Planning: Test Shoot

We combined our track 'Waiting On You' with Plan B's video for 'Ill Manors' to test out the ideas of juxtaposition of country and grime.

Planning: test shoots

 We conducted a test shoot of images similar to that we expect to see in our video. We particularly liked the image of the bin and thought we could incorporate a shot like this with a blurred figure between the bars.
We also took photos of potential actors and the image they will portray. These actors however cannot be involved anymore and so we have had to find replacements. 

Research and Planning

I was originally inspired to combine the country and grime genres after discovering a track on YouTube.
'Hugo' had recorded a cover of Jay-Z's well known '99 Problems' and put his own spin on it.

Communications with the band

Planning: Animatic

After creating our shot list, we then drew out some examples of what the shots would look like on paper. We put this together with the piece of music to thoroughly plan out the timings of the song.

Update

My group and I met and discussed what tasks still need to be completed and we devised a list of mini deadlines in which we would aim to complete them by.

Shot List

Planning: Potential Target Audience

We created a focus group on the social networking site 'facebook' where we uploaded images of the final digipaks and adverts and a link to our song. We then asked people to comment on what they thought looked good and what could be improved. So far, there has been no feedback from this.
Because of this lack of audience feedback, I signed up to a country music forum. I thought I would post a discussion on here regarding the key themes and ideas for our music video and a link to my finished digipak and advert. By targeting fans of country music, the feedback I would receive from here is more likely to be valid and relevant. 

http://truecountry.com/forums/showthread.php?8414-Country-Music-Interpretation

Planning: Risk Assessment

We created a risk assessment in order to consider what safety control measures we will need to undertake throughout the filming process. 

Print Production: Final Digipak

Print Production: Final Magazine Advert

Print Production: Back Cover

The information that I will be placing on the digipak is:

• The name of the band 'Wooden Horse'
• The name of the album 'What Comes Around'
• The tracklist:  
All Prayed Up
Be Lonely With Me
CC Rider
Freight Train Blues
Hell Ain't Going Home
Rain Clouds
Simple Twist Of Fate
Sweet Carolina
Waiting On You
We'll Move On
We're All In This Together
Yonder Calling
• Barcode
• Website 
• Performance rights 
• Copyright 
• All rights reserved 
• Address of label 
• Made in EU

Print Production: sepia tones

I want to create a sepia tone on my digipak as I feel this fits the genre conventions. In order to do this, I have tried out many different techniques. Below are some of the images I have produced whilst using varying effects and image adjustments to try and create an effective sepia appearance. 

 For the first image, I used to preset adjustments in photoshop to create a sepia tone. However, even after brightness adjustments the photo still looked dark and uninspiring.

Because of this, I changed the technique I was using. I adjusted the brightness levels of the image to make it more vivid. I then created a new layer and using the paint bucket tool, added a sheet of 'yellow' over the image. After this, I adjusted the opacity of this layer to create a subtle yellow glow. 

After seeing that this technique also wasn't very effective, I used the 'image adjustments' menu to alter the levels of saturation. Firstly, I made the image brighter. I then made it black and white, and then using the 'photo filter' menu, I experimented with different presets such as 'sepia' and 'warming tone'. I selected the warming tone as this created a warmer sepia glow and changed the 'density' levels until I decided it look effective. The second image has lower brightness settings and a higher frequency of shadows as I felt the first image looked washed out. 

Print Production: planning for digipak

Before I began the production process, myself and my group members began to produce six panel digipak in order to try out various effects and springboard potential ideas for our actual print work. We did not finish this process before we started our actual print work and so below is the example of a four panel digipak.

We do not own any of these images as we copied them from the internet, purely for planning and preparation purposes.

Print Production: Photoshoot

The first photo shoot I conducted for the print production was in my back garden. I used a wooden rocking horse and placed it in various shrubbery to try and create a rural appearance. 
After going through the photos, I decided upon a possible four options that could be used on the digipak or magazine advert.

Print Production: time management

Print Production - Planning

I was unable to arrange a time with the band to meet and conduct a photo shoot for the print work as their schedules clashed with my own and I couldn't leave it until next week when we were able to find a time as this wouldn't leave enough time for editing. 

Unfortunately, this means that the band members themselves will not feature on the digipak or advertisement. 

Because of this minor setback, I will have to develop my secondary ideas and makes these appropriate for the main focus of my print work. This means that the themes of wooden horses and 'youths' will feature heavily. I will also incorporate entropic ideas of time and the past.

I was mainly inspired by the theme of time due to the lyrics of the song 'waiting on you', but also the artist Salvador Dali who created a surrealist image of dripping clocks. 

As a result of my research, I will follow the key conventions of the country blues genre and create a professional product for print. 

I will use editing effects such as sepia tone or black and white- I will not make this decision until I have the photographs and can experiment and see which looks the most effective. 

I will also focus heavily on the theme of an outdoor space, this was a frequent location in most of the examples I studied. I will use a 'corn field' or similar in order to follow the conventions however I will edit the photos to give a dishevelled appearance. This will mean that it directly links to the music video and fits the underlying themes of contrast and juxtaposition of opposites.

I would like the field to look 'dead' and uncared for. This lack of care will mirror that shown within the video for the town and its inhabitants. 

One idea I had to illustrate the passing of time was to have repeated images of the same clock, with the hands moved forward an hour in each photo. I would place these next to each other in order to clearly display this idea. Another way in which I could suggest the passing of time is by placing a clear image of a clock in the centre of the template and then overlaying this with another image of a clock, this would have moved on an hour and have higher levels of transparency so that it is just visible. 

I have found similar examples of this to clearly explain my ideas, I would develop these existing images into an innovative, personal photograph. 

Print Production - Research

The main image on the cover denotes the artist lying casually on a bench with his guitar. This implies the 'laziness' of the music and suggests to the reader that it will be of an easy-listening nature. The fact that the artist is barefoot could suggest his passion for the music. It could also connote a raw sound as in very little editing has been used to perfect the sound of his music. 
Because of the 'laid back' ambience presented as the immediate insight to the album, we are given further knowledge of the type of music we should expect. It also allows the audience to feel closer to the artist as if he is casually singing to only them.





The tracklist on the album is placed directly onto the main image on the back cover. This again adds to the 'laid back' approach to the album as it isn't perfected and placed in line. It follows the theme of the images through using a 'messy' font. I think this looks effective as it blends in with the image, allowing the main focus to be on the artist himself.  

From this example, we can see that it is common within the genre of country blues to include images of the instruments. As they play a huge part in creating the overall sound of a country blues piece, they seem to be a main focus of the artist's star image. 

Another common theme within this genre is the idea of being outdoors. On many albums, the artist is pictured outside, close to nature. Usually in a field of corn or something similar. This is because of the cliche ideas of 'cowboys' associated with country music.
The font used in both of these examples is very bold and square.

However, not all artists stick to these conventions. Some artists such as John Lee Hooker and Seasick Steve have deviated from these cliche ideas of cowboys and farm houses by using iconic images as the main interpretation of their product. 
John Hooker has used a black hand with parted fingers. This draws attention to the album as it is different to others within this genre. However, the sepia tone used within the image prevents it from deviating too much from the genre and means it still fits with the usual representations.
Unlike the examples above, the font used is very loose and mimics handwriting. This reinforces the omnipresent idea of a laid back approach to music and perhaps lifestyle. Because of this, it is difficult to conclude what font is more typical of the country genre as both styles are frequently used. I will experiment with both font styles and decide which is more appropriate to my main image when I create my own work. 




Seasick Steve has used an image of a dog. Dogs are also featured on Johnny Cash's album, revealing that animal imagery is also a frequent technique used within the country genre.

This album cover is in black and white- from this I can suggest that it is a common technique to alter the colouring of images within the country genre. Cash, Hopkins and Hooker have all used a sepia tone in their image, this softens the image, connoting the soft sound of the music itself. Seasick Steve has challenged this convention by using a black and white tone which works effectively with the shadows and reflections in the water. 

Following the same quirky style of his album cover, Seasick Steve has broken from conventions and created an unusual, eye catching advert. The main focus of the advert is a picture of the artist himself as it is placed in the centre of the page and is in vivid colour. The rest of the page is filled with muted tones of brown and orange with contrasting details of bold black shapes. 











I found these two images of magazine adverts for key country icons. They follow a similar design with a left handed border. However, due to the age of the adverts I will not be taking inspiration from these as I believe the conventions of the genre have now changed. On the other hand, they do follow some of the conventions in the fact that there is a picture at the top of the page with writing and information underneath, this style can also be seen above in Seasick Steve's advert. 








This more recent advert for Blake Shelton conveys a very different style to those featured above. The image is the background for the article and is the most prominent feature on the page, much like on the album covers I have studied. The setting used is a rural, country scene and reflects the cliché ideas about this genre. Again, similarly to the album covers, a guitar is featured in the image, enforcing the importance of instruments within this genre. 
The advert uses the contrast of muted browns and a bold black print to create an attractive overall appearance, this mimics the same effects produced in the Seasick Steve advert. 

Cash has used a silhouette style image as the overpowering focus of the advert. Much like the Blake Shelton advert, this shadowy figure is placed on the right hand side of the page. Again, muted tones of grey and light blue have been used. From this I can conclude that the country genre typically uses softer, muted colours rather than bold primary colours. 
At the bottom of the page, a website is featured for the location of buying products. This seems to be important information that is frequently included in all adverts and so I too will include such information when I produce my own. 






Summary of Key Findings:

• Instruments are of high importance within images, particularly guitars.
• The setting is commonly rural.
• Soft, dull tones of colour are used. 
• These tones are commonly contrasted with a bold black print.
• Fonts used vary from bold blocky prints to loose, imperfect scrawls.
• Typically, adverts follow the design of image above and information below. 
• The main theme within all aspects of the genre is a 'laid back attitude'.

The Pitch

We presented our initial concepts for the video to our peers through the use of prezi and written notes. These are shown below.

The group filled out feedback sheets in order to give comments on factors such as the originality of the idea and logistical arrangements. Some of the most frequent comments were:

• The idea of a 'riot'. It was a common concern that it may be difficult to achieve a riot scene within the video. Many people said that we may not be able to get together enough people/actors to pull off the appearance of this. 

We will take these comments on board. However we had previously discussed this issue and decided that the 'riot' will be more of a 'brawl' scene. This means that we will not need as many actors as perhaps was implied in our pitch and the effect will be more achievable. 

• Whether or not people will understand our idea. We decided to contrast the 'country' genre with a more urban theme. It was suggested that this may be difficult for the target audience to understand. 

We will not take this comment into consideration as we feel this will only be an issue if factors such as mise en scene and cinematography mean that the video lacks coherency. We can manipulate these factors so that we can make the meaning of our video clear. 

• Issues with lighting. 

We will need to carefully consider the time of day that we will record as obviously in the winter months, it becomes dark very early. In order to affectively achieve a 'twilight' appearance, we will use reflective boards to bounce street lights back into the scene. 

• Comments on location.

Many people commented on the organisation of locations for filming. They said it would need to be thoroughly planned but should be easily achieved due to our local, and accessible choices. 

Feedback from Tristan

• We need to develop a clearer, more detailed outline of our target audience.
• The risk assessments need to be thorough and detailed due to health and safety issues. 
• Detailed story board with many photographs as mise en scene is incredibly important.
• Good ideas of juxtaposition- makes the video more entropic. 
• When will we film? Must use reflective boards.
• Emphasise performance element of video. 
• Ensure one version of the song is used for playback so that lip syncing can match up.

5/10/2012

I have now joined up with Joseph Pittaway and Lauren Powell to form the group I will work with to create a music video. We had a small meeting yesterday in which we discussed possible song choices.
I compiled a list of possible bands in the Worcester area and we discussed what our best options were. We then decided that we would contact the three bands that I have a personal connection with as we though this may mean they are more reliable.
However, we had another meeting today where we sat down and listened to all the song choices. As a result of this, we have short listed three bands.
Our first choice is a band called 'Wooden Horse'. This is made up of two gentlemen from the West Midlands, Ben  Church and Jamie Knight. They play Americana and Country Blues. We chose the song 'Waiting On You' as we felt this was more upbeat and inspired the most ideas for a music video.
http://www.woodenhorsemusic.co.uk/

Our second choice is a band called 'Morning Glory' who are also from Worcestershire. They play rock music, the song is called 'It's Your Fault'.
When contacting this band however we found that they are already signed to a record label called MAS records and so we are unable to use their music.
As a result of this, our second choice became 'Just Another Year'. This is a rock band from Essex and the song is called 'Take The Pressure'.





We received an email from 'Wooden Horse' giving their permission for us to use their track. We then proceeded to converse via email about where to download the music and whether they would feature in our video. The agreed to this and so we are currently in the process of organising a time to meet with the band. This requires serious considerations about health and safety- we will make sure we are all together and in a highly public place.

Technology experiments

This is our first attempt at using the green screen. We tried to create a 'floating head' effect however the green paper reflected onto the models face and so we weren't successful in eliminating the green background. We then created a skiing scene.

Entropy and Redundancy

Entropy
Entropy is the idea of unpredictability. It is used to describe unexpected elements.
Redundancy
Redundancy is the predictable and expected elements of a text. It is essential for practical communication as sometimes entropic texts can have an unclear meaning. 

• A text arguably contains both entropic and redundant elements in varying degrees. This is also culturally determined as what is highly entropic in one culture may be highly redundant in another. 
• The video I am discussing (Helena Beat - Foster The People) has varying levels of these ideas throughout.

Helena Beat
The video begins with a high degree of entropy because images of war and destruction are highly unexpected in a music video. The video then continues with a narrative that itself is also highly entropic. The city in the background is destroyed which may be unexpected and shocking to the viewer. 
It is a frequent technique throughout the video that a redundant image (for example, the road markings and scenery) is juxtaposed with a more entropic image (the cans and teddy bear tied to the back of the van). 

This keeps the audience engaged because we are constantly seeing changing and sometimes shocking images. 

The other images featured in the video such as the female swearing at the camera and the kids beating up the main persona should be highly entropic. However, the target audience for this video would be used to these kinds of images and come to expect them from certain artists like Foster The People, this reduces the level of entropy. 

Other images within the video have a high level of entropy because they are unpredictable however they portray a concept that is becoming more widely known and predicted within certain cultures. For example, the image of the young boy with a gun is becoming more recognised as problems with war are broadcast more widely within the media however it retains a high degree of entropy as it is shocking to the audience and is unexpected in a music video.