Tasks

I started each task by drawing up draft templates for each task, for the major task (the music video) I drew a storyboard with approximate timings, a quick sketch and a brief description of each shot and things taking place within a set period of time/ After doing this it was easy for me to go off and start filming. After spending the day directing my brother and his friends, this was successful. Filming started in a field in Horley, and the runners eventually ran through Horley, onto a train and then to the seashore at Brighton. This was a long day but I managed to get everything I wanted done.


As well as filming on this day, I also took photos for my website. For the website task I am going to use Macromedia Dreamweaver, which is a software I have used before to create websites for ICT. The site structure will only include two pages; the first is a kind of site entrance, where there will be an image that will need to be clicked to enter the main site. The main site will contain a brief description of the band, as well as a banner containing information about the DVD and CD release. Around this there will be another image, and a navigation bar linking to all other pages. The two pages will also contain external links to ‘shamrock records’ the record labels home page. I drafted this on a sheet of paper along with the DVD template, and then I have also done the website design in more detail in a Word Processing document.

After creating the template I created my first page, on this page is the title ‘ARCHWAY’ and below it is a large picture of the ‘band’ as shown here. Also on this page is a small label above the picture reading ‘CLICK TO ENTER SITE’ and also there is a small image of a shamrock to symbolise ‘Shamrock Records’. In the second webpage there will be a large title and below it a picture of the band with a brief description of why the band is famous and a quick review. This will also contain an advert or a release date for their latest CD/DVD. The navigation bar will contain links to other pages, such as Merchandise, News and Upcoming. The following images are the ones that I am going to use on the website:

On the DVD cover I plan to use some photos that I took at a concert earlier this year. I plan to use Adobe InDesign for this task and this will include two images that will feature on the front and back. The images lack in detail, and because of the dark surroundings they are shown to be quite plain. To Add colour to them, and to make them more exciting, I used paintshop pro, and the ‘colourize’ tool, by adding the colour, the people in the band stand out more, and the image becomes more dramatic as the people
and their instruments become silhouettes.

Planning

In planning for this project I analysed to media texts similar to what I was doing, I first looked at a DVD cover from the Foo Fighters' world tour DVD 'Everywhere But Home' I made a copy of this, and then made observations and was able to draw ideas from it to add to my own DVD Cover.

In looking at this DVD cover I was able to see things that would be vital for my DVD cover to be professional and effective. The cover will require large bold titles with contrasting colours so that they stand out against anything else on the cover. Also I realised that images are vital, this cover has a lot of images, live ones and also a couple of the band practising or backstage. There was also a lot of small things that are very important to make a realistic cover for a DVD, this includes logos, such as DVD logos, and record label logos aswell as credits for producers, directors and production companies. By looking at this cover it has given me an idea as to what I need to write on the back of the cover to almost persuade the audience to watch the DVD. The writing on the back is quite persuasive and very powerful, with the tour name in capitals and then a complete list of tracks performed on the DVD aswell as there different features such as acoustic sets and special backstage features.

From the film 'Back to the Future' I was able to select a suitable scene to relate to the filming that I wanted to do. In this scene Marty McFly (played by Michael J Fox) trips the school bully Biff (Thomas F Wilson) which results in Biff and two of his friends chasing Marty through the town square. The scene then escalates when Marty takes to a skateboard, and the bullies get into their car, Marty then holds onto a moving car, as the bullies try to catch him in their car. By watching this film it gave me ideas as to what type of shots I needed to make this a successful 'chase' video.

The scene is full of a lot of wide angle shots as the characters run towards or off camera into the next shot, there are also shots where the camera stays at the fixed point and the character runs away from the camera. The non-diegetic music in this scene is fast paced and tense as we see the characters move from frame to frame. In this scene there is a few whip pans, which adds dramatic twists to the scene. The scene is filled with abrupt stops which increases the tension in the scene. There is also a series of fast tracking shots which follow the characters through their part of the chase. The above shots and camera angles are things that I can use in my own video, and are things that I plan on experimenting with gradually.

Media Studies Coursework

1. A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:
• A website homepage for the band;
• A cover for its release on DVD,
• A magazine advertisement for the DVD.
I have chosen this brief because there is so much choice when it comes to choosing what I would like to do with whichever song. In doing this task I will also learn to use software for making and editing films. The two minor tasks I have chosen to accompany my music video is a website homepage for the band, and a cover for its release on DVD. I have chosen these because I enjoy using the software Adobe InDesign for creating adverts and covers etc. Also because of the way the two are relevant to each other, my initial idea is that the new album is a live album, of which a DVD is also being released. I have chosen to create a website homepage, because I think it adds more variety to my coursework.