Ancillary Task research: Digipaks

Jessie J- Who You Are (2011)

Jessie's album cover for 'Who You Are' uses a close up as the main image. This shot is almost aggressive- but it intrigues the consumer instead of scaring them off. Jessie is portrayed to be a modern image of a female solo artist- instead of appearing as a feminine sex object, she is feisty and cool, which is reflected in the monochrome colour scheme. The only exception is 'Jessie J' written in gold, which gives the female solo artist cover a hip hop edge which toughens up Jessie's image even more but the gold colour represents her as 'expensive'. This is a very unique CD cover and to be honest- I haven't seen anything else like it on the high street, it would certainly get my attention on the shelfs of HMV so I will try and bring an element of individuality to my own ancillary task.

Ellie Goulding- Bright Lights (2010)

Ellie Goulding's digipack for Bright Lights has a fantasy element that comes with her music, and this expresses a branding concept throughout her work. The majority of her videos feature a bokeh effect, and the video for her single Lights uses the exact same effect. This shows me that it is important to keep a degree on continuity with each piece and make sure that everything fits in perfectly. Again, like Jessie J's album- a close up is used which shows that a close up is the convention of a CD cover for a female solo artist. The colours used aren't overly feminine- but this fits Goulding's style of music- which is dreamlike indie pop, so the golds, creams and sea blues tie in with this.

Katy Perry- One of the Boys (2008)

Out of the three digipak covers that I have looked at, Katy Perry's album cover for One of the Boys is the most sexually charged. She is showing her full body- a contrast to the other female solo artists and is using traditional feminine colours of bright pink and aqua. However- I think that it is my favourite album cover of the three because the retro styling of the album is just what we have been researching, and the kitsch colours and props are very quirky- just like Kate Nash, the artist who we are creating a music video for. I believe that the long shot used in this album cover is really effect as it gives the consumer a chance to see Katy in her surroundings- which turns the cover into a piece of art. I will definitely consider the use of props in my ancillary task because I love the effect that it gives.

HIATUS

Parisienne Records (Deanna and Dora) has taken a short break from filming and updating blogs over the Christmas and exam season- but we will be back shortly!

WATCH THIS SPACE

Dividing Roles

PARISIENNE RECORDS

THE TEAM

Dora Lynn & Deanna Quirke

As there are two of us in the group- we need to start thinking of dividing up roles and who is exactly going to do what so we can get the most out of our time and lessons. Last year I felt that I wasn't particularly organised and we weren't working as a unit- but hopefully things will change!

We have decided that I am going to be the performer, starring in the video, trying to give a performance that is conventional of the genre across all ancillary tasks and the video itself. As a result- Dora is going to be the cinematographer, taking all the pictures and recording all of the footage as well as editing it. This led to Dora becoming the brains of the operation- dealing in the technical side of production; choosing the right shot types, editing footage and photos, storyboarding and I would be the creative input- leading the group in terms of research, creating the ancillary tasks, performing and also assisting in the larger scale tasks like editing and setting up cameras.

Knowing exactly what we are in charge of from the start allows me and Dora to prioritise our own separate tasks with little confusing- helping us achieve a sense of professionalism and making the most of the time at hand.

Genre Theory and how it relates to my project

We have been studying various Media theorists and the genre concepts that they enforce. Rick Altman, Edward Buscombe, Richard Maltby, Ian Craven and John Fiske are all influential Media theorists, and it is of the utmost importance to understand their theories and apply them to my own project.

Richard Altman, the writer of A Theory of Narrative, believes that genre is negative, it restricts space for thought and discovery and turns viewers into passive voyeurs- taking in everything the Media feeds them. However, the main point of this theory is that genre doesn't acknowledged the hybrid- and every film or genre of music draws from various other genres, so it is ignorant just to put things into one box. John Fiske, a media scholar, shares the belief of Altman, that there are a variety of characteristics within each genre, but the viewer needs to decide what genre is the 'main' genre- where most of the icons within that genre are present. In terms of Dora and I's music video for 'Pumpkin Soup' by Kate Nash, the female solo artist genre is strongly apparent by the styling of the music video, the song we've used and a few scenes that have been influenced by singers like Gwen Stefani and Beyonce (a 'studio' scene cut with juxtaposed with situational scenes) - however, indie-pop subgenres are very influential as the styling has a 'kooky' edge and we've tried to incorperate humour into the situational scenes.

Edward Buscombe, an editor at the British Film Institute believes that iconology is the best way to achieve generic definitions- and this also comes under the umbrella of auteur theory, where symbolism within the Media is so distinct that you can tell who made the film- not just what genre it is. In basic terms of genre- the symbols of money, guns, New York accents and suits are common attribute of gangster films like Goodfellas. In regards to auteur theory- camera shots from a car boot, close ups of women's feet, characters framed in doorways and the phrase 'Bingo!' are all trademarks of the auteur Quentin Tarantino. We have tried to use iconology within our project to try and present the indie-pop edge to the audience via the forms of retro dresses and make up as well a kind of sillyness and 'not taking yourself too seriously' mindset that comes with singers like Katy Perry and Kate Nash.

Richard Maltby & Ian Craven strongly hold the belief that the success of Hollywood relies on predictable elements with a slight variation- as audiences like to pre-read texts and know exactly what they're watching before they go in to see a film. We have tried to go against this by creating a very unique storyline and look to our music video.

CASE STUDY: Documentary shoot with MA Film and TV Production students at the University of Bristol

In my AS year- we didn't really work as a production company or have separate roles, however for A2, it's detrimental to our project to know exactly what we're doing when creating a media production.

Last year, I assisted a group of MA students film a 3 minute documentary focusing on the questions 'What did you want to be when you grew up?' and 'What do you do now?'. Though I obviously didn't get involved in the technical side of filming and directing- it was my job to stroll about with a sign and encourage people to be a part of the film. However simple my job was that day, watching the others certainly gave me a great insight into what goes into producing good footage and how to get the best shots possible. Prior to the shoot that day- the students I worked with visited all the locations with a camera and took a picture of the exact shots that they wanted to get, just how it would look on film. I realise that this prevented them from wasting precious time and I should certainly employ this technique when it comes to making our film opening.

Something else I learned was incorporating the use of masking tape to make sure everyone who was in the shot was positioned properly, ensuring they weren't cut off or with light on their faces. This also made each shot look consistent- creating a very professional feel overall. Also, I got a feel of what it was like to work in a team, where each person had their own job; director, editor, producer, sound operator...rather than just using whoever is available at the time. On the more technical side, I encountered some of the most advanced equipment I've ever seen close up such as boom microphones and professional cameras. Also, I had the chance to meet the tutor of the course and take a look around the the Drama department of the University of Bristol!

I believe my time spent with the Film & TV Production students was a very worthwhile experience as I have learnt some particularly good skills in both film and organisation. Furthermore, just meeting and getting to know these people (apart from my manager, who I am already quite acquainted with, as he got me in on the task) was particularly beneficial as I have a network of people to talk to when it comes to making our music video. Despite that they were making a documentary- which is completely different to our project, I learnt a wealth of valuable and transferable skills that will Parisienne Records.

Target Audience Research

Target Audience Researc by parisiennerecords

Target Audience-Vlog

We compiled all of our research into a short video, looking at our target audience in depth and examining exactly what they'd want from a music video.