Digi Pack & Magazine advert

Designing a DVD cover for AC/DC

In todays lesson, our group used Photoshop to design the packaging for a DVD cover for AC/DC. This involved us considering what features you would expect to see on a DVD cover, such as a title, logo, certificate, holigram, freeze frame shots, ratings etc. We also tried to make sure the DVD looked appropriate for Rock genre, therefore we used dark colours, with appropriate font styles that worked well with the style we wanted to convey. Using images that we had taken during the filming process, we used these on the cover to match the footage we had. These images were of Lewis as he was the lead singer, therefore it means that we can sell the artist. We included a 4 star rating that was from Kerrang, we chose Kerrang magazine as their target audience would be similar to the target audience for AC/DC.

Images of Madonna DVD cover

This is the front cover of the DVD, it shows a big picture Madonna who is positioned in the centre of the DVD cover. Her appearance resembles a different culture through her hand gestures and costume. This is showing the everchanging appearance of Madonna, and this look is a way of gaining a different target audience. The title is placed at the top, and the font style is basic and modern.
This is the back cover, it has another focal image of Madonna as the background with a list of the songs included. These fit the style of the front of the DVD cover and the layout is very basic, so it is easy for people to read. It includes three small images from the DVD on the right.

These are three freeze frame shots taken from the DVD footage shown on the back of the cover, they are all very different images, displaying her very different appearances in the different music videos, for example there is a gothic look. This gives the audience a brief insight into the footage of the DVD.


The two images above show the different company logos, the certificate rating, details about the record label, running time etc. which is what is expected to be on the DVD cover. The format is very basic yet professional, which makes it straightforward to read.

Analysing Madonna DVD cover

It sells the artist well as it has a medium shot of Madonna in the centre of the cover. This immediately enables the audience to identify with Madonna and to see her significance in the DVD. This DVD was made in 1999 so her importance in the music industry has already been established as she is in a well-known artist. As a result her appearance looks very different cultured meaning she might be trying to appeal to a new target audience to widen her fan base. This is a new look that Madonna is portraying, so her costume represents her new look for this DVD. Her hand gestures also works well with the overall style. Her hand movement is the same as what is used in the 'Frozen' video, this is an example of intertextuality.

The colour scheme is very bright and bold using a lot of blue and gold, these are quite rich colours that stand out and relate to the indian style theme that Madonna is conveying. The font style is quite different to the indian style image, it is more modern and has a 'type writing' feel to it, which could interest a different type of audience, because of the contrasting style.

The back cover includes the typical features you would expect to see on a DVD cover, such as free frame images, a contents list, barcode, certificate rating, etc. However, it doesn't include ratings from magazines, radio stations etc or quotes. This might be because Madonna was already an established artist when this DVD was released, therefore she doesn't need to focus on gaining consumers as she already has lots of fans.

ACDC music video

ACDC album covers

It has a clear logo at the top of the cover, the colours are fairly neutral/dull and the name of the album has clear links to the illustration.

This is a very simple album cover with three main parts, the logo, a canon and the name. The picture suggests a negative notion and the lack of bright colours complements this.



These are examples of ACDC's album covers. We decided to look at these to get some ideas of genre characteristics that have been included in their album cover. These examples mostly use fairly dull and dark colours which suits the look of a rock genre album. The imaging used is fairly basic and can suggest negative notions such as canon and eyes being blacked out. The font style is usually the bands logo which is quite bold and could be described as gothic, which fits in well with the mood that is trying to be created. When we design our own DVD/magazine advert, we will take into consideration the ideas used for ACDC's album covers

still pictures from our filming

Research into Rock Band covers for DVD and magazine ads

Analysing our feedback

We agree with the majority of the comments made by our peers about our music video. All the comments said that they liked the black and white effect used on our footage as it suited the genre characteristics of rock. We agree with the comments about the need to sell the artist as we showed the lead singer very often as well as the other band members. Our feedback mentioned that Lewis's costume was good but Tom did not fit the 'look', we agree with these comments made. We were praised for good lip syncing which we spent more time one trying to get right and the variation of camera angles worked well as people said that it made the video more voyeuristic. One comment also noticed that we used intertextuality as Lewis was wearing a flat cap which was also used in the ACDC music video.

Feedback from S12-34

The part with tom didn't fit in at all, Lip syncing was good.

Instrument syncing wasn't as good but i liked the slow-motion at the start :)

Fun to watch- Good voyeurism.

Black and White went well with the theme of the song.

Visuals/Music was good with the inclusion of the guitar, Visuals/Lyrics was a bit dull as there wasn't much matching or action just Lewis 'rockin' out' :)

Sells the artist well because its just him on the screen most of the time and it shows him playing his instrument.

feed back from s1-35

The lip syncing was very good

The visual for the music was a bit wayward, with the strumming of the guitar, but this may have been for comic effect. same for the drum playing

The voyeurism was really nice, the angles were effective with the music, and a good variety of them (Y)

the theme was 'black and white' which of course relates to the name of the song, so this sells the song well; lyrics matched content well

Comments from S1 31

The black and white effect on the clip suited the genre of rock music , with the guitarist alone in a field making the video voyeuristic. The slow motion was a good use of editing, but despite looking good, didn't fit in time with the music. The main artists costume also suited the genre well, with intertextuality from ACDC. Showing us the artists playing the instruments is also stereotypical to the genre of music videos, as it sells the artist.

Feedback.

all the band is shown in the music video this is selling the artist.

Good use of props i.e. the guitar and drums.

The use of black and white fitted the genre characteristics, however what Tom was wearing didn't really follow these characteristics.

Props in our music video

This is a list of the prop we will be using in our music video. They are being used to ensure that our video relates and matches well to the genre conventions of rock music. For example, clothes and make-up used in Rock genres conventionally tend to be dark to suit the atmosphere the musicians want to create.

Eyeliner and waist coat

top hat

flat cap

guitar

Drumkit

Black sunglasses

Microphone and stand

Editing ideas for music video

One idea we have for our editing is to make some of our footage grayscale, so that it suits the conventions of a rock genre music video, this is because it will make the screen appear darker and dull which will suit the mood we want to create and complement the atmosphere of the rock music.

As our song is fairly upbeat and quite fast beats, we want to have a lot we sudden and unexpected jump cuts so that the music video fits with the song style. The jump cuts will either show one musician to another or show the same footage from a different angle or shot type to add more variation and to make the video more interesting for the audience.

At the very beginning of our music video there will be a slow and steady zoom used from the close-up of the guitar to a long shot. We therefore will probably use slow motion one this part of the footage, to elongate the zooming out and to make the camera movement more steady.

Storyboards and shot lists

These images show our storyboards as part of our planning for music video. It shows what will be happening every 10 seconds and what shot types will be used for each camera shot, so that we have guidance for when we do our filming. It also describes what the musicians/characters will doing throughout our one minute music video to make the filming more straightforward and easier to do.

Music video synchronization

Today I used final cut express to sync a music video of 'you wanna what' track.

I gained a knowledge of how to sync a film, which will be beneficial for our music video on

ACDC.

There were a variety of different videos to use to use in the video so we do not only watch one scene throughout the whole song.

Above: screen grab of work on final cut express.

Rock music genre characteristics

Rock music:

It is said to be an equal infusion of rhythm and blues and country. Besides jazz and country, it is the only type of music Americans can call their own. Rock and roll caused quite a stir when it first began to be played, as many claimed that it was immoral.

Genre characteristics:

- Strong rhythm
- singable melodies
- simple accompaniment
- guitar riffs/ostinatos

- dark clothes and make-up

- male musicians wearing make-up

- alcohol influence

- musicians being filmed playing instruments

In the late 90's, Bands such as Pink Floyd and Genesis pulled away from the conventions of guitars and drums, this second phase brought revolution to Rock, it was a musical earthquake. Art rock was more theatrical and more dramatic, it was almost an experiment where rock no longer was a group of people on stage playing instruments, it was a theatrical spectacle.

Idea for practise music video

Mise-en-scene

crazy hair

Props: guitars, drumsticks,

Make-up

guy liner,

Lighting

natural, better if cloudy because it fits genre characteristics - dark and dull. a sunny day would contrast the initial projection of the mood

location suggestions

field, roof or stage

Editing style

Lots of fast, sudden jumpcuts fits with beat of music

Beginning

See main singer standing on the roof, jump cuts to extreme close-up guitar on field , slowly zooms out to a long shot of lead guitarist, then jump cuts to the singer when he starts singing.

End

The camera zooms away from the guitarist who is on the field with the camera person on a second floor room so that it is an establishing shot, then a sudden jump cut to the lead singer on the roof who turns away as the music fades and the screen fades away.

Different music instruments being played in different locations, with lead singer on roof to show dominance and to sell the main artist

Jump cuts throughout the video to show each person individually

Intertextuality

the band The Click Five in their video for Just the Girl they film on the roof of a school.