How did you use media technologies in the production stage? /CD Sleeves and Poster Completion

During filming we have used a video camera so that we could actually film our footage, and for our editing process we have used iMovie HD on an Apple Mac. A member of our group Ali also used Photoshop to stylize the footage we had taken. The editing process took a while to do due to us having over 20 minutes of footage which had to be cut down a lot. This meant that we have discarded a lot of footage that is not needed. During this process we had to make sure that all of our scenes were matched with the music we had which was quite tedious. After we had finished the matching editing Ali then had to take it home and edit it further adding effects to the video making it more stylized and unique.

On Tuesday we went to the CLC at the Orchard School so that we could create our CD sleeve and our poster for the CD campaign. To do this we used Photoshop which enabled us to use the pictures we had originally taken at the time of filming and edit them so that some of them looked stylised. At first we had to download our original images from our Hotmails for edting and then we had decided to go for a black and white look and so enhanced all of our images so that they were cohesive. We originally hadn't planned for the front cover to be black and white but for the sake of cohesion we did. For the inside of our sleeve we decided to input the details of who would have produced, arranged and mixed our album if it had ever been released into stores. Two of our images inside were of two of the criminals as they are a main part of the whole campaign and these two images were stylized using "Dark Strokes" on Photoshop which made the contrast brighter and made it look more like art although still showing realism and grittiness. For the other side of our sleeve we had chosen to do the same except without the se of effects. Lastly for the inside we chose to write on each picture a small phrase relating to anti-crime such as "walk to the light" which is written in red so that they are noticable and emphasised immeadiately. To keep with the cohesion of the artist we had to find the logo used by Roni Size and add it to our sleeve, which was placed on the inside in the top left corner. We also changed it slightly so that it would fit our style. For the front cover we had an original idea which is shown below which featured our four characters (now three) under a tree and a bright sky. It also had on it a knife and a flower symbolizing the contrast between the two. This had changed for a more minimalistic look with the title and artist shown in red in the top right corner and just a mask in the middle removing the knife and flower. We also put Roni Size logo on the bottom of the front cover and mirrored it. We also added the website and record company to the cover to make it more authentic. Lastly for the poster we had chosen to use an image from the sleeve of me walking but only show the right side as we found it very effective. We also put on it the details of the album and some accolades from magazines saying how good the album was.

The images we have taken and the finished product are shown below parallel to each other to show the difference between the new and old versions. Our inspiration for the style of the sleeve inside and the poster was the film Sin City which related to our campaign because they are both portraying gritty urban themes. (Click for full resolution)

Music Video Influence

The music videos have shown me that they can be very focused on the story and have the artist tell it like the Trapped In The Closet part 2 which is a very narrative video. The Jesus Walks video was also quite narrative as the lyrics reflect what is going on in the video but it is not completely related, and it is still quite effective. The effect this could have on a viewer is that they could be more inclined to watch the whole video to find out what is going to happen at the climax of the video as the music gets higher tempo. They could also be very minimalistic to focus on the emotion of the artist so that the viewer feels connected with artist as shown in the Michael Jackson video.
Lastly the Brown Paper Bag video is very abstract and doesn't realte to the music at all, as it is purely just a lot of footage with effects used to make it more interesting and there are some images that make it a visually arresting video and cater to those who enjoy something that peaks their interest visually. The type of video we will choose though is the narrative because those listening to the music can relate to the video as it partially explains what is going on in it.

Filming Last Day?

Yesterday we managed to film what might be our last day of filming unless there is anything else that we can add to the film. We had decided to film the last scene of our music video which involved a policeman who was played by Joe Bono. He was involved in acting out the rapping part of our song which was given as a speech to the criminals showing them the errors of their ways. For this scene we took a variety of angles to make it more arresting such as some over the shoulder shots, close-ups and the like to make the scene more arresting and fast paced. I think that Joe did a good job of imitating a policeman and also learning the verse to a good standard on such short notice. For the policeman costume we had him wear quite typical things such as aviators and smart casual clothes which take reference from such films as "Heat" and "Miami Vice". During the speech which is being rapped the criminal characters start to feel remorse and they begin to stop their ways. this is shown by them first removing their hoods and then throwing their masks away. The inspiration for the masks came from the idea of identities being hidden and that people are most scared of what they don't know. So I thought that having masks involved would make the ending theme more effective in the long run as when the masks are removed they are automatically less feared due to them having an identity. Also at the end of our video we have made our characters dance as a way of showing them being happy with themselves. This makes the video seem more post-modern as it wouldn't be expected by audiences. We also had to film the very beginning of our film which will be edited accordingly to great effect.

Problems We Have Experienced

Some of the things that we have had trouble with at the moment are that we had found it hard to get some of the actors as people had busy schedules and were also camera shy, and so this delayed our filming in the early stages of production. At the moment we haven't gotten the music for our video as we have been having problems finding it due to it being unable to download and I am unable to get it as my internet is not working and I have the means of getting it. We also found it hard to get some of the props that were needed as they were an integral part of the production and people were probably worried about their possessions although they would be present during filming. As of now our filming is going well and on time, and the editing has gotten off to a good start.