Steel Wool Photography

One idea that we had discussed as a group was the possibility of using Steel Wool Photography. This is where you film (with several seconds ex poser) a person spinning lit steel wool. this creates a very interesting effect which can be seen above. I think that this, if shot in the right location could be very effective as an album cover as it is different and interesting. I have uploaded a video from Youtube to help show how this technique works.

Below you can see a video that I have made which shows how we used Steel Wool photography in order to create an album cover. It shows the dificulties that Matt had lighting it and i had to cut out several minuets of him attempting to get it alite untill he finally succeded. you can also see the out comes in the pictures. 

Copyright Letter - By Dom

 

Album Cover Research

The Beatles album cover of Abbey road is probably the most iconic of all time and the picture of the band crossing has become one of the most famous images of all time. The fact the Beatles are an iconic band helps to give this legendary status. it is also thought to be part of the conspiracy that Paul McCartney died, and the way the band members are dressed suggest a funeral and the number plate on the car is supposed to have a subliminal meaning. however this is not what I think makes this and iconic cover. the actual album was the Beatles masterpiece and one of the most successful albums in history.

In the scene, the group walk across the street in single file from left to right, with Lennon leading, followed by Starr, McCartney, and Harrison. McCartney is barefoot.

The zebra crossing has now become a popular destination for fans, to the extent that in December 2010, the crossing was given grade 2 listed status for its "cultural and historical importance"; the Abbey Road studios themselves had been given similar status earlier in the year.

The front cover design, a photograph of the group walking over a zebra crossing and it was based on sketched ideas by McCartney and taken on 8 August 1969 outside EMI Studios on Abbey Road. Photographer Ian Macmillan was given only ten minutes to take the photo whilst he stood on a step-ladder and a policeman held up the traffic.

The photo is so famous that the car in the background was stolen several times and later sold for a large amount of money and can now be found in a German Museum.

It has been reconstructed many times by different artists and most recently has been used by the boy band 'One Direction'. They did this to try and emulate the success of the Beatles as a new up and coming boy band.




The naked and Famous, which is the band whos song we are using, have only one album called "Passive Me, Aggressive You ". From the image you can see that it is infact a picture of grassy mountains however at first glance you just see a colourfull circle. There is another factor to the album, that if you look at the circle it seems similar to the view of the earth from space. The idea of a natural seen is something that we have looked at however the twist that the band have used by changing the colour of part adds a exciting twist on what could have been a boring picture. However this album cover has come under some criticism with one review starting with... "First of all let me get something off my chest. ‘Passive Me, Aggressive You’ has one of the most mind-boggling, boring and lazy album covers I have seen in a long time. It features a bizarre, multicolored globe with the band’s (rubbish) name and (rubbish) album title printed in the blandest font on top. It means nothing, it doesn’t attract me, and it doesn’t represent anything about this album. If first impressions count then me and The Naked and Famous have gotten off on the wrong foot."



This picture I took whilst in a Forrest and it shows the variety of nature and the vibrancy and variety of the colors. It would make a good album cover due to the fact it is simple but stands out to people. And below this you can see another picture that I took whilst in London on a photography trip. I have edited it using photo shop changing the contrast and making the colors more vibrant, however I think the fact that St.Paul's cathedral is such an iconic building gives this a different aspect to other scenes as anybody who looks at it will automatically realize what it is. Also the glass sides of the Bridge almost draws you into the picture, sucking the customer in to have a closer look at the album.





The three pictures here I took, whilst in Egypt. I believe that there is something in the way that the sea reflects the sun that makes it perfect for an album cover. I started with just taking a photo of the water itself however I then saw some rocks and thought that it would give it a focal point and therefor make it more interesting. 





Evaluation Question 4

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Glogster

I decided to use the program Glogster in order to present some of the videos. It is a brilliant website for effectively portraying a selection of information, pictures and videos in a fun and easy to use format. When you first create your account you are offered a variety of possible layout plans, of which you choose what is most suitable for your purpose. Once you have chosen your design you are presented with a screen which you can see to the left. You then start to add your own media. In my case I added, videos which was very simple as you just drag them from your file into the screen. Once on the main screen you can then adjust the size and positioning of the video by simply using your mouse to drag and spread the media. In order to attach Pictures from your files you use the same method. Then you can add other animations such as moving lips or quotations in order to create a more aesthetically pleasing piece. This program is a good example of technology that is easy to use however then also offers and professional and interesting display for the user.

Blogger

In order to present our work we have all used the program Blogger. It is perfect for the information we need to deliver to the examiner. You are able to upload videos, images and text as well as other media such as Glogster. There are other advantages to using this program such as its accessibility to the public, this therefore means that the examiner can access my work with ought any media needing to be printed and sent off. By creating a series of posts as you progress through the year shows the advancements that you have made and how the research affects your own products. It is a very simple to use and each post can show a different aspect of your project and the labels allow for it to be easily accessed by the viewer.

Final Cut

Final Cut is the program that we used to edit our music video. I also used it to create various other videos which show the prgression of our work with examples such as the target audience interviews and the feedback from filming sets. It is brilliant in the ease of cutting and edditing footage. And it allows for people without access to profesional eqipment to make their own videos.The ability to choose what part of the clips you want allows for you to pick what parts you wish to use easily and then combine a variety of different shots together in order to create your final piece. The screen on the left shows the original clip of which you can take certain parts to add to your final piece which is shown on the right screen. You simply drag the part you want from the left screen into the strip at the bottom and it can then be viewed in the other. 

PhotoShop

 Photoshop has been used to make some visual affects in order to show the progress that we have made throughout the year. It allows us to edit photos for the posters and makes it easy to label photos to show our progress. I also used this program to create the ancillary tasks as it as influential in ending with a professional and clear finish.
We used this program it create the album cover and poster, after taking the original photo it allowed for us to change the brightness and contrast by simply dragging the slider to one side. Also the tools that our can see to the left were extremely helpful as the crop tool meant that we did not have to include images that were irrelevant to the point that we were trying to make. Also the line and text tool meant that it was easy to explain the pictures that we wee showing.           

After Effects

 This was another programme that we used for the video and it is a very advanced piece of software. It allowed for the MTV logo to be placed in the corner it was also used for the scene in the intro where the camera seems to go through the glass window.

Nikon D3100 camera

The Nikon D3100 was a very capable camera and allowed for us to take shots that would have previously been unavailable to us. One of the main features that we used was its ability to change the shutter sped which allowed for us to create steel wool photography which was used in our music video. 

Focus pull was another type of shot that we used often during the video, it is a very effective technique as it allows for the attention f the audience to be drawn to a specific part or person on the screen. We especially used this with the close up shots of nature, such as the rain drops, leaves and twigs.   

Canon 550d

This camera was owned by one of the members of our group and was what we used for the majority of our filming. Having two cameras came in very useful as it allowed us one person to film a certain shot whilst someone else could film another at the same time.

       We had access to a variety of lenses including

• 8mm lens - this is a fish eye lens and as it is a acquired taste we used it sparingly, one example of this in use is where we filmed the drummer through the drum set.
• 18- 55mm lens - this is the standard lens that comes with the camera, being the easiest to use it was perfect for some of the quick shots  
• 50mm lens - although this lens is not able to zoom, the wide aperture, allows more light in and creates a shallow depth of field and allows the subject to drift in and out of focus.
• 75mm – 300mm lens - this lens was used for extreme close ups as it has the best zoom function.

Apple Mac

We were provided with apple macs by the school which came in very useful as they are extremely advanced computers which support the complex programs we needed to use. Two members of the group also own MacBook pro's which made the editing process easier as we could work on it from home and then bring the work into school.

Glidecam 5000

This piece of equipment was arguably the most valuable as it all our filming a provisional finish. When we first started our major problem was keeping the camera steady therefor this steadicam allowed us to film crisp and stable shots. This really gave the video a professional and high-tech feel.

  Jessops tripod

This tripod supplied by the school was excellent for the shots in which the camera did not need to move therefore it could be stable and perfectly still.

Band Clothing

When shooting our music video it was extremely important that we had artist clothing, that was suitable to represent the band and genre of music that we have used. The main focus was to represent a modern but indie group. To do this we had to look at other examples that were similar to 'The Naked and Famous'. Therefore the obvious first choice was the band themselves and in the picture above there is a example of their style in fashion. Although simple it has a smart but quirky feel the denim  jacket worn by David Beadle was an idea that when then used in our performance. The denim jacket bought from All Saints was worn by myself playing the Keyboard player. The main theme was smart casual throughout which lead to the band wearing jeans or denim shorts however it was important not to present a bland outlook which meant that I wore red chinos from Ted Baker in order to offer some variety in the bands attire. My checked Fred Perry shirt is a style and brand that is often seen in young male bands such as Oasis and The Kaiser Chiefs. 

A mix of colour was also important and although 'The Naked and famous' often wear dark and plain colours we decided that to portray a different vibe we should add in some colour. Therefore we decided that as the main two members of the group Becky (the lead singer) and Luke (the lead guitarist) should wear and outfit that will have more of a visual impact on the audience. For the lead singer we considered a wide variety of options however settled upon a country rock theme in order to mix the look up between the band members. A good example of the look is Taylor Swift who you can see to the side wearing a red checked shirt. We decided to use this idea and added a pair of denim shorts and leather boots to complete the 'cowgirl' look. As the other main focus of the group Luke was required to have some sort of a connection with Becky which lead to him also wearing a coloured checked shirt. Luke's rather simple but classic looked was based around Noel Gallagher, who you can see the the right. He is an artist liked by many in our group and as a icon to indie bands seemed the ideal person to base the guitarist look around. Also his style can fit into almost and scenario or genre of music.

The Drummer of our band Max who was a very talented drum player which helped him fit into the role was dressed simply as it is not often that you see the drummer of the band wearing something that makes him stand out from the other members. Although most often the drummer will just wear a plain t-shirt we agreed that in order to fit in with the style of the band he should wear a shirt. Therefore we decided on the plain light blue Ralph Lauren shirt which is a classic and timeless look that has been around for years however it does not draw the eye away from the main focus of the band. It is similar to the shirt worn by Marcus Mumford from Mumford and Sons who sometimes players the drums for the band.

We also felt it important to insure that the look was complete including hairstyles therefore myself and Luke had smart comb over styles with Max sporting a more casual but still groomed quiff and Becky having her hair down to create a frame for her face, drawing focus from the viewer.

Lyrics Explanation - By Danny and Luke

I believe that this song represents the fear and sorrow that can come from growing older. It suggests that whilst people grow they try to understand themselves and the world around them but have to forget the bad aspects with drinking, smoking etc as they are unfulfilled. Life is still bittersweet. We are young, but we are sad.


This feeling is shown by using a school/teen feeling through out the song. "Can't help but think of all the flaws, Claw my way out of these walls". You get the feeling that there are so many things wrong with you and your school, you just want to leave it. The song shows an escape in looking up to the stars at night and taking your mind off you and your issues which aren't really that important in the greater scheme of things. The bittersweet is the feeling that it's supposed to be a great time when you are young and beautiful, but it's also the most depressing stressful part of life(Will he/she go out with you? Will you make the team? Are you going to get good grades? Not to mention how tired you always were and are your friends trusting and good or will they turn on you? that's what makes school/youth bittersweet.

 Their is truth to the words of the song.  When we are young we are still naive.  With freedom and youth comes experience and leaving our youth for adulthood requires his experience, skill and wisdom.  The need to become an adult happens virtually overnight and once the process begins their is no turning back.  The bittersweet may be the looking back at youth and wishing you had accomplished or experienced more or lament the idea of leaving youth altogether.  There is difficulty in this transition and the strife sends people to seek refuge in some sort of middle ground they reference to be " in-betweens" in the song.

Filming Construction - By Luke and Danny

Luke and Dan Commentary on the filming progress from the start.




Luke and Dan Commentary on the filming progress from the start.


Above you can see a video showing clips of our group filming the early stages of the music video. It shows the problems that we encountered well as in the first clip you can see someone in the background which ruins the entire shot. However probably the most prominent problem that we had to overcome was the terrain with the uneven ground making it hard to get clear and steady shots. This lead us to try and make a steady cam out of pipes bought from B&Q which you can see in the second picture to the left. This was not that effective at first but after some adjustments it proved to be useful and helped us with some of the shots especially with the Go Pro camera. In the first picture you can see the way the sunset makes a good effect on the scene in the way the light comes through the trees.    

TARGET AUDIENCE

The Killers Album Artwork

The Killers 'Hot Fuss' album

The Killers 'Day and Age' album

The Killers have a very strong house style throughout all their albums with their name being important in most medias they use. All their albums have the similar front covers with the name large in the mile and then some sort of scene in the background weather it is a city or desert. ' 'Sam's Town' differs slightly as their is a person in it however it is still the same idea as the others. The use of the light bulbs in the name helps to create a sense of showbiz.

Their videos are also often similar with many of them being shot in desserts, forests and similar surroundings, and the band are always performing throughout with a few cuts away to a narrative scene. There are strong links with the Album and each singles and vise versa and this helps to advertise and sell both.   
  
The obvious link between The Killers different album covers and also their music videos shows a very strong house style which helps to create a atmosphere in all of their products  this therefor allows the consumer to feel comfortable with their product and allows familiarity.

I believe that we should ensure that we use this idea and make a strong link between our album cover and music video. At the moment our recurring theme is a Volkswagen polo 1990 car (owned by a group member). There are parts of the video where the you can see the car being driven and we are also planning to use it for the album cover. My idea for this would to have the car parked in a deserted car park at night with the headlights on and the band members standing arround it leaning against the bonnet, roof and door.      

Video Analysis - By Luke

The Suburbs (Arcade Fire) directed by Spike Jonze.


The video itself is shot without the band Arcade Fire featuring at all. Normally within music video, more often than not, the band will be featured in a performance scenario or in an acting role. Within our video we want to provide a contrast between the narrative as well as the performance of the band to give a healthy balance as well as two different outlooks to keep the audience interested. 

The video itself features the life of everyday teenagers in their local area and the activities that they get up to - perhaps providing a microcosm for teenagers in general. They are shown riding their BMXs, firing BB Guns at each other and meandering about. In the video, there is a military aspect where the army instill marshall law in the town which shows the difference between the innocence shown by the teens in the video and then later highlights this loss of youth innocence as the army take this away from them. 

When looking at this video, the loss of innocence is not important in terms of our research as we want to show how the youth can be presented as nothing but teenagers in their normal everyday life. So by focusing on Spike Jonez's portrayal of this, we can be inspired as to how to show the youth in our video which is titled 'Young Blood'. It is our plan to also show young people in events such as around a campfire, walking through the woods and on bikes for example, similar to the Suburbs video. 

The first shot is of a boy walking in front of a rather suburban setting, which immediately introduces the viewer to the characters' surroundings. This is then repeated in a long shot of all the teenagers riding their bikes through a typical American housing estate. The camera then tracks alongside one of the characters who again is stereo typically presented wearing a beanie hat and vest, symbolic of casual teenage wear. At this time the lyrics say "In the suburbs, I used to drive", which can be seen as a literal and iconic representation of bike riding as it is so familiar for a young person in the childhood. Jonez then carries on to show their friendship and youthfulness as they jump off their bikes and let it ride away before celebrating with each other at the achievement of the bike continuing to stand without them on it. It depicts the simple things that make a teenager happy and are integral parts of their life. We want to rein-act these simple events and show the joy of being a young person in our music video ultimately. 

The next scene shows the group on top of a bridge firing their BB Guns at a stranger and then laughing in a medium shot. Whilst this is happening, two of the characters are aside of this and are shot in a close-up intimately- showing young love and romance as a normal part of growing up and how innocent love is endearing. Here we see two components of teenage life happening alongside one another, love and fun. The romance side of thing we want to be represented within our video and this can be seen hopefully in the camp fire scene with couples spread out around it in quite a cliche situation. Spike Jonez shows these as he himself is quite young for a director and therefore has these memories fresh in his memory. As we (our group) are still this age we are living through them right now, therefore our representation should be even more accurate than his, so theoretically ours could be more credible.



Although it is a complicated video, when you take away the involvement of the army, the core of the video is teenage experiences and within our video 'Young Blood' we want to demonstrate this. The opening lyrics set the platform for what is to unfold in the video -"We're all young and naive still, we require certain skill". We want to let this curiosity of a teenager be shown and them developing their life experiences - which reiterates the gaining skills message.