Monday, 15 May 2017
Thursday, 4 May 2017
Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Evaluation Q4
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
This is a program that I have had experience with in the past, particularly through the course of my GCSE Media Studies course; this was year that allowed me to develop my previously non-existent Photoshop skills through the creation of a 4-page magazine regarding a topic of my choice. This allowed me to really get to grips with the image manipulation and creative aspect involved with the program, whilst also giving me a slight insight into how magazine advertisements are structured, a skill that has come to be very useful in the creation of my own advert for my advanced portfolio. These skills I developed in my GCSE year and over the course of my advanced portfolio are, for the most part, completely self-taught; thus allowing me to see a development of my learning and creativity through a sense of independence, an aspect that is very relevant in the advanced portfolio. Photoshop was primarily used with the creation of my print products (Album artwork, digipak and magazine advertisement), the former's creation was assisted by the use of a digipak template which provided the appropriate measurements needed to be used for the digipak, whilst also giving me a foundation to work off and get an idea of the product I had in mind to create. Furthermore, the poster was created in Photoshop using an A4 scaling; creating both products on Photoshop allowed my to seamlessly link their imagery and scheme to one another through the use of the programs features such as expandable tabs and cloning tools. The creation process of print products and construction of their final pieces juxtaposed with my foundation portfolio, within that year Photoshop usage was few and far between as it was widely unnecessary to use as a creative tool; yet it's use this year as a media technology has been vital to creative expansion and vision for my product. Overall, Photoshop provided to be a very professional tool to use throughout my advanced portfolio; making image manipulation much easier, whilst also being an enjoyable, experimental tool to use.
This is a software that I have previous experience with throughout the foundation project in which I created and directed an short opening sequence to a film called 'Free'; this experience allowed for me to have a very good understanding of the editing mechanisms and generally how the program worked, editing, exporting etc. Although the process can be very time consuming, I feel as if, during my advanced portfolio, I was able to edit more efficiently and accurately, as oppose to AS. Furthermore, I felt as if the use of music in the background of the video itself allowed for more creative opportunities through visual effects manipulation, given the music's instrumentation and lyricism. In comparison to the foundation portfolio, I felt as if I wanted to expand my artistic ability and creative reach with the product; as I felt as if my AS product was fairly straightforward in its editing, little use of any effects and very basic transitions prove this. To supplement this interest in developing my experimental editing skill I used a plethora of visual effects to accompany the music; the use of slow-motion and reversed footage (as a callback to 80s/90s Britpop) and the repeated use of the paint-bucket effect allowed my video to reach a more diverse and visually exciting standard. Additionally, I believe that my skill in editing has improved over the course of the advanced portfolio as I found that I was often battling the difficulty of editing to the beat of the song; this is exemplified multiple times in my music video when the drum beat speeds up and prompts a quick change in editing pace. This newfound attention to detail allowed me to refine my editing technique and overall made a smoother video for the viewer. Furthermore, the programs use allowed to create multiple cuts with varying shots; for example the initial cut lacked any seamless transition form the protagonist returning to his house and was said to be quite jarring from an audience member I used for review. However, after comments from my supervisor, I implemented a 360 degree shots in which the camera rotates around the head of the protagonist and sees them running back to the house; after audience feedback, this was said to be an effective shot and well-edited with the use of the lemon imagery. Overall, I believe that my skill on using this program has drastically increased and when compared to my foundation portfolio, my A2 project is far superior in its editing and visual style.
This website is a program that I believe I have a lot of experience in as it was, and is, a very relevant tool in AS and the A2 course. This is perhaps the most important aspect of the project as it allows me to document my research and findings with each post whilst allowing me to use hyperlinks, images and videos. This tool was primarily used in the research in planning process as it allowed for a visual representation of the discoveries I had made regarding music genre, branding and music videos, whilst also providing a platform in which I could publish various planning stages to for my final product. Additionally, it proved to be an effective tool in terms of audience and supervisor feedback through the fact that it can be publicly viewed, meaning it allows for a wider perspective for praise of criticism. The blog also allowed for a platform in which to upload multiple cuts/edits of my project; allowing me to keep a well documented look at the progress of my video. In comparison to AS, the use of the blog is very similar in that it is a platform which provides a space to upload all my research and any ideas I have regarding creative aspects of my project.
Similarly, the use of the internet as a whole was useful throughout my advanced portfolio as it allowed for a wide use of research to formulate the appropriate project that relates to 90s Britpop; this came with the use of YouTube, to research into pre-existing music videos, and various image distribution sites to gain an idea of how professional digipaks should look.
The camera I used for the shooting of my music video was the exact same as the one used for my foundation portfolio; however, despite this, I believe that my skill in using this piece of technology has improved, this can be noticed in my increased professional handling of the camera and wider variety of shots. I felt as if in the AS project my use of the camera was very amateur and thus made the shots sometimes jarring and perhaps shaky; however, this year, as a result of my criticisms of my camera handling, I sought to improve this through more usage of the tripod and sturdier shots; furthermore, the freedom of shooting a music video allowed for a wider look on creativity and how shots should be taken, the 360 degree shot being an example of this. The filming itself was goof quality as the camera reaches a resolution of 720p, deeming it do be HD, and shot at 30fps; this technology thus provided a solid quality of image to shoot, thus making the video more professional. The camera had a multitude of settings which were adopted in the filming process; one of which being the zoom feature, as this can be seen within multiple shots of my video. I feel as if using this professional equipment has again supplemented my creativity and development as a director as the quality of the camera itself allows one to be placed in the perspective of a media professional. Furthermore, the use of the camera allowed for me to take multiple shoots on different days, allowing for a more diverse editing process so I could have more shots at my disposal. This was a difference I intentionally made within my advanced portfolio, as during my foundation portfolio I often limited the takes I would shoot and would be left with very limited shots when I came to the editing process.
- Adobe Photoshop CS6
This is a program that I have had experience with in the past, particularly through the course of my GCSE Media Studies course; this was year that allowed me to develop my previously non-existent Photoshop skills through the creation of a 4-page magazine regarding a topic of my choice. This allowed me to really get to grips with the image manipulation and creative aspect involved with the program, whilst also giving me a slight insight into how magazine advertisements are structured, a skill that has come to be very useful in the creation of my own advert for my advanced portfolio. These skills I developed in my GCSE year and over the course of my advanced portfolio are, for the most part, completely self-taught; thus allowing me to see a development of my learning and creativity through a sense of independence, an aspect that is very relevant in the advanced portfolio. Photoshop was primarily used with the creation of my print products (Album artwork, digipak and magazine advertisement), the former's creation was assisted by the use of a digipak template which provided the appropriate measurements needed to be used for the digipak, whilst also giving me a foundation to work off and get an idea of the product I had in mind to create. Furthermore, the poster was created in Photoshop using an A4 scaling; creating both products on Photoshop allowed my to seamlessly link their imagery and scheme to one another through the use of the programs features such as expandable tabs and cloning tools. The creation process of print products and construction of their final pieces juxtaposed with my foundation portfolio, within that year Photoshop usage was few and far between as it was widely unnecessary to use as a creative tool; yet it's use this year as a media technology has been vital to creative expansion and vision for my product. Overall, Photoshop provided to be a very professional tool to use throughout my advanced portfolio; making image manipulation much easier, whilst also being an enjoyable, experimental tool to use.- Adobe Premier Pro
This is a software that I have previous experience with throughout the foundation project in which I created and directed an short opening sequence to a film called 'Free'; this experience allowed for me to have a very good understanding of the editing mechanisms and generally how the program worked, editing, exporting etc. Although the process can be very time consuming, I feel as if, during my advanced portfolio, I was able to edit more efficiently and accurately, as oppose to AS. Furthermore, I felt as if the use of music in the background of the video itself allowed for more creative opportunities through visual effects manipulation, given the music's instrumentation and lyricism. In comparison to the foundation portfolio, I felt as if I wanted to expand my artistic ability and creative reach with the product; as I felt as if my AS product was fairly straightforward in its editing, little use of any effects and very basic transitions prove this. To supplement this interest in developing my experimental editing skill I used a plethora of visual effects to accompany the music; the use of slow-motion and reversed footage (as a callback to 80s/90s Britpop) and the repeated use of the paint-bucket effect allowed my video to reach a more diverse and visually exciting standard. Additionally, I believe that my skill in editing has improved over the course of the advanced portfolio as I found that I was often battling the difficulty of editing to the beat of the song; this is exemplified multiple times in my music video when the drum beat speeds up and prompts a quick change in editing pace. This newfound attention to detail allowed me to refine my editing technique and overall made a smoother video for the viewer. Furthermore, the programs use allowed to create multiple cuts with varying shots; for example the initial cut lacked any seamless transition form the protagonist returning to his house and was said to be quite jarring from an audience member I used for review. However, after comments from my supervisor, I implemented a 360 degree shots in which the camera rotates around the head of the protagonist and sees them running back to the house; after audience feedback, this was said to be an effective shot and well-edited with the use of the lemon imagery. Overall, I believe that my skill on using this program has drastically increased and when compared to my foundation portfolio, my A2 project is far superior in its editing and visual style.- Blogger / The Internet
Similarly, the use of the internet as a whole was useful throughout my advanced portfolio as it allowed for a wide use of research to formulate the appropriate project that relates to 90s Britpop; this came with the use of YouTube, to research into pre-existing music videos, and various image distribution sites to gain an idea of how professional digipaks should look.
- Shooting Equipment
The camera I used for the shooting of my music video was the exact same as the one used for my foundation portfolio; however, despite this, I believe that my skill in using this piece of technology has improved, this can be noticed in my increased professional handling of the camera and wider variety of shots. I felt as if in the AS project my use of the camera was very amateur and thus made the shots sometimes jarring and perhaps shaky; however, this year, as a result of my criticisms of my camera handling, I sought to improve this through more usage of the tripod and sturdier shots; furthermore, the freedom of shooting a music video allowed for a wider look on creativity and how shots should be taken, the 360 degree shot being an example of this. The filming itself was goof quality as the camera reaches a resolution of 720p, deeming it do be HD, and shot at 30fps; this technology thus provided a solid quality of image to shoot, thus making the video more professional. The camera had a multitude of settings which were adopted in the filming process; one of which being the zoom feature, as this can be seen within multiple shots of my video. I feel as if using this professional equipment has again supplemented my creativity and development as a director as the quality of the camera itself allows one to be placed in the perspective of a media professional. Furthermore, the use of the camera allowed for me to take multiple shoots on different days, allowing for a more diverse editing process so I could have more shots at my disposal. This was a difference I intentionally made within my advanced portfolio, as during my foundation portfolio I often limited the takes I would shoot and would be left with very limited shots when I came to the editing process.- Prezi/Slideshare
Thursday, 20 April 2017
Wednesday, 19 April 2017
Tuesday, 18 April 2017
Evaluation Q1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Music Video
To answer this question effectively it is important that I compare my product to existing media pieces that worked as inspiration for the creation of my piece, thus allowing me to address whether I adhered or subverted the typical conventions of the genre I aimed to target. First and foremost, my video is a recreation and stylistic representation of the 'Britpop' indie sub-genre, a genre that was essentially created by The Stone Roses. I felt as if I adhered to the genre, given the nature of my project as an anniversary project for The Stone Roses, as this is suggested through key genre conventions in the music video. This is primarily evident in the overarching narrative of my music video in that it loosely follows the protagonist on a spiritual journey of sorts to essentially become the band; this narrative was created as it appeared to place a much heavier emphasis on the music rather than a narrative-driven video, thus a subversion to the pop-genre. This emphasis on the music is reflected in multiple live performance shots and close-ups featuring the protagonist playing the guitar; these ideas were mainly based on common conventions found within this genre as through my research I found most Britpop videos would feature live performance in the majority of the video, as evident in the following.
The Stone Roses - One Love
The Smiths - This Charming Man
The Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored
Oasis - Supersonic
Music Video
To answer this question effectively it is important that I compare my product to existing media pieces that worked as inspiration for the creation of my piece, thus allowing me to address whether I adhered or subverted the typical conventions of the genre I aimed to target. First and foremost, my video is a recreation and stylistic representation of the 'Britpop' indie sub-genre, a genre that was essentially created by The Stone Roses. I felt as if I adhered to the genre, given the nature of my project as an anniversary project for The Stone Roses, as this is suggested through key genre conventions in the music video. This is primarily evident in the overarching narrative of my music video in that it loosely follows the protagonist on a spiritual journey of sorts to essentially become the band; this narrative was created as it appeared to place a much heavier emphasis on the music rather than a narrative-driven video, thus a subversion to the pop-genre. This emphasis on the music is reflected in multiple live performance shots and close-ups featuring the protagonist playing the guitar; these ideas were mainly based on common conventions found within this genre as through my research I found most Britpop videos would feature live performance in the majority of the video, as evident in the following.
The Stone Roses - One Love
The Smiths - This Charming Man
The Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored
Oasis - Supersonic
The images above, taken from existing Britpop music videos, display my interest and inspiration in involving live performance footage in the video as this appeared to be a common trope in the genre; primarily due to the small budgets of independent record labels and their lack of resources in creating a narrative-driven contemporary video; but rather a showcase of the bands to allow the audience to connect with them as real people rather than superstars. In creating my piece, this was a theme that I was attempting to encapsulate as it reflected the true Britpop genre, appealed to the audience and suggested a sense of nostalgic authenticity to my product. The images below show my use of live footage as an adherence to the genre:
The second image also showcases my use of superimposition as a primary editing tool within my video, again, as an adherence to genre; this primitive editing technique was largely commonplace in a majority of late 80s/early 90s British music videos, primarily the indie genre. This effect, accompanied with slow-motion, was often used in videos similar to mine to simulate a psychedelic effect to appeal to the 'Madchester' rave scene. During my research I found that this was a common editing technique used not only in The Stone Roses' music videos, but also in bands such as The Smiths and Happy Mondays; thus, in order to create an authentic recreation of the genre I adhered to the trope and included a multitude of superimposed/slow-motion shots to appeal to the audience that were fans during the release of the Roses' eponymous debut LP. During feedback sessions with varying target audience members, they noted the effectiveness of the superimposition as an appropriate stylistic choice in terms of creating a nostalgic effect on the older audience members, whilst creating an interesting new visual effect for the young adult members of the audience. The superimposed shots I drew inspiration from can be seen below:
The images above show a range of superimposition use in the indie genre; the first of which inspired me to use the editing effect to place multiple version of my protagonist in the same running shot to enable a sense of progression of time and skill. My adherence to this convention is shown below:
Additionally, the use of the 'paint bucket' effect, found in Adobe Photoshop CS6, was employed to somewhat emulate the expressionist Pollock influence found within The Stone Roses' promotional material and their album covers; after feedback sessions, audience members the psychedelic effect it had and thus its relation to the roots of British music and The Stone Roses' music. This adherence to the The Stone Roses' thematic style further implicates the nostalgic effect of the video as a callback to the time of release of their previous material. The use of this effect was used a Cross-media convergence theme as the album cover and advertisement poster feature a piece of Pollock artwork, created by myself, using the same citrus yellow colour scheme, thus linking all three projects. The decision to include this citrus yellow in the colour scheme primarily came from the inspiration from the 'lemon' as a symbol for the band that the audience can connect to each product, both video and ancillary.
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| An example of the paint bucket effect used on the guitar |
The linear nature of my narrative is an adherence to the indie genre, as explained previously, but is yet a subversion of the modern music video; more often than not contemporary music videos will showcase an intricate narrative, usually based on the music, and thus represents the artist as the star. This idea links to Richard Dyer's 'Star Theory', suggesting that celebrities are manufactured by their record labels/institutions for their own financial gain; their image is to create an emotional response from the audience so that they can buy their records and essentially become a household name to increase their brand identity. My project sought to subvert this theory as I felt that the nature of the theory did not appeal to the genre and opposed the idea of independent music and its effect on fans; this subversion was manufactured through my use of a very ordinary protagonist who relates to the band, the audience can thus empathize and relate to the average protagonist looking up to the band as they are most likely doing the same. Furthermore, I felt as if the use of the average protagonist added a self-referential element to the video in that the main character expressed a feeling most Britpop fans can relate to and thus carry out themselves. The narrative itself can perhaps show some adherence to Propp's Narrative theory, this can be suggested through the fact that, despite only having one character, the protagonist may act as the hero of the story as he takes a personal journey to reach what is referred to as 'the magical helper'; in this case the helper would be The Stone Roses themselves as they are the main encouragement for the protagonist to progress. The prize could perhaps be the guitar as a tool in which the protagonist can lead himself to his goal of becoming the band; although, it must be noted that Propp's theory has 8 roles to fill so my video somewhat adheres to some of the roles theorized, perhaps subverting the necessity for the other roles. Additionally, the primitive nature of effects used (Superimposition, Slow-mo and paint bucket) further suggest the 'Indie' genre as a culture in that music videos are often made with little budget to provide a 'grounded' element to it, further adhering to the genre's conventions.
Digipak Cover
The digipak I created somewhat subverted the typical conventions of the indie genre, yet adhered to conventions found within The Stone Roses' subculture. Firstly, the most notable challenge of conventions found within this ancillary product is the minimalist design I decided to take for the cover; this style was primarily chosen to subvert the expressionist art style Roses fans are use to in the band's discography and promotional material. Furthermore, I felt as if the the minimalist aspect brought a modern edge to the band given the contemporary Indie style; this can be seen in Arctic Monkey's 'AM', during my research of this album I found that the art style within the album cover and its poster was very minimalist and monotone, thus inspiring a simple, conceptual design and limited color palette. Additionally, my research into minimalism allowed me to explore different experimental designs, created to implicate a clear message about the band; Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' for example was an album that I researched and the cover is a white brick wall with a removable sticker, thus implicating the central theme of the album. The Beatles' 'The White Album' was also an album I looked into and it contained a blank white cover with the band's name embossed onto the front; the blank cover was made to directly contrast the vivid nature of their previous album, 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band', and implicate the experimental nature of the album. Through my research into various minimalist albums I took various inspirations for my cover; one of which being my decision to include a black border surrounding a blank canvas with three lemons positioned centrally. The reason for this was to emphasize the significance of the lemon's symbolism in the band's culture and act as an cross-media convergence logo that can be found in each product. Furthermore, the minimalist aspect was also inspired by the the current Stone Roses promotional material, as it often shows a sole lemon on a blank background, thus creating hype around its symbolism. The typography used, 'Grotesque No. 9', adheres to real media texts as it is a similar block design to that of The Stone Roses other material, suggesting an empathized authenticity to the project, whilst further adding to the nostalgic element of the style. Furthermore, the black border acts a subtle reference to both their albums and single, as a majority contained a similar design. The symbolism of the three lemons suggests that not only is it their third full release but also acts as an nostalgic aspect for the 30th anniversary of their first single, 'Sally Cinnamon'.
The front cover for my digipak primarily subverts the typical conventions for the indie genre, and Britpop sub-genre, as through my research this was often found to be expressionistic as seen in the Roses' previous material. However, it can be suggested that there is some adherence to the contemporary indie genre through the use of minimalism; ti would appear that more and more bands are beginning to determine their own particular art style, seen in Arctic Monkeys' 'AM', thus appealing to the modern day indie genre. I feel as if my decision to subvert the typical conventions as the feedback I received was generally positive in reference to the digipak, giving it a 'professional, clean' look and I felt as if it brought the band into the modern music scene, whilst still appealing to older fans.
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| Modern example of minimalism found in contemporary indie music: Arctic Monkeys - AM |
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| Current 'The Stone Roses' advertisement material |
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| Result of my minimalist cover |
Inside Cover
The inside cover for my digipak features a strong adherence to the genre through the use of expressionist art; this custom made Pollock artwork acts as a callback to the The Stone Roses previous art-style, whilst also indicating the subversion of the conventions found within the genre and the move to minimalism. The yellow colour palette is again featured primarily as as a vehicle for the brand's promotion and expansion as the color and lemon symbol can be associated with the band.
Advert Poster
The advertisement poster for the release of The Stone Roses' third album, appears to strongly adhere to the indie genre and its typical conventions; below is an image of the final poster.
Most notably, the color palette of Yellow/White/Black is continued on this poster to create a strong theme between the products, thus linking them thematically and stylistically. Additionally, the poster includes the typical reviews you would find on a poster; however, the reviewers were chosen as each have a link to the reviewing and feedback of music from the indie label; 'Q' magazine for example is a monthly music magazine that includes features on all the latest music from the indie/alternative scene. Once again, the use of the lemons as a primary symbol on the ancillary and main product can be seen to take center stage to link all the pieces and create an associative symbol for the band to promote themselves with. However, the choice to layer my Pollock-inspired artwork on top of it was used to allow an appeal for older fans of the band, whilst maintaining the minimalist, contemporary style I was aiming for. This suggests both an adherence and subversion to genre, given that modern indie bands will often feature themselves on the poster to allow the audience to create an personal connection with the band; yet the adherence comes from the idea that, as I researched into older posters, the poster would often feature a key symbol to build hype for the fans. Below are poster I used for inspiration in terms of adherence and subversion to the genre.
Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Monday, 20 March 2017
Friday, 17 March 2017
Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Monday, 13 March 2017
Friday, 10 March 2017
Friday, 3 March 2017
Filming - Rough Cut 3/The Final Cut and Development Feedback
Rough cut 3 from Luke Tiplady on Vimeo.
I took research from 3 different members of my audience; one who is a current fan of The Stone Roses but is a teenager, Liam. Another who has been a fan since The Stone Roses' rise to popularity, Neil. And someone who is not a fan of The Stone Roses, Natalie. I felt as if these perspectives will allow me to gain a grasp of how my video is viewed by the audience.
NOTE: Quotes by the audience are paraphrased.
Feedback from Rough Cut 1
Liam
Liam
Liam
My Verdict
I took research from 3 different members of my audience; one who is a current fan of The Stone Roses but is a teenager, Liam. Another who has been a fan since The Stone Roses' rise to popularity, Neil. And someone who is not a fan of The Stone Roses, Natalie. I felt as if these perspectives will allow me to gain a grasp of how my video is viewed by the audience.
NOTE: Quotes by the audience are paraphrased.
Feedback from Rough Cut 1
Liam
- After watching the first draft Liam said that it had 'a really retro vibe about the editing and music', however he also expressed some criticisms in that the video was obviously incomplete at this point and the editing was 'very choppy at certain points' saying that this effected the video on the whole. Overall, Liam enjoyed the video and said that the superimposition used was 'very 80s and fit in well with the video's narrative'. After watching the alternate cut, Liam stated that the addition of the paint bucket effect 'added to the psychedelic element of the video and relates to the Pollock inspiration'. Though the psychedelic vibe wasn't my initial intention, it is a welcome inclusion in the video given that it relates to the genre.
- Being the oldest member of my feedback group, Neil has first hand experience of The Stone Roses influence in the Britpop genre. After watching the first cut, Neil expressed his interest in the superimposition feature and how 'it adds a level of nostalgia the video, similar to groups like The Smiths, Charlatans and Mock Turtles'. He also referred to the continued usage of the lemon as a form of symbolism, saying that it is 'instantly recognizable and that it makes him think of the Roses straight away'. Criticisms again included the choppy nature of the editing and 'a need to keep more to the beat Reni's drumming'. After watching the alternate cut, Neil enjoyed the paint bucket feature, saying 'it looks like their old photo shoots'.
- After watching the music video, with some vague knowledge of the Roses, she said that she enjoyed the video as it felt 'very natural and ordinary, but effective at the same time'. She particularly enjoyed how the protagonist was 'essentially just like everyone other fan of music, looking up to the band. Initially, she did no understand the references to the lemon but when asked about it after the video, she stated that it was 'a memorable symbol and stuck with her for the duration of the video. She said the outfit was very 'old school' and the use of Pretty Green as a band was 'cool because of its link to the music'.
Liam
- After watching the 2nd rough cut after the alternate 1st rough cut, Liam stated that it was a large improvement on the first one with the 'filling of the gaps and some improvements on editing'. Shots in particular Liam highlighted were the use of the 360 shot stating that, 'it acts as sort of a revelation moment, as if he's just thought how important the Roses are to him and that it adds to the narrative and makes more sense'. Additionally, he enjoyed the use of the 'live footage layered over the normal shots, looks like their other videos'.
- Similar to Liam, Neil stated that this is a big improvement on the first cut through the addition of more shots 'adding to the narrative'. Furthermore, the use of slow motion on some shots 'really add to the nostalgic element of the video as The Stone Roses used it in videos like Fools Gold and I Wanna Be Adored'. Additionally, Neil particularly enjoyed the development of the protagonist's guitar playing through the use of superimposed shots featuring multiple versions of him to suggest progression. The continued use of the paint bucket effect also resonated well with Neil as it kept reminding him 'of all the Pollock work and its revival in the 80s/90s'.
- Natalie said that she 'enjoyed this version more than the first one as there was clearly more to it', suggesting that the inclusion of a wider variety of shots resonated well with the audience. Additionally, she noted the 'romanticisation of the music and how the narrative differs from the typical pop video in which the protagonist seeks the love of the woman.' She also suggested that the video 'acts as a good introduction to new fans of the band as the protagonist is put at an age in which music effects you the most, therefore the audience will resonate well with his story'.
Liam
- Liam stated that he enjoyed the final cut of 'The Hardest Thing in the World', saying that 'the video is clearly a callback to the genre and relates very to the 80s era'. Liam particularly pointed out the usage of superimposed guitar-playing over the top of The Stone Roses concert footage. He also said that, 'I could relate the protagonist a lot because of the fact that he is a similar age and aspires to be like the band through playing guitar'.
- Similar to Liam, Neil enjoyed the use of superimpostion as it 'references the 80s music videos'. Additionally, Neil pointed out that the editing was much tighter than previous editions of the video. Furthermore, Neil said that, ' I enjoyed the subtle references to the band themselves such as the lemon and Pollock imagery, and even the style of dress'. Overall, as a long time fan of the band and the genre, Neil was impressed with the video as he felt as if 'the video could have come straight out of the 80s with the primitive editing techniques used'. Furthermore, he noted that the sense of progression with the superimposed guitar shots.
Natalie
- Again, as with the 'Rough Cut 2', Natalie enjoyed this version more than the previous as she noted that it is 'much smoother' and she also said that she 'enjoys the narrative of the video revolving around a normal person, rather than am ultra famous celebrity'. I feel as if this feedback lines up well with the intention I had for the video in that I wanted it to resonate with the young audience, whilst also serving as a nostalgia trip for the older audience, through the use of a young protagonist wanting to become the band.
My Verdict
- Overall, I am pleased with my feedback on my video as I feel that all my intentions were achieved in that it aimed to tell the story of a teenager wishing to become his favorite band and escape his 'teenage wasteland'. Furthermore, through Neil's feedback, the oldest member of my feedback group, I felt as if his comments on the nostalgia value of the video suggested that I had created an appropriate callback to the genre and the band. Pleased with my video I do, however, would have aimed for some of the editing to have been slightly tighter at parts to give the video a truly professional look.
Monday, 20 February 2017
Planning - The Pollock Generator
https://mpetroff.net/files/processing/backgroundgenerator/
For my promotional poster I initially intended to edit in an existing Pollock painting in the background of the poster itself, but with the opacity slider all the way down. However, this proved problematic as the exam board states that students must only use their own creations and images in the creation process, thus preventing me from using Pollock's 'Convergence'. One option would be for me to either create a Pollock painting myself or have someone else do it, however I saw this option as too tedious and time-consuming. I then discovered this website which allows one to create their own Pollock piece digitally.
I feel as if the version on the left is a big improvement on my first draft through the removal of the Pollock-made piece; furthermore, I believe the version I created has a much more modern/contemporary look to it, matching well with the idea that the new album is a comeback album. Additionally, the use of yellow is effective as not only does it link to the lemon imagery; but also creates a sense of synergy with the yellow hue overlays I use on the music video itself. Overall, I felt as if the issue of not being able to use a Pollock original was easy to overcome with the generator, with it even coming out better than the first draft.
Friday, 17 February 2017
Advertisement - First poster draft
This is the first draft for my advertisement poster to promote 'The Stone Roses' new album. From the research of the previous Stone Roses poster for their 20th anniversary project, I have decided to continue my theme of minimalism into my advertisement and branding of the band. I feel as if this message is conveyed through the use of colors that show a stark contrast; i.e. yellow on black and white on black. Additionally, I have once again employed the use of the lemon in my promotion so that the target audience can associate this symbol with and band, and even new fans can make themselves familiar with the band through their symbolism. I chose for the lemon design to be realistic, rather than the graffiti style often seen, to suggest a cleaner, more modern look. The use of three lemons links to the idea of the new album being released on the 30th anniversary of the 'Sally Cinnamon' release, as seen on the promotion at the bottom of the poster. This provides a sense of nostalgia for the returning fans of the band, thus providing even more of an incentive to buy the album. Furthermore, the use of the Jackson Pollock painting acts as an ode to The Stone Roses' style of sorts, as it is subtle enough to be recognized by older fans of the band. It also creates more Roses-centric imagery as these paintings were an essential part of their image in the 90s; yet I felt as if the lemon relayed this idea of nostalgia and recognition at a greater strength.
Wednesday, 15 February 2017
Filming - Rough Cut 2
The Hardest Thing in The World - Rough Cut 2 from Luke Tiplady on Vimeo.
This is the second cut of my music video for 'The Hardest Thing in The World'. This version includes footage to fill in the blank gaps in the previous cuts and also makes attempts to correct the editing. As with the previous cut, I found it challenging to edit to the beat of the song perfectly, but overall found I made a good job of it. This cut has a wider variety of edits and varying shots.
Tuesday, 14 February 2017
Planning - Digipak Planning
The Idea
- Through my digipak research I have decided to take the minimalist approach to the artwork, and the poster to accompany it. This decision was primarily made due to the extensive use of symbolism in The Stone Roses' promotional material and music videos; particularly the lemon. For a long time this has been at the core of my interest for my creation of the digipak artwork as I have an aim to create something conceptual and minimalistic, but recognizable enough to allow it to be associated with the band and their music. In the early stages of my portfolio I created a blog post which detailed an early mock-up of a digipak cover; from this post I have decided to take some ideas, but discard others. For example, the use of the lone lemon in the center of the cover is a feature that I would still hope to apply to emphasize the symbolic nature of it to the audience; whilst also acting as a piece of nostalgia for long-time fans to recognize its meaning. Instead I have decided to create the concept of using three lemons in, perhaps, a diagonal or horizontal line on the front of the digipak cover. Again, this not only relates to the symbolism of the lemon, but also relates to my use of the number '3' as a piece of symbolism. This is being done to highlight the fact that it is The Stone Roses' third album, whilst acting as a comeback album following their extensive touring and being released on the 30th anniversary of their first single with the full current line-up "Sally Cinnamon". This is primarily being utilized to act as a branding and promotional device to bring the fans back to the band and provide a sense of nostalgia to the old song.
The idea I am trying to describe can be shown in this very rough mock-up of my ideas of thoughts on the left. However, I have made a decision that I would like the band name and album name, if I choose to include one on the front, to be peel-able stickers to reveal that the cover is just the lemons. I have made this decision as I would, again, like to emphasize the symbolic nature of the lemon through the use of minimalism and a conceptual design. I feel as if this would relate to the target audience well as this is a symbol that they would be very familiar with and will instantly associate with the band.
I feel as if I have a good idea of what the front cover of the digipak will include, however I am still unsure of the back cover, inside and the tray.
Thursday, 9 February 2017
Research - The Stone Roses - Advertisement Analysis
The Lemon
This is a symbol that has become synonymous with the band through it's branding and advertisement material. The origin of the symbol came from the lyrics of 'Bye Bye Badman' from their debut album, 'Citrus sucking sunshine'; this song references the protests in Paris in the sixties in which sucking a lemon could combat the effects of tear gas. Since it's use on the cover of their album it has been used on a vast majority of their promotional material. The purpose of this is to acclimate the audience to the connection between the symbol and the band, thus allowing them to associate the lemon with The Stone Roses, even when a lemon has nothing to do with the band. This is symbol that has been used more recently, as seem in the previous blog post, to promote their two new singles and tour dates to their modern audience. The fact that the posters simply showed a lemon and people instantly associated it with the band, suggests the power of it's symbolism. However, it would appear that the more modern advertisements used have taken a different design approach in that the lemon showed is actually a photograph, rather than a work of stencil graffiti.
She Bangs The Drums Poster
As we can on this advertisement for the single 'She Bangs The Drums' and it's B-sides, the lemon is used, though not as prominent as usual. However, this doesn't take away from it's recognizable nature as the bright yellow contrasts with the monochrome background it has been placed upon, thus branding it as a Stone Roses' piece of work. This can thus be described as an example of branding synergy in which the lemon is used as a widespread form of symbolism throughout their posters etc. They have taken a normal object and attached their brand to be associated with it.
Remaster Poster
This was a poster used in 2009 for the remaster and re-release of their debut album. This poster features a number of callbacks and references to the BritPop genre; given that this was released as a 20th anniversary, the poster shows the zero as the band's key symbol, the lemon. Furthermore, the typography for the lemon and band name is a gold-yellow, referencing the lemon and even perhaps the Roses' biggest hit 'Fools Gold'. Additionally, the use of a plain black background with striking colors and bold text atop emphasizes the eye-catching nature of the poster and perhaps the importance of the album itself. The text used on the poster is colored red, white and blue, referencing the NME quote as it being 'the greatest British album of all time' as the colors of the union jack are used, whilst also referencing the BritPop genre. Moreover, the color scheme could be a subtle reference to John Squire's artwork he produced for the band and himself; the artwork referenced will most likely be his work for the 'Waterfall' single which saw the upper corner of a union jack.
This poster includes the stereotypical tropes of a music advertisement in that it includes review quotes from big names such as NME, Q and The Guardian. Below the lemon we see a cropped image of the debut album cover; this features a symbol that has also become synonymous with the bands advertisement material, John Squire's Jackson Pollock inspired art. Though not as frequently used as the lemon, this artwork is featured on a majority of their single/album covers and thus allows the audience to identify a certain look to associate with the band.
This can be seen in the following:
What I can take from this
For my advertisement/digipak production I definitely plan to employ the use of the lemon as I feel this is a symbol that has become so synonymous with the band that fans of the band and the genre instantly identify it with the band; furthermore, even those with no interest in the band could potentially identify it with the band. Additionally, I feel as if this would not only be an effective callback to the older fans of the band but would also resonate well with the newer fans due to the more recent advertisements. However, I am still unsure of whether I would like to use the Pollock artwork, and if I do, how prominent it would be. Yet, if I were to utilize the use of Pollock art I would have to either create an original piece or take photograph with a subject observing a Pollock piece; both of which I am unsure about. This website enables the user to create a digital Pollock piece, though I'm not convinced with it's 'look'.
This is a symbol that has become synonymous with the band through it's branding and advertisement material. The origin of the symbol came from the lyrics of 'Bye Bye Badman' from their debut album, 'Citrus sucking sunshine'; this song references the protests in Paris in the sixties in which sucking a lemon could combat the effects of tear gas. Since it's use on the cover of their album it has been used on a vast majority of their promotional material. The purpose of this is to acclimate the audience to the connection between the symbol and the band, thus allowing them to associate the lemon with The Stone Roses, even when a lemon has nothing to do with the band. This is symbol that has been used more recently, as seem in the previous blog post, to promote their two new singles and tour dates to their modern audience. The fact that the posters simply showed a lemon and people instantly associated it with the band, suggests the power of it's symbolism. However, it would appear that the more modern advertisements used have taken a different design approach in that the lemon showed is actually a photograph, rather than a work of stencil graffiti.
She Bangs The Drums Poster
As we can on this advertisement for the single 'She Bangs The Drums' and it's B-sides, the lemon is used, though not as prominent as usual. However, this doesn't take away from it's recognizable nature as the bright yellow contrasts with the monochrome background it has been placed upon, thus branding it as a Stone Roses' piece of work. This can thus be described as an example of branding synergy in which the lemon is used as a widespread form of symbolism throughout their posters etc. They have taken a normal object and attached their brand to be associated with it.
This was a poster used in 2009 for the remaster and re-release of their debut album. This poster features a number of callbacks and references to the BritPop genre; given that this was released as a 20th anniversary, the poster shows the zero as the band's key symbol, the lemon. Furthermore, the typography for the lemon and band name is a gold-yellow, referencing the lemon and even perhaps the Roses' biggest hit 'Fools Gold'. Additionally, the use of a plain black background with striking colors and bold text atop emphasizes the eye-catching nature of the poster and perhaps the importance of the album itself. The text used on the poster is colored red, white and blue, referencing the NME quote as it being 'the greatest British album of all time' as the colors of the union jack are used, whilst also referencing the BritPop genre. Moreover, the color scheme could be a subtle reference to John Squire's artwork he produced for the band and himself; the artwork referenced will most likely be his work for the 'Waterfall' single which saw the upper corner of a union jack.
 |
| Single cover for 'Waterfall' |
This can be seen in the following:
What I can take from this
For my advertisement/digipak production I definitely plan to employ the use of the lemon as I feel this is a symbol that has become so synonymous with the band that fans of the band and the genre instantly identify it with the band; furthermore, even those with no interest in the band could potentially identify it with the band. Additionally, I feel as if this would not only be an effective callback to the older fans of the band but would also resonate well with the newer fans due to the more recent advertisements. However, I am still unsure of whether I would like to use the Pollock artwork, and if I do, how prominent it would be. Yet, if I were to utilize the use of Pollock art I would have to either create an original piece or take photograph with a subject observing a Pollock piece; both of which I am unsure about. This website enables the user to create a digital Pollock piece, though I'm not convinced with it's 'look'.
Wednesday, 8 February 2017
Research - What I Have Taken from Digipak Research
Minimalism and Symbolism
A particular theme I would take from my digipak research would be minimalism; I was drawn to this idea due to the symbolism of The Stone Roses and the nature of project, in that it acts as an anniversary/revival album and will thus be widely recognized by the loyal, cult fans. It is clear from my research that the bands, particularly Alt-J and Arctic Monkeys, used symbolism to essentially brand their band to allow the audience to associate a symbol with their product, Triangle for Alt-J - Soundwave/White-Black Contrast for Arctic Monkeys. In my branding and digipak I will definitely utilize the symbolism of the Lemon associated with The Stone Roses as it is clear that this is a symbol that is widely recognized by fans and associated with the band. Furthermore, my interest in minimalism has lasted much longer than the media project and is evident in a previous blog post and pintrest folders. This theme will continue on the reverse side of the cover, however I intend to adhere to the stereotypical conventions of rock/indie album covers and make the track listing of the album the central focus point, yet still applying the minimalistic theme. I still intend to use a similar design to the one I created in a previous blog post, yet I would like to remove the band and album name and instead opt for a common trope found in minimalistic-designed albums with a sticker on the digipak with this information that one can peel off to maintain the conceptual design. As far as typography is concerned I still intend to use the classic font used by The Stone Roses on their singles covers found on my mock-up, therefore appealing to the 90s audience of the band. Additionally, on the inside cover of the digipak I have considered implementing the expressionist theme found in Stone Roses material with the Jackson Pollock/John Squire artwork and perhaps on the CD as well. I was also inspired with The Kooks' use of the CD hole on the title of the band, I could very much seeing this being a possibility on the CD design and the use of a lemon rather than an 'O' to further imply the symbolism of the band.
In terms of the advertisement material we produce alongside the digipak, I intend to use the lemon symbol to allow the audience to associate the symbol with the band or, if they are very aware of the lemon's meaning, to acknowledge the band's return and their new material. This was a marketing technique utilized in the band's most recent, and current tour. The band simply produced posters that only included a lemon around key areas such as Manchester, London and even on massive screens on Wembley stadium. This marketing instantly created mass-media buzz and was associated with The Stone Roses without fail, thus suggesting the symbol's power.
A particular theme I would take from my digipak research would be minimalism; I was drawn to this idea due to the symbolism of The Stone Roses and the nature of project, in that it acts as an anniversary/revival album and will thus be widely recognized by the loyal, cult fans. It is clear from my research that the bands, particularly Alt-J and Arctic Monkeys, used symbolism to essentially brand their band to allow the audience to associate a symbol with their product, Triangle for Alt-J - Soundwave/White-Black Contrast for Arctic Monkeys. In my branding and digipak I will definitely utilize the symbolism of the Lemon associated with The Stone Roses as it is clear that this is a symbol that is widely recognized by fans and associated with the band. Furthermore, my interest in minimalism has lasted much longer than the media project and is evident in a previous blog post and pintrest folders. This theme will continue on the reverse side of the cover, however I intend to adhere to the stereotypical conventions of rock/indie album covers and make the track listing of the album the central focus point, yet still applying the minimalistic theme. I still intend to use a similar design to the one I created in a previous blog post, yet I would like to remove the band and album name and instead opt for a common trope found in minimalistic-designed albums with a sticker on the digipak with this information that one can peel off to maintain the conceptual design. As far as typography is concerned I still intend to use the classic font used by The Stone Roses on their singles covers found on my mock-up, therefore appealing to the 90s audience of the band. Additionally, on the inside cover of the digipak I have considered implementing the expressionist theme found in Stone Roses material with the Jackson Pollock/John Squire artwork and perhaps on the CD as well. I was also inspired with The Kooks' use of the CD hole on the title of the band, I could very much seeing this being a possibility on the CD design and the use of a lemon rather than an 'O' to further imply the symbolism of the band.
In terms of the advertisement material we produce alongside the digipak, I intend to use the lemon symbol to allow the audience to associate the symbol with the band or, if they are very aware of the lemon's meaning, to acknowledge the band's return and their new material. This was a marketing technique utilized in the band's most recent, and current tour. The band simply produced posters that only included a lemon around key areas such as Manchester, London and even on massive screens on Wembley stadium. This marketing instantly created mass-media buzz and was associated with The Stone Roses without fail, thus suggesting the symbol's power.
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