Dolby

George- are you editing with the footage you already have or once all is filmed- remember this part is worth 40 marks and editing takes a long time....

Construction - Progress Report

Week ending  11th Nov:
I was able to get hold of a table showing when everyone was free, kindly given to me by my classmate Jake, who is using similar actors in his video. I then used that to plan out some days of filming.
I managed to create some of the props for my music video, including these exam papers;

*insert picture*

Week ending 18th Nov:
Shot some clips that didn't require actors, such as zooming in on a clock to and a shot of the Sixth Form's exterior. I also set up Final Cut Pro on the Mac and added my chosen song to the audio track.

Week ending 25th Nov:
Filmed some shots in the classroom, including lip-syncing of the first verse and chorus by the lead singer as well as some shots like sitting down and looking bored sat at the desk. However, technical issues caused some problems getting the footage onto the computer.

Week Ending 2nd December:
Fixed the problem that was preventing the footage going onto the Mac and began to edit the parts I had filmed, adding them into the right places and cropping them while leaving space for the next shots I need to film.

Week Ending 9th December:
With all the band actors together, I filmed almost all of the narrative shots that I needed for the second and third verses of the song. This included some high angle shots in the exam situation and the band writing their answers. One problem was that the hall I intended to shoot the exam parts in was busy, so in the end I opted to use the same classroom but space the band out with no extras to make it look more sparse and like an exam.

Ancillary Progress

After a week of working on the digipak and advertisement in lesson time, here is what I have managed to create so far. I have opted to use a red and yellow colour scheme as it fits in with the bright and vibrant style of a magic show, where red curtains and red cloaks are commonly seen. I have used my images from the test idea to add extra variety to the album and add more magic related vibes. For now, I am using the drawn image of the band as the front cover but I will possibly replace it with a picture of the actual band when I get around to taking it.  

24th November

In this lesson I was able to finish the designs on the digipak, mainly the inside pane. I created the basic shape and text on Serif DrawPlus before adding fills and stars in Paint. The colours have been switched from the front covers to add a bit more variety, although they have been dulled down a little as a bright yellow was a bit too much when tested.

Advertisement Test Idea

Here is my test idea for my advert. I have tried to do it in the style of a magic show poster like the one below as it fits in with the title and style of the album while also being engaging and quirky.

 I have used the band members again as it is important to show their image, with the lead singer in the middle. I have also included information such as the main songs from the album as these will help to draw customers in who may heard those songs in the charts or elsewhere, as well as the release date and web links. Using web links means that even if the reader doesn't buy the album they may still check out the band anyway. 

Here is my test idea, made in Paint: 

Dolby

Well done George- some very reflective posts here and a good sense of progression. I do like the idea you have for the digipak- it is fun and original and shows ICT skill. I think you need to just make sure that it promotes the band successfully to and visually as an album could link back with the music single. Don't forget to get as much audience feedback throughout your project as you can.

Digipak Test Idea

After coming up with an initial idea, I tested out what it would look like on Paint, taking about half an hour per panel. I like the general idea I have come up with as it combines the main things that I liked about the previous Hoosier albums; the mysterious and magical nature of The Trick To Life and the representation and images of the band in the other two covers.

I think this idea works out really nicely as it suits the band's style and their album well, using the font and facial expressions.
Some things I may look to improve upon are making the background a bit more exciting and perhaps changing the colour of the text from black to a mix of or brighter colours.

The inside cover and CD are a different colour to the front and back covers to give the person a different style to look at. In the inside cover is an image of the band laughing, as if they had finished doing the semi-serious photo from the cover and can now joke around again. This helps to better represent the band and their style and gives a nice effect on the viewer. I have seen this done before in my Stereophonics digipak analysis and I felt the effect was good enough to try and replicate.

The CD similarly keeps the same style as the back cover while changing background colour, however keen eyed viewers will notice that the magic related props have changed from random to what the band are using on the cover. I think this adds a clever touch and fits in with the album style quite well, while providing a little 'easter egg' for viewers that notice it.

fonts: Finger Paint and Fluffy Slacks BTN

Front Cover:

Back cover:

Inside cover:

CD: 

Audience Feedback

The Trick To Life Digipak

This is the digipak for The Hoosiers' album The Trick To Life, which is where their song Goodbye Mr. A can be found. They have opted to use an image for the album which I think works with the title; the use of the eyes and twisting hands gives the impression of mystery and illusion, fitting in with 'The trick to life'. The band have also released the album in a variety of different colours which gives each specific colour more rarity and prestige when owned.

Next, I thought I would try and find some digipak covers that depicted the band as I wanted to find out what sort of posture, positioning and expressions they have in the pictures. From what I have seen, the band tend to use a mid shot of the three of them, with the lead singer Irwin Sparkles in the centre. This helps to show the image of the band off and gives the reader a visual representation of them so if they see The Hoosiers elsewhere they will recognise them. 

I think that for my digipak design I will try to combine these two aspects by having the three of the band on the cover but adding props or art to contribute to a mysterious and magical feel. I will use Paint to create some test digipaks and work out what will be the best design variation for the album, before getting the band from my video to have some photos taken of them ready for the final digipak.

Shooting Schedule

Here is my basic schedule that I will be using to make sure I keep up with filming. My goal is to try and complete the filming by the end of November ready to edit at the start of December, so it is important that I try and follow the table as best as possible and tick off what I have done.

In this week before I start filming, I will be casting for the video and finding out timetables for both the cast and classrooms to figure out the best times to film each given week.

In the first week I intend to get most of the narrative shots completed, based in a classroom. These shots are also the most intensive in terms of cast as I'll need all the extras as well as the band and Mr. A, so I would like to get those shots done as quickly and as easily as possible.

In the second week, I intend to film the section in the exam hall. I will need to ask to use either the gym or main hall at my school as they are the places used for taking exams as well as borrowing some of the exam desks. Depending on availability, I will have to either change my extras or have only the band taking the exam - perhaps I will have to add a shot explaining that the band are the the only people in the class who have to resit the test.

In the third week, I will be focusing on the lip syncing more in the classroom. This will hopefully work out fine as the school timetables will be the same as week one, meaning the extras should be able to help out again. As this won't take too long to complete, I will also take the opportunity to retake any shots from the narrative in the classroom.

The final section I will need to film is the revision shots at home as well as performance shots, one of which I think I could film in my conservatory/garden. These shots only require the three band members to do so it won't be as tough to organise and film. If this goes well, I will have more time to collate and edit before going out and filming any extra shots I need.

I will film the shot outside the sixth form first as it is the first shot in the music video and doesn't really need any actors to do. 

Location and Test Shots

After creating a storyboard to better visualise the music video, I decided to try and bring it to life by taking some location shots around the school site and outside. These shots are a good way to try out ideas for the camera that may not be picked up from a drawing or by eye, such as the way the light shines onto an outside object or shadowing. Aspects such as depth, zoom and actor positioning can also be determined from the location shots which makes filming much more straightforward to plan.

Here are some of the photos I took and some notes to go with them;

 I thought that I could potentially use an establishing shot of the sixth form or school as the music begins to play to set the scene. The choice of using either a shot of the school or sixth form is important, as it will dictate the mood as well as the costumes needed for the video such as a school uniform.



















A potential classroom with whiteboard, although I would prefer one that was longer rather than wider. I tested a shot on the whiteboard and it works out quite well, although I will need to be careful for continuity in terms of the position of the writing on the board  and making sure it's always in the same place.

The exam hall I could use. It looks quite big and ominous and the clock in the centre of the frame helps to show it is a timed exam with lots of pressure on the students.