Digipack Research and Flat Plans

A digipack is an alternative to a CD and takes a DVD format. Digipacks include the artists album as well as extras like the music videos. This is what I will try to create. I will be creating 4 panes for the Digipack; the front cover, 2 inside panes and the back cover. For these I will use all my own images that I will edit using Adobe Photoshop. I will be taking photos that corrospond to my music video, such as similar costume and make up ideas.

To fully understand a digipack, I am going to analyse some digipacks I found online. The first one I am going to analyse is the Beastie Boys digipack, To the 5 Boroughs, which was released in June 2004 . This digipack is different to how mine will look as it is different dimensions, with this one being 12 inches by 444 inches. As it is a special edition, the band have chosen to get an artist (Matteo Pericoli) to do the album art and have made the art work cover the inside and outside covers, showing both the East and West sides of New york, all inan intricate linedrawing design. All the track information is written around the illustration in the skyline of the drawing. The album was a tribute to New york after the 9/11 bombings, this is why the World Trade Centre is present on the cover. The digipack has 2 editions, one with just the tracks, including unreleased material, and another edition which includes remixes not heard before on the radio.

The Digipack is a slightly different genre to the artist I am using for my Digipack and has a completely different look, but both Lady Gaga and Beastie Boys are both known worldwide and have a large variety of people in their fan base. The demographics below are from YouTube for the opening track on Beastie Boys album above. We can see that their fan base is mostly males over the age of 35 and females aged 25-34. Lady Gaga is demographics show that Gaga is more popular with younger females but the same aged males as Beastie Boys. The world map also shows that Beastie Boys are prominently popular in North America and just known throughout the rest of the world. Lady Gagas demographics shows that she is not listened to prominently anywhere, and just worldly very popular. I chose to analyse this Digipack as it has an arty theme to it which I am going to try to convey in my Digipack, however I am going to use photography for mine, and Beastie Boys have used illustration. Also I will be using a DVD layout whereas Beastie Boys have used an unconventionally long CD sized layout.

The second digipack I am going to look at is Depeche Mode's album, Playing the Angel, released in October 2005. The album came with a CD which included 12 tracks and 3 bonus tracks, a DVD that included some unseen and released music videos from the band, a 5.1 mix of the album and a photo gallery, and some bonus UMD content which included a short documentary on the making of the album and another photo gallery. The album art is by Anton Corbijin and includes the character 'Tubby Goth' or 'Mister Feathers'. The artwork is influenced by a famous still photograph of The Cure's front man, Robert Smith. I chose to analyse this digipack as it has a similar theme to what I am trying to portray on my digipack of horror/spooky and Depeche Mode have also got an arty angle to their covers. They have used a mix of photography and illustration in their covers and stick to a dark colour scheme with blacks, greys white and a vibrant red, which is identical to the colour scheme I am planning to use. Depeche mode are an electronic rock band which is a slightly different genre to Lady Gaga but use some similar instruments like the synthesiser, and are known worldwide.

I chose to analyse this Digipack as it has a similar theme to thwat I am trying to portray in my Digipack of horror/spooky and Depeche Mode have an arty angle with their covers. They use a mix of photography and illustration in their covers and stick to a dark colour scheme liek blacks, greys, whites and vibrant red, which is identical to the colour scheme I am planning to use. Depeche Mode are an electronic rock band which is a slightly different genre to Lady Gaga but use similar instruments like the synthesiser, and are also known worldwide. The demographics below from YouTube of the first track on Depeche Modes album above, show that their fan base is prominently males between the ages of 25-44

The link below shows a PowerPoint of my ideas for images and techniques I may use for my Digipack.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BwxYNy6Gbf9BNmUxMGMxODgtYmU3ZS00MzVhLWJlOWQtN2I4NmUyZjRlYmRm&authkey=CIqv3oIM&hl=en

Below are the links to my first set of flat plans for my Digipack.

Back Cover -https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwxYNy6Gbf9BY2UwYjY4ZDAtYmE2Ni00NGZjLTlmZmEtYWVkYTFlYzIzNTc1&hl=en&authkey=CK_poZIE

Right Hand inside cover, Behind the disks - https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwxYNy6Gbf9BNDg2ZjkyZjgtNmU3ZC00MjhmLWE1Y2MtZDYwNjBkMzU0MjFl&hl=en&authkey=COvi6doL

Disk Layout - https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwxYNy6Gbf9BMmJmZDVkNjgtNzkxNC00NGQ4LWI3NmQtMTY3MzJlOWEwMGM2&hl=en&authkey=CKv7je4E

Front Cover - https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwxYNy6Gbf9BNzk3NzBhMzgtNDVlYS00ZGU4LWI0YzItOTllYmFhMTNlMmMx&hl=en&authkey=CIr1gtwM

Inside Left cover - https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwxYNy6Gbf9BOWY3MjM3YWMtM2FhNS00YmUyLTkwY2YtMWJiNjRjY2M2Yzkz&hl=en&authkey=CO71s5gB

I like these flat plans and would defiently consider these for my final Digipack. I am happy with the layout of the front cover but I will probably make the writing larger so that passer bys can identify who's CD it is easier. I like the look of the background being lighter around the person then fading to black as it looks spooky and could easily be achieved on a black background with the right lighting. The inside cover flat plan isn't exactly how I imagined it and this is why I have drawn a stick person doing the actual angle I want the model to pose in, as I couldn't draw it. The model will also fill the frame and not just be floating in the middle. This will also have the same background to the front cover. I don't really like the inside right hand side cover, but I scanned the disk layout separately to the image that would be behind. I planned to have the disks overlapping and clear so you can see the image behind it. I am very happy with the plan for the back cover as it is simplistic but keeps to the theme of spookiness for the Digipack.

2nd Set of flat Plans

INSIDE OF THE FLAT PLAN

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BwxYNy6Gbf9BMjRiNjY1MjctMWJiZS00YmEwLTg0MmEtMGQwN2M0OWVhNzNk&hl=en&authkey=COqBi7gO

For my second set of flat plans I choose to try a more colourful look, with bright and vibrant colours which would be eye catching. for the front cover I was going to use Polaroid pictures, scanned onto the computer and editing together on the cover. I thought of using Polaroids because Lady Gaga was recently named the new Chief Creative Officer for Polaroid and helped bring Polaroid back after it went out of business, helping design new imaging products such as the new Polaroid sunglasses and printer. I could achieve these pictures as I have a similar product called a Fuji Instax camera which produces similar images to Polaroid but with a slightly different layout. The only negative about this choice of photography is that the film for the Polaroid and Instax cameras is quite expensive, with photographs costing about 50p each. So I am not sure I will go ahead with this flat plan as it would cost money. The back cover is pretty simplistic with just the track listing on a plain colour background. It would be eye catching as the colours will be bright, but I don't think this cover will match my video idea and my advertisement. For the inside cover I chose to do some more polaroids with just pictures of a letter from Lady Gaga to her 'Little Monsters' to make it more personal. I will have these on a black background with the disk being on a black background with a bright purple background behind the disk directly. This is to go along with the colourful front and back cover.

3rd Set of Flat Plans

This flat plan will probably be the final idea which I will use for my actual Digipack. Its theme matches the music video and my advertisement. I like the shattered look to the front cover and it will all be in black and white like our music video, I also like the fading background like in my first flat plan. The skeletal look will add to the spookiness I am trying to convey in the Digipack. I think it's different look to normal digipacks will also appeal to Gagas target audience and works with the song lyrics to our music video. The back cover will match the front cover as it is also in black and white, with a skeletal hand doing a scratching notion. I am thinking of having the scratch lines glittery giving the Digipack some femininity and glamour. The fonts will be consistent throughout the Digipack. For the Inside cover I have chosen an image of a girl with a kookie hairstyle like Gaga portrays in many of our outfits and shows with a letter from Gaga underneath, like in my second set of flat plans. The inside right hand cover will be plain black with writing on the disc.

This font is called Edwardian Script ITC and I think this will be the font I use for the front cover of my Digipack and on the spine because it is the classy script that I wanted and it is also bold and eye catching, so people will be able to identify what artist the Digipack belongs too.



This font is called Kunstler Script and was another possibility for the front cover font but I decided against it as it isn't twirly enough making it look less classy and feminine. It is also quite thin and not bold enough to go on the front cover.




This script is called Palace Script MT which is also a really nice font but really isn't thick enough to show up on the front cover.

Shooting Schedule and Shooting Diaries

The link below is for my Shoot schedule and includes all the tasks we needed to complete. dates for completion, who is responsible and what needs to be done for these tasks to be completed.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BwxYNy6Gbf9BNTFkMzUwOGYtNjRiMy00MDA4LTkxMmYtYzVjZTI5Y2RlNzA5&authkey=CLW1md8J&hl=en

SHOOTING SCRIPT EXAMPLE
15/2/2011

Lip Syncing part of the video. filmed in room 3 of the libary agianst a white board. It was a static shot, witht he camera mounted on a tripod.

Take 1 - Niamh lip syncing with red lips. Managed 28 seconds of footage before the cmaera ran out of battery. The footage was good though, good shots of hair flicking which we could use to filll out gaps in the video. The sync was in time to the music. Little problem of hair in the mouth at the beginning of footage. Shots we could use in it.

Take 2 - (Niamh syncing) 1 minute 50 seconds of footage. Good shots, though some forgetfulness of lyrics in 2nd verse. 1st verse and chorus good. Slight ipod showuing in beginning that needs to be cut out.

Take 3 - (Niamh syncing) Mouthing the back up vocals - good and in sync. Slightly out of focus in some shots that could be cut out. Managed good shots for both verses.

Take 4 - (Chloe Syncing in black lips) Managed full 3 minutes of footage for back up vocals. Good shots of teeth.

Take 5 - Tried seeing glitter effect infront of the camera ut it didn't show up in the lighting, or we just didn't have enough to make the effect.

We produced these every time we filmed to make it easier to access the footage that we needed when it came to editing. We could tell which clip was which when we opened the footage as we used a clapper board to record which piece of footage we were filming.

Health and Safety

Before filming my music video I must make health and safety checks to ensure that no one gets injured during the making of my video.
Health
Before my dancers start performing for the camera, I will ensure they have carried out a warm up to avoid any pulling of muscles or other injuries.
Safety
I know that the studio in college is a safe area, but before filming I will check for any loose wiring, any trailing cables or rubbish that someone could trip and injure themselves on.

Another stage before the actual filming, is to check I have set up the camera and tripod correctly, so that i do not break either piece of apparatus. This is how I will set it up.
1. Remove the tripod from its bag. Pull the three legs out, making sure they are level. I will then adjust the telescoping collapsible legs to the position I need them in, making sure I have got the tripod level.
2. Remove the video camera from its box, holding it by its handle.
3. I will then attach the camera to the camera mount on the tripods head, using the thumbscrew to keep the camera attached to the mount. I will double check that this is done up as tightly as possible, without damaging the camera.
4. Now that this is all done, my camera should be securely connected to the tripod and ready to use. however if I was to move the tripod, I would detach the camera first and reconnect it at the new filming spot.

Storyboard and Animatic

The link below is an example of my storyboard. It tells you the shot number, what type of shot it will be (e.g. Static) and what will happen in that shot.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BwxYNy6Gbf9BMmZjZTA5YTgtM2Y2NC00ZTI0LWFkY

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BwxYNy6Gbf9BM2JhNGExZDktNjJhZC00ODc2LTg2YTEtMmRjYjRiYzk4ODZh&hl=enjUtZDU2M2ZkZGFjNWE4&authkey=CLeE4cgE&hl=en

The link below is a written storyline for my music video. With the parts of music with what action will be happening at that time. This is a less in depth version of my storyboard and was the original plan we had prior to the storyboard.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BwxYNy6Gbf9BYTdkZDgxODItYjUwYy00ZTM4LTkyN2UtOWQzM2I3ODdlOGRh&authkey=CJbqn6cG&hl=en

Mise en Scene

SETTING - For our video We have decided to use the film studio in college as its size allows for around 5 dancers to dance comfortably. This will make it easier for my group to work as it is in an easy location and we will have all the equipment we need to hand instead of having to travel to either of our houses which have limited space for filming.

COLOUR - In terms of colour we've decided to keep to mostly black and white. We will either film in black or white or try and achieve the dark feeling through lighting like shown in Lady Gagas video, Alejandro. With her video you get the feeling it is filmed in black and white when really they have just filmed with really dark lighting, with an almost bluey tinge to it. If we can achieve this, it means we can use red colours for lip make up which will coincide with the goriness we are trying to achieve in the video. It will also remind the audience of the song title, Teeth.

COSTUME & PROPS - Our costumes are going to be mostly hand made or home brought as, of course, we cannot afford couture outfits like Gaga, but she does have a huge creative side which we can portray through our home made costumes. We will have all our characters in black costumes to go with our colour theme of black and white. We have decided to make our dancers wear black tights, bra's and lacey or mesh styled costumes. These styles are seen in Gaga's videos and would appeal to her target audience. We would like our dancers to also wear some sort of mesh styled eye mask, so the audience will be drawn to their mouths and teeth, helping communicate the story. For our storyline part to the video we will have our characters again in black and white costumes, with similar make up ideas, apart from the their faces will not be completely covered and there will be more emphasis on the make up. We are trying to achieve similar make up ideas to that of what Gaga does, helping us appeal to her target audience.

Pitch

The link below shows out pitch to our media class about our music video, our ideas and what we hope to achieve.
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BzZ6urxriOlaYzA3YTUwOWItOTY4Yi00YzI5LTg0MWEtOGNhZWRjMmRjYzhl&sort=name&layout=list&num=50

The link below is the powerpoint we used for our pitch to the class. And below that is the script we wrote to go with the powerpoint. It includes some extra ideas for our video.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BzZ6urxriOlaMGViY2ZmYWMtMDQyNC00YTRmLTk2MTItZDYyYjY4YTllOWY1&hl=en
For our absolutely mind blowing music video we have decided to make a video to the song TEETH by lady gaga.
Lady Gaga is well known on the mainstream pop scene for her unique sense of style which she expresses in her music videos and live performances. Her individual sense of style is forever making the headlines with outfits such as her meat dress and full body lace outfits.
Lady Gaga is a global superstar selling over 51 million singles and 15 million albums worldwide. Gaga has a huge global fan base, known as her ‘lil monsters’. This is shown by her number of friends on social networking sites such as Facebook (over 18 million friends) and MySpace (over 13 million friends) and the amount of page views her official website has received.
Lady gaga appeals to people of all ages and genders. You can see this from the vast range of genres of magazines Gaga has appeared on the cover of. Gaga has been on covers of fashion magazines such as Vogue and Elle as well as music magazines like Q. She also appears on the cover of gossip and celebrity magazines, normally with articles about her individual and sometimes controversial outfits. We can also see through demographics on Gagas YouTube videos that her biggest viewing fan base is females aged 13-17 and males aged between 35-54 which shows a large difference in audience.
Gaga’s videos are normally set out like mini movies or elaborate storylines. Videos such as Telephone have a whole storyline, plot and dance routines all combined.
SHOW CLIP
Gagas videos always show Gaga in a huge range of very unique outfits which have not been seen in music videos before, making them dynamic and make the audience remember them and make them stand out from the usual pop video. However the memorable dance routines are Gagas forte when it comes to the music video. Something that we hope to recreate.
To make our video meet the criteria of your average Gaga video we have looked at different performance and body shape for inspiration. These pictures are some ideas of what we want to achieve in our video. We are looking at different shapes we can create and unusual camera angles to make our video stand out from others. We have a theme of darkness and death but in a sexy way that we want to portray through our video. We have decided to film it all in black and white to create the dark theme and the use of shadows and shots of ‘dead people’, teeth and blood will also help create this. As we are doing a Gaga video we understand that it has to be shocking to our audience, like a Gaga video, something no one’s seen before. To make it shocking we think we are going to incorporate a theme of religion in the video as we know this may cause controversy like a Gaga video.
We have also looked at pictures of makeup styles that inspire us and we may recreate for our video. The use of dark eye makeup and bright lips to draw the audience to the mouth and the darkness to go along with our theme.
Our costume ideas need to be unique and these pictures and some ideas that we want to try and replicate in our own way. We are going to use a lot of lace, netted costumes and leotards, very much like a Gaga video. We have also decided to make face masks, leaving the mouth exposed for singing and shots of teeth.
We have looked at different shots for inspiration. We know we want shots of just someone’s teeth singing to go along with the lyrics in our song. We also want to achieve some shots like these as we like the lighting and poses of some of these pictures.
In our video we want to shoot it in three parts. Firstly have a storyline opening the video like a mini movie, probably shot in a studio with clever uses of lighting and give the audience a good sense of what theme we are trying to achieve. We then will have groups of dancers performing a dance routine that we have choreographed from watching Gaga’s live performances of the song. The third main part will be of someone’s teeth singing the lyrics to the song. Throughout we are going to have still shots of people dressed in costume matching our theme, for example for the lyric ‘bad girl meat’ we are going to have someone dressed quite vampiresque holding a dead dripping heart.

(The parts highlighted in red were the parts I contributed to the pitch. However we did not keep completley to the script as it was just a basis of what to say or something to refer to if we got stuck.)