1st draft analysis

This is the first draft of our music video recreation, 'Hall of Fame' by The Script.

Within the video we have tried to display the message of 'work hard and you will succeed' through the use of a sports theme. We felt that a sports theme would best convey the message we are trying to achieve due to the effort that successful athletes put in to winning races, something we have tried to display in this video. This message that we attempt to put across is very similar to that of 'The American dream' which states that anyone can go 'from rags to riches'. This view emphasises the belief that anyone can achieve greatness through hard work and dedication, which makes it appropriate for our video.

Also, within the video we have displayed a link between the visuals and the lyrics, in order to emphasise the message of the video whilst also trying to display to the audience the plot of our video as well as improving our visuals and providing a link to the song. An example of this is towards the start of the video, as they sing, "you can be the King Kong banging on your chest", and we display Ben as the artist of the song punching his chest in time with the lyrics, further promoting the link of visuals and lyrics.

(00. 26)

We have also displayed a link between the visuals and the music, and the beat of the song. Doing this, I feel, really enhances the quality of the video as the visuals flow well with the beat of the song, and is pleasing on the eye due to the rate at which the clips are shown. I used this to great effect in this video through the use of 'rapid cutting' on 'Final Cut Pro', as I inter-twined the clips of Ben running alone with the clips of him running with the personal trainer. This displayed the contrast of the two bits of training, and created a smooth flow between clips as it matched up with the beat of the song well.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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(1.28 - 1.31)

In addition to the 'rapid cutting' signifying the link with the music, it also highlights the change from dark to light, which is used to represent a 'change in fortune' for the athlete. We used this contrast from dark to light to display the improvement of the athlete, and that the second race would be the successful one. This sudden change of colours hints to the viewer that the outcome of the second race will be different, and that the training the athlete goes through helps him to achieve his goals in the end. This contrast in colours ties in well with Claude Levi-Strauss' 'Binary Oppositions' theory, in which two opposites signify the contrast between good and bad. Within the making of our video we took this into consideration, and we show how the 'Black vs. White' contrast further enhances the message of succeeding through hard work as the athlete loses the first race, which is shown in a darker shade, before winning the second race, shown in a lighter shade.

Furthermore, as well as the change in colour, the athletes actions and character development through the video again give the audience a hint at the outcome of the second race. We made this noticeable in the beginning of the two races, as we portrayed how the athlete had his head down in the build up to the first race, to imply a lack of confidence and belief; in contrast to, the athlete having his head up prior to the second race, to suggest new found confidence, and a will to succeed.   

(0.33) and (1.45)

We also had the idea of the plaque in the video as a symbolism for a 'hall of fame', in which the athlete of the video is striving to succeed and write himself into the hall of fame. In doing so, we knew that this footage would tie in well with the motive of the lyrics, and also cleverly tie in with the songs title.

(2.24)

Finally, the footage of the artist is used by us as we felt the need to conform to the conventions of typical music videos, in which the artist themselves play a dominant role in the visuals of the video. We felt that merging the clips of the athlete and the artist throughout the filming would help us conform to these stereotypes, and make it clear to the viewer what we are trying to achieve. As Ben plays both roles, we needed to make sure the viewer can distinguish between each character, and so the use of clothing helps us do so. The athlete is seen wearing typical sporty clothing, in comparison to the stylish but casual wear of the artist, as well as the glasses. Also, the location of the two characters help display the difference between the two, as the athlete is filmed over on a field to highlight his training and running, whilst the artist is filmed in a hall.

To improve on the next copy of our video we plan to...

* Finish the races by gaining footage of the end results of the races

* Film and add the ending 

* Fill all missing scenes

* Film more clips of the artist as some are repetitive

First draft of my music video recreation

Here is the first draft for mine and Ben's music video recreation of the 'Hall of Fame'. There are gaps in the video which we will fill with footage soon, and post again when done.

possible digipak panels

 These are the possible images I will use for my digipak. Note: These arent final so I will definitely be making changes and adding the final images to my blog!



The theme which I am going for within my digipak is of natural imagery, highlighted by the pictures of the sky and the trees. I took all of the pictures myself and so none have been copied. The faded brown colours are that which I am going to use for each panel of the digipak so that each panel smoothes nicely onto the next and the digipak flows well.

 

 

 

 

This picture really represents what the songs lyrics (Hall of Fame) are about, with the trees symbolic of reaching the top. The narrative within our video is of an athlete striving to reach the top and the tree displays how the athlete 'branches out' to reach the top, and that well known saying that 'the sky is the limit', displayed with the clouds blending with the trees.

 

 

This panel is the one I intend to use as the CD holder, hence the big red circle. I used the image of the curtains as symbolic of opening the case, as I have done with the front cover. This highlights the anticipation the buyer would hopefully have of listening to the CD, as you would do when waiting for the curtains to open in the theatre.

 



 

This image was taken in the school hall, the same place as some of the footage of our film. The lights I feel stand out well in contrast to the brown background, however the big gap to the left of the picture deteres the quality of the image, and is something I will adress.

I like this image of mine and Bens shadows as it is unique and also highlights the 'natural' imagery theme I am aiming for. The way the shadows stand out I feel work well with the grass, and, as you can see, the raised arm of one of the people again highlights the notion of reaching the top, as he is pointing upwards to symbolise progression.

 



 

To gain the faded brown colour on most of the panels I had to use a brown background for each picture on 'Photoshop', and edit the picture from 'normal' to either 'Pin light', or 'Linear light', depending on which effect worked bewst in displaying the fade in each picture.

Digipak back cover?

Here is my initial idea for my digipak back cover:

 

Although the back cover may look a bit blank, I am still going to add onto it the details such as Distributer and Manufacturer for the album.

I took all pictures I am using for my digipak myself, using my schools 'Nikon SLR 500' camera for its good quality photos.

To achieve the colour change from the original picture I used 'Photoshop' and added a brown background layer whilst changing the image from normal to a 'Pin Light' effect in order to merge in the brown colouring with parts of the image. I feel this effect works well, as it gives a contrast of colour to the original image and also allows the sun to be more demanding and dominant in the photo.

Aswell as altering the image, I have also added in the barcode from an internet picture, and used 'Text' to include the song names and price tag. 

 

Edited image

Original photo

 

Changes I plan to make:

1. Include the extra details such as manufacturer and distributer

2. Perhaps include album title on back cover also

3. Include more song choices as only 4 choices is small for an album

 

 

 



The artist of our music video

Theorists for music videos

Digipak front cover





Here is a picture of what my digipak front cover image will look like.

The thought process behind this image is that it is simple and not too 'overpowering' as to distract attention away from the band name or album name, which is essentially what we are trying to display.
In addition, the curtains suggest that a show is about to start, which highlights the anticipation and excitement one feels as a show is about to begin. This can be converted to display how my album would excite its audience and that in opening the curtains (a metaphor for opening of the digipak) the audience will be pleased with what they find inside.
Furthermore, the title of both the album and band are written in a bold white, which makes them stand out in contrast to the red of the curtains. This allows the audience to be drawn to the names due to the way they stand out, and so our band name will be the first thing they're drawn to.
Lastly, there is a strong link between the front cover and our music video itself as this cover is a scene in which we used in the video, and so this intertextuality can be shown to promote our video through my digipak.