UPDATE?

I have currently completed the first drafts of my album front cover, back cover, inside cover, poster, CD design and CD tray. I now need to create the spine for the album in order to complete my digipak task. I have also begun to edit my music video after being happy with all the footage I have recorded. Printscreens of me editing the video are to follow this post in addition to the construction of the spine.

DIGIPAK AND POSTER DRAFTS

CD DESIGN INSPIRATION: BRIDGET RILEY

BRIDGET RILEY

Bridget Riley is a English painter currently living and working in London, Cornwall and the Vaucluse in France. Her famous 'Opt-art' pieces feature in galleries such as the Tate in London, which produce a distorting physical effect on the human eye. Her optical illusion art work is what I will be inspired by when designing the design of 'Altered Visions' CD. I aim to create a spiral effect from the centre of the CD outwards covering the entire circle. The purpose of the spiral  is when the CD is being played on a CD player a swirling hallucination effect will be produced, linking to the videos projection of my poster and music video. The colours I want to use will include black, mixed with another bright colour such as yellow or blue to define its shape.

FINAL CTRL Z LOGO DESIGN AND FEEDBACK

Feedback:

 

 

To summarize, from the feedback I have received, font style A was voted most popular despite B and C being very closely popular. These three styles were voted most popular due to being the most 'attractive' whilst 'professional' and 'interesting'. I have chosen to go with font style A as I believe it looks the most techno and electronic, fitting in with the genre of the music and name of the artist. I agree with one of the comments in that it 'symbolizes the behavior of your average indie band' and 'connecting the youth' of my target audience. My target audience will agree that reflects the genre of music in addition to looking very modern and trendy representing the importance of technology on music. I feel the font is very quirky and edgy which will make its significance stand out on my digipak. I may also use this font for the name of the album 'Altered Visions' to create a fluent theme of electronic music throughout the product.

Final Design:

I have no created the final logo of CTRL Z. I decided to make the logo more complex thus more interesting by moving around the letters to create a more detailed design. The inspiration for the final piece came from the standard arrangement of letters found on a computer keyboard. The letter Z is positioned diagonally above the Ctrl button which I wanted to re-create for my logo. My aim is that my target audience will recognize this format, reflecting that the artist is modern and in touch with technology. My young audience heavily rely on technology on a daily basis and are constantly communicating with others therefore will understand the meaning behind the name and design. By emphasising the technology side behind the deign of the logo it will reflect the impact of technology on modern music and the significance on the production and thus sound of it. I positioned the Z more closely to the Ctrl than it is originally on the keyboard to create less empty space in and around the logo. When constructing my digipak I will change the colour of the logo to all white so that its stand out against the dark background.

MUSIC VIDEO STORYBOARD

NEW IDEA//PROJECTION

SEGMENT C - PROJECTION

My new idea involves using a digital overhead projector connected to a computer in order to project hallucinating/confusing/abstract/distorted videos taken from YouTube onto my actress' skin. This will give her skin a new texture involving colourful shapes and patterns that will also be projected onto the white background, creating an almost camouflage effect. I have chosen to project in particular hallucination videos which will reflect how the character is feeling inside but on the outside to make it obvious to the viewer. These emotions include confusion, doubt, anger, anxiety which are all evoked when overthinking your regret.  Hallucination videos include looking at stationary objects which appear to be move, spirals, abstract shapes and optical illusions which cause natural hallucinations. The after-effects include seeing the pattern repeating in front of the eyes temporarily, transforming the surrounding environment and making objects appear everywhere. The hallucination effect will give the audience a similar feeling to what my actress is internally feeling shown through her dramatic body language. During this filming session I also aim to take photographs for my poster which include a portrait photograph of Millie posing seriously with a spiraling image over her skin.

ALBUM NAME FEEDBACK AND RESULT

Following the same format as my artist name questionnaire, I have created a similar questionnaire asking my target audience their favorite name for my indie pop album, featuring my music video song 'Regret'.

 The most popular name voted by my target was 'Altered Visions' scoring four votes. Taken directly from my feedback people said that Altered Visions 'related the most to the single 'Regret'' as it is like 'looking back at what they have done' also that it was 'eye-catching', 'interesting' and 'catchy'. This was also my personal favorite album name as represents my idea for the front cover of my digipak; layering several similar but different photos of my actress over one another. This would create a cycle of movement which would add to the altered effect with different perspectives of my actress creating a series of visions. The second most popular names were 'Distant Past' and 'Maybe Tomorrow' which my feedback said also confirmed to the genres and connoted similar emotions of 'sorrow'. I took inspiration from other indie songs from Everything Everything most recent album and similar feelings that came to mind when I thought of regrets such as uncertainty about the future due to the disruptions caused in the past. 'In the Presence of Nothing' received no votes, possibly due to the dullness and length of the name making it not catchy and therefore not memorable or unique.

BAND NAME FEEDBACK AND RESULT

I conducted a questionnaire in which I asked my target audience their personal favorite name out of four possible options and explain the reason for their decision. I picked my four favorite from the artist name brainstorm I created then distributed the questionnaire out to 10 within my target audience range.

The results I received were very helpful and I am now able to conclude the name of band; 'Ctrl Z'. Ctrl Z was voted most popular out all four options, scoring a total of 7 overall. Ctrl Z was personal choice from the beginning therefore I am please it has won the votes. I took inspiration for the name from English indie rock band 'Alt J' where I like the quirky simplicity of the name that reminded me of electronic and modern technology. Everything Everything's work also appears under the genre of 'Electronic Rock' therefore to confirm to these conventions and relate to the genre, naming my artist related to common electronic words is very relevant. The answers from my feedback said that 'Ctrl Z' sounded 'weird', 'unique' and creative', all things that should be portrayed from an indie artists name. I am pleased with the final name of my artist as it clear what genre my artist belongs as well as giving an insight into the characteristics of the artists. 

The second most popular name with two votes was 'Northern Nothings'. I took inspirations from the accents depicted from my music video songs in addition to the stereotype that the majority of indie bands are formed in Northern England e.g. Arctic Monkey's and The Stone Roses. I then wanted to use alliteration to play on the words and to give the name some fluency where I found the word 'Nothing'. I thought the word nothing linked in with 'Regret', connoting feelings of emptiness and loneliness, creating a theme throughout my digipak.

CHANGING MY IDEA/EDITING ERRORS/UNUSED FOOTAGE

As a apart of music video I planned to during editing layer digital moving images/video clips over the silhouette of my actress. I successfully filmed Millie against a white backdrop wearing the basic costume, hair and make-up originally planned with her lip-synching to the lyrics and behaving in a distressed and extreme angry manner. I was pleased with the footage I filmed as it was all in focus and I had successfully used a range of camera angles and shots adding extra interest. When I came to beginning to edit I struggled to find a way to layer the video clips taken from YouTube over the original footage of Millie. I began to research on the internet how to do it which included reading Adobe guides, blogposts and watching YouTube tutorials. I soon realized that this process was more complicated and skillful then I initially realized. After trialing the different layering options/filters on Adobe and attempting to 'mask' the figure I have decided to change my idea of creating a digital silhouette. Below is the footage that I will no longer be using as I have altered my idea to an easier method. Instead of layering two videos over one another during editing, I plan to physically project the same hallucinating videos over Millie, meaning I will have to re-film. Consequently this will put behind in my schedule and editing however it means that I will able to edit far easier with still good quality footage. I will now re-arrange with my actress another filming session which be take place in the media classroom as before but using a digital overhead projector against a white backdrop.

 

ORGANIZING ACTRESS FOR PHOTO SHOOT

Below are the imessages exchanged between me and my actress Millie as we organize the photo shoot for the ancillary task. I explained what make-up and clothes she needed to bring which was easy as they were same as what we used during our filming session.

 

ALBUM TITLE IDEAS

Following a similar structure to finding a appropriate artist name, I have also drawn a brainstorm showing all the album titles I have thought of. The chosen album title will be displayed on my digipak and poster therefore it is important that it is a relevant name to my chosen genre, artist and theme. I have again taken inspiration from previous artist, album and single names that belong to the indie pop genre. I have also considered the name of my music video song 'Regret' and thought of synonyms that link with my song.

ARTIST NAME IDEAS

Below is a brainstorm of all my ideas of possible names to call my indie pop band. I gained inspiration mainly from the internet where I looked at already existing artist names and copied randoms words to form a whole name. I also looked at songs and albums with quirky titles that I took inspiration from and wrote them down on the brainstorm. By creating this brainstorm I am able to visually see all my ideas and see the names' appearance written down. I will now conduct a questionnaire and pick my four favorites and ask people to vote with a explanation why they have chosen that certain name, in order to narrow down all my ideas into a final decision.

ANCILLARY SCHEDULE

PROGRESS UPDATE

I have now finished all my filming and shall begin editing using Adobe Premiere Pro. I am quite hesitant to begin editing as I am very unfamiliar with software I shall be using and have a lack of experience with editing large amount of footage. Throughout the duration of the editing process I will be screenshotting my progress showing why I have chosen to do certain things and how. Whilst editing I will also begin to  research into digipacks and posters particularly those belonging to the genre of 'Indie Pop' as well as planning for my own. I will also start to begin gaining more feedback via social media and focus groups on the development of my music video to find out people's opinions and if they think it is successful or not, allowing me to make corrections accordingly.

DAY 3 FILMING SCHEDULE

ORGANISING ACTRESS AND LOCATION FOR FILMING DAY 3

I have inserted the imessage conversation between me and my actress below, showing us arranging a day to film the last segment of my music video. As discussed, she shall be bringing the relevant make-up and costume where as I shall be bringing all the equipment and hair styling tools. I am feeling confident about filming on Friday after the test shots previously filmed and how effective my actress is in front of the camera.

In addition to organising my actress I also needed to check my location would be available because I was unsure due to the popularity of the space. I emailed Tim Molyneux who is the manager of the location to check the drama studio would be available on Friday afternoon, which it is.

DAY 2 FILMING SCHEDULE

ORGANISING ACTOR FOR FILMING DAY 2

Below are the texts exchanged between myself and my actor about arranging a date for filming. I suggested the Saturday which we both agreed on and also arranged a time and place to meet. This was also a opportunity for me to tell my actor what costume to bring with him, as I will be supplying the necessary make-up and equipment. I am now looking forward to filming with actor on Saturday at my new location as I am more hopeful that it will be a success.

ORGANISING ACTRESS FOR FILMING DAY 1

I have already arranged to meet with my actress to film the first segment of my music video which is the silhouette layering on the 12th of November. Below is a screenshot of our conversation via imessage confirming the date, time, location and what she needs to bring to the session:

DAY 1 FILMING SCHEDULE