Friday, 26 February 2016
Saturday, 20 February 2016
History of the Music Video
Here is a timeline to show the evolution of the pop video, I will be exploring a myriad of media artists used to display their music to the world throughout the decades.
1920s: Bessie Smith
Arguably the earliest example of the music video is Bessie Smith's 1925 "St Louis Blues". Bessie starred in a short film called "St Louis Blues" which featured a dramatised performance of the song. This was shown in cinemas for around 4 years
1940s: Bing Crosby
In the 1940s, Bing Crosby was the biggest star in the world. Fans saw him in films and TV specials which include:
"White Christmas" (Film, 1954)
Bing Crosby had his own comedy television show, "The Bing Crosby Show" which aired from 1964-5.
1950s: Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra replaced Bing Cosby as the world's biggest star. A wave of female fans grew and were labelled "bobby soxers" as they would come to Sinatra's concerts and scream as if they were maniacs throughout the show.
1950s-1960s: Elvis Presley
Presley was famous all over the USA and only did his concerts there. He was the first artst to really set a trend in regards to hair and fashion. He is also regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and Roll", or simply, "the King".
"Hound Dog" - 1956
1960s: The Beatles
When The Beatles came along so did the creation of the pop video. With performances all over the globe including performances on TV, Top Of The Pops, concerts and film, The Beatles then created their first music video. Top of the Pops created innovation and competition amongst bands and record labels. Producers were limited to the number of videos they could show so a good video would up the sales of music, as people would want to see that video next week.
For The Beatles, their first music video ever was "Paperback Writer" and not too long after they made a music video for hit song "Rain". In these videos they use the music video conventions such as lip-syncing and close ups.
"Paperback Writer" - Unfortunately due to copyright reasons I am unable to obtain a full version of the video, but here is a 35 second shortened version.
"Rain"
1920s: Bessie Smith
Arguably the earliest example of the music video is Bessie Smith's 1925 "St Louis Blues". Bessie starred in a short film called "St Louis Blues" which featured a dramatised performance of the song. This was shown in cinemas for around 4 years
1940s: Bing Crosby
"White Christmas" (Film, 1954)
Bing Crosby had his own comedy television show, "The Bing Crosby Show" which aired from 1964-5.
1950s: Frank Sinatra
1950s-1960s: Elvis Presley
Presley was famous all over the USA and only did his concerts there. He was the first artst to really set a trend in regards to hair and fashion. He is also regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and Roll", or simply, "the King".
"Hound Dog" - 1956
1960s: The Beatles
When The Beatles came along so did the creation of the pop video. With performances all over the globe including performances on TV, Top Of The Pops, concerts and film, The Beatles then created their first music video. Top of the Pops created innovation and competition amongst bands and record labels. Producers were limited to the number of videos they could show so a good video would up the sales of music, as people would want to see that video next week.
For The Beatles, their first music video ever was "Paperback Writer" and not too long after they made a music video for hit song "Rain". In these videos they use the music video conventions such as lip-syncing and close ups.
"Paperback Writer" - Unfortunately due to copyright reasons I am unable to obtain a full version of the video, but here is a 35 second shortened version.
"Rain"
Star Theory - Richard Dyer
Richard Dyer is an English academic and propounded star theory which is the notion that artists are manufactured institutions for financial reasons. Dyer believes that artists are developed through many artificial images such as advertising, films, magazines and music in order to attract the target audience. Therefore, record labels have to market different artists to cater specific target audiences, they consist of both 'niche' and 'mainstream' markets. Def Jam records have mainstream artists such as Kanye West, Big Sean, Jhene Aiko, Justin Bieber and Iggy Azalea while also catering for a niche market with artists: Krept and Konan, Lil Durk and Lil Reese.
He also claims that consumers prefer artists that aren't constructed by the record labels who try to create fake/artificial images for them. It is much better when artists portray that they're true to themselves as the audience can identify with them. A "real" artist can use this as their unique selling point. An example of this is Ed Sheeran, who is not image focused.
Promotion - Ideology & Culture
Another one of Dyers beliefs in Star Theory is that artists become trendsetters in the sense that audience members will imitate their hairstyles, clothing, lifestyle choices etc. An example of a lifestyle that the artist has that may be followed by fans is religious beliefs and cultural values. Due to the rapid development of the internet and the proliferation of hardware has meant that audiences have greater and quicker access into the personal lives of these stars. Social networking sites such a Twitter have been used to create fan pages that follow and promote the stars' day to day life as wel a music.
Stars support hegemony
Artists support the ideas of hegemony, propounded by Gramsci, in which highlights how society uses cultural institutions to maintain power in capitalist societies. They are presented as the more extravagant and wealthier versions of everyday humans.
Representation in music videos
Music videos can be used to send out specific messages regarding racial and gender identities. American hip-hop artist Chris Brown conforms to the stereotypical African-American rap which has a strong focus being "rich" and having an abundance of material things such as sports cars along with having sex with plenty of women. His song "Ayo" conforms to this racial stereotype and gives the audience something to look up to
.
Deconstructing Britney Spears (1998)
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Britney Spears raises interesting concerns regarding female identity in pop music Spears was initially viewed as a role model for the teen girl market. From a gender perspective Britney's identity was positioned securely in a male-dominated industry that works on the stereotypes of femininity.
Early videos:
In her earlier videos we can see that she was surrounded by particularly "girlie" mise-en-scene such as bedroom culture, dolls, dressing up with friends, hanging out and applying make up.
Here she has her hair in pigtails - showing her youth along with choreographed dance routines.
Although this music video may appear to have an innocent message to it with a young girl jsust having fun with her friends but it is very exploiting. Laura Mulvey's male gaze is evident at certain parts during the video with Britney Spears used as the object of desire by wearing a low cut top and skirt. Additionally, her dance routine is very sexual along with the lyrics, "hit me baby one more time" which indicate the desire for penetration. This contrasts the "girlie" image that is being shown on the surface. Despite her taking up the active role in the video, the audience is forced to indentify her through the male gaze. Mulvey's theory displays how music videos can portray a patriarchal society as well as films.
On the other hand, Britney does have songs which show her teen identity by the year 2000 in which she is seen in a different way than before. We notice that her image changes wit her audience therefore her image changes all the time.
"From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart" reflects Britney's own troubles that she faces when entering adulthood after beng a teenager, in which many of her fans could relate to.
In 2001, a year later, Britney releases "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" from the film "Crossroads", here she is constructed as a role model. The video delves into the journey of growing up from a girl into a woman. However, she still maintains the male gaze to become a part of male erotic desire.
1) Shows Britney as a girl wearing white to represent purity, innocence and youth. No revealing clothing is worn here which would allow her to be seen in a sexual manner.
2) Britney has now become a woman and is seen wearing white again, however due to the low cut top and shorts, plenty of her flesh is on display causing the male gaze to take place and her to fall under the desire of men. Additionally her body language is very vulnerable and sexualised indicating she is ready to be subjugated by a man.
Moreover, "Overprotected" (2002) is a song that is empowering to women as its message refers to Britney no longer liked being told what to wear as if she's still a child. This video was a direct response on a news report about the attire she wears, and felt that this was an act of empowerment because she has the right to feel comfortable with her body.
Modern Britney
Britney's career has evolved from once being a so called "Teen Princess" to a half naked woman who performs for a male audience. Both of these identities are stereotypical illusions of femininity as presented in a range of media texts. The effect of these evolving images is shown to have on Britney in her videos, in particular: "Hold It Against Me" (2011). In this video she rises up on a platform in a long white dress, which could represent that this is the 'new' and 'fresh' version of her. As she begins to rise above the screen this can indicate that she is bigger and better than the media and doesn't need their approval of her. Around 2/3 of the way into the video a duplicate Britney appears and she begins to fight her, signifying that she doesn't want the old Britney that could be recognised earlier in her career, to interfere with the new and improved version of herself. In conjunction to that, during their fight the several screens surrounding them playing Britney's old videos such as "Hit Me Baby One More Time" start to turn off as Britney punches her old self.
 |
| Krept and Konan, dressed as rappers who want to produce good music. |
 |
Justin Bieber, evidently has a target audience of teenage girls.
|
He also claims that consumers prefer artists that aren't constructed by the record labels who try to create fake/artificial images for them. It is much better when artists portray that they're true to themselves as the audience can identify with them. A "real" artist can use this as their unique selling point. An example of this is Ed Sheeran, who is not image focused.
Promotion - Ideology & Culture
Another one of Dyers beliefs in Star Theory is that artists become trendsetters in the sense that audience members will imitate their hairstyles, clothing, lifestyle choices etc. An example of a lifestyle that the artist has that may be followed by fans is religious beliefs and cultural values. Due to the rapid development of the internet and the proliferation of hardware has meant that audiences have greater and quicker access into the personal lives of these stars. Social networking sites such a Twitter have been used to create fan pages that follow and promote the stars' day to day life as wel a music.
Stars support hegemony
Artists support the ideas of hegemony, propounded by Gramsci, in which highlights how society uses cultural institutions to maintain power in capitalist societies. They are presented as the more extravagant and wealthier versions of everyday humans.
Representation in music videos
Music videos can be used to send out specific messages regarding racial and gender identities. American hip-hop artist Chris Brown conforms to the stereotypical African-American rap which has a strong focus being "rich" and having an abundance of material things such as sports cars along with having sex with plenty of women. His song "Ayo" conforms to this racial stereotype and gives the audience something to look up to
.
 |
| Chris taking a photograph with money in his hand to display his wealth, along with many notes being dumped into his pool. This strengthens the notion that he is extremely wealthy as he can afford to destroy money. |
 |
| Here is surrounded by sports cars and many attractive women sitting on them. This shows that wealth allows you to have all the beautiful women you could ever want, also this conforms to the typical African-American rap video stereotype where there is a strong focus on the female as a sexual object and materialism. |
 |
| Tyga and Chris Brown wearing expensive jewellery to show how wealthy they are and conforming once again to the black rapper image. |
Deconstructing Britney Spears (1998)
Britney Spears raises interesting concerns regarding female identity in pop music Spears was initially viewed as a role model for the teen girl market. From a gender perspective Britney's identity was positioned securely in a male-dominated industry that works on the stereotypes of femininity.
Early videos:
In her earlier videos we can see that she was surrounded by particularly "girlie" mise-en-scene such as bedroom culture, dolls, dressing up with friends, hanging out and applying make up.
Here she has her hair in pigtails - showing her youth along with choreographed dance routines.
Although this music video may appear to have an innocent message to it with a young girl jsust having fun with her friends but it is very exploiting. Laura Mulvey's male gaze is evident at certain parts during the video with Britney Spears used as the object of desire by wearing a low cut top and skirt. Additionally, her dance routine is very sexual along with the lyrics, "hit me baby one more time" which indicate the desire for penetration. This contrasts the "girlie" image that is being shown on the surface. Despite her taking up the active role in the video, the audience is forced to indentify her through the male gaze. Mulvey's theory displays how music videos can portray a patriarchal society as well as films.
On the other hand, Britney does have songs which show her teen identity by the year 2000 in which she is seen in a different way than before. We notice that her image changes wit her audience therefore her image changes all the time.
"From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart" reflects Britney's own troubles that she faces when entering adulthood after beng a teenager, in which many of her fans could relate to.
In 2001, a year later, Britney releases "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" from the film "Crossroads", here she is constructed as a role model. The video delves into the journey of growing up from a girl into a woman. However, she still maintains the male gaze to become a part of male erotic desire.
1) Shows Britney as a girl wearing white to represent purity, innocence and youth. No revealing clothing is worn here which would allow her to be seen in a sexual manner.
2) Britney has now become a woman and is seen wearing white again, however due to the low cut top and shorts, plenty of her flesh is on display causing the male gaze to take place and her to fall under the desire of men. Additionally her body language is very vulnerable and sexualised indicating she is ready to be subjugated by a man.
Moreover, "Overprotected" (2002) is a song that is empowering to women as its message refers to Britney no longer liked being told what to wear as if she's still a child. This video was a direct response on a news report about the attire she wears, and felt that this was an act of empowerment because she has the right to feel comfortable with her body.
Modern Britney
Britney's career has evolved from once being a so called "Teen Princess" to a half naked woman who performs for a male audience. Both of these identities are stereotypical illusions of femininity as presented in a range of media texts. The effect of these evolving images is shown to have on Britney in her videos, in particular: "Hold It Against Me" (2011). In this video she rises up on a platform in a long white dress, which could represent that this is the 'new' and 'fresh' version of her. As she begins to rise above the screen this can indicate that she is bigger and better than the media and doesn't need their approval of her. Around 2/3 of the way into the video a duplicate Britney appears and she begins to fight her, signifying that she doesn't want the old Britney that could be recognised earlier in her career, to interfere with the new and improved version of herself. In conjunction to that, during their fight the several screens surrounding them playing Britney's old videos such as "Hit Me Baby One More Time" start to turn off as Britney punches her old self.
Monday, 15 February 2016
Purpose of Promo Music Video
The two key purposes of creating a music video is for:
1) Promotion and publicity
2) To make money and increase sales
Promotion:
A music video is a key platform for the promotion of a band, song and album. It persuades the audience to buy the record, or in today's industry, to buy a ticket for their concert. Some artists use product placement in their videos, for example Katy Perry in "Roar" where we see a Nokia Lumia right at the start.
Synergy:
Synergy is defined as "the interaction or cooperation of two or more organisations,
substances or other agents to produce a combined greater effect than the sum of their separate effects." In the music industry artists can promote films, TV shows and products alongside their song and image. It works in mutual benefit for both parties. Examples of this include:
"Skyfall" - Adele
Skyfall is the 23rd James Bond film that Adele wrote and sang a song for. It quickly rose up the iTunes chart and increased both popularity for Adele and for the film. The soundtrack was second in the UK singles chart and the film second highest grossing film of that year.
"Robin Hood Prince of Thieves" - Bryan Adams
This song was performed by Bryan Adams who performed this song for the film "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves". This song proved to be a huge success as it spent 16 consecutive weeks at the top of the UK singles chart, this boosted not only Adams' fan base but the films. The film managed to become the second highest grossing film of 1991 and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song.
"Lose Yourself" - Eminem
This is a song by rapper Eminem from the film 8 mile in which he's the star. It was released on September 17 2002 as the lead soundtrack for the film. Many critics described this as Eminem's best work to date praising the aggressive lyrics. Some critics have gone as far to say that this was one of the best hip hop songs of all time. "Lose Yourself" reached international success peaking the top of the charts in eighteen countries including the UK and Australia. It was the first ever rap song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and also received other awards such as the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Solo Performance in 2004.
What makes a successful music video?
There is a myriad of elements that must merge together to make a successful music video. The following factors contribute to/reflect the success of a good promo video:
1) Promotion and publicity
2) To make money and increase sales
Promotion:
A music video is a key platform for the promotion of a band, song and album. It persuades the audience to buy the record, or in today's industry, to buy a ticket for their concert. Some artists use product placement in their videos, for example Katy Perry in "Roar" where we see a Nokia Lumia right at the start.
Synergy:
Synergy is defined as "the interaction or cooperation of two or more organisations,
substances or other agents to produce a combined greater effect than the sum of their separate effects." In the music industry artists can promote films, TV shows and products alongside their song and image. It works in mutual benefit for both parties. Examples of this include:
"Skyfall" - Adele
Skyfall is the 23rd James Bond film that Adele wrote and sang a song for. It quickly rose up the iTunes chart and increased both popularity for Adele and for the film. The soundtrack was second in the UK singles chart and the film second highest grossing film of that year.
"Robin Hood Prince of Thieves" - Bryan Adams
This song was performed by Bryan Adams who performed this song for the film "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves". This song proved to be a huge success as it spent 16 consecutive weeks at the top of the UK singles chart, this boosted not only Adams' fan base but the films. The film managed to become the second highest grossing film of 1991 and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song.
"Lose Yourself" - Eminem
This is a song by rapper Eminem from the film 8 mile in which he's the star. It was released on September 17 2002 as the lead soundtrack for the film. Many critics described this as Eminem's best work to date praising the aggressive lyrics. Some critics have gone as far to say that this was one of the best hip hop songs of all time. "Lose Yourself" reached international success peaking the top of the charts in eighteen countries including the UK and Australia. It was the first ever rap song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and also received other awards such as the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Solo Performance in 2004.
What makes a successful music video?
There is a myriad of elements that must merge together to make a successful music video. The following factors contribute to/reflect the success of a good promo video:
- Word of mouth?
If the music video is constantly being praised by critics and spoken about amongst different groups of people the video will gain a larger audience and possibly attract more sales.
- Newspaper articles/TV reports?
The most common "word of mouth" is newspaper articles like The Daily Mail. However, in recent times, apps and websites such as YouTube and Vimeo are much more successful methods of distributing videos as audiences can comment on what they think of the video and open discussion,
- Number of times shown on television?
Music channels like Smash Hits, Kiss and MTV distribute music videos, in particular MTV is renowned for gaining success for artists. But due to the technology advancements there are much more successful methods of distribution now,
- Number of views on YouTube?
As many people today own smartphones it's much more convenient for them to view videos on apps like YouTube which give them access to millions of music videos at their fingertips. Also if they enjoyed the video they just watched, YouTube has features that enable sharing on other branches of social media to spread the video to friends and family.
- Publicity?
Through social network sites and TV advertisements artists can gain even more success with their video. As many artists today have a social network page in which they have followers on who act as subscribers to their content and can post it in an instant and get quick feedback.
- Brand Identity?
Pop artists like Beyonce, Nicki Minaj and Rihanna have an image which has been enforced into their 'brand'. The audience know what to expect from a video of theirs which encourages them to watch more as they are familiar with them.
- Downloads (legal/illegal)?
Although the artists do not gain anything financially from illegal downloads, they do gain larger publicity which means they will have a larger audience and hopefully sell more concert tickets as a reuslt of this.Legal downloads through iTunes/Google Play Music are popular due to many people owning smartphones where music can be downloaded instantly.
- Charts?
This provides a list of the most popular downloaded songs at the moment and usually features as a show on music channels. For example 4Music normally do a "UK Top 40" show where all music videos of songs in the top 40 are shown.
- CD sales?
CD sales reflect the success of the music video, however of recent times due to the developments in technology there is a constant decline on its impact.
Michael Jackson
Here are the videos mentioned in the presentation;
Rockin Robin - 1972
Rock With You - 1979
Billie Jean - 1982
Beat It - 1982
Thriller - 1983
The Way You Make Me Feel - 1987
Bad - 1987
Black or White - 1991
Saturday, 13 February 2016
Katy Perry – how her Pop Videos appeal to her target audience and reflect her private life.
Katheryn Elizabeth "Katy" Hudson (born October 25, 1984), better known by her stage name Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After singing in church during her childhood, she pursued a career in gospel music as a teenager. Perry signed with Red Hill Records and released her debut studio album Katy Hudson in 2001, which was commercially unsuccessful. She moved to Los Angeles the following year to venture into secular music after Red Hill ceased operations. After being dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group and Columbia Records, Perry signed a recording contract with Capitol Records in April 2007.
Target Audience (Ages 11 - 16)
There are several ways Katy Perry must portray herself in order maintain her current fanbase:
- Take the role of an older sister and release music that connects.
- Reflect some of the anxieties young girls have.
- Be someone young girls can admire and want to be (appear sexy in a non-threatening way)
Brief recap of Goodwin's theory:
1) Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics, e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl bands.
2) There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals
- either illustrative (the video assists in understanding the meaning of the song)
- amplifying (the video repeats or exaggerates an effect, moment/phrase from the song)
- contradicting (the video completely ignores the true meaning of the song)
3) The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work.
- i.e. a visual style: Michael Jackson's glittered glove.
- Lady Gaga's colourful stories.
- certain poses, dance moves etc
4) There is frequently reference too notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body,
- screens within screens, telescopes, looking into the camera etc
- the male gaze by Laura Mulvey
5) There is often intertextual reference
- to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc
Hot N Cold (2008)
There are elements of Goodwin's theory that can be applied to this video. 'Hot N Cold' is a narrative music video with dance routines and bright, colourful, trendy costumes which reflect the genre characteristics of pop music. The narrative of the music video was about a young male who leaves Katy at the altar of their wedding, which is a universal fear among women. The notion of the man being "hot and cold" reflects the issues in every day relationships and provides an example for many young girls who may be experiencing similar issues. Katy rises against this with her gang of "bridesmaids" which is an example of female empowerment. However, the video still keeps its comic feel by returning to the original scene and seeing the man actually say "I do".It is almost as if Katy has enough dominance in the relationship to make him stay which sets a positive example to young girls who may feel passive and weak in a patriarchal society. Moreover, her clothing still remains rather humble compared to "California Gurls" in which we see a change in image due to certain changes in her personal life, which proves that a voyeuristic approach to filming isn't necessary. Thus, retaining her target audience of 14-17.
Firework (2010)
Two years later, it is evident that Katy's image as a role model is maintained and that she has grown up along with her target audience. Although Katy Perry wears white which represents purity and innocence, their is another underlying message to the song. Throughout the video she tackles serious social issues such as obesity and homosexuality, and that in order to get through the issues they must be faced. For example, the girl who is obese doesn't enjoy herself at a swimming pool party eventually joins in once she gets the encouragement from Katy who sings to her "you're a firework" . Also, a boy gets attacked for his homosexuality realises that he doesn't need to hide after two white doves explode within him. Katy's message here is to state that no matter what are interests are they are all natural and should not be hidden in the shadows. When she sings "come on let your colours burst" signifies this. After all their issues have been resolved they start to emit fireworks from their chests like Katy spreading joy and optimism. In terms of Goodwin, this music video is amplifying because it returns to the main characters on several occasions, tracking their quest to find themselves as individuals. Also, the motif of fireworks suggests light, freedom and confidence which adds to this amplifying effect. Among the various storylines in this music video, there are multiple close-ups of Katy Perry as she sings the song from a rooftop, reminding us that she is the one sending the message out.
California Gurls (2010)
California Gurls was made while she was dating Russell Brand which encourages her to take on a more sexy image with nude scenes and a change of lyrics.The lyrics are no longer about issues directed towards a young teenage audience but to a much older male audience. Unlike in her previous music videos, she goes for the male gaze to showcase her body and image in a different light than before. She used to wear less revealing clothing in order to symbolise youth and innocence to act as a role model for young girls.
Wide Awake (2012)
In this video Katy is finishing on the set of California Gurls and is returning to her dressing room to take off her wig. This action displays she's finally getting rid of this artificial image she's been showing for the past few years and is ready to return to her normal self. Also in the video she mentions how she's not "blind anymore" supporting the idea that she was blinded into the wrong path for her career. Also "wide awake" reinforces she's not dreaming anymore and has duties to fill as a role model and is no longer in the nightmare phase of her career. There is also a Prince Charming like character that she punches away to outline her female strength and break away from the relationship stereotype that every girl needs her "Prince Charming".
Roar (2013)
Roar was released in 2013 and had high production values due to large range of special effects used. At the beginning there is some essence of intertexuality as it reflects the look of older films. The message in this video is similar to that of firework which is female empowerment and not relying on a man to survive. At the same time there are moments during the video where she is slightly mocking males by dressing sexy solely for herself and not for male pleasure. This video outlines that Katy is back after a few years of losing herself a bit.
Friday, 12 February 2016
Thursday, 4 February 2016
Monday, 1 February 2016
Creating the Digipak
Today we started creating the digipak for our band's album. We were first given a lesson on digipak's and learned what their purpose was along with what's included in one, I did a blog post on this earlier. Also we took a look at some artists' digipak to help us generate the creativity to produce our own. I noticed that Rihanna's digipak focused much on her face and body. The whole of Rihanna's digipak has a strong red input such as her lipstick and roses, which connotation love and lust to create a sexy but sweet image at the same time. In order to create this digipak we had to take photos of those who were in the band which were myself, Jordan and Dafe. However, during the time of the photoshoot Dafe (the drummer), was absent and had to use someone else who was of similar build in the photos. Our group agreed that we wanted to have really clear and crisp photos for the digipak and our teacher had a Canon Digital SLR camera she was willing to let us use. Following this, we took the images the next day outside in a mellow atmosphere that truly connected with nature and the image of our band. Also I brought into school my acoustic guitar for the shoot so Jordan could take some photos with it as he's the guitarist of the band. Here are some of the raw images from the shoot.
As you can see the raw images have come out as expected, nice and clear and straight after this we went straight back up to the classroom and began editing to make the digipak. The editing process for the digipak was a long one as we had to be taught how to use the software Adobe Photoshop, thus at the start the editing was quite slow, As we started to consistently use the software we found that our skills improved as editors and were able to edit to a good level. Firstly, whenever an image was uploaded to photoshop we noticed that the dimensions of the image were not that of a digipak so inorder to get started we needed to change the dimensions of the photo. Also during editing we had to ensure that when decreased or increase the size of the photos we had to hold the 'Shift' key so the proportion of the image doesn't change. If the proportion of the image changed then it would look distorted and irregular. We were taught that in order to add any edits to the image we would first have to create a new layer and label it with the intended edit. This was to make sure that if we wanted to remove that particular edit later, we would be able to do so with no fuss. This meant that in order to add a 'Black and White' effect I had to create a new layer and label it that. Below are some of the images I took during the editing process of the images.
As you can see the raw images have come out as expected, nice and clear and straight after this we went straight back up to the classroom and began editing to make the digipak. The editing process for the digipak was a long one as we had to be taught how to use the software Adobe Photoshop, thus at the start the editing was quite slow, As we started to consistently use the software we found that our skills improved as editors and were able to edit to a good level. Firstly, whenever an image was uploaded to photoshop we noticed that the dimensions of the image were not that of a digipak so inorder to get started we needed to change the dimensions of the photo. Also during editing we had to ensure that when decreased or increase the size of the photos we had to hold the 'Shift' key so the proportion of the image doesn't change. If the proportion of the image changed then it would look distorted and irregular. We were taught that in order to add any edits to the image we would first have to create a new layer and label it with the intended edit. This was to make sure that if we wanted to remove that particular edit later, we would be able to do so with no fuss. This meant that in order to add a 'Black and White' effect I had to create a new layer and label it that. Below are some of the images I took during the editing process of the images.
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