i have again changed my poster and digipak covers.

this is the front and back panels. i have merged photos of a horse running together and changed them to black and white. giving a cold feeling. i changed how i put the song list on the back. this way is more interesting and unusual. i kept the small print and websites and stuff. mainly just changed the pictures to fit the band better. i also added a name to the album `no trust, no pain`. to me it means that trusting someone leads to emotional pain. so like a love quote, which is what the songs are mainly about.

(the middle panels) i have the band members together, keeping to the cold colours and i have some lyrics from one of their songs as well, in the style of the playlist on the back. i have the horse's feet on the bottom to keep that theme going.

this is the poster advertising the digipak. i have used the same pictures from the album, so it would recognisable to any one who wishes to buy it. i have included reviews from papers`magazines saying how good it is. the name of the album is centre because it is the one of the most important things, as well as the bands name.

i prefer these covers because it's different and says something about the band. beforee it was all X's and this time i've taken that away to make the voice of the band come through the pictures.

i have changed the middle panels of my digipak. this is because where the cd would go, looked bland and needed a picture or something there. even though the cd would be going there, it still needed a little something.

here is the new middle panels.

i put a picture of the artists and then put a circle over the top, which changed the colours of the photo. it makes it interesting and the circle would be where the cd would go. i kept to the theme of the X's yet made it different by changing the layout it was in.

as filming is concerend, i will be starting it shortly and from then on editing.

i have done my 2nd ancillary task, which was to create an advertisement for the digipak. i looked at a previous years work, to see what was included and not.

this is the year befores work, they used the same picture they used on the album cover, and added the title of the band, album and that it was out. i like how simple it looks and that it's the same as the album, making it easier for anyone who wants to buy it.

i have made a few copies of my advertisement because i wasnt sure what direction to take it.

this is the first one i made. i used the same image as i did with the album, i added a couple reviews and that it was the bands first album. because the album is self titiled there was no need to put the name of it down. i kept the double Xs in the centre like the cover of the album as it's the bands name and is most important.

this is the simpler version. it states the name of the band and that it's out now, i prefer this one because it's simple and gets people quessing. what are the XX? whats kind of music do they play? things like that, which would increase sales as people would purchase the albums or download singles from it to get to know the band. i made the colours quite cold, making the XX stand out. and i shadowed the `out now` making it interesting and obvious.

i have been told that the DVD cover i posted was not part of the tasks, and so i have created a digipak cover instead for the CD album.

this is the front/back cover of the cd. i kept the front simple, with just the bands name and a photo behind it. i wanted to create an eerie feel, making the album not make sense. The xx's sound is unique and new. i wanted the cover to reflect it. on the back panel i put the songs on the album and the barcode. as well as the copyright and record labels. so the album is realistic. again i have the Xs going across the back with a cropped version of the photo on the front. this is to keep the theme going.

this is the inside of the cd cover. i carried the theme of the Xs on. i added information about the band on the left panel. just to show some background on this band. the photos behind the writing are of a person, the singer in the band. i layered two different shots of them, but not showing the full face, keeping the band mysterious.

my next task is the poster advertising the digipak. it will be uploaded shortly.

i have completed my first ancillary task for `intro`.

i used a photo i had taken of a horses eye witht he background blurred and the colours muted. to create a harsh contrast against the negative text. it reflects the music video as it's soft yet also weird and cold.

i put legal stuff at the bottom of the back, as well as symbols which are featured on dvds, along wioth barcodes, website and record label logo.

after posting my last post, i brought a new album and became inspired to do a song from that instead. the bands called The XX and the song i like the most is Intro. it starts the album off but it's such a beautiful song that i just have to do it!

so i looked up some home made videos for this song, and only found a few.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX5cAzP8wzY

this music video features fashion photography. it's the only video i found that had images, relating to the song, although it relates in a weak way.

i have filmed little parts of the video already, but i need much more. i'm going for a surreal video with lots of cuts and cold colours to match the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faLalGQk4Bg

this extract from the twilight saga:new moon, shows the kind of effect i want to use. it's at 1:28. where one character runs towards the other, whom pushes them back. but they run slowly and are pushed back in normal speed, then back to slower. i thin

k it's a great effect as it makes you see the little details.

i have done my first ancillary task. firstly i will put up what i started of the `when she loved me` dvd cover.

i went for soft colours because of the singer being a girl. and also i put friendship photos behind because the song is about friendship and memories.

Ancillary task:research

As part of the brief, i am to do two of three ancillary tasks. My first one is a DVD cover for the music video.

I researched DVD covers for music video collections, to see what is include

d on the front/back. and also the codes and conventions used. From this i will be able to see how to make my DVD cover successful.

First cover i looked at was Madonna:Music Video Collection Vol. 1. This is a pop genre collection, so the cover is bright and colourful, but kept to girly colours, like purples and pinks. the background behind Madonna are still images taken from her music videos featured in the collection. And Madonna herself is in black and white, making her really pop put.

On the back is a lost of all songs featured in this DVD as well as barcode, video size/format, websites and creator of DVD cover.

I like the idea of having the still images behind the artist, and the artist being a darker colour, so she

stands out.

Second cover i looked at was Celine Dion: live in Brunei. The front

cover is of her singing, probably a still from the DVD itself. And the back is another photo from the tour. Dressed in white in front of a blue background, makes Celine Dion stand out. On the back , we have the list of songs sung on the DVD, smartly laid out so you can see her singing. also the barcode and legal details.

This DVD would appeal to fans of her already, but it does seem rather plain as it is just of the signer.

The third cover is of Prince and the Revolution. the front is of him holding a pink flower, with half a drawn face to the side of him. The righting is pink and it keeps to the colour codes as it's white and pink, attracting women. as well as the singer himself, dressed in white, symbolising purity and innocence. The back has the other half of the drawn face, yet this time the main colour is a black, a contrast with the front. it features a list of songs on the DVD as well as the DVD symbols. notice this time how there is no barcode. The cover idea is good, having the face when the cover is folded flat out, as well as the contrasting colours, showing a darker side to the singer, rather than the angelic appearance on the front.

Since the last time I blogged. I have once again changed the song. I filmed few parts for my previous song (Hoppipolla) and had done a few photos for the ancillary task. I thought about my idea and realised it wouldn't seem right, it would need more that a few months worth of filming. i would need to travel, film different places, different people. So I decided to scrap that idea.

The song I have chosen is `When She Loved Me` by Sarah Mclachlan. This song was featured in toy story, which is how I heard of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px0j1EHF8Y0&feature=related

what i want to do with it, is have a girl, sitting in a dark room, with a soft spot light on her. she is surrounded by photographs of her and her friend (whom she is singing about). it will cut to clips of their friendship, and zoom into photos of her and her friend when they we're young. she'll be miming with the song, but at parts smiling at photos and memories, i also aim to take stills of the clips of friendship and have them as pictures. she would be holding on and i will zoom into the photo then play the clip it came from. as if the memory is playing out in her mind.

timetable:

i will be filming later this week (15/10/10). the dark room part. the friendship clips will be done in the half term. meaning i have plenty of opportunities to capture moments.

the first of my ancillary tasks will be done by the 18Th of October (plan of ancillary will be up soon).

Although i have decided my song, i have been thinking as a last resort `Run` by Leona lewis. where i would use the theme of war, as if running from guns and bombing.

Here are the Icelandic lyrics and the English lyrics to Hoppipolla - Sigur Ros

Brosandi Smiling

Hendumst í hringi -Spinning round and round

Höldumst í hendur -Holding hands

Allur heimurinn óskýr -The whole world a blur

nema þú stendur -But you are standing

Rennblautur -Soaked

Allur rennvotur -Completely drenched

Engin gúmmístígvél -No rubber boots

Hlaupandi inni í okkur -Running inside us

Vill springa út úr skel --Want to erupt from a shell

Vindurinn -The Wind

og útilykt af hárinu þínu -An outdoor smell of your hair

Ég anda eins fast og ég get -I breathe as hard as I can

með nefinu mínu -with my nose

Hoppípolla -Jump into puddles

Í engum stígvélum -With no boots on

Allur rennvotur(Rennblautur) -completely drenched(Soaked)

Í engum stígvélum -With no boots on

Og ég fæ blóðnasir -And I get a nosebleed

En ég stend alltaf upp -but I always stand up

Og ég fæ blóðnasir -And I get a nosebleed

En ég stend alltaf upp -but I always stand up

Since i last blogged, I have changed the music I want to use, yet kept the idea of different clips of moments.

I have changed to Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros. They are an Icelandic band and so this song is sung in Icelandic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EyI4p0yjDQ

The video is about the old people/pensioners doing what the teens do nowadays, like pranks, vandalisings wall and so on. All filmed with an aged look, even though this song was produced in 2005.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0u9U32X9xQ&feature=related

This is a fan made video, about apprcieating nature, which is kind of like my idea, but I want to show that even though life is tough sometimes and at points everyone tyhinks of just sleeping the rest of their life away, life is an amazing thing. And to do this I am going to capture moments, like friends chatting and having a good laugh or a couple watching the sunset. But also add in the bad moments like death and being alone, but how they could be turned around. it's confusing right now, but after a bit more research, it will make sense.

Instead of having a timeline of what I will do and when. I am simply going to take my video camera about with me, and film everyday life. Random passers by or dog walkers. as well as setting up a few scenes like the sun setting and activities.

For the main storyline, I have two choices. Firstly is a person in a dark room, alone and sad the camera zooms into them, and zooms back to see memories. By the end the person see light shine through a crack/ window and smiles. This shows that even on the sadest of days, Thinking back to happier times will brighten your day.

the second idea is to have someone play the piano and while they play memories role on. this will incorporate performance as well as narrative.

For my A2 media project, i have chosen to do a music video. The brief was `to create a promotion package for the release of a new album, to include a music promo video, with two of the following option:

• a website homepage for the band
• a cover release for it's release on DVD
• a magazine advertisement for the DVD`

Out of the three ancillary task, I have decided to do the magazine advert and the cover release.

research was the first thing i did, as to decide the music genre I was to do. just by going on youtube and searching previous years As/A2 music videos, it helped me determine the best route to take when picking the song. Also watching a few official music videos to see the standard of performance and filming.

From what i have seen, pop/mainstream music is the best option for me as it's the kind of music i listen to, and have more of an interest in. i looked at a few of my favourite atrists work, like Lady Gaga, to see what is/isnt included in her music videos. I was thinking of doing her song `paper gangsta` which hasnt been released, meaning i wouldnt be influenced by the official music video content. I found a A2 music video for it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TOkvORqnAs

this video showed that it's going to be hard to keep to the lyrics as well as doing something different and `out there`. i watch Lady Gaga perform this song live to see what actions/dancing she does during the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MCvGN-3lNw&feature=related

alas, it didnt help much, as she seemed to be sitting down for most of it.

determined to do mainstream songs, i went on to the country bumpkin Taylor Swift and her song `you belong with me`. i watch someones version (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQQw2A0iclo&feature=related) as well as the proper one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuNIsY6JdUw&ob=av2e) and i thought up some ideas. but they seemed to be very similar to the actual music videos content.

I'm after a song thats kind of wacky and different. with either no or a very bland music video, giving me a challenge to create a better one.

I'm concidering doing the song by Baz Luhrmann, called Everybodys free (to wear sunscreen). which is a song, giving advice as to how to live life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI

the video is old and un-relatable with the audience. i want to do the same idea, with clips of different things, memories and moments in peoples lifes. but have a speaker at the beginining and stop motion to update the song/video.