Tuesday 24 June 2014

Marlowe album cover analysis

 
Marlowe - Album Cover analysis
 
 
 
Marlowe - 'Its turning me on' - EP
 


This is the first EP cover for the band Marlowe. The cover insinuates potential characteristics of the band, and the genre of their music. However, the name itself suggests what the band may be like. Marlowe may link to Christopher Marlowe, who was a 16th century dramatist. There are many myths surrounding Marlowe, and thus this gives the idea that the band maybe slightly eccentric with an edgy twist. The cover is red, which immediately suggests something passionate and fiery. This coincides with the EP's name, 'Its turning me on', and gives the impression that the music is something highly sensual. The image is a pencil drawing, which is slightly faded. This creates the idea that the band is quite authentic and organic. The image is of a young girl, and her position and attire have immediate  sexual connotations. The image suggests that this girl enjoys going out, as she is half way through applying lip stick. She is showing her leg and the image is of an absent nature, as the girl is looking down, thus the audience is more drawn in and engaged. This gives the idea that the genre is indie rock and the band is quite alternative. The text is in white, thus hugely contrasts with the white background, therefore the bands name is highly visible which helps to promote them. This is essential in an EP cover, as the band is trying to get their name our to their potential target audience. This is why the name of the EP is in a smaller font, as the name is less important than the bands.


Marlowe - 'darksparklecorner' - Debut album


 
This is the first album for the band, thus it needs to engage the audience in order to ensure high level of sales. The image is hugely striking, and draws the audience in, as it is a bizarre and slightly creepy. The contrast between white and red has been used again, this time with the text being red and the image mainly white. This helps to build brand image and the continuity helps the audience to recognise a particular artist. This time the image is a photo, and the use of a frightened child is shocking and thus stimulates the audience's curiosity. It emphasises the idea of eccentricity and the use of a faded image adds to the bands authentic feel. The use of contrast between light and dark is also effective, as it gives the idea that the band plays some darker music whilst also having some more lighter and softer material. The text is small and in the corner thus gives the impression that the band are relying on the image to engage the audiences interest, and not their name or title of the album. The title itself is ambiguous and adds to the mystery and slightly extraordinary image the band is presenting.
 
Marlowe - 'a day in july' - Second Album
 


This is the bands second album, and it contrasts heavily with the image of the previous album. Brand awareness has been continued as the red and white colour scheme has been again used. This means that the band can recognise the band more easily, as they are familiar with the colour and feel of the band. The image is lighter and softer than the previous album covers and this links with the title, 'a day in july', as this has connotations with happiness and sunshine. The mountains symbolise the idea of freedom, and that the band are moving forward to a higher level. The image looks like it has been taken a while ago, and its faded look emphasises the authentic feel of the band. This contrasts heavily with the previous album, as it is much softer and calmer than the startled image of the child. This gives the idea that the band have grown and developed, and that their music has steered away from the darker sides of indie rock, to something more subtle and understated.

Marlowe - 'deep breathe fake air' - Third Album


This is the third album for the band, and contrasts heavily with all the other covers. The only similarity is the colour scheme, that continues to focus on white and red. However, the image is no longer soft and authentic, but is now a rigid form in a bright blue. The harsh outline of the head, which to an extent seems highly clinical, contrasts with the faded images previously used, and gives the idea that the bands music has moved in a completely new direction. This cover insinuates that the band have moved to more superficial types of indie rock, and strayed away from their original roots. This is shown in the fact that the text is much larger, and the bands name takes the audiences focus as it is large and in the middle of the cover. The name however links to the previous ambiguity of the other albums, as it is confusing and thus keeps the band in the genre of indie and eccentric music.
 
 
 


Lip sync video


Sunday 22 June 2014

Lip Sync Exercise

Lip Sync Exercise

Today we began preparing for our A2 coursework, by undergoing a lip syncing exercise. This will prove hugely beneficial, as the key part to our music video will be the front man, who needs to be able to lip sync to a good standard thus making the video look more realistic. In preparation for this task, we all learnt the lyrics to Clean Bandit's song, 'Rather Be'. We only learnt the chorus so that we could film numerous people quickly, and therefore ensuring that everyone had a go at using the camera. 

The set has been split into three different areas, all with a different vibe and camera set up. The first set was plain, with the greens screen as a backdrop. The camera was fixed head on, and we changed the size of shot after each take. The green screen means that we could project any image we wanted as a backdrop, therefore transporting the artist to any location we wanted. The second set was a dance like area, with neon lights. The camera was on a track, which meant that we were able to get a clean movement shot. The third set was a casual area, with a sofa and a plain wooden background. The camera was placed low down, and looking up the artists so that the entire set could be taken in. 

After being briefed on what we were supposed to do, we split into groups of six and were assigned to a different set. My group worked with the greens screen first, and thus were the first group to use the digital clapperboard that was hooked up to the speakers. The clapperboard, I learnt, is crucial in ensuring that the artist is lip syncing in time to the track, and this makes editing much easier. Our group therefore split into different roles, with one becoming the artist. I was working as the camera man for this part, thus once the artist was in place, I used the skills I had previously learnt during my AS filming, and focused the camera, as well as adjusting the exposure so that the image was pure. The clapperboard then plays a vital part, as a member of our team stands in front of the camera once it has began rolling, and presses play. By doing this, the numbers begin to run on the clapperboard screen and this means that in editing, we will be able to match these numbers with the song so that they are perfectly in sync. The key part to any music video, that uses a performance aspect, is the artist and we were lucky to have an outgoing character as our artist. This meant that he gave it his all and as a result the film looked more realistic and engaging. However, despite knowing the lyrics in the heat of the moment some of the words were lost, and this is why it is key to have a good front man who knows the lyrics extremely well. We learnt that if the person actually sings, it looks more realistic than miming, and that because we are using the real song as the soundtrack, we can edit out any sound the microphone on the camera picks up. This is useful from a camera operators point of view, as it means that I could instruct the artist to do certain things whilst the performance was going on. We played the song three different times, and each time I changed the shot size, going from a wide, to a mid and finally to a close up of the artist. This means that when it comes to editing I have a wide variety to cut to thus making the video more interesting and dynamic. 

We then moved onto the dance like set, where we used the tracking shot. My friend and I were the artists for this shot, and I learnt how hard it is to accurately lip sync and look comfortable while doing it. The whole idea is that you have to be able to sell the song to your audience, and you have to be quite confident to do this in front of your friends. I found this quite hard to do as I am not used to performing and therefore it did not look as good on screen. Also, as the camera was tracking our movements, we had to be aware of how fast we were moving and that we needed to be facing the camera to some extent. We then swapped roles, and I was 'track operator'. Tracking shots are supposed to be clean and slick, and thus as the track operator you have to be aware of how fast you are pulling the camera and in what direction, so that it corresponds with the artists movement. This was a fun job to do, and it was good to use a piece of equipment that I had not previously been exposed too. After we had finished at this set, again recording the scene three times to allow for different shot sizes, we moved onto the final piece of set. Here, 4 members of our group posed as the artists and me and my friend took turns in operating the camera and directing. As there was a large number of artists, the camera work was particularly fun to do, as I had to make sure that all the artists were in view and had enough head room. Moreover, whilst filming in a mid or close up, I had to tilt and pan the camera in order to show all of the action. This takes a steady hand, and you cannot panic and suddenly move the camera to a different person, even if they are the sole focus of the action. I thoroughly enjoyed using the camera, as it means that you have to think of a lot of things at once whilst also ensuring that the image is of a good quality as well. 









Once we had finished filming, we went up to the edit suite and transferred our footage onto the computer. We then were briefed on how to cut together our footage, as it is extremely different to how we edited our thriller for our AS coursework. We first loaded the song onto Final Cut Pro and went through the clips we had shot, and what other groups had produced. This gave us an idea on what we wanted to use, and then we began to sync the clips with the soundtrack. We did this by matching the digital time code from the clapperboard which we had filmed at the beginning of each shot. After this, we simply were able to drag any clip we wanted onto the time line and cut it without it being out of sync. This meant that we could be quite creative in our cutting, as once we had synced the clips, the rest was quite easy. We learnt that if you started with a close up of the artists face, it would immediately highlight to the audience who the star was, thus would benefit publicity. We also had to remember to delete the camera's sound recording, as this would have been filled with talking and would ruin the sound of the song. I really enjoyed the editing process and I found it much quicker and simpler than the editing of our thriller.




Wednesday 11 June 2014

Album Cover Compare and Contrast




Album Cover Compare and Contrast
 


 
 
 
Album covers are a way in which artists are able to express their image before the consumer has even listened to the music. This means that it is an essential part of marketing, as it is a way to establish an artists star image.
 
 
This is the album cover for the band Tribes. They had previously released an EP album, but this was their first real album, thus it was an extremely important part in creating the bands image. Firstly, none of the band are looking at the camera, thus a distance is immediately created between the artist and the audience. This implies that they are more about creating music rather than the whole 'celebrity' lifestyle. The bands attire also adds to the image they want to create. They are all dressed in rather shabby clothes, which are ripped and have the appearance of being worn often. The bands music is alternative rock, and their clothes echo this genre, as they have the old rock and roll appearance. As a result, the audience is able to make connections between this band and others who are seen to dress the same thus the audience will be more aware of the type of music Tribes play before they listen to the album. This benefits brand awareness and brand image thus helps to entice more potential consumers, which boosts sales as well. Moreover, the band is sitting on an old bench with a dirty wall as the backdrop. Again, this coincides with the image of the bands genre thus helps to establish the idea that the band have a relaxed attitude towards the industry in which they work.
 
The text on the album is also an important part of the cover. The text is all about promoting the band, rather than the album. This is because, as their first major album, the band need to advertise themselves first, and then their music. The big bold text catches the eyes of the consumer and helps to familiarise them with the name of the band. This contrasts with the small text of the title of the band, which reiterates the idea that the band and the management team behind them want to promote the bands image rather than the music.
 
Overall, the bands album cover has an authentic feel that links to their genre of music which helps to establish their star image. The band is organic and this helps to emphasise their rock and roll look.
 
 
 
This is the first album for the now worldwide sensation that is One Direction. The band is synthetic in the fact that it was set up on the show 'The X Factor' thus are a complete outcome of Simon Cowells wishes. The band have been designed by management, thus the album cover is all about promoting this new up and coming band that had already started building a wide fan base during the shows duration.
 
The band are all looking at the camera thus are making eye contact with their potential audience. This establishes a link between them and their fans, which helps to generate the idea that the stars are present in the everyday life of their audience. All their faces are shown, and their clothes are all clean which creates a 'preppy' atmosphere. The band is promoted in this way, due to the fact that their target audience is young girls, thus the management team behind One Direction need the bands first album to establish the star image for the band that these girls will relate too. The boys are young and all are shown to be laughing. This youthful playful image is vibrant and creates the star image of good young boys who are having fun.
 
From a photographic perspective, the image has been slightly faded to give it a soft warm feel. This echoes the genre of the music, which is pop, and again reiterates the good image the band represents as their management wish them to become role models for their audience. Thus there is no sexual aspects to the image, or stereotypical negatives, such as tattoos, alcohol and cigarettes. This is purposefully done in order to attract the right target audience.
 
The text on the album, like on the Tribes album, is all about the bands name. It is in large bold font, and the black stands out against the soft tones of the image. This therefore makes the name, One Direction, stand out and as this was the first album, helps to promote the already known brand name. The text seems to be in a font that looks hand written which again creates the mood of youthfulness amusement. The album name is small, and although in capitals, does not draw attention away from the bands name. This confirms the idea that the album cover is all about selling the band, rather than their music genre.
 

Monday 9 June 2014

Keith Negus: Organic and Synthetic

 
Keith Negus: Organic and Synthetic
 
 
 
Keith Negus is a media theorist, who identified two distinct ways of thinking about potential artists from within the music industry. His ideologies are based on the artists image and how their careers are developed, and because of this, how they are marketed towards a specific target audience.
 
The two ideologies are divided into organic and synthetic artists.
 
Organic:
 
- This has a naturalistic approach to artists, and is when the success of the artist has originated from the artist and been nurtured by the record company. The artist has been given time to evolve and progress through their career, whilst their image is being enhanced by the record company.
 
- Organic artists focus mainly on album sales, and the construction of a successful back catalogue. They target mainly older and more sophisticated consumers, as the image created is normally more suited to this. The profits that are generated by this type of artist tend to be part of a long term strategy by the record company.
 
 
Synthetic:
 
- Synthetic artists have been constructed by the record company, therefore their image, and material are entirely created to suit a particular audience. The artist will be given a short period of time to prove their success before other combinations will be tried out.
 
- Synthetic artists focus on single sales and to promote first albums. They often target younger audience who are generally less sophisticated. The profits generated by this type of artist tend to be part of an immediate short term strategy by the record company.
 
 
Balancing the two:
 
 - In theory, the success of synthetic acts will fund the development and investment in organic acts. Therefore, record companies try to balance the two in order to ensure that they can fund day-to-day expenses as well as making a long term profit.
 
Promoting Organic and Synthetic acts:
 
- Organic acts are often promoted as being authentic, both musically and socially. The image seems to be 'unconstructed' and thus entices the right target audience.
 
- Synthetic artists, are often sold on their appearance or personality and therefore the record companies focus mainly on this aspect of the act. The image is carefully constructed, so that nothing damages the reputation of the artist, as the record company needs to ensure high profit margins.
 


Sunday 8 June 2014

Analysis of 'Stan' Music Video

Analysis of 'Stan' Music Video


This is the music video for 'Stan' by Eminem.

The video combines all three elements of performance, narrative and conceptual in order to leave a very poignant and memorable image in the audiences mind. The video is mainly centred around a narrative structure thus the video has a definite beginning, middle and end.
The beginning shows that the equilibrium of the narrative is not right, as a dark sinister tone is created. This is done through dim lighting and the heavy rain, thunder and lightening casts an ominous shadow over the pregnant girl lying on the bed. The girl is played by Dido, who features on the track as a singer. It is odd that Dido is playing the girl, but is effective as it creates a connection between all three characters. As the camera pans in through the window, it shows that she is vulnerable and alone. This immediately conjures a dark mood of the piece and this is carried on throughout. The music is also sinister, thus adds tension to the piece.
The protagonist, 'Stan' is then introduced. He is playing the role of an obsessed Eminem fan, therefore when we meet him, he is dying his hair blonde to match his idol's. This establishes the idea that 'Stan' is quite unhinged and that he has taken the concept of star image too far. From the intense bathroom scene we cut to the real star, Eminem. The audience see that he looks extremely similar to 'Stan' and that a load of fan mail has just arrived. This foreshadows what is too come, and leads the audience to sympathise with both 'Stan' and Eminem. The camera tracks downwards, through the floor boards to bring up the image of 'Stan's ' basement. The lightening again causes a creepy mood to be created, and the repeated images of Eminem's face on posters lighted by the flashing lightening adds to the idea that 'Stan' is quite deranged.

The mise en scene of the basement adds to the atmosphere of the video. It matches the idea that Eminem is more attractive to people who shared the same lifestyle he did while growing up. The lyrics add to this concept, as they show that Eminem's fans have numerous domestic problems in common. As an artist, Eminem is trying to entice a wider audience by showing that everyone is the same, and have troubles that need confronting; he is showing that there is little difference between a star and an ordinary person. This makes the audience feel connected with the artist, thus in turn draws them into liking that artist. The basement is full of odd objects, that combined with the multiple images of Eminem creates a weird and potentially disturbing image. The panning shot that displays the images on the wall are then cut back to 'Stan', thus showing the similarities between them and thus accentuating the idea that he is a crazed fan who has taken the concept of star image too far.

The video also uses dramatic irony, as it shows that 'Stan' has no logical reason to hate Eminem, as his letters were lost in the post. This casts a positive light on Eminem, as it shows that he cares for his fans welfare, and that his star image is not who he really is. This entices a wider potential audience, which benefits the artist considerably. Furthermore, the reply Eminem sends 'Stan' and then after he realised that he is dead, conveys how Eminem does not want his fans to take him too seriously, but to just enjoy the music instead of taking it too to heart. This benefits Eminem's star image as it shows to people critical of Eminem, that he is a different person than the image his lyrics creates. Eminem is going against his stage persona in order to showcase the wrongs of star image obsession. #

The video reaches a crescendo with the car falling from the bridge. The equilibrium has reached maximum crisis level as 'Stan' kills himself and his pregnant girlfriend, who is in the trunk of his car. The moment is foreshadowed by the lyrics, as there are numerous references to drowning and this builds up the momentum of the piece until it crashes down as the car hits the water. The heavy rain adds to the danger of 'Stan's' wild driving, and the reference to some of Eminem's previous songs, show that Eminem really does not want his fans to take his music seriously, as it could lead to serious harm. The picture of Eminem attached to the mirror in the car adds to the idea of obsession and as it swings in the bright lights of the cars headlights, a dangerous and creepy atmosphere is created. The image of the sinking car cuts to Eminem, who is shown to be replying to Stan's letter. The glasses he is wearing, symbolise intelligence and his words are caring and compassionate as he urges Stan to get help before he does something stupid. The image of 'Stan's' little brother at 'Stan's' gravestone with bleach blonde hair, shows how far obsession in a star image can go, and that if not destroyed, it can become engrained in a person which can lead to devastating consequences.