Development Update #1

 I feel as though progress so far is going well. I currently have a master shot in the back correctly synced with the music. Over the week I have been able to shoot more footage that includes intertextual references and I've been able to film on a SONY Handicam Vision Camcorder. These have been successfully converted to video with the use of Hi8 tapes. My top 3 priorities as of current are to finish filming footage altogether, add animated titles and work on the creation of my website. 

Example of rendered footage from Handicam.

Master shot synced in time correctly to music

Shot following "Her mix tape's a masterpiece" featuring a cluster of images as well as a tracklist for the mixtape. All songs included in this are love songs relating to the narrative of the video.

First 38 seconds showing new edited HandiCam footage.

Initial Draft of Music Video

 

Statement Of Intent

Website analysis

When planning my website, I decided it best to look into the conventions of other popular artists' websites, social media and merchandise shops.

1) https://thedivinecomedy.com/ - The Divine Comedy

Neil Hannon is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter. He is the creator and frontman of the chamber pop group The Divine Comedy and is the band's sole constant member. Hannon wrote the theme tunes for the television sitcoms Father Ted and The IT Crowd.

The Divine Comedy's website proves to me to be the epitome of digital convergence (in this case from the album cover to the website). This website provides multiple links to social media, an about section, a shop section for merchandise, the latest music videos and a comprehensive list of every album released under The Divine Comedy.

With the release of Hannon's latest album "Charmed Life", the website has undergone a transformation including cross media convergent references to the flowers on the album, the same gold/yellow colour scheme and the same typeface. The website is easy to navigate with information available under each heading on the header. The Divine Comedy does not have a well-known logo, instead, its "logo" is simply the name of the band in a consistent font.

The footer to the website has a newsletter that readers may sign up to, more links to social media and a continuation of the flower theme.

The Divine Comedy's website encompasses several aspects I'd like to include and build into my own website, especially the consistent theme and easy accessibility to the audience.

2) https://www.belleandsebastian.com/ - Belle & Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released eleven albums. They are often compared with acts such as The Smiths and Nick Drake. Though consistently lauded by critics, Belle & Sebastian's "wistful pop" has enjoyed only limited commercial success.

Belle & Sebastian's website is similar to The Divine Comedy's in terms of conventions. It has a very similar layout with a distinct colour scheme that links directly to their newest album. Further down the page is a list of tour dates, videos, merchandise, a newsletter and social media. 

The tabs along the header have news on the band and a gallery, as well as an expanded shop to what's seen on the homepage. Under the heading "The Band" is a button to a link called "Stuarts Diary", which gives fans a more in-depth relationship with the band members.

A social media feed of the official Instagram is present on the website, which manually updates with each new post. A lot of the website is present on the first page, compiling all of the information. Under each heading, the website just expands on what has already been stated. 

3) https://www.hstyles.co.uk/ - Harry Styles

Harry Styles is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His musical career began in 2010 as a solo contestant on the British music competition series The X Factor. Following his elimination, he was brought back to join the boy band One Direction, which went on to become one of the best-selling boy groups of all time before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Harry's newest album, "Harry's House" is his third album. The single "As It Was" became critically acclaimed, reaching both #1 in The UK and The USA. Harry's website reflects his newest album, with the cover centre of the website, and the first thing audiences will see. The layout is very minimal, with only streaming services under the title "Harry's House", and only three headings. For Harry's target demographic, I feel the simplicity of the website and little information work with the shorter attention span of the demographic. 

The site doesn't have much cross-media convergence, due to its simplicity, but it does still have a newsletter, links to social media and the newest music videos. 

There isn't any information or an "about" section on Harry, which I personally feel connects him less to his audience, but may potentially pose him as even more aspirational. Harry isn't that publicly available, and it may just link in more to his mysterious persona.

Several conventions from each of these websites prove useful to what a website needs. Doing research into these has been helpful to what I want to include, and has given me more ideas to include. On my website, I'd like to do collaboration with a potential charity or brand, and I'd like to include an easter egg of some sort, once something is clicked on. 

Album cover creation

Using Photoshop, I was able to create an album cover to further my brand identity. The creation of an album cover was imperative for merchandise and the website. I decided that an image of the lead singer ("ted") was best to create a more personal cover to connect with an audience, as well as establish a brand.

I decided between 3 main images, deciding between 2 different names, "Qu'est ce que c'est?" and "Eight Arms to Hold You". "Qu'est ce que c'est" features the font "coolvetica", with each album title in corresponding covers. 

When initially editing the photos, the composition of the "Eight Arms to Hold You" image felt a lot more dynamic and more like an album cover. I took inspiration from album covers such as "Sweetener" by Ariana Grande, and "Rockin the Suburbs" by Ben Folds for alternative camera shots, which places the subject of the photo in iconic positions to make the album memorable. 

 

I liked the idea of having the title of the album and singer/band name on the front cover, and the idea of having eye contact with the camera, which made it feel personal. 

To complete the album cover, I added a "noise" filter to make it more grainy, and fit in with the homemade, polaroid aesthetic.

Photoshoot - 5/08/22

 

A Further Look into Music Videos - Similar Aesthetics

Take On Me - Weezer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7RwDnZI7Tw

The music video for Weezer's cover of "Take on Me" is a good example of using intertextual references to create meaning for an audience. The use of video cameras and other props, as well as the use of filming locations, gives audiences the impression that this was set in the past, further providing a nostalgic feeling. Despite the cover of this song being released in 2019, the way the music video tells us this was set in the mid-1980s.

This music video follows a young Rivers Cuomo (lead singer of Weezer) performing a cover of aha!'s "Take on Me". It is accompanied by the iconic transition to comic book rotoscoping that is mimicked in this music video. This young Rivers accompanies his bandmates in playing inside the house (as loud as they want) whilst simultaneously recording a music video on an old camcorder. 

This video encompasses a lot of aspects I strive to use in my music video. The different camera shots, including medium close-up, medium-long shots, and tilted frames. The use of switching between different camera types as well as the environment that they're playing in is aesthetic and adheres to the narrative I want to use, as it would appeal to my aspirer audience. The nostalgic feeling of the video paired with the shot types being very personal and close, as if we're actually watching the band play allows us to feel a closer connection to the band.

Tally Hall - Good Day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGQZItOMz6k

Tally Hall's "Good Day" music video uses clever video editing showcasing masses of different screens including TV, laptop and video game consoles displaying the music video. Throughout the video, the channels are changed with different infomercials, television shows and adverts that include all of the band members in some way. Intertextual references to cartoons, films and television shows all appear on the different screens. Being a more comedic video, Tally Hall still managed to appeal to a very wide audience with this video.

Audiences of the time would easily recognise different settings that most people in the early 2000's would have visited. A staple setting of Tv's appearing in break rooms, living rooms, bowling alleys and even cinemas, as well as hand held consoles. A stable shot perfectly lines up every screen together with very minimal change allowing a consisitent video to be played. Tom Waits, pro wrestlers, fitness instructors, Bob Ross, the Brady Bunch, the 80s show Cops, This Old House, Girls Gone Wild, Baywatch, Saved By The Bell, are some of easter eggs included in the video.

To make this video even more impressive, the video was simply cut and pasted together perfectly in time with very minimal use of editing equipment. For a music video that was released in 2010, from a band who would be considered indie, this is very impressive. It definetly fits the aesthetic of madness and wacky, much like The Beatles - who largely inspired Tally Hall's music.

Eighth Wonder - Lemon Demon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyzQ-ZFSQic

Lemon Demon's Eighth wonder tells the folklore story of a small talking mongoose named Gef. The album "Spirit Phone" that it originates from has an overarching theme of paranormal events. This video was released in 2009, 7 years before the album was releasaed. The video is imitates stop motion, displaying cards with written lyrics on them. The camera advances to the beat of the music, and the entire video takes place in a dimly lit woodscape

Despite the music video being strange, the camera angle positions audiences to feel as though they are crawling through the woods, looking for this creature. The producer, filmographer and songwriter; Neil Cicierega has often been known for outlandish film projects, so this video definetly stays on brand for him. The main aspect i wish to incorporate is the use of transition and angle to fit specific beats. There are times within the song where the tempo will slow or speed up, but images or video will perfectly sync with the song. The reveal of the mongoose and snake statue is shown in this way, heightneing audiences reaction.