefully will in my video.

Location, Location, Location...

This is the recce sheet for Pennytown Ponds, Somercoates, Derbyshire. This would be the loacation for the performance and part of the narrative. It is an idea location to shoot because the disturbance risk is minimal. Also, the light is good, and natural and the shadows create a nice effect from the trees. This location scored 9.5/10 for suitability.

Here are some pictures of Black Rocks where I also intend to shoot.

Ideas for music video, as I have them...

Here, I record the ideas that I have for my music video, as I have them. This is anything from narrative to shot ideas. So far I have thought of having shots through the flames of a camp fire, as I think this will look very good, as you will be able to see a character through them is the focus is right.

I have an idea of having Deepest Sympathy cards on the shelf besides the photo frame, but not making them prominent, so that when the video is watched and people see the twist, if they watch it again they will notice little things like this.

I would like to have shots cutting back to the piano, especially on instrumental parts.

I have thought about maybe ending besides a gravestone, with the girl with some flowers. I would like the performance shots, or some of them, to be a tracking shot backwards where the actress is walking towards the camera, keeping at a continuous distance throughout.

Ideas board

This is my ideas board that I created using images that I have collected that relate to my ideas for my music video. These images include a news report, fire such as a camp fire, love and romance yet an incorporation of distance, woodland areas and pathways, soldier deaths, gravestones and sadness, the piano, wooly clothes, comouflage clothing, lakes and the artist, alicia keys.

Most of these images are explained in my initial idea. The wooly clothes are related to what i would like my actress to be wearing to create a attractive winter look.

Initial idea

Here is my initial idea sheet where I explain the main idea of the narrative of my music video. It reads:

Woman or girl walk into their house after school or work etc
throws keys down onto side, sit down on sofa and put tv on.
We see the end of a news reprt on afganistan (ONLY END)
She turns the tv off and looks at a photo of her and her boyfriend on the shelf.
She goes to the piano and starts to play.
(this is the start of the song)
She will play the intro of the song on the piano.
Here, we see her boyfriend walk past the door and smile at her.
Here, we will see many different locations where the boy and girl are together, situations in which couples would be associated.
For each verse:
Sitting around a camp fire
Walking in the woods
Bonfire night
Christmas scenes. Here the boyfriend is present yet there is a distance between them.
In between there will be performance shots, actress walking through woods or by lake, or cutting back to the piano. Maybe during the chorus.
At the end the video rewinds back to the start and this time we see the whole of the news report. It is about a group of soldiers that have been killed. HE IS ONE OF THEM!
Zoom into picture on tv zoom back out onto picture on shelf, so we can see that it is him.
Maybe end in a graveyard with her sat by his gravestone.

Pitch Powerpoint



I believe that my pitch went well, and I expressed my ideas clearly to my audience.  The feedback that I gained was very beneficial and I have thought about the changes that I need to make.

1)      The girl in the video is going to be a teenager, with a teenage boyfriend. This will still work as boys join up from 17 years old, and it is still very common. This will mean that casting will be much easier, and the only changes will be that she will come home from college, or from generally being out, and the house will be a family home rather than her own place. I could show this through family photos, or a family member being present in the opening shots.

2)      I need to make sure that if I am going to start with the girl playing the piano, my actress is able to play the piano sufficiently, and that I arrange sheet music to be ordered.

3)      I need to decide whether  the boy will always be wearing a soldier outfit, which would gain the distant effect desired.



Artist and song choice

The song that I have decided to produce a music video for is ‘That’s how strong my love is’, by Alicia Keys. I have chosen this song because the simplicity of the lyrics enables me a greater deal of freedom with the interpretation of the song, meaning I have more paths to choose from when deciding my final idea for the video. I have also decided upon this song because I like the use of instruments throughout the piece and feel that, the piano especially, will look good in the video. I like the slow pace of the song and think that I will be able to portray the deep emotion within the lyrics, in the visuals.

Other songs that I was considering were ‘Only Hope’ by Mandy Moore, and ‘Lemonade’ by Chris Rice, however my ideas for ‘That’s how strong my love is’ are much more developed and I am pleased with my choice.

I have researched Alicia Keys to find many things, including that has been classically trained in piano since the age of seven, and she likes to incorporate this into her music. She mainly sings about love, heartbreak and female empowerment and is rooted in gospel and vintage soul music, with edges of R&B, soul and Jazz and experiments with pop and rock. She has four studio album and one live album to date.