Director- Shane Meadows
Writer- Shane Meadows
Release Date- 27th April 2007
Genre- Crime, Drama
Award- Won seven awards total was nominated for fourteen
Young Audience Award, BAFTA Film Award, British Independent Film Award, UK Film Talent Award, Best European Film, Young European Jury Award, Best Director Award
Company- Big arty Productions
The film itself was set around Shane’s younger life; it’s a coming of age take about a young boy looking for his place to fit in. The film set in the Northern working class town in 1983 and includes strong anti-conservative views. ‘Thatcher is a twat’
It's hard to describe Shane Meadows' latest film without making it appear a great deal less interesting than it actually is. It's a semi-autobiographical tale of a young boy adopted by a gang of skinheads in a grey seaside town. And on that basis, This Is England sounds, in short, like typical grimesville British filmmaking - concrete, rain and misery. This couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, the film is fizzing with energy and humour, powered by brilliantly engaging performances.
Chief among these is newcomer Thomas Turgoose as Sean, a put-upon 12-year old who finds unexpected friendship with a group of local skinheads led by the sweet natured Woody (Joseph Gilgun, another stand-out performance). These skins are a far cry from the image of racist thuggery that the movement became known for in the 80s. It's all about the music, and of course the clothes - although Sean is too small for Doc Marten boots, he still gets the haircut, the plaid shirt and the braces. For a while, everything is sweet in Sean's world. He even shares his first kiss with a Boy George lookalike with the charming name of Smell.
"A FUNNY AND DEEPLY MOVING PORTRAIT"
But soon, conflict arrives in the form of Combo (Stephen Graham, also superb), an old mate of the gang whose time in prison has left him with a strong sympathy for the National Front. Combo's racist agenda splits the gang and Sean, tragically, finds himself turning to Combo as a substitute for the father he lost in the Falklands. Meadows is an exhilarating filmmaker and This Is England is his best film to date - an honest, emotional, funny and deeply moving portrait of growing up. Don't miss it.
Broken nuclear family- Shaun’s father was lost in the Falkland’s war he was very close to him and so has lost his role model, because of this he lashes out at his mother who is trying to as he sees it control him not allowing him to have the Doc Martins. When he meets the gang (Woody) he finds a new family and when he is introduced to (Combo) he finds the father figure that he has been missing. Stereotypical single mother no money household.
Broken community- Shaun doesn’t get on with the children at school he is also fighting against his mother. With the Skinheads he finds that community, which is defined through the clothing they wear and their political views.
Antisocial behaviour- They are all into criminal behaviour, however what the youngsters do is a lot less than the older ones what they do is a lot less serious. Combo robs a store with a machete.
Racism- There is heavy racism in the film which comes to a climax when Combo violently beats Milky this racism shows the biased views of the time.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2007/04/23/this_is_england_2007_review.shtml
Director- Hettie Macdonald
Writer- Abi Morgan
Release Date- 10th March 2008
Genre- Drama
Award- won best single drama award
Company- Tiger Aspect Productions
White girl is a single length drama based around an eleven year old girl from an unstable British working class family. This is a review from the daily telegraph, with quotes from Maxwell Martin who plays Leah’s father.
Tells the story of a hard-up family who relocate to Bradford. They find themselves in a racial minority, vulnerable and alone in a community they don’t understand, whose customs and religious faith they do not share. The most startling thing about this minority family’s predicament, however, is that they are white.
Maxwell Martin plays Debbie, an illiterate, borderline alcoholic mother of three, who moves her family to a new city to escape her lazy, pot-smoking and abusive husband, Stevie (Daniel Mays). You’d think from this description that Debbie would be a largely sympathetic character. In fact, says Maxwell Martin, she’s, “very frustrating, and not always particularly likeable. You just want Debbie to get a grip and be a mum, which, even after the move, she doesn’t really manage.”
Debbie soon slips back into bad habits and Stevie reappears, joint in hand, which leaves the family’s only responsible member looking after everyone: Debbie’s 11-year-old daughter Leah (Holly Kenny).
Leah, though, is struggling to cope, firstly with her alien surroundings (she and her younger siblings are the only white children at the local school) and then with Debbie’s repeated relapses. Inspired by the example of her classmates and a family of good-natured neighbours, Leah takes refuge in an unlikely place: Islam.
“For me, Leah could have adopted any religion,” says Maxwell Martin. “I don’t think it specifically has to be Islam. Hers is not so much a spiritual awakening as the case of a young girl finding something that gives her solace and a sense of community.”
The sight of Leah wearing a hijab [a Muslim headscarf] at a family wedding enrages Debbie. But, over time, Leah’s religious resolve starts to rub off on her mother. “Debbie has always laid down and taken the punches. She’s very self-pitying. But thanks to Leah’s example, she has a gradual awakening. Debbie realises, almost by osmosis, that she doesn’t have to be guided by Stevie, or her mum, or alcohol. In a way, this is a love story between a mother and a daughter: they’re both trying to reach each other and find an equilibrium.”
There are further fraught battles to be won, not least against Stevie, but White Girl finds cause for optimism in an otherwise bleak situation. “The really wonderful thing about Leah,” says Maxwell Martin, “is that although she berates Debbie, she always has faith in her. And, in the end, I think Debbie wakes up to that.”
Main themes-
Broken nuclear family- The first image is that of the family running away from the father and the last sees the mother and her three children crouched together in their new home.
Broken community- Leah tires to find a new culture to fit in with her new community as she can’t find it in the one that she is in. However there is a British community evident in the drama although it is flawed, when the mother is out for the hen do and at the wedding we are presented with a stereotypical ‘British’ culture. In both situations alcohol is present though making the community flawed. In comparison the Muslim community the attitudes and values seem to be aimed more towards family, happiness and a real community which is bound by their devotion to their religion. This is important as it reverses the stereotypical views we hold on other cultures and suggests that of the British culture is coarse in comparison.
Anti social behaviour- The father is laced in with criminal behaviour, but so is the grandmother which suggests the main role models are flawed. The mother herself is reliant on alcohol. This projects a negative outcome on the children themselves in fact Leah’s brother is being used as a drugs mule by his father. This behaviour is the catalyst for the two above categories.
Media evaluation, question one on Prezi
Please click on the link above if Prezi isn't working.
My audience is my key, they shape the way I form construct and view my products. http://www.findmytribe.co.uk/ claim that everyone belongs to a ‘click’ you just have to find where you fit. Whether it was addressing the genre, characters or narrative of my music video and ancillary texts I always asked the questions what would my target audience want to see? How does my product entice or repel them? These were the main questions that were continually considered throughout my planning, when I was making decisions about which Media conventions and influences from real Media products I wanted to use.
This is a link to another of my posts detailing my target audience profile. http://flincoln.blogspot.com/2010/03/target-audience-profile.html
For the production of my media texts I had three main artist influences: Kate Nash, Regina Spektor and Katie Melua. Kate Nash was a very strong influence in the construction of my music video, for both the inclusion of still frame animation and the construction of a strong but still feminine female lead. Her compelling attitude and the entertaining narrative of her music video ‘Foundations’ were the original aspects which drew me to the artist. However as I delved further into the artist I realised that I wanted to copy the fun and happiness which is captivated within a song that has an undercurrent of sadness.
Regina Spektor was originally chosen as I enjoy her music and the quirkiness of her character and lyrics. Though when I was planning my Digipak I looked to the pictures on her case for the decision of whether my artist should be represented literally or figuratively. Although the idea of using visualisation to construct my artist was appealing it didn’t suit the nature of my genre, or the aspirational qualities I wanted my audience to connect with my artist, as they wouldn’t see her face and so I decided to use images of ‘Freya’ posing as Ruth as the folk pop genre is very communal and welcoming.
My large female fan base meant that I wanted to veer away from an overly sexual video, and instead create a strong feminine and inspirational character. This idea connected well with the folk genre stereotypes, as folk music is about telling a story it’s descriptive and innocent, not over dramatised and sexual. For example in Katie Melua’s video ‘Nine Million Bicycles’ the main focal point is her face not her body.
The editing and camera work used for my music video was important to creating my genre as too many close ups on Freya’s lips and mouth could have given the wrong impression. During the edit I mainly used cross dissolves and superimposition to keep the storyline flowing.
This idea was transferred into my ancillary tasks with none of the pictures emanating the ideals of the ‘male gaze.’ However I did not go overtly masculine and morph the character into a she-male. Firstly because I wanted ‘Freya’ to be a realistic representation of Ruth Bewsey, but also as for my target audience (of fashion conscious feminine females) to be able to connect with my character, as audiences are drawn more to performers they can relate to and in some cases aspire to be.
Another stereotype of the folk genre that I chose to maintain was the idea of telling a story, as it complemented the song’s lyrics and made for a very compelling narrative. Artists such as Kate Nash use their music to emanate an emotion or aspect of their lives; it’s a way of sending a message or showing their audience members that they are human as well. This Media convention is a great way for an artist to connect with their audience; if the audience can imagine themselves in the role then they have more respect for the artist. So my video was composed in chronological order to give the appearance of a miniature film and not just a compilation to the song.
I marketed my brand as a hybrid genre-folk pop- because I felt that the folk stereotype was too naturalistic and truthful, for the ambiguity I wanted to include at the end of the video, whereas the pop genre stereotype was overly mainstream and vain for my artists and ran the risk of ostracizing some of my audience. Also by combining the genre I was able to use ideas from both genres in my ancillary products which meant I was marketing my artist for a wider band of people having quotes from both the music magazine NME and the fashion magazine Sugar running side by side on my advert.
Another aspect of my video that I included because of Kate Nash were the stop motion stills at the beginning of the video, I liked the way that she derived emotions through the use of inanimate objects suggesting that they were moving away from each other as naturally as she was moving away from her boyfriend as it is a subversive way of conveying a message. Originally it was cast that the stop motion sequence would be part of the main video, however as plans changed I decided that by having the sequence at the beginning of the video I could draw my audience in as it acted as a mini prologue.
Front cover.
Front and Inner cover.
Inside front cover.
Front of Cd sheath.
Back cover.
Magazine advert.
In order to construct our audience research myself and Amy Nolan conducted a focus group, distributed questionnaires and interviewed a professional music video producer from Triggerset, Matt Clarke. Below are the videos produced from our focus group which included five females of the ages seventeen and eighteen. The girls were chosen as the corresponded with our ‘stereotypical’ target audience ( http://flincoln.blogspot.com/2010/03/target-audience-profile.html ), of fashion interested, aspiring, down to earth, middle-class white females, in further education, who listen to mainstream music channels. The focus group which we filmed in a school classroom was filmed in individual slots to collect more detailed and truthful feedback, as shown in past studies when audiences are interviewed in a group it is less likely that you will gain information from all of the members as the shyer characters will always rely on the more dominant ones. Also peer pressure and embarrassment can cause people to be untruthful and vague in their answers so not to draw attention to themselves. All of this means that one on one interviews are more relaxing for the participant and gain feedback from sources that may have otherwise been overlooked.From the feedback it became clear that my target audience felt that the video worked well to compliment the genre of the song, and overall was an appealing professional and appreciated piece of work. The comments have highlighted some weak points within the video which could be reworked to make the piece even more professional, however none of the comments were worrying or unexpected.
Target Video 1
Target video 2
Target video 3
Target video 4
Target video 5
From the feedback it became clear that my target audience felt that the video worked well to compliment the genre of the song, and overall was an appealing professional and appreciated piece of work. The comments have highlighted some weak points within the video which could be reworked to make the piece even more professional, however none of the comments were worrying or unexpected.
Video:
This is a list of the key points and criticisms from the focus session.
- Some of the colours in the shots contrasted with the rest of the video. These were the close up on the singer’s mouth, the shot of the purse and the ending sequence outside. Also our audience felt that the close up mouth shots didn’t fit in with the rest of the video as they contrasted heavily to the softer shots.
- Another shot which the audience didn’t like was the use of the plastic balls. Though they initially liked the shot, it wasn’t clear to them why it had been included. However I don’t think this is a problem as they didn’t think it affected the video aesthetically.
- The audience said that their favourite shots were the opening stills as they immediately broke the ice and drew them to the video. Also they felt that they worked well with the genre of music and suited the rest of the video acting as a mini prologue. They also felt that the ending shot was fairly strong when the use of ellipsis jumps the singer further along the path as it broke up what could have been a monotonous sequence.
- All of the girls interviewed placed the video in a similar genre, and said they expected to see the video on main stream music channels. Each girl said that the video would influence them to look further into the artist which was very good to hear. The fact that they all had similar view of positive as it proves the genre conventions we tried to use were correct and obvious.
- When it was revealed to the girls that the girl in the video wasn’t the actually artist and just a representation they told me that they felt she fit in with the role. Her face was feminine and friendly and her attitude captured what the song was about. This was good to hear as casting the correct artist was difficult, as you can see from my planning I tried many different isles before finally focusing on Freya.
Ancillary feedback video
From my ancillary task feedback it became clear that my consumers felt the use of similar imagery and colouring within my digipak, magazine advert and music video made a marketable and obvious brand, with each person giving the products as a package nine out of ten. This is pleasing as it supports my ideal of constructing my artist as a brand and breaching into many different forms of consumerism. Also by successfully linking the products my audience has been able to make a clear link between the merchandise, and as they mentioned that the pieces may make them look further into the artist, being able to clearly know what they are looking for is a positive.
Something which was mentioned during the research was that the colours used could have been brighter and warmer, to better entice an audience. I agree with my audience and feel that the use of a brighter colour also would have connoted the summertime feeling of the song and worked well to advertise the folk genre of the music. Both girls mentioned that the products colouring was weak, and so if I was to revise my designs I would add another dimension or colour to the products to attract my audience.
When asked which of the panes appealed most to my audience I was given contrasting answers, whilst one person said they liked the lyrical pane and felt that the guitar pane was the worst as it did not bring anything to the package another said that the guitar pane was her favourite. However when later questioned the girl that picked the guitar pane divulged that she was a fan of metal and rock music, which suggests that the visual aspects of a case are just as important when advertising the style of an artist as the actual music.
Magazine advert
- Both girls said that the advert linked well with both the digipak and the video through my use of similar imagery and themes, which is helpful for marketing my artist as a brand. It also suggests that I have created a sustainable brand.
- One girl said that the advert doesn’t grab the reader’s attention enough, and another explained that the light colouring wouldn’t make her stop to look. As this problem also occurred when speaking about the digipak I feel that I need to revaluate the colour schemes that I used, and instead of focusing on the brand of the product, try to make the individual aesthetics pleasing.
- The two girls said that the Advert gave them enough information without giving to much away, and the slight ambiguity left them wanting to know more. However one participant felt that the name should be brought to the top of the page as it should be the first thing you see and the thing that remains in your mind which I agree with. Also they felt that the chosen quotes suited the genre of music.
Digipak
- One of my audience said that the digipak was whimsical and reminded her of a fairytale, which connects to the story telling nature of folk music. She said that seeing the digipak would lead her to assume that the music was folk/pop. This reflects her point about the fairytale in that the designs are very light and feminine and happy.
- The other member of my audience said that the digipak wouldn’t make them want to buy the album as they are into rock music and heavy metal. This showed me that because my designs conform to my genre, they immediately deter anyone who listens to other genres of music. This will have a negative effect on the range of audience I attract and so I would be inclined to release another range of packaging to see what response I received. Especially since the girl said she liked the song once she had heard it.
- One girl said that she liked the close up pane of the artists face surrounded by the tree as it clearly introduced who the artist was and linked backed to the music video. She also said that the guitar pane was the least affective as it didn’t tie in with the rest of the package. However my other audience member stated that the guitar pane was her favourite, as it related to the music that she likes. This once again shows how important genre can be for marketing.
- Both girls felt that the digipak linked in well with the video, by using similar imagery and colouring, which is what I wanted to achieve. However they both felt that the colouring if the case was to pale as it didn’t draw their attention, and said that it was to cold for the summery music. If I was to re-evaluate my packaging I would use a warmer colour pallet, to attract my audience but also to make the packet more fun.
- Both of my audience members liked the fact that the digipak offered the bonus DVD as they felt it added a special quality to the case and gave it individuality compared to a normal CD case. They also liked the design and the inclusion of the lyrics as they felt they were getting their moneys worth. This reflects what I wanted to achieve when planning my design.
Another form of feedback for my music video, used was questionnaires. Ten questionnaires were handed out to my target audience age group of seventeen to eighteen year olds (as these are the people that watch and listen to mainstream music channels and music.) However instead of only asking my specific demographic audience of females, I decided to address males as well to see whether the music and video is appealing to another gender. From the research it became clear that whilst 100% of the females would want to watch the video again only 40% of males said that they would, commenting that they didn’t connect with the music or performer. One specific member said that the performance shots were boring whilst another said ‘It’s just not my style.’ highlighting that I am appealing to my perfect target audience.
90% of my audience said they thought the video belonged either to the folk or pop genre (with other suggestions being Indie and Alternative) and 100% of the group said they felt the video suited the genre. This is encouraging as I want the video to be as appealing as possible to my target audience and genre specific.
These are some comments collected from the questionnaires:
What did you think of the video?
‘Smooth pace strong transitions.’
‘Story worked well with the song’
‘Suits the genres, happy, cute and fun, nice colour tones and good actors’
What did you find most enjoyable about the video?
‘The stop motion at the beginning’
‘Performance shots, very effective’
‘The stop motion frames were pretty damn cool!’
Where would you expect to see the video?
‘MTV mainstream music ’
‘4Music, VIVA, MTV etc.’
‘Internet blogs, YouTube’
These were the comments that I received from a processional digital animator, and producer from Triggerset, Matt Clarke.
“The tone of the video complemented the song and style of the artist. The speed and composition of the piece was very good, synchronising well with the music. It used an impressive and varied use of shot types which held my attention. It made me feel as though I was watching a story as well a music video, which transcends your genre and accolades the song. The outside ending shot was very well put together however contrasted with the gradient of the other performance shots. You used very good transitions which didn’t appear jagged or misused. If you were to recreate the video again I would suggest that you looked at the grading of the shots, to give your audience a suggested time frame of what time the video was shot.”
I feel that the comments Clarke made correspond well with the views of my target audience and that if I was to remake or tune my products I should look at the way I use colouring and saturation as it is very important to the genre and theme of my music, and can make a measurable difference to how appealing and eye-catching a products are.
Below is an example of one of Triggerset’s videos and a quote from their website.
“Triggerset is a video production company specializing in the creation of bespoke visuals for the music and events industry.
We have many years experience of performing visuals live and the unique way in which we perform gives us an ideal platform to build content for live synchronized visual shows.
Over the past four years Triggerset has continued to grow, seeing its range of artists and clients with which it collaborates expand.”
This is a basic spider diagram of what I would expect my target audience to be like:
These are some general bullet points I think would also apply to my audience:
Female
Fashion conscious
Fun
Summery
Outgoing
Sporty
Laid back
Music loving
Happy go lucky
15-19
To produce an idea of my target audience as a whole, I visited the website http://www.findyourtribe.co.uk/ and inputted the data that I thought best applied to a member of my target audience. Find your tribe states that everyone belongs to a 'click' and that all you need to do is find the right one for you. I think that my audience will be living in the south of the country, so I looked up which groups were the most popular in the region they were; 'Townies', 'Rahs' and 'Indie scenesters', descriptions to which can all be found on the webpage.
The site profiled my audience member as a ‘Rah’ with ‘Blinger’ influences. Below are two screen shots which profile each of these groups.
Though I agree that my audience members do conform to the Rah stereotype, I think that they are not as materially possessive or elitist. I don’t really agree with the Blinger profile as it refers more to listeners of RnB and Hip hop. I also had a look at the profiles to see if there were that were connected to my target audience, below is the profile for DIYers as I felt some of the aspects retained to my audience. 
Fish Tank,
Misfits,
White Girl,
The History Boys
Throughout the course of my media A and AS level studies new media technology has been a constant and needed resource. Whether it’s the use of social networking sites to source, air and profile material, or the advantage of using computer software to enhance, edit and construct a variety of work.
All of these technologies are enhancing media communication. One of the main pieces of media technology that I have used throughout the course of my media studies is the networking site Blogger. It’s allowed me to broadcast my work on the internet and gain immediate help and feedback. The immersion into the web 2.0 community provided me with an instantaneous audience and at times gratification. Although there were some negative aspects of the networking sight, such as the impossibility of a closely annotated piece of work, and the fact that your work can not just be seen but mimicked. Also there is n face to face personal interaction and so if you have and qualms or queries with your work you still have to contact the marker personally. However this leads me into another media technology. Emailing has been a quick and easy way to send and receive private information over the course of my studies, from organising shoot dates, to checking up on work, the fast free communication has been a dependable source. Continually, Blogger was not the only social networking site that I used during my course; Myspace, YouTube and Facebook have also been useful, viral sites.
Myspace was where I first sourced my artist (for my music video project in year thirteen) Ruth Bewsey. When we were presented with the immeasurable task of finding an unsigned artist Myspace was the immediate sight that we turned to. It allows people to air their music online for free, with the hope of being picked up by a record producer like the eight million artists that have already been signed through the sight. The specified search engine allowed us to find and access an artist that suited what we wanted to do and the instant messaging service meant that within a minimal amount of time we had contacted and secured our track.
YouTube was a brilliant resource during the research and planning stages of our task, as it allowed us access to other ‘fan made’ videos, and similar commercial products. YouTube is the quick fix to fame, with users such as ‘Chris Crocker’ and ‘The sneezing baby panda’ becoming ‘celebrities’ over night. This creation of free entertainment is having a detrimental effect on the music industry with unprofessional productions using animation, special effects and creativity to produce trained pieces of work. Which creates an ‘any one can do it culture’, putting an end to the specialist market. The productions also present the offer on a free ‘no cost, no profit’ site, which of course is enticing to any user.
The site was also useful during evaluation stages, to gather audience feedback on my music video and thriller, as well as to upload my work on to Blogger. Like YouTube Facebook also aided me in my evaluation stages by providing me with instant contact to my target audience.
In contrast to the above these enhanced my creativity. A piece of computer software that enabled me to create my two main productions - a thriller opening, and a music video- was Adobe Premier Elements. The application was used throughout all stages of my film and video production, from the creation of a settings mini movie, to the construction of my final products. The program - which was released in September 2004 and is the biggest competitor in its class, against other programs such as Sony Vegas and AVS video editor- allowed me to create a professional looking product at a minimal cost, which links back to idea of amateur productions paving the way to a web 2.0 future. It also helped me to add my own style to the productions through effects. For example cross fades and superimpositions were used in my thriller to create sinuous transitions, whilst brightness and contrast effects were used to alter the hue of some of my music videos shots, to make the colouring flow and the text more aesthetically pleasing.
Another piece of new media technology that I used was a video camera; all of my filming was done on the schools cameras and then uploaded to a computer for edit. I also used a digital stills camera in the course of my studies, to create still animation shots. At first I experimented with using a video camera (to create the still animation that I wanted to use within my) by recording, pausing and moving objects. The problems that occurred with this technique were that some of the shots had hands and unwanted objects in, and that editing each individual frame took a long time to process. Therefore on the advice of a teacher I turned my attention to using a still camera which turned out to be more reliable and simpler to use.
A further piece of new computer software that I utilized was Adobe Photoshop which I used to make my makeup advert in year twelve and my magazine and Digipak in year thirteen. Photoshop was a viable piece of software as it was easy to learn and use, but still provided the results I wanted. However at times it was slightly basic like when I wanted to superimpose an image onto a background and smooth the edges using an effect.
Furthermore I have employed a range of new media technologies within the course of my Media studies, many of which have integrated me into the user/producer world and allowed me to create professional, amateur productions.
Below is a link to another of my posts which examines the up and coming web 2.0 computer community.
http://flincoln.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-post.html
For my A level Media Studies I was asked to create a music video, to represent an unsigned artist. In addition to this I was also asked to present two pieces of branded items which enhanced upon, or marketed my artist. The two products consisted of a five pane CD, digipak and a magazine advert.
The representation that I wanted to create for my artist was a feminine, girly fashionable and happy character. This character complements the relaxing, summertime, folk themes that I was trying to convey through my work. All of these representations were used to create a compelling piece of work with iconic Folk visualisations.
It was essential that I use a consistent theme within all three of the products, to add continuity to the artists ‘brand’ and create a sinuous collection that linked to the Folk genre. By having a continuous theme it means that my target audience is able to grasp a clear conception of the artist and also make links between all of the different products meaning that the artist (Ruth Bewsey) can be turned into a brand, which is a strong marketing tool being used by many artists such as KT Tunstall; (http://www.kttunstall.com/)
who advertises music alongside fashion, diary entries, a forum and a charity plea on her website, which gives her audience the opportunity to mimic her look, views and actions.
I feel that the combination of my main and ancillary tasks is very strong, due to the use of similar imagery, lighting and contrast themes. For example my digipak designs were constructed from the music video (mise-en-scenes, costume, lyrics, images and themes) in order to connect the two products together. Also as I chose to create a special edition case, with the inclusion of the DVD as an extra, this meant that my collaboration of the packaging acted as a signifier and advertisement for the artist’s video. For example the front cover design was taken from the final mise-en-scene in my video, in which Ruth walks away leaving the narrative on an ambiguous cliff-hanger; therefore the inclusion of the image as my front cover could signify to an audience that more of the plot is revealed in the digipak, increasing its allure. However it could also spark recognition within the fan (causing them to purchase the CD), if they have previously seen and enjoyed the video.
Another way that the combination of my products is effective is through the design of my advertisement. To maintain a visual link with the CD I chose to use the same backing for the picture, and also superimpose two of the images from the case; so that they appeared to have merged with the design. This use of synergy suits my genre as the song is all about following a story and continuity.
The main focal point throughout all of my products was the lead singer, Ruth. The music and the story are by her and about her; which is reflected through the use of her image and style within both my main and ancillary tasks. To connect my digipak to my video I used images of Ruth on every pane, which graduated from a wide angled long shot into an extreme close up. I used this graduation to connote the idea of Ruth’s audience interacting more and more with the artist as they went further into the case.
The folk pop genre of my artist’s music influenced me to add quirky stylisations to all of my products, such as the elaborate use of superimposition as well as the inclusion of multicoloured plastic balls in my music video; and the two doors, box design of my digipak. These details acted as signifiers to my target audience (females between the age of fifteen and nineteen) that the products are aimed at them.
Moreover I feel that the combination of my main and ancillary tasks is very strong due to the similar themes and styles used in all of the products, which all work to emphasise my artist’s brand.
The Digipak will have two doors which fold over like a box to create the front cover. The first door is going to be the full length of the case so that on the inside a sheath can be placed to hold the DVD. The second door will be three quarters in length, I have chosen not to make it central to add stability to the case and help keep the flaps down via the weight. In the centre of the case will be the CD placed on top of light blue silk which I am going to use as a background theme for the case as an indexical symbol for the sky and sea which is a reference point throughout the entire song. 
The artwork for the case is going to be thematic and centred around the ‘Sail Away with me’ music video. For the front cover the iconic sign of Freya walking through the trees is going to be superimposed over the blue background, to connote the idea that the artist is leading you into the case and heading for the music. It also references the ending of the music video, and gives a suggested ending that Freya was always going towards the music. This design will continue over the sides of the box and lead in to a back, where another tree or a different flourish will frame the list of the songs featured on the CD. So that the audience are provided with the base details they would want to know when purchasing the item.
On the inside of the first and smaller flap will be another iconic image of Freya and Cameron performing, this shot will be used as it suggest to the audience, that the further they go into the case the more the artist will be introduced to them. Over the top of the image is going to be the lyrics for the songs to allow the audience to interact with the music.
On the reverse side of the second and larger flap, will be another iconic image of Freya superimposed on to the indexical blue background. The picture will be a close up of Freya’s face once again referencing the video. The intimacy of the image follows my idea of slowly introducing the performer to the audience more and more, as they go further into the case, by using a close up the singers image will be imprinted on the listeners mind so that they can connect a face to the music and become more involved in the lyrics, through knowing the writer.
Costume
Another style of costuming that is commonly used within female music videos, to increase the singers appeal is lingerie and beach wear. This use of female objectification utilises the male gaze and use sexuality as a selling point below is an image Lady Gaga, in her music video poker face; who is known for her extrovert and revealing outfits.The reason we chose not to create Freya into a sexual object is because our target audience is statistically female and we wanted them to feel as though they could connect with her. Also the song is innocent and so we wanted the character to emulate that innocence.
Character choice
The reason that Julian was substituted for Freya for the new shoot was because we wanted to use a realistic representation of our artist and that meant having a female lead, so that we could lip-sync parts of the song.
I have started off by looking at some Digipak designs online in order to help me decide on my own layout.
I really like the way this packaging opens up as though the person opening it were doing a puzzle. I would like to use the idea of my consumer getting something unexpected from their CD whether that be an individualistic casing, or hidden extras. Such as a poster or lyric sheet. I also like the way that there is a new image on each of the folds so your are always seeing something different, and that the band use their commercial cartoon images, which create anonymous character and make the music less about ideology and looks.
My favourite part about this Digipak is the styling of the case and the way that it mimics a box or an envelope, as though it were designed for another purpose, other than to hold a CD. I want to do something quirky with my design to make my audience want to investigate it.
The reason I have featured this Digipak is because of the way it folds out, and that fact that each different face has a different purpose, yet they all feature the same type of photography adding continuity to the 
design. With my own design I would like to have a single theme that links all of the artwork together. As otherwise the work will look unprocessed and unplanned.
These are some mock up designs that I have made. 
The first one is a small two fold design, which would hold the CD in the centre fold. It would mean that lyrics could be printed on either side of the CD and lots of imagery and artwork could be used. However it also means that any extras such as pull outs would be hard to contain in the case and also th
at plastic couldn't be used. On the other hand an inner slip could be placed on the case to hold a poster or pictures. This does mean that some sort of seal would have to be placed on the packaging otherwise it could be susceptible to theft of loss.
Another design could be in the shape of a booklet. This would give me the option of adding in as many pages as I wanted. It also follows the idea of the design mimicking something else and adds a fun, childishness to the packaging, which reflects the genre of music that I am representing. This also means that song lyrics could be printed on to each of the pages allowing the user to go through them as though it were a story book.
The third design is shaped like a package. The CD would be on the inside of the packet with the four folds acting as a front cover. They would be sealed together using a tie or something similar as though it were an actual package. Th
is could also mean that on the inside of each fold the lyrics could be printed, and that the back of the casing would act as the main ‘front cover’.
Another design is this clasped, two door, box shape, if make a
special edition version of the CD this probably the design that that I will use. The intricacy of the design makes it quirky and appeals to my target audience, also it is decadent and individual. The two doors mimic the opening of a window, or another gateway to the world, which could mean that through looking into the box you, could be seeing into the artist’s world. To portray this behind the scenes photographs of Ruth could be included or special edition footage of her performances. Another option could be to 
include a DVD copy of the music video within the case; this means that the artwork could all be centred on the music video itself. This would also give the video another medium to be played on instead of the internet and television.
These are some CD and front cover initial designs. The first mimics the patterning used on Sigur Ros's album Takk. Only instead of using woodsy colours it will use blues and white, to represent calming. The image would be of Ruth Bewsey
(Freya Manthorpe) walking down the tree line path as she does at the end of the video. Another idea would be to have a transparent image of Ruth's (Freya representing) face on the CD with the song titles etched over the top. This makes a link between the artist and her music. One other design could be Ruth (Freya) on three panels across the CD which links to the visual in the music video when Freya travels across the screen using paneling.
Some front covers- rough ideas.
Paolo Nutini’s
album the streets was first released in July 2006. His music genres include Pop-Rock and (Blue eyed Soul). The front cover for his album shows four coloured panels changing from white into red, with individually silhouetted black images of the artist in each pane. This technique could relate well to my Digipak as in the Sail Away with me music video panelling is used within the chorus with Freya Manthorpe moving across the screen in a set of three panes, with her outfits changing in each one. If I was going to release the song as a single or as the top song on an album, or even if the album was going to include an online code to download the video for free via iTunes. Then connecting the album to the video could be a good way to promote the video.
The panes variation of colours from white to red, signify the change of emotions, experienced through listening to the music. Or convey the effect the music has had on Paolo Nutini and his audience, from a white innocence into and aggressive culmination of emotions and passion.
The Digipak has a retro look to it, with the font mimicking that used in the seventies
as well as the colours having moulted, faded shading. This is used as it links to the genre of the album and Nutini’s musical influences, which include the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles and Van Morrison.
In each of the images Nutini is obscured, the air of mystery relates to the genre of the music. In two of his images he is holding his guitar signifying to his audience which instrument it is that he plays and also relating the cover to, music.
On the back of the CD jewel case there are two more images of Paolo and the same coloured panels are used. The colours also connote warmth, linking him to folk which some of his songs are.