Advanced Portfolio
Candidate Number: 4259
Centre Number: 51319
Thursday, 31 March 2011
Saturday, 19 March 2011
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Music video finaleeeeeee
From the first draft, various elements of the video was changed:
-The beginning scene with the tape recorder, the sound was put back in to signalize the entrance of the song, making it move smoother
-Glitch was fixed in places where there were small bumps in the film (slight quick repetition of sudden movements)
-Lip synching parts matched up even closer
-Slow motion parts stablized
-Sound muted where it hadn't been muted before
-Ending sequence sharpened up
Feedback:
Joe says:
*Damn good
*I like the fact there are no gaps
*when people usually edit stuff, there's a gap inbetween lines
*or it cuts to another scene or fades to black for a split second
*and looks choppy
*But looks pretty good
Logo ideas
This was the first design idea for the logo; using a very highly reflective effect on Photoshop, whilst this matches with the mechanical image, it seemed a little too glamorous to associate with the message behind the song.
This was the second design idea for the logo of our band. This idea was not used purely for the lack of attraction, the design is fairly linear and 2D, meaning that it would not stand out on an album cover for the band (which is normally quite loud).
This is the third and final design idea for our logo. Whilst the image looks dark here, against the photo background the image fits perfectly as being 3D whilst also not drawing too much attention away from the vital parts of the logo. For this, we decided to use this as our logo.Ancillary task - making the logo
This is the original design idea for the base of the logo, drawn by Matthew. Originating from a picture of an eagle, re-drawn in pencil and scanned in. Lostprophet's logo has often been an eagle, so we decided to use this idea for the base of ours.
Once the image was scanned, I opened the file up in photoshop. To remove the background I used the magic eraser tool to select all the white parts before deleting them leaving the checkered background (meaning transparent). Now with the background gone, I used the magic eraser once more and selected the the darker parts, and used the lock pixels option by the layer before using the fill bucket tool to turn the shapes a block colour; I repeated this process for the lighter parts, and duplicated the lighter parts into it's own layer so I could work on them individually.
This is the single layer of lighter grey for the logo, using a filter -insert filter name here as I forgot what the name of it was- adding a beautiful metallic element to the logo.
I repeated the process with the black parts of the logo, making the parts a block colour
And again added the same filter.
Finally when making both layers visible is the full logo shown. The logo I feel fits in with the band image perfectly as an Eagle is always incorporated into their logos, whilst the dark colour scheme and mechanical elements I feel that this perfectly matches the band, and the song used.
Equipment used
For the music video:
-Tripod- Used to support camera when panning and zooming to retain focus and stability. In our video we used the tripod for a majority of the filming due to the smooth nature of filming needed to make the video look professional. This was also to stick to the convention.
-Artificial lights- Whilst these are not present in the video, with the police interview scene we tried using remote lights to try and enhance the scene; however, we found these to be too harsh on the models and decided to cut the scenes out and use the ones without the lights.
-Meter ruler stick. When recording the scene with the footsteps, we needed to create some form of panning device whilst keeping the camera at floor level. After attempting to selotape the camera to a book, and using string to pull it along (which proved unsuccessful); we tried selotaping the camera to the end of a metre-ruler stick, then using string to pull it along.
For the photoshoot
-Canon EOS 300D camera - DSLR (Digital single lens reflex) camera with a 2.0GB CompactFlash card with in-built flash (not used for the photoshoot images)
-Canon 50mm f1.8 lens- Portraiture lens, used for a majority of the photoshoot to give a particular focus on one part of the subject, then blur the rest; this was especially useful for the CD/DVD cover.
-Multi-Card Reader- used to transfer the pictures from the CF memory card onto the iMac for editing. USB 2.0 port
Editing
-iMac- used for all editing and uploading processes
-Youtube audio rip software- With the footsteps scene; the metre stick was extremely successful for movement but made too much noise, causing us to overwrite the scene with an audio rip from Youtube (using software)
(the original sound clip)
-iMovie- Uploading and editing software used for the music video.
-Firewire cable- Used to upload the footage from the camera onto the Mac through the correct port.
-Adobe Photoshop CS4- Used to edit all the photographs, and create the poster and Digipack. However, the logo was created on Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0
-Graphics Tablet- Used for precision photo-editing and alternative cursor device. When creating all the Graphic designing elements, I used a Wacom Bamboo tablet for all the precision editing. Using a tablet in my opinion is better for all forms of photography work as lines are a lot smoother and editing is made a lot easier.
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Music video- Draft 1
Still needing work on a few areas, lip syncing, smoother scene transitions and sound.
Monday, 7 March 2011
Props
The only props really featured within our music video were featured within the Police interview scene. This included the pieces of paper held by the interviewer, and the cup that gets splashed against the walls.
A variety of camera and light tests shown that using clear water did not show up against the pale walls surrounding the table, which was when we decided to add a single drop of blue food colouring into the water to help it stand out when it gets splashed. This again probed to be extremely pale, so we tested with different concentrations of food colouring to get the perfect colour.
Costume:
A variety of camera and light tests shown that using clear water did not show up against the pale walls surrounding the table, which was when we decided to add a single drop of blue food colouring into the water to help it stand out when it gets splashed. This again probed to be extremely pale, so we tested with different concentrations of food colouring to get the perfect colour.
Costume:
We gave each of our characters certain costumes to wear during each scene.
Police Interviewer- Shirt, Black Trousers, Black shoes
Simon- (Singing scenes) Hoodie/ Bomber jacket, jeans or tracksuit(Stealing scenes) Hoodie, jeans
Gangs- Tracksuits or jeans and half the gangs were to wear hoodies with blue on them and half with red on them ( to distinguish between the two different sides).
Mikey- Jeans and hoodie.
Prostitutes- short skirt, thin low cut tops, lots of makeup
Police Interviewer- Shirt, Black Trousers, Black shoes
Simon- (Singing scenes) Hoodie/ Bomber jacket, jeans or tracksuit(Stealing scenes) Hoodie, jeans
Gangs- Tracksuits or jeans and half the gangs were to wear hoodies with blue on them and half with red on them ( to distinguish between the two different sides).
Mikey- Jeans and hoodie.
Prostitutes- short skirt, thin low cut tops, lots of makeup
Location
Location for our music video was fairly straight forward; a Council Estate, or at least a place that resembles one.
In our head we had 3 places in mind to shoot, but bearing in mind with the roads and traffic system, we decided to shoot in a small Cul-de-sac off of Caversham that had infrequent traffic and many side roads. This location featured many rows of houses all with the same worn orange bricks and tarnished fences surrounding them; the fact that it was also near a massive park proved useful for our other scenes.
-PHOTOS OF AMERSHAM-
For the police interview scene, we wanted a small cramped room that preferably, had a gridded window. Because this was not possible we actually filmed it on school grounds, outside an office and in a small corridor; this was effective because we were able to place the tripod on top of some cabinets in the corner to get a variety of high angle shots, and close ups.
In our head we had 3 places in mind to shoot, but bearing in mind with the roads and traffic system, we decided to shoot in a small Cul-de-sac off of Caversham that had infrequent traffic and many side roads. This location featured many rows of houses all with the same worn orange bricks and tarnished fences surrounding them; the fact that it was also near a massive park proved useful for our other scenes.
-PHOTOS OF AMERSHAM-
For the police interview scene, we wanted a small cramped room that preferably, had a gridded window. Because this was not possible we actually filmed it on school grounds, outside an office and in a small corridor; this was effective because we were able to place the tripod on top of some cabinets in the corner to get a variety of high angle shots, and close ups.
Questionnaire results
This questionnaire was given out to 30 secondary school children aged between 12-18. Asking:
- Do you/have you ever lived on a council estate?
- If yes, do you know anyone who has been involved with crime?
- Which description do you think best fits 'council estate'?
- Which of these characteristics would you describe someone who lives on a council estate?
- Do you expect these people to be...(financially)
- What clothes would you expect these people to wear?
- Do you expect people living on a council estate to be...(class)
- What percentage of people do you think living on a council estate have been involved in crime?
Results:
Lyric and character analysis
The song lyrics themselves reveal a very basic narrative that can be explored and expanded through film. Although a few iconic characters are actually named within the lyrics:
"Simon"- Appears to be subject to accusations of lying and stealing, 'Simon, don't stop with all the lying', 'do you feel it? When you steal it?'; the lyrics also identify his local area and that this is no suprising act 'because we know where you're from, you get along by taking things that don't belong to you.' This identifies him as an anti-social individual.
"Mikey"- Another male character referenced in the second verse, this time a lot more subtle. 'Mikey, oh where d'ya get the Nikes? Because I know you ain't got the notes to drop' a very casual term for calling someone financially unstable. Whilst this character does not have such a direct role, it shows that "Simon" is not the only person who follows this lifestyle.
The chorus then acts to defend the two characters through the chant 'We take to get along, we're holding on, we're holding on' indicating that they don't do it out of choice, they do it because they need to survive. Later in the song, during the bridge, the phrase 'I tried to stop but I can't help it' references a possible addiction to this "steal-and-sell" way of life.
When trying to decide actors, we decided to go for a tall, skinny Caucasian male to play "Simon". The skininess of the actor would symbolise living on the edge, malnutritioned and using survival instincts.
"Simon"- Appears to be subject to accusations of lying and stealing, 'Simon, don't stop with all the lying', 'do you feel it? When you steal it?'; the lyrics also identify his local area and that this is no suprising act 'because we know where you're from, you get along by taking things that don't belong to you.' This identifies him as an anti-social individual.
"Mikey"- Another male character referenced in the second verse, this time a lot more subtle. 'Mikey, oh where d'ya get the Nikes? Because I know you ain't got the notes to drop' a very casual term for calling someone financially unstable. Whilst this character does not have such a direct role, it shows that "Simon" is not the only person who follows this lifestyle.
The chorus then acts to defend the two characters through the chant 'We take to get along, we're holding on, we're holding on' indicating that they don't do it out of choice, they do it because they need to survive. Later in the song, during the bridge, the phrase 'I tried to stop but I can't help it' references a possible addiction to this "steal-and-sell" way of life.
When trying to decide actors, we decided to go for a tall, skinny Caucasian male to play "Simon". The skininess of the actor would symbolise living on the edge, malnutritioned and using survival instincts.
Song choice
'For He's a Jolly Good Felon' was the third release from the lostprophets album 'The Betrayed' released in January 2010, and released as a single on the 11th April 2010. Whilst the lyrics to the song reveal a completely different story to the rest of their songs, lead singer Ian Watkins admitted to 'The Sun' newspaper that the lyrics describe:
"The song is about us growing up on council estates in Wales. The lyrics are about that way of life, I am not condoning it. We were good boys, it was just that our environment exposed us to anti-social behaviour. In this new album I have been very honest lyrically without a filter or producer. I have already covered areas like the conditioning of society and my anger towards it, so I suppose I just didn't want to repeat myself."
Music Video:
Released 12th March on VisibleNoiseRecords YouTube page, and the making of the video was released on 24th March 2010 on the same channel. A full-length cinematic version including dialogue was then later released on the 6th April.
Music Video history
From their first album 'fakesoundofprogess', music videos for the songs 'Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja' and 'The Fake Sound of Progress' were directed by Mike Piscitelli in 2001 and 2002 respectively. This was shortly followed by the release of the music video for 'Burn Burn' to promote their newer album 'Start Something'; this video was directed by Patrick Kiely and released in 2003. Also from this album, 3 more music videos were released for the songs 'Last Train Home', 'Wake Up (Make a Move)', and 'Last Summer'; directed seperately by Brian Weber (Last Train Home), and The Malloys (Last Summer) in 2004. The Malloy's in particular are famous for also directing music videos for Avril Lavigne (Complicated and Girlfriend), Foo Fighters (Breakout), Wheatus (A Little Respect) and many more.
The music video for 'Goodbye Tonight' directed by Steven Oritt was finally released in 2005. 2006 saw the creation of three music videos from the same director; 'Rooftops', 'A Town Called Hypocricy' and 'Can't Catch Tomorrow', all very praised music videos which have helped populise the band and given them an iconic image. The director Ryan Smith also went on the direct yet another video for the band in 2007 with '4:AM Forever.'. 2009 saw the first nomination for the band due to a music video, 'It's Not the End of the World (But I Can See it from Here)' directed by David Allen, was nominated for best music video at the Kerrang! awards but was unsuccessful. 'Where We Belong' was also released in 2009, shortly followed by the contraversial music video for 'For He's a Jolly Good Felon' in 2010.
As it is clear to see, lostprophets never stick to one director and often refrain from using a mainstream directer, giving smaller filmakers a chance to shine. This has led to the musics videos not tending to flow between one another due to their completely different styles. However, a few similarities have been picked up:
-Every member of the band is shown within every music video
-A wide variety of camera angles are used
-Location is vital, and often used within a street or public place
-Ian Watkins (lead singer) is always wearing monochromatic colours, or at least very simple colours to perhaps not draw total attention to the singer
-Music videos often include a crowd
The music video for 'Goodbye Tonight' directed by Steven Oritt was finally released in 2005. 2006 saw the creation of three music videos from the same director; 'Rooftops', 'A Town Called Hypocricy' and 'Can't Catch Tomorrow', all very praised music videos which have helped populise the band and given them an iconic image. The director Ryan Smith also went on the direct yet another video for the band in 2007 with '4:AM Forever.'. 2009 saw the first nomination for the band due to a music video, 'It's Not the End of the World (But I Can See it from Here)' directed by David Allen, was nominated for best music video at the Kerrang! awards but was unsuccessful. 'Where We Belong' was also released in 2009, shortly followed by the contraversial music video for 'For He's a Jolly Good Felon' in 2010.
As it is clear to see, lostprophets never stick to one director and often refrain from using a mainstream directer, giving smaller filmakers a chance to shine. This has led to the musics videos not tending to flow between one another due to their completely different styles. However, a few similarities have been picked up:
-Every member of the band is shown within every music video
-A wide variety of camera angles are used
-Location is vital, and often used within a street or public place
-Ian Watkins (lead singer) is always wearing monochromatic colours, or at least very simple colours to perhaps not draw total attention to the singer
-Music videos often include a crowd
lostprophets
About the band
Lostprophets Factfile:
-Welsh rockband (from Pontypridd)
-formed in 1997
-founded by Ian Watkins, Mike Lewis, Mike Chiplin and Lee Gaze.
-They've released 4 albums.
Present Band Members:
-Ian Watkins (Vocals)
-Mike Lewis (Rhythum guitar)
-Lee Gaze (lead Guitar)
-Stuart Richardson (bass)
-Jamie Oliver (suth, turntables, sample, vocals)
-Luke Johnson (drums, percussion)
Albums released:
-Thefakesoundofprogress
-Start Something
-Liberation Transmission
-The Betrayed
Their History:
The Beginning 1997-2000
The band attracted 2 music publishers one of them Kerrang! and the other Metal Hammer. In 1999 they signed with the Independent label Visible Noise.
Thefakesoundofprogress 2000-2002
Their debut album was release via Visible Noise (november 2001). However they had also signed up with columbia ( division of sony records) but release their records in Europe through Visible Noise.
Start Something 2003-2004
Their first single Burn Burn was released in 2003 with their album following in 2004. However their album and tour was delayed several times. The toped the UK Albums Chart at number 4 selling over 2.5 million copies worldwide.
Liberation Transmission 2005-2007
This album was released in late 2006 (failing to be released originally in early 2006 as they had planned). It revealed a new music style from the band that was more upbeat and modernised with less scream-0.
Styles and Influence:
Commonly termed as nu metal and hard rock.-Altrenative Rock is a strong influence to their music- Their music is termed "an aggressive style of rock, blending strong driving guitars, groove and bounce and pop elements and accessibility."- Their music has said to have combined softer melodies with aggressive edge- The lyrics have ranged from sombre to aggressive
Record Label:
Lostprophets are signed to Visable Noise. Founded in 1998, they are an independant record label from the uk, specialising in Rock music, the label was created with the goal of fostering and breaking new UK rock music. Their most famous bands are Lostprophets, Bullet For My Valentine and Bring Me To The Horizon.
They are also signed to Sony Music Entertainment, founded in 1929. Globally it is the second largest recorded music company and it is controlled by Sony Corporation Of America.
They are also signed to Sony Music Entertainment, founded in 1929. Globally it is the second largest recorded music company and it is controlled by Sony Corporation Of America.
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