DEVELOPMENT - Draft Photography

We began our band photography which involved four models to re-create the Kings of Leon. We initially used the models in the photos below, however due to the lack of photos and poor co-operation with them we have decided to not use these photos for our ancillary tasks. We therefore used this as a draft and practice for our photos and have now casted four new models which we feel will be more appropriate for this task.

Here are some of the photos we took which were okay, however they didn’t have the quality we wanted and so we are going to use these as mock ups for ideas for our band photography. We practiced using the camera and green screen, in addition I will practice editing these images in Adobe Photoshop to gain an idea of the effects and backgrounds I will add to them to be suited for my website.

Here are some of our unsuccessful photos that we took:

RESEARCH - Research for Band Photography

We looked at existing band images of Kings Of Leon and other alternative rock bands.This enabled us to recgonise the typical conventions of these images which we can consider for our own photos which I will use for my website. We identfiied the styles of the models (band members) and their mise-en-scene. We identified how they are shown i.e. their positions, backgrounds and effects.

KINGS OF LEON:

I also looked at other band photos to see if there is any similar conventions and specific band styles that are emphasised through the photography and mise-en-scene. The other bands I researched are:

• Muse
• Arctic Monkeys
• 30 Seconds To Mars
• The Cribs
• The Killers
• Enter Shikari
• The Libertines

MUSE:

ARCTIC MONKEYS:

 30STM:

 THE CRIBS:

THE KILLERS:

 ENTER SHIKARI:

THE LIBERTINES:

Analysing existing photos has provided us with ideas that we can use for our own photography. We will use these images as an influence to our own work which will ensure that they consist of the typical conventions for this type of media and the genre we are trying to portray.

Costume Research

We also identified the style of clothing that alternative rock bands wear which meant we could identify the type of costumes that our models will wear during photography. The images below shows some potential ideas for costumes which we obtained from different clothing websites such as All Saints and Topman.

DEVELOPMENT - Principle photography has begun!

Over the last two weeks me and my group have begun our principle photography for our music video. Using our storyboard that we previously created, we started filming in three locations which were in my house, my road and the bus stop. Our principle photography required all of the equipment available which is the jib, tracking (dolly and pipes), tripod, two video cameras and a stills camera.

For this first stage of our principle photography I was responsible for directing our filming. From our storyboard I obtained all of the shots that needed to be filmed and ensured this is what was done. For the scene walking down the road there was various types of shots that we planned to do which included tracking, panning and close ups.

In addition, I made sure all the equipment was set up and each of the team members were ready each time we started shooting each of the individual shots. I was responsible for undertaking the close up shots of our model, and also carrying out parts of the panning of our model walking down the road. Before this stage of our principle photography, Kate and I undertook planning to calculate how long we thought the filming would take to ensure we allocated enough time to complete it. Due to this planning my group were able to finish the shooting for this scene which ensured we completed our task for that day.

RESEARCH - Research for ancillary task

Looking at two pages of the King’s of Leon website I identified that the colour scheme is kept consistent for the entire website by using the warm colours (red, orange, yellow and brown) on every page.

Analysing the pages of the website has enabled me to identify the common features of a band website which has allowed me to gain an idea for what I will include in my website I am producing for this task.

I also looked at other band websites of a similar genre to investigate if they have a similar layout to each other or if they are different. An example is Kasabian’s website which I looked at and I discovered that it had a similar layout to Kings of Leon’s website.

Comparing the two home pages, their layout consists of three columns which list information about various topics such as the band’s latest news, music and videos. In addition, they have a consistent colour scheme and style used throughout the website which is a concept that I identified for Kings of Leon’s.

I looked at another website to ensure I had looked at a wide range to improve the accuracy of my research. I also looked at Muse’ website which included the same concepts of the previous two, these were the same layout and using the same style throughout the website.  

Researching into the features and styles of alternative rock band websites has allowed me to identify common conventions which means I can produce a plan for my website taking these into consideration and using the style that me and the rest of my group have established which we are going to use in each of our ancillary products to ensure they link together.

I also discovered the typical content of a music website which I have taken into consideration to produce a layout of what my website will include:

RESEARCH - Identifying codes and conventions of Alternative Rock music videos

RESEARCH - Identifying music video codes and conventions

For my research I have looked into the different styles of music genres and the codes and conventions that are used in order to portray these different styles of music through their videos.

The genres I have researched are:

• Alternative Rock/Indie
• Rock
• Hip Hop
• Pop
• Rap

ALTERNATIVE ROCK/INDIE

• Tends to be in black and white
• The artist/band is shown throughout the video
• Use of extreme close ups and long shots are popular
• Dark locations
• Face paced
• Some use of special effects

Example of this genre and these conventions are:

Kings of Leon:          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWhairF_DS8
The Fray:                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY2INQnmRyk
Arctic Monkeys:        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30w8DyEJ__0

ROCK

• Usually dark/ deep colours
• Displays the band performing on stage
• Usually no narrative
• Uneasy camera movements
• Hand-held shots
• Usually no use fo special effects

Example of this genre and these conventions are:

Rolling Stones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDTbuoCd3ho

Ozzy Osbourne: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfeTjVoPVe0&feature=related

Limp Bizkit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYnFIRc0k6E

HIP HOP

• Location tends to be a party, club fancy location
• Use of alcohol
• Recognised brands and clothing
• Expensive cars and houses
• Camera shots tend to be long and establishing to show the money involved. Close ups to show the jewellery and assets of the artists.
• Attractive women
• Does not follow a storyline, only follows the genre
• Artist(s) tend to be involved

Example of this genre and these conventions are:

50 Cent:                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qm8PH4xAss
T.I:                          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK082mbeBZ0
T-Pain:                    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui86peQZ74s

POP

• Bright and colourful
• Close ups to show the cheerful and upbeat emotions
• Extreme close ups - these tend to show the purity and innocence in the personality of the artists
• Aims at the teenage audience
• Very upbeat

Example of this genre and these conventions are:

Britney Spears:       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brYTO6JHMHs
Madonna:               http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWTDR6ztcnQ
Alesha Dixon:         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-503QA6F08g

RAP
Rapping, also referred to as MCing or emceeing, is a vocal style in which the artist speaks lyrically, in rhyme and verse, generally to an instrumental or synthesized beat.

Conventions of a rap music video:

• Discrimination of women in some sort
• Fame
• Money and personal wealth
• Representations of ''Gangsters''

Example of this genre and these conventions are:

Nelly:                     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeZZr_p6vB8&feature=artistob&playnext=1&list=TLNt-VvPl-9ms

Lil Wayne:             http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ohYsK5Y8Dc

Drake:                    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRLSQDCkcaA