Digipak - What is one?

A digipak is a style of CD (compact disk) packaging. The main type, and the one i will be choosing consists of a six page booklet, that accompanies the release and sale of an album/single. it is important to produce a good one because it has on it:

• Front cover - This is the main selling point of the album. Has the tittle and band name, usually with a picture of the band or maybe a specially produced picture that is to do with the release (front page)
• A contents page - This is of all the songs on the CD and what order they are on (usually back page)
• The other content can vary from what ideology the band has. Can range from lyrics to the songs to just pictures that relate to songs on the CD

In the next few posts i am going to explore some of the different Digipak releases, showing different styles and what i can take from these. I will eventually plan my own and then create it to go with my Music Video/song.

Differences with the animatic

Not too many differences to my original plans which shows how strong the original ideas were in my opinion. I have added to the original plans with far more different camera angles which keep up to pace with the quick beats of the song. The varying range of camera angles also makes it look more like a television proggramme or film, which is what I wanted to create.

At the start I changed the driving scene because I fet there was no need to show the lads actually pulling up to the house, getting out of the car etc etc, It was uicker and easier to just move it to the bedroom/drinking, without effecting the narrative in the process

Final Cut Video

This is my final cut video.

I am very pleased with what has come out of it after some troublesome filming time. I have really loved the editing process, however, found the filming and organisation of people very difficult and time-consuming.

My initial reaction to the video as a whole is:

Positive:
The range of close ups/mid shots/high angle shots are very good and give the video a more unique feel. Also, the first person drunken shot creates a feeling of being in the video and a part of the protagonist's thoughts.

I also feel that the narrative works because we, as the audience, go through the emotions with the main character, which is hugely important. I also believe that the shots meet the music well, because when there is a lull, the protagonist emotions are low as well reflecting this change in musical pace.

My favourite or most successful scene is probably the clip of the pint of beer going down in stages, and shows more clearly that a lot of drink is being drunk, in a very short space of time. As well as this, I think the final shot of the character happy is very effective as it highlights the huge upturn in his emotions from when he was drunk and depressed, hammering home my overall message to the audience.

Negative:
Some of the clips in the narrative, especially at the start are very short and don't really get noticed too much by the audience. This looks messy and also takes away from each clips important role to the narrative.

Also, the lip syncing isn't 100 percent and the actors emotions aren't always definable. This is my fault as I didn't let the actors know exactly how I wanted them to look or act.

New filming schedule

Having had feedback from my audience, I am ready to do the second stage of filming.

I have had problems casting a female character as I was let down on a few occasions, however now I have found one. Filming will be done this weekend and with the following shots:

1) Shot of the three males entering the house - Mid shot
2) Shots of the group falling out with each other/fighting - closeups/mid shots
3) Shots of the main protagonist very drunk on a bed - high angle
4) The main protagonist throwing up - low angle and mid shot
5) Protagonist getting changed - Closeups and mid shots
6) Protagonist walking to girlfriends house and knocking on door - mid shots/ close ups
7) Protagonist making up with Girlfriend and walking hand-in-hand - low angle and mid shots
8) Protagonist making up with friends - mid shot

Once these have been established I believe I should have a fully done narrative and music video

Female Character Cast

I am finally been able to cast a girl to be in the two scenes I need one in:

Name: Kim Thorpe
Age: 18
She is the same age as everyone else in it which helps for realism and she is reliable



Now I can finally finnish the filming and get editing as soon as possible

Audience Feedback

I decided to show my video to a select group of people in my media class. They are currently working on their own projects, which means they have good knowledge of whats conventional and what looks right. Also, importantly, they are of the exact demographic of which my video is aimed at -17/18 year olds.

I showed the video as a group showing to 10 (5 male/5 female) and asked them each individually for some feedback. (Note: A few others were watching, however they only voiced their opinion. They also wern't all part of my target audience, so i felt this wouldn't be fair to bring their opinion into my conclusions and wern't part of the written feedback)

The comments I received were fairly positive as to how the video was coming along, however people felt "The narrative is slightly difficult to follow because of the big gaps in footage" however they assured me that it should come together when fully filmed.

"The types of shots are good, very different and the narrative structure to it makes it more interesting and entertaining" This is good as I definately wanted the video to have its own personality and unique narrative/meaning. The only way I can really get across my message is by entertaining and keeping the audience focused on the music video and music.

As a side note, the song itself was described as "catchy" and "really good" which is also important for keeping the audience interested in the video.

Now i know that I need to crack on and get this last bit of filming done so that it can be judged as a complete narrative video and I can get more realistic feedback. I will be writing a new filming schedule soon.

Rough Cut

I am faily pleased with the transitional effects that I found on IMovie. This has really taken my imagination, as I have been able to create the narrative far more realisitcally and create the sence of drunkeness far clearer then I imagined. The missed out shots had to be filled with little tags saying what was to be here as the audience wouldn't understnd the narrative at all, which wouldn't give me effective, reliable feedback.

Now I will show this to people who fit my target demographic and see what they think of the music video in its rough/unfinnished position. I am mainly looking forward to whether they like the quirky sped up/black and white shots.