CD digipak

Production Schedule

The production schedule is a very important element of time keeping in my production piece. This is divided into days that we used to complete both the production piece and the poster and CD DIGIPAK designs.

On the first week of our task, we first had to choose a song on one of the websites that stream free music of amateur artists.The website we used was "jumendo", we found a eligible song by "Brad Sucks" , we then began to brainstorm ideas, for both the CD, poster and video. We mainly prioritised the video, which would be the most difficult to complete.

The following weeks we used for even more ideas, this time however it was more specific focusing on characters and meanings, representations etc we also started the long process of storyboarding.

At this point in time we are researching other materials , other videos , Cd's etc this helps us to have more ideas on conventions of these products that are already on the market.

After researching we began to film some parts of the production, this was relying heavily on storyboards and the props list. We carried on with filming, and at the same time i was creating mock up drawings of CD digipak design and poster ideas.

Over the following weeks we carried on creating the CD designs and posters. Jordan Blackwell and Thomas Bee carried on creating storyboards and editing recent video camera scenes meanwhile i carried on creating various ideas. One idea we all agreed on was taking images of the main character of our video , Robert Ndabananiye (Box head) or taking images of all his boxes representing his emotions within the music video.

After making finishing touches on the CD digipak designs and the poster we began to print off the designs.This mainly included the poster design. for a short period of time we placed it on a wall in a busy area to collect feedback from our peers. After this we needed the poster for a prop in the music video, unfortunately this required the poster being damaged. therefore we would need another poster to be printed off. however this time w agreed that the poster would need to be more durable , because it already had been damaged before the scene that we shot , therefore we needed to print off the poster off onto card therefore making the product more durable.

once the design had been complete we concentrated on the editing stages as we had just completed all of the filming, by this stage we only had thirty or so seconds left.we were looking for the closing stages of the narrative, we followed the storyboards to a degree, but while editing certain shots changed and some were scrapped all together. eventually we completed editing the production. All we had left to complete was printing of the final product of the digipak and poster.

Artist information and idea

Artist : Brad Sucks
Song : Making Me Nervous

idea our idea for the song is one main character, known as box head going through life as a average person, torn between emotions caused by societies faults ultimately leading him to be bullied by his peers, causing him to express his emotions. Using this as a starter we decided to express these emotions phycially through the use of boxes each labelled with an emotion on the box . As he continues through the days the Box head wears different boxes depending on how he feels, this ultimately leads to an Epiphany in which the plot changes for the charcater.

At this stage

At this stage in our production we are continuing with our editing and finishing with various scenes of filming, we have also completed the poster designs and CD digipak, however we still maintain feedback from our peers on areas to improve in both these product, this is why either product can be changed if needed.This has already happened with the poster design and are in process of printing a new version. The editing is still continuing and is a long process , which we have prepared for.

Photograph ideas

This is one of our best ideas. We used the blue sky and the idea from our previous Digipak idea the boxes and created this image. The blue sky was important ,setting the theme throughout all of the products. we attempted to try this before however we required a low angle shot so the blue sky was in shot.

Photograph ideas

This is a technique image also taken with the digital camera. We had a good idea of creating a silhouette character by using the sun. If the character is a certain distance from the path of the sun then it will create a silhouette much like this one. we also wanted a blue sky, obviously for the silhouette idea but also for the pathetic fallacy.

Photograph ideas

This was one of the images taken using a digital camera. Quickly using specific editing tools on Corel Photopaint i was able to cut the image down. taking away the background . This was one of the ideas for the Digipak. however we scrapped it because it looks to unprofessional when it was combined with a coloured background.

The Storyboards

these are the storyboards we created during the filming, these could be in the process of being changed . this could be because a better ideas is put forward

Initial Design

This was one of the original designs we had for the CD Digipak. For the main designs on both the left and right pages i used "shape tools", this was then blended using the "interactive blend tool" enabling the two colours to blend consistently. After this process is used the "Contour tool" which created layering and finally the "distortion tool" that changed the shape into what ever you wanted. The boxes were used creating simple shape tools and copy and pasting techniques, this was finally "grouped" to hold the design together. The font that was used is the font researched before hand, the "freestyle" font. We decided to make this in white to create a positive contrast with the other colours and images. However we didn't feel this was the right direction with our product, looking back at research, other products used photography in the designs, so we thought we should follow conventions.

Screen Grabs

These are some of the screen shots taken from our current work on production of the music video.

1. In the first screen shot the main character of our video "Box head" is being bullied. Within the narrative of the video , this is a low point , emotionally for the character. However to portray the negative mood the character is facing we decided to use multiple shots of him getting hit by paper. The props we used in this scene included the characters clothing, specially picked for the scene , the box (with a sad face ), paper and tables
2. In this second screen shot is our most impresive scene. As we edited me managed to create a duel clip of the same of character, overlapping into once scene. In the scene both characters play in sync with the music. however this was easier said than done, at first it was difficult to sync the charcter with the music and match the visual effects .Because the filming for this scene was recorded on seperate days we needed to make sure the actor had the same props within this scene, this included, most importantly his costume.
3. In the third screen shot is the opening scene comprised of introduction title"making me nervous" and the background of the "Box head" prop. The text for this scene was created on the editing software
   
   
   
   

This is another poster that we designed in relation to the brad sucks advertisment campaign. The poster will also be shown in a public area of the school on order to recieve feedback and positive and negative aspects of the poster, in which later we will be able to change the design according to our findings.


The major difference between between this and the prvious design is the asthetics (colours) of the design. In this design we decided to use colours in order to capture the audiences eye and draw them in. The colours that we used ,could also have been influenced by the original Brad sucks Album cover. This was a all blue CD cartoon cover. Istill remained with the same structure and positioning. I have also included the other features including song name and critic quotes, the dark blue and light blue contrast well.

Fonts

Fonts

1.Freestyle

2.Pepita MT

3.Arial

4.Highlight LET

5.Broadway BT

6.Forte

These fonts are possible ones that could be introduced into our digipak and poster. The Freestyle font i prefer because if it's smooth lettering and serif style design. Freestyle also looks more casual and at the same time readable, allowing for much smaller text.

Pepita MT is similar to freestyle, how pepita appears more sharper and lacks in the serifs, thirdly Arial is an average font , however it does feel too normal and lacks in character. The highlight font is a possible font that we could have used because overall it looks good, it's simple and it had style, however because it was white based, it didn't contrast well with the background colours. The next font on the list we chosen because of it's link to history, commonly represented as a 1920's Hollywood show font or Broadway, this added the character to the poster that we wanted.the last font on the list resembles that of a bold freestyle and the Pepita font. However in the end we decided to choose the freestyle font, arial, and Broadway. we did this because for smaller text the freestyle was much harder to read, therefore for list of song names we needed a font that was easy to read when in a small font, we decided to use the Arial font.

This is the first mock up poster, created on COREL DRAW. I created a coloured background and then blended the two colours, black and white. creating a unique design. i then created two banners, over lapping each other, with one slightly larger. The black allowed a fantastic contrast with the white font lettering. the font i chosen because it given the theme of history, as this lettering is widely known for it's use in 1920's society. This linked well with the colours of black and white, often relating to olden times.The black and white however can also reflect a darker side to his music and his theme of pessimistic lyrics and also the artists name"brad sucks".The "brad sucks" title i created by copy and slightly moving the lettering to the left. Thereby creating a 3D perspective. The robot characters in this design relate well to both the music video and the digipak and were created to represent the emotionless and faceless persona, of a certain type of person.

The tools used within the creation of the poster include the "Rectangle tool" for the basic shapes, the "Text tool",and also the "Fountain fill" tool for the background blending. What we found difficult to decide on was the colours, we felt that there needed to be a sense of continuation with other design including the digipak.

Brad Sucks target audience

Brad Suck's is a indie artist creating a variety of music that ranges through both genders and many ages, possibly making his music mainly mainstream , however the lack of attention that people pay to his music make him a niche artist reducing the audience size. His music mainly aims at males between 16 and 30. A male target audience due to his male dominated lyrics relating to the male population. The CD design we want to stay true to Brad Suck's theme of individuality.

As a way test the target audience we could do a number of things. The main task is to show some products to see if the the audience like them and why. This feedback will allow use to correct anything and possible change certain aspects of the posters. This can include changing colours , or designs.

The product we will show will be the poster in a public area of our school. This will create maximum coverage and advertising allowing feedback from the audience.

Corel Draw Designs

These Corel Draw designs are some of the more simple, easy designs that can be created on the software. These are unusual yet elegant, and would make perfect design backgrounds or ideas. the use of colours combines well with the overlapping designs. on the oval design i introduced a shadow effect and a reflective design effect to represent a three dimension perspective. i used the interactive distortion tool, the blend tool, the transparency tool and the drop shadow tool.

COREL DRAW SIMPLE DESIGNS

Corel draw

For the production of the CD cover i began to use corel draw. As the only member of the group to use 'Corel Draw' and 'Photopaint' in the past i began to brainstorm ideas. Firstly i began to create the base. using research from other CD i achieved the measurements then i began to create the base the measurements were different for each side. the back design was much larger because it included included the two spines. These spines were 0.6cm each which thereby increased the base by 1.2cm . However the material we were using was regular printer paper and would be less durable compared to usual CD cover materials. We began to import the two images onto the coral draw software. I sized them up in relation to the base then began to do the same to the back. the sides were then coloured white. We then chosen a font and agreed where on the CD cover it will be placed.we then printed the design and fitted it into the CD case.

Corel draw is an easy to use design software, it wasn't long before the entire group began to use the software and created there own designs(below).

CD Design

These are the final four ideas that we are using, we decided to use the box head theme, as it is a major prop used in the music video, it also adds representation, relating mainly to emotions but most of all to average life and possibly depression linking to the name 'Brad Sucks' suggesting a low self esteem and a pessimistic lifestyle, which he uses in his music.

The colours used within the CD design are more optimistic than planned , we felt it was important to introduce colour to our design, to make it more vi sable and recognisably. it was also divided into neither patterns or shaped thereby decreasing empty plain areas of the design.

the designs were created on 'corel draw', a simple ,professional design software which is easily accessible to most students and i have the software on my home computer, increasing my knowledge on the software. However there were problems uploading the design , this was mainly due to the format settings, and required passing the designs through numerous software including 'corel photoshop'.

Thumbnail ideas

these are some of the initial ideas we comprised of as both group and individual effort. these ranged from line up themes to box head ideas. these make the ideas unique in our search for the perfect cd cover

This is the new kasabian album west pauper lunatic asylum. The name is representative of the group. during an interview they stated they wanted a album name that can push the boundaries of there music. With a strange name like this they are able to create strange music. The cd cover features all four of them dressed in variety of ways . Each piece of clothing is there representation of themselvesand there personality the main singer is leading in front of the group. the main song writer , surge is behind Tom. possibly because of his height and status within the band. the other two musicians are situated to the right of the cover.Over to the left of the cd cover appears tom . This shows the band facing into the mirror. each musician in the gband is wearing different clothing from all eras of history and all having different coloured clothing making it hard to produce a coloured font that is easily recognisable to notice. Overall the cd cover is full of colour which is unusual compared to there past two cd covers which were mainly bleak and dull. the clothing is also very high class for there period in time . these types of clothing was mainly worn by high class men and leaders, representing there status.

music video: editors 'smokers outside hospital doors'

The editors music video is divided into two narratives one narrative shows the editors band ,setting up equipment and then singing a song on there boat. the other narrative follows a young woman or girl who escapes from an unknown institute and then tries escaping from the clutch of the police. the mise en scene is very dark and grtey. the clothing is also very dark and the weather is dull suggesting this is more of an pesimistic story.
the first scene shows the back entrance of a dark grey building. before the music starts diegetic sounds of trees and birds cxan be heard and the audience can still hear the girls movements while she is escapng, for instance door opening and closing, stepping down ladder etc. the girl then starts running and then the music is introduced . this then when the other narrative enters showing the leader singer climbing a boat ladder and it keeps cuting away to both characters using a close up of the girls knee and below she begins running to the sound of the music, it then shows a shot of her face from a side angleonce the voices are heard from the singers it shows numerouse medium shots and mans of the lead singer. This then follows the girl trying to evade capture by running on rail tracks, and on streets hiding.numerouse shots are shown of the entire band once the music gets to it's highest volume peak. during the narrative of the girl trying to escape, she is helped by numerouse poeple including a prostitute and certain types of animals including a dog there also gypsy type people who also help her suggesting she is not alone . however she can be represented as inderpendant as she begins make her own way to safety including using a boat. as she begins to make her own way accross the water, flashbacks are used showing how she escaped. the audience later understand the place she is escaping is an orphanage the flashbacks continue until the convergence to the establishing shot of the back exit.
when she returns to present day she is encountered by many police boats. and then runs across the open water ass of skimming the surface which is unusual for such a relaistic narrative as she is running accross the water towards a boat there are scenes of the lead singer walking outside. the two narratives then collide with the girl meeting the lead singer on the boat, she then runns into the distance smilling suggesting she has finally found her freedom.

cd cover

This CD cover by bruce springsteen has used a patriarchal theme because of the song in question' born in the USA'. it uses both red and white stripes to relate to the american flag but has widened the gap between both, making the cd cover readerble for the two types of texts. This includes 'born in the USA'and 'BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN' it also makes springsteen appear more clearly on the cd cover. the text 'born in the USA' ised backed onto a the upper left side of the cd originally where the stars would appear on the american flag. The two texts are also been used with capital letters making the text much easier to read and notice when in a shop.
bruce has also appeared in the centre of the shot wityh anaction shot of him jumping with a guitar in his hand. his clothing is typical with ripped jeans and light t shirt relating to the time and style of that fashion ERA

music video: all American rejects ''gives you hell''



the video begins with the introduction of the two characters, the couple however sleep in different beds yet are still happy suggesting there life is much like a routine than a relation ship. this can again be seen when one kiisses this establishing shot of there house then cuts away to the left, showing there neighbours house.there neighbours house is extremly loud with the use of extreme bright colours and messy front garden adds to theme of opposition between both couples. inside the house appears to use mise en scene with the use of low key lighting, untidy house hold and the couple sleeping together adds to the theme of opposition . the next shot shows the man sitting up while in bed. this man is the same person from the other house suggesting the nbarrative is largly based between these two same characters. this could be the same person but in two different times of there lives.this character uses medium chots and close ups of items relating to his character. including the beer botttle in ewhich he drinks during the morning suggesting his life is more abstract that the other male. he also appears to have different style in clothing and different hair style again suggesting they are two different personalities. The setting then changes to a bar following typical conventions of music videos. multiple locations and costumes. in the bar he wears dark grey clothing and changes hairstyle. the shots then begin to convergge with the first male having a reaction shot because of the noise. the narrative then begins to continue with variouse attacks to each other in retaliation to there annying lifestyle this can include loud music and waking each other up and disturbing them.at this point the women from both couples begin to get continuingly involved with one woman displaying a typical 1960's stereotype of a traditional housewife, blonde hair pink dress and pouring the male a drink. both narratives then collide in which unveils the highest volume peak in the song mixed with the beat of the argument.
overallthe song by all american rejects is primarily revolved around the same male character but in different times of lives however at the end reveils both men from different parts of lives still have the same argumenative traits. overall the reason for the changes in the emnare because of the women each woman demands adifferent lifestyle and the male character obeys.

elbow

Elbow are an alternate rock band from manchester, united kingdom and have been playing since 1990. They are not a major band because they have not entered the mainstream music scene and have signed with a inderpendent music label called 'Uglyman'. This has allowed them flexibility with there music however it hasn't made them less famous. On the other hand there music has excelled with the release of there new album 'Seldom Seen Kid' this has included hit songs like 'Grounds for divorce' and 'One day like this'. these as well as other songs have been introduced into TV adverts like 'House' , 'Top gear'and football television programmes. This creates synergy between there other products including concerts and ticket sales, and also other ancillary proucts such as t shirts etc.

all american rejects video

http://www.contactmusic.com/videos.nsf/stream/all-american-rejects-gives-you-hell

editors: smokers outside hospital doors video

http://www.contactmusic.com/videos.nsf/video/smokers-outside-the-hospital-doors-video-x29x05x07

jason mraz

http://www.contactmusic.com/videos.nsf/stream/jason-mraz-im-yours-video

jason mraz 'i'm yours'

first music video: jason mraz '' i'm yours''

the first shot of the music video is an establishing shot of the aircraft about to take off. the beginning of the song uses a shuffling distorted sound at the came point as the engines start. this then quickly turns to an medium shot of a Jason mraz sitting in a seat looking out of the aircraft window. the mise en scene used low key lighting at the start suggesting the place he is in presently is negative relating to pathetic fallacy.The next few shots joined with the aircraft engines roaring show brief shots of the destination he is going including shots of the sea and speed limit sign. the music then starts on an optimistic note however he is still in dark areas including the aircraft and his hotel room with the curtains closed suggesting it hasn't got to the more optimistic side to the song yet. Then there are multiple uses of close up shots used including fish tank and various ones of extreme close ups on his eyes, and a door key. During this scene it is showing him preparing for the day ahead of him ie rucksack. After, there are various shots of him hitchhiking, but at the same time flashbacks of the plane journey. there are then various silhouette shots and hand action shots using medium shots.

These shots of the city quickly show the environment he is in which appears to be a resort around then equator.This then cuts away to a agricultural scene going through jungles and in bare feet suggesting he is at peace with nature and his life. this is his journey through life. there is an ongoing theme of him respecting nature. the narrative continues throughout the day into the night to which he he is surrounded by fire in an typical beach scene. there are also continuing establishing shots of the jungles. including the waterfall. there are also many shots of women suggesting he is socialising easily and adapting to this new environment.There are then shots of bus journeys and flashbacks or flash forwards of a plane journey suggesting his trip is coming to an end. especially when camera shots of runways and airport terminals are introduced.

Noah and the Whale- Blue Skies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqBwZYrrg4E

noah and the whale

Noah and the Whale formed in 2006 and released there first major hit 'peaceful, the world lays me down' in august 2008.This then lead to another single '5 years time' which is considered to be the most popular song in summer 2008the band consists of four band members and an optional woman which she can be heard on most of there music. Summer seems to be the theme of there music in which both albums have been released in this season , this suggests they are quite a colourful band which matches their genre of indie folk music. The front cover also shows all four band members surrounded by nature. The camera shots has a short range focuss primarily on the plants and camera leaving the three band members out of focuss suggesting the man with the camera is the lead singer and the more dominating person within the music. the other three band members are starring into the sky which begins to represent the theme of nature and being insignicant compared to it. the mise en scene of the cd cover has good detail of lighting because it is outside, the clothing consists of colourful shirts, which are often been seen wearing on tours. the background consists of a blue sky which is useful in representing there music but also allows the title of the band to be seen clearly. The front cover also consists of a stickered label highlighting critical quotes showing the rating given by media outlets. this included a 4 star from 'Q' 'magical', 4 star from 'Mojo' 'breathtakingly ambitious' and a quote from 'The Observer' 'a beautiful album'. This use of critical quotes helps to clarify to the customer whether the music is socialy good.

The back of the album cover lists the songs at the top of the cover in a dark font making it visable to see in front of the blue sky. this time the mebers of the band have there backs to the camera ,with them facing the lake and forests,again highlighting there close relationship with nature.

The booklet within the CD acts as the CD cover through the clear plastic casing which is a main convention within CD design.. Within the booklet consists of images of the band, both working on the music indoors and outside. However the way the images are position within the booklet is unique. The introduction is of a shot outside, the middle pages are inside a dark music studio, and the last pages are again outside. this represents the bands feelings towards nature in a positive way compared with being indoors. The indoor shots also appear to be in a black and white ,again suggesting the band would rather be around nature.

Introduction

For my research regarding our music video i decided to investigate more into cd covers. This has included the 'Killers Day and Age', 'Noah and the Whale First days of Spring' and 'Elbow The Seldom Seen Kid'. This is going to help me establish an idea for our own CD design and investigate the connection between the CD design and genre of music. Specificially i am focusing my attention on mise en scene, camera shots, narrative and representations. i will also research the actual music, why it was made,whats it's meaning, and relationship with the period of time it was created. This is what makes the music succeed in the music industry.

Brief

A promotional package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video , together with two of the following options :

• a cover for it's release as a part of a digipak (cd dvd package)
• a magazine advertisment for the digipak (cd dvd package)

Corel Draw

For the production of the CD cover i began to use corel draw. As the only member of the group to use 'Corel Draw' and 'Photopaint' in the past i began to brainstorm ideas. Firstly i began to create the base. using research from other CD i achieved the measurements then i began to create the base the measure ments were different for each side. the back design was much larger because it included included the two spines. These spines were 0.6cm each which thereby increased the base by 1.2cm . However the meterial we were using was regular printer paper and would be less durable compared to usual cd cover materials. We bagan to import the two images onto the coral draw software. I sized them up in relation to the base then bagan to do the same to the back. the sides were then coloured white. We then shosen a font and agreed where on the cd cover it will be placed.we then printed the design and fitted it into the cd case.

corel draw is an easy to use design software, it wasn't long before the entrire group began to use the software and created there own designs(below).

This album by the legendary singer Jack Johnson

can be desribed as religeously themed and have a deep connection to belief. jack johnson music is very layed back and often is very natural. his clothing is very informal and he uses an acoustick guitar. the image a man next to a tree . however the image has been produced to create an silouette . the size of the tree compared to johnson can relate to power that nature has of mankind. the picking of the tree suggests a source of food but most importantly it's symbolic references to biblical theories. Including the belief of creationism and possibly the adam and eve bible story. The background is in a faint yellowy,orange colour .as well as himself the cd cover is remarkably simple with only faint sights of the background and the sea . overall this is most propably my most enjoyable cd cover, due to mainly to it's simplicity and it's religeouyse references of power.The text is considerably small compared to the image and uses the same theme of insignificance compared to the tree. Because the writing is small ,the cd mainly relies on the the customer seeing the image rather than the writing indicator which is a good sales perspective.The writing is also situated over a blank background making it easy to see.