Inspiration#3

HBO – True Blood Main Title from DIGITAL KITCHEN on Vimeo.

When watching the opening to true blood the distorted effect and quick edited shots that are sped up inspired me. I would like to involve something like this into my video as I believe it would impact the audience more and really emphasis that the character in the narrative is going to be mental. The distorted effect is also a convention of my genre, therefore, enabling the audience to be able to relate to alternative rock and my track. I also found the impression of insanity it gave related to one of my narratives. 

Narrative Idea's

Narrative Idea's

Idea One-

My first idea for the narrative was mainly relating to the lyrics of my song. I wanted a female protagonist who is being portrayed to be a prostitute. However, I would not do this through costume or mise-en-scene, I would do it through her actions. My idea was to her leave a bed and take money from a man's wallet and run. I would the use quick edits to match the tempo to show her running away through a forest. The line “money,money,money” would be as inspired me and the person eating the money would be a pimp like figure. The colours in the forest would be dull and dark, a slight distorted camera shot, to relate to a convention of my genre and so would the quick edits.

Idea Two-

My second narrative idea is to have a male protagonist in a room that is covered in paper that fills the walls. The paper will have words on it. The male will be in scruffy clothes with a crazy facial expression. I want this male protagonist to seem mental, therefore, I will get different angled camera shots of him rocking back and forth, pulling his hair, twitching and hitting the walls. As the track continues there is an instrumental, during this I would like the protagonist to hit the wall and start ripping the paper with mouth. Once again all the different camera angles with be put together in quick transition to relate to my genre and create a better impact on the audience. The camera will also have a distorted effect relating to another convention. 

Distribution

How They Are Distributed?

HMV-

HMV is a British global retail chain. It sells games, posters, DVD's, accessories and mainly albums of bands from all different genres. 1921 the first shop was opening in London and the company has grew since then opening places now in Hong Kong. The shop is well known for selling all types of music and therefore, encourages people who aren't necessarily into the band to discover and buy it. The well known logo also indicated to the audience where they can buy the album. This method is easy as it allows the person to find and have hard evidence that they own the album.

iTunes-

“iTunes is a media player computer programme used for playing, downloading, saving and organizing digital music and video files on a desktop or laptop personal computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.”- Wikipedia.

iTunes allows the audience to access the bands music without leaving their house. However, the money still goes to the band making it different from several other download sites. This is an easy way of distributing items as money is not wasted on packaging and other costs. This method allows the audience to easily and quickly access and buy the music they would like, although, they don't get a disc or albums case.

Marketing

How they are marketed?

Paramore-

Tour Poster-

This poster is advertising a tour that Paramore are participating in. The tour is clearly sponsored by Honda, the car company. This is shown through the small writing at the bottom and the car with a music related statement on it. The small writing also states the address to the Paramore website enabling the audience to see then access the page. The picture in the centre has been edited to create an artistic look, it creates the impression the band are professional. The poster also contains all band members portraying that the focus isn't on one particular member. The typeset is pretty basic on a simple layout, this means it doesn't over complicate the poster allowing the audience to find the information quick and easy; not over complicating it. This helps market the band as it answers their questions and gives them enough information to attend the tour.

Single Poster-

The colour pallet of the poster advertising the single is similar to the one advertising the tour; which create a repetitive theme allowing the audience to recognise the band straight away. The main image is one of the band posing around a piano. In this image the band are happy and posing. The connotations the audience get from this is that the band are happy and their focus is around the music. The album cover is also edited on to enable the audience to see what product they're buying making it easier for them to find. Another thing that helps this is the information that is made to look stuck on the side. It helps market the band as it gives the audience a clear understanding of the what they're going to buy and where.

Razorlight-

The Razorlight poster is the album cover with edited on information. The plain white background creates a simplistic relaxed feel about the advertisement. This means that the poster is not over complicated and therefore doesn't confuse the audience. The image is also edited in an artistic way, like the Paramore one, This gives the audience the impression that the band are professional and not armatures encouraging them to listen to the album. The typeset is simple and consistent throughout; which also emphasis the professional look and adds to the simplistic effect. This helps market the band as the information about the album is quick and easy to find and not too complicated. This means the audience are more likely to find and buy the product.

Vampire Weekend-

The Vampire Weekend poster advertising their new album is extremely simplistic. One half is a box with the face of the album cover; which makes it personal to the band. The other half is simple typeset with a dark colour pallet and simple layout giving a small bit of information. Although the information provided isn't a lot, it give the audience enough to know who the band is what the album is called and when it is out. This poster is simple and doesn't over complicate what it's advertising as it is very personal to the band. This doesn't necessarily help market the band but it gives the audience enough information to buy the bands product.

A common feature of all posters are that they are very simplistic and posed with a simple layout and typeset. As all posters I have analysed relate to my chosen genre, I will also try to involve the repetitive designs in my poster.

Research into how magazines advertise albums/singles

Reckless love in Kerrang –

This magazine article advertises Reckless Love’s album ‘Animal Attraction’. When looking at the page the main central image are the band members posing with a snake. This picture appeals to the audience as it connotes a certain rock look; one that is stereotypical of the genre. When looking at this picture it appeals to the audience by giving the band a rebellious attitude look, this is through the clothes and facial expression. The band’s name is in bold typeset just above the article, this isn’t bold and doesn’t stand out and doesn’t over complicate the advertisement. The information is small in the corner; this would be used to keep the majority of the viewers focus on the images of the band. There is a small article at the bottom of the page giving information on the band. This allows the audience to know about the band.

Pulled apart by horses in Kerrang-

Pulled Apart By Horses album ‘Tough Love’ is advertised in a short article at the front of the magazine. The article is small and sponsored by HMV which is highlighted through the purple background and the large HMV logo and slogan at the bottom.  The writing is in white simple typeset this is done to keep consistency with the HMV style and not over complicate the advertisement. The only image relating to the band is the album in the middle. This is small and doesn’t create an impact on the audience, it doesn’t give a sense to the attitude or likeability of the band.

Lighting Research

All time low-

In All Time Low's music video 'Dear Maria' there is subtle lighting used. Throughout the video there is a monochrome effect on the characters faces, this would be used to highlight the band members and characters subtly to create a contrasting affect against the dull background. The lighting in general isn't too dark, this would relate to the context of the narrative because of the setting. The set used wouldn't be an upbeat bright place or a dark miserable place so the lighting is used to allow the video to relate to real life. This enables the audience to believe the narrative more and create a connection between the narrative and the song lyrics. There are neon lights used in the background but these aren't used to create an impact on the audience; they're put there to once again make the set more realistic. Every so often in the music video a light will shine brightly and cover parts of the screen, this is due to over exposer and used to enable the audience to get the sense of the atmosphere of the narrative once again making it more believable and easily to relate to. When the lighting is focused on the girl there is a slight, hardly noticeable change of lighting which gets brighter. This would be as they are idolising her as a perfect woman, when the lighting gets slightly brighter it makes the audience feel as if she is glowing (with perfection?) This will change how the audience feel about the specific character creating a larger impact.

A day to remember-

In A Day To Remember's music video 'Have Faith In Me' the lighting is used to emphasise the meaning of the lyrics and create a bigger impact. The band footage at the beginning and through has dark lighting in the back the light shining on their face. This is done to portray the mysteriousness of the band to the audience relating to the stereotypical view of band this genre, it adds a dramatic view which relates to the context of the song. The narrative is in normal lighting, this is done to show realism; it's trying to show a normal day so little lighting is needed to express the meaning and point of the narrative. At the end the the band members are in a white room with bright lighting and the narrative are in a black room with light lighting on their faces this id done to contrast each scene and enable the audience to see the difference in opinion and feelings. This, therefore, creates a bigger impact on the audience as they feel as if they can relate to it.

Rise Against-

Rise Against's music video 'Make It Stop' uses normal lighting throughout the narrative. This is done as it's a very powerful issue they are singing about, the editing would decrease the amount of impact it makes on the audience. The subtle lighting enables the audience to focus on the meaning and make the audience relate to it easier. The band performance is done with dark lighting and backing lights around the performers. This is done as it's set in a gym hall, relating to the context of the song, the backing lights allow the audience to see the band and not distract them from the song lyrics or narrative. It also gives the band a mysterious look which relates to the stereotypical view of alternative rock.

“Ellipsoidal reflector spotlight or 'Profile Spot's the name for a type of stage lighting instrument, named for the ellipsoidal reflector used to collect and direct the light through a barrel that contains a lens or lens train.” - Wikipedia

This instrument will allow the light to be shone on the faces of the performers, whilst allowing the background to remain dark as seen in most videos of alternative rock genre. 

Alternative Rock Mood Board

I created this mood board with images I feel express the Alternative Rock genre. Although the mood board may be what is stereoptypical of the genre, I feel that it will help inspire me decide what impression my actors should give. For example, despite my track being Alternative Rock rather than normal rock, I would want the majority of the clothes and props to be be relating to rock with slight changes (a little more colour) to create difference between the genres.