Revised CD/Album Cover Ideas

Above resides our reviewed CD/Album cover ideas. We originally had other thoughts for the images we would use for our album cover. However, after thorough research, we decided to use influences from these images whilst creating our final album cover.

NB: The last image is a use of out of focus lights. The use of bokeh provides an aesthetic quality of the use of blur. This connotes unimportance and connects with other themes and messages used within our video and other images which will be created for the album cover.

Photo Shoot Plan

These are the plans me and my group made in advance to shooting the music video and taking the photographs for the ancillary tasks. This makes the group more organised and we all know when and where we are shooting so that we can ensure we are punctual and run to schedule. We will then also know what we are going to need to bring in (including props). The more we plan now, the easier it makes for us when we come to shoot the music video.

Talent Release Forms

Here are the two talent release forms created to abide by all legal actions that need to be taken. This is due to the need of consent/permission for the appearance of any artists/actors that are featured within our final product. We have ensures that the forms are signed by the appropriate subjects.

Track Permission Letter

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Above lies the letter written by our group to Eglo Records. The track we are using for our music video was released under this record label. Evidently, we have clearly stated the reason of the use of 'Lonely Town'. Acquiring permission consequently results in all legal actions that need to take place have been processed.

Location Permissions Letter

The two letters below were written asking permission for the use of locations which will be shown in our music video. This was written by a member of our group.This first letter is intended for the owner of the cabin which we intend to use to film, together with the landowner of the section of Box Hill where we plan to film.

Below lies the reply that officially grants us permission for use of the cabin

Planning Schedule

Shooting Schedule

Photo Shoot Plan

 Above is the shooting schedule and the photo shoot plan. These are the plans me and my group made in advance to shooting the music video and taking the photographs for the ancillary tasks. This makes the group more organised and we all know when and where we are shooting so that we can all make it. We will then also know what we are going to need to bring in (props wise). The more we plan now the easier it makes for us when we come to shoot the music video.

CD Cover Ideas

We were set the task of creating rough sketched ideas of what may be featured on our CD covers.

Top Left: This image could possibly be our front cover. It features our artist central on the cover but from a distance. This ensures he is the centre of focus, whilst his identity isn't completely clear, creating a mysterious approach when it comes to the terms of artist image. There could also be 4 superimposed spheres, each with a detached segment of an ECU of the artist's face. Both main images reflect an isolated persona, connecting with the single.

Top Middle: This is a slow-lens shot of a street with stretched lights, symbolising that everything could be passing the artist in a blur, this indulges confusion and dilusion.

Top Right: The top right tunnel depicts a metaphoric escape (or return) to something different. This leaves the audience thinking as to where this tunnel could lead and whether it's a positive or negative concept.

Bottom Left: The back cover could feature the artist looking round, as if the back of the cover is also behind him, the long shot also finally gives a clear view of the srtist for the first time on the album. This signifies that what he looks like isn't what is necessarily important.

Bottom Middle: My thoughts on having an eye for the CD holder are that it portrays that this could represent an 'all-seeing eye' that could speak truth. This could maintain similiarities with what is recorded on the CD. In addition, the spherical shape of an eye could aesthetically link with the CD.

Bottom Right: This reinstates the idea of avoiding to clearly release what the artist looks like. Furthermore, this could be a powerful image if edited and shot correctly, as it could personify the fact that the lyrical meaning behind some of the artist's music implies that his surroundings stand out and glisten a lot more than the artist personally finds that he does. This shot of a silhouette with lights will also be included within our video too.
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Other group members ideas:

Above is Georgia's idea of an album cover. I especially favour the use of colour and his idea of textual layout. You can clearly see the artist, which is ideal as our artist is predominantly new and upcoming. However, we may not need to have the artist within 4/6 of the images.

 

Here lies Marc's album cover, this looks extremely conventional with a distinct vacant theme. It features a variety of close ups and long shots. I think that we should use ideas such as the slow-shutter speed and use of nature within the album cover, as we will use such ideas within our video, henceforth connecting the two.

Album Advertisement Idea

Other group members ideas:

This was a great idea by Marc, who has included the forest theme idea that was originally instated within our video. He has kept to the rule of thirds and stuck with all album advertisement conventions.

This sketch from Georgia, fuses the faces of both characters found within our video. This is a very abstract concept, with an interesting idea that could possibly work within our final product.

Props

Above is a mood board portraying everything that we will need to create our video. Most of the props are to suit the mise en scene and pathos that the video illustrates. However, including props like a high-hat will be needed to suit the conventions of a typical music video, such as including classical/non-electrical instrumentation featured within the score of the soundtrack. Furthermore, embracing characteristics of smoke ensures that we emphasise lyrical meanings throughout different sections of the song too. However, we have tried to keep the use of props to a minimum, consequently resulting on the audience completely focussing on the artist and his surroundings.

Costumes

Above lies our final decisions on the costumes that the artist in the video will wear. These are the same as what we planned within our concept post, and after conversing we decided to finalise these notions as they were already thought through thoroughly at a previous time.


Dressing Gown: This is what we are thinking of using inside of the cabin. The use of a dressing gown implies the depressing mood put forward by the character. The colour of the dressing gown also connotes a negative portrayal. We'd also like to represent how the cabin in which he wears this costumes symbolises his metaphorical pitfall and how he is currently at rock bottom within this specific strand.

Purple Camo Fur Coat: This is what the character will wear within Central London. It will contrast with the surroundings on screen. It's also effective how it has a camouflage design, which insinuates that the character should blend in, although the unique colours culminates it to stand out. The fur collar additionally restores the seasonal wintry atmosphere as this too connotes loneliness and bad weather, consequently resulting in pathetic fallacy which reflects the mood of the video.

Khaki Parka: This is what the character is going to wear whilst walking around Box Hill. As well as looking like something you could wear whilst hiking, it also compliments the background, reinforcing the fact that he blends in within the lonely town in which he resides. The fact that I will always wearing a coat within the video in either Box Hill or London reinstates the cold ambience we are trying to display throughout the video, as this justifies the pathetic fallacy that has been used.

Grey Suit with Red Shirt: In addition, we have also decided to include a change of costume within the last scene of video. This includes our artist changing from the dressing gown, and finally leaving the cabin whilst wearing a suit. This represents how he is taking a step and moving on with his life, in search of something new and starting fresh. The use of red connotes the love and possible anger/hatrid towards his past lover.

Animatic

Above is an animatic presentation of our initial outline of our video. Master shots have been included towards the beginning and end of the video to give our piece a bookmarked beginning and end. There is a clear incentive shown throughout, with  cross cuts of our artist travelling between both variations of a lonely town. Generating this moving storyboard has given our group an aesthetic hypothesis to consistently follow whilst filming. Cutaways and special effects will be included throughout post-production too. The image below the video features our group holding up the storyboard, evidently showing this work has been entirely created independently. 

Locations

Concept

Through debate and conversation within our group, these are the main concept ideas that we have came up with.

• We have established that there will be 3 main strands of where the video would be set
• These will reside in a rural area, with shot locations such as Box Hill, cabins within that area, as well as possibly Kingston or Merton Abbey Mills
• This will consistently be cut with the performer travelling around Central London in less busy areas such as back streets.
• Locations within Central London include the South Bank, Piccadilly & Soho.
• Cross dissolves, superimposing and slow motion are the 3 main post-production effects/techniques that we'll use.
• We ensured that key shots have been visualised too, such as linking key shots to the lyrics, and when scene changes will occur. (See scanned image)