Digipak and Artist Website- conventions and planning

Conventions of Digipaks and Artist Websites

Planning my digipak and Artist Website

For both my digipak and artist website, I have created layout plans. These detail what i am including on each and where I want it to be visible on the product. I can make reference back to these in the construction process of my digipak and website and make sure that I use them as guides. Below are the two plans.

Creating my Digipak and Artist Website

For my Digipak, I am going to be using the software 'Serif Page Plus'. It has so many different elements on offer to help me create a product that looks professional and fits into the Indie music industry. I can important images and edit them, insert texts with hundreds of fonts to choose from and the software is easy to use. If a problem were to arise and I was not sure how to do something on the software, I can ask my teacher for help or search for the answer online. This software will be the best in helping me create my album digipak for my artist Dermot Kennedy.

For my artist website I am going to be using the online website creating site 'WIX'. It is easy to use and free of charge to use. There are so many different elements that can be inserted onto your created website, helping it look professional and like a real website. There are easy to use templates as well as blank ones that you can create your own design on. I can fully experiment with colours and fonts through this software and hopefully create a great website for my artist.

Filming the music video- my progress

When beginning the filming for my music video, I had lots of things to consider before jumping into picking up the camera and filming. With the help of my shooting schedule and research and planning I was able to do all of my filming very smoothly.

The first part of my filming went very smoothly as we were filming inside on a day that was bright and so there was good lighting. As well as this, I had direction when taking each shot and gave clear instructions to my actors so that they knew what they were doing.

One of the main worries of my filming was any complications that I may have encountered; with the most possible being a change in weather. This would have proved very difficult for the second part of my filming that took place outside and needed dry and bright weather. Luckily I was able to complete my filming in great conditions, resulting in clear and focused footage.

After filming each shot I rematched the clip in the viewfinder to see if it was up to my standards, resulting in many shots being reshot if they were out of focus, if the camera was shaky or I just wanted it from a different angle. The multiple shots I took proved useful during the editing process when looking through clips as I had many to choose from.

Overall, down to the planning, organisation and scheduling, the process of filming my music video went very smoothly and was very successful; allowing me to move onto the editing process of my coursework.

Shooting Schedule

The next step in my process was to create a shooting schedule so that I could begin filming. I had to consider when my actors would be available, when there was a day with the correct kind of weather and if the location that I wanted to use each day would be free to use or in good condition. Below is my shooting schedule. It included details of what day the filming will take place and at what time and location. I also included what people were needed for each day and what costumes/ props were necessary, this meant that when I sent the schedule to my actors they would be prepared upon arrive to the location. I also noted down what equipment I would need so that I could make sure it was available.

Day	Time	Location	Personnel needed	Props needed	Equipment needed	Notes/Shots
Tuesday 18th October	9am- 12pm	Bedroom	Crew, lead male actor	Outfits: Lead male- plain t-shirt, black jeans, dark shoes Other: Lilies, bed, white bedsheets, guitar	Camera with microphone, tripod	Close-ups on guitar playing, the strings and hands, mid-shots of bedsheets with light streaming in, mid-shots of lead playing guitar, close-ups on some lilies
Wednesday 19th October	8am- 5pm	Bedroom/ Car	Crew, lead male actor, lead female actor	Outfits: Lead male- plain t-shirt, black jeans, dark shoes, plus change into secondary outfit from Tuesday shoot Lead girl- jumper, jeans, plain shoes, jewellery, make up done Other: Bed, white bedsheets	Camera with microphone, tripod	Extreme close-ups on facial features of both lead and secondary actors, shots of their hands together, lying on bed together If time include extra shots of scenery
Thursday 20th October	10- 11:30	Bedroom		Outfits: Lead male- plain t-shirt, jeans, dark shoes Lead girl- jumper, jeans, plain shoes, jewellery, make up done  Other: Lilies, white bedsheets, guitar, printed photos,	Camera with microphone, tripod	Close-ups on some dead lilies, shots of them taking photos together Shots of them moving apart and the break up- yelling, packing clothes, tracking shots,  Slow zoom on him alone, shots of him looking at polaroid pictures alone Miming shots- mid-shot of lead male alone

Equipment and Props List

Equipment List

Another key part of the planning for the filming of my music video was looking at what equipment I would be using; this included cameras and tripods for the filming of the video but also the extra equipment needed to make the footage available for construction- this included the connection cords, computer and software I will be using for editing.




Camera:
The most important thing to create the music video is the camera; the one that I am using for my music video is the Fujifilm FinePix S4000 14MP Digital Camera. This brand of camera is easy to use, can focus very easily on close ups and can create effortless shots. I chose to use this camera as I can easily upload the footage onto the Mac computers that we will be using to edit our footage on and I own this camera and so have easy access to its use. It can act as a microphone for recording sound for my music video however all sound from the clips will be removed in the editing process due to me overlaying the video with my chosen track.

Tripod:
I will also be making use of tripods for the necessary shots in my music video that require the camera to stay in a fixed position as it will allow my shots to be level and look more professional. I will be using one of my friends tripods as it will have more access to it outside of school hours and so more flexibility for the filming schedule.

Computer:
The computer that I will be using to edit my footage on will be a Mac, this is because this is the brand that I own myself as well as the ones that our school has to be used by media students. This allows easier transfer of files as they will be in the same format.

Editing Software:
I am going to be using iMovie for the editing of my footage as I am able to access the software on my own computer at home, allowing me to maximise on the time I have to edit my music video as I am able to complete part of the editing process outside of school. The software is easy to navigate, has a good range of features available and can help me create a professional looking music video that can seamlessly fit into the industry.

Props List

For my music video, there a very little props needed. However, there are some that are necessary to the set decoration. These include: white bedding, a flower, photos, a guitar and  a phone. These will all be provided by myself or the actors.

Cast and crew list

The crew for my music video shoot will be very small as I am only including two characters in the narrative of my music video, with one of them also starring as the artist for the performance shots.

I will be completing all of the direction, filming and editing myself as I am working independently. I will have complete creative control and since I will be working with only two other people it will be easier to give direction and discuss the process of the shoot more directly. The small size of the crew also makes it easier to create a shooting schedule as there are less people needing to be available for a specific date.

Cast:

Lead Male Actor- Connor

Lead Female Actress- Megan

Mise-en-scene- Lighting and Colour

The elements of mise-en-scene depend on the genre and type of the music video. The main elements that I will be focussing on in the production of my music video are: lighting, colour, props, costume, hair and makeup and location. In this post I will talk about the use of lighting and colour in my music video; however information on location, props, hair and makeup and costume can be seen in other posts on my blog.


Lighting
Lighting is a key part of any music video as it can be used to highlight important characters and objects that are significant in the performance or narrative or a music video. Light can be used to set a mood; with dark lighting for sad and angry emotions and brighter lighting for happier and more positive emotions. Different tones in lighting can also be used according to the specifics of a music video with tinted bulbs or effects being made.
For my own music video I would like to use a combination of both dark and bright lighting to represent the shift between locations and time frames. The more bright/ white lighting will be sued in the shots in the narrative where the couple are happy and together; this will contrast with the darker shots after the couples fall out and the shift in time. I will accomplish the brighter lighting by using natural lighting in a room with bright walls that can reflect the light and make the room seem larger. I will create a darker setting through filming outside when it is later in the day.



Colour
Another key element of mise-en-scene that will feature in my music video is colour. After researching my audience and artist I have decided that a naturalistic colour palette will suit the music video the most. This will include whites and greys, with earth tones of brown and green in the setting of the music video. My actors clothing will also feature greys and blacks as well as some warmer tones of brown and green. I think that overall I want the colour scheming of my music video to be very tranquil and natural; this is important as my video is going to be narrative and the characters cannot look too extravagant for the story that is being told in the music video.

Filming Locations

For my music video, only 2 locations are required; these are a bedroom and a nature setting. I decided to head out and scout some possible locations that I could use for filming. When doing this I had to consider the availability of these locations, any permission required to film at these locations and the accessibility of them for myself and the actors. I also took into consideration the feedback from my teacher after pitching my plans to her and so have rethought the idea of using a beach as a setting. Below are details on each of the different locations that I looked into and my final decisions on my filming locations.

First location- Bedroom
This is a key part of the music video as it where many shots of the two actors together are going to be filmed. I wanted a room that would have good lighting with a light and simple colour palette that I could work with. I chose to use a bedroom in my own house as I would have easy access to it throughout the filming process; making it easier for re-takes and scheduling. The room has all white walls, with white bedding and a large window that allows lots of natural light to fill the room.

Second location- Nature setting

This setting was much harder to scout as the location needed to be quiet so that filming could happen uninterrupted. The location also needed to have good bright natural lighting as well as being able to look good in darker lighting. The local dog walking paths near my house have very picturesque surroundings with many of the trees featuring an array of autumnal tones. There is also this effect of the sun through the trees, as pictured in the first and second photos, that I would like to feature in my music video.  Overall I think that this location will suit the calm mood of my chosen song well due to its tranquil look and its ability to change for the narrative that I will be telling in my music video.

Storyboarding

For part of the planning for my music video I had to create a storyboard that would show the different shots that I had planned for my entire video. This storyboard shows the framing of each shot and even some of the camera movements with the arrows on the pictures.

By creating this storyboard I know that I will be able to better stick to the plan I have for the order of shots and refer back to it when filming to make sure that I am capturing the right kind of shots. However it is also important to use my natural creativity when filming and so not stick to the plan too closely that it restricts what I am able to create.