Digipak Analysis

Digipak analysis

Deadmau5 - 4x4=12

• The digipak is simplistic and stylish.
• 6 panels, opens up like a book.
• Behind the CD is an image of a live performance to represent his ability to perform live.
• The colour scheme is Black and Green to highlight his energy.
• On the inside of the digipak is advertisement for merchandise, obviously to try boost sales.
• On the other side of inside is a photograph of the artist's whole body shot, which is rare because he is usually just shown as a mouse mask, this gives the fans a sight of the real him.
• Next to the photo is thanks to everyone involved with the album.
• On the back cover is the track listing in the same colour scheme of the front.
• On one of the flaps there is the same image as is on the front cover, but in Yellow, maybe to represent his versatility.

Hot Chip - The Warning

 

• The front cover has a very vast colour scheme and 'random' shapes that are confusing to the eye, this is to represent the quirky music style of Hot Chip.
• There is a sticker on every front cover with the album title on and informing the consumer of the most popular songs on the album.
• The back cover has very similar imagery to the front cover, but the shapes only have outlines.
• The track listing is in black so it is easy to read, against the background.
• It has 6 panels again, opening like a book.
• The inside cover is exactly the same as the front cover, without the sticker, this is to make sure that their image is being made clear.
• As it is fully opened, the CD holder is in the middle, the CD is plain white with the outline of one of the shapes similar to the front cover.
• On the panel either side of the CD it is black, with white outlines of similar shapes as on the front.
• The theme of these random shapes, represents the image of the band being quirky.
• On the inside, the colour scheme is dull compared to the outside, to represent the fun of their image, yet they have a serious side to them inside.

Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo

• It isn't a digipak, but we can extract some influence.
•  The jewel case is inside a card sleeve with the front cover image and the track listing on the back, over the top of a photograph.
• All in black and white.

Fear The Lizard - Unbreakable

 

• There is no image on google for this band because they are local and unsigned, but we did find the logo of the band.
• The digipak is DVD size rather than standard CD size showing their controversial style
• Once fully opened out it shows a twisting film reel with negative images of completely random items on it.
• On the inside it contains track list which is different to a convential CD which usually has a track list on the back to show that everything you need to see is in the middle
•  Once the CD has been taken out there is a picture of the three members of the band so we are able to grasp an image of what we think they look like.
• The same background colour is shown throughout the whole digipack showing they dont want to venture away from their original style.

Green Day - Bullet in a Bible

• The Green Day digipak contains a live performance CD and a live performance DVD.
• This digipak has a sleeve covering the actual digipak that consists of a 6 panel case with the two CDs
• When we open the first panel we see the bassist performing shwing him in a deep red colour. The next panel has details about the artists themselves and what instruments they play. It also has the acknowledgements for the digipak on the same panel.
• Also on this panel we see very clever printing because we see a bullet poking through the paper to make it look like its actually coming out to hit you and also ties in well with the title of the album.
• Under the two CDs we see all three members of Greenday performing on three seperate panels. The lead singer is on the last panel to show that everyone is equal in the band .
• The track list on the back is on a slant just to be different from everyone else, but only in this subtle way

Links to other Digipak analysis I have been involved in will be available shortly.

Inspirational Music Videos

Arctic Monkeys - R U Mine?

The video is shot in black and white, which increases the documentary feel to the video. The video involves the band in a car, 'performing', not strictly though as they have no instruments, they are playing 'air drums' and 'air guitar', this adds to the humour of the video and represents the band well. The clothes that the band are wearing are dark and plain, giving them a stylised look, to represent them as 'cool' and individual. At the end of the video there is a performance with instruments but only two of the band are playing, this increases the odd atmosphere of the video, as they are playing in what looks like a car park. We also like the video being shot in black and white giving it a very 'cool' vibe about it. Also in the video it is shot as if they are just filming themselves using a handheld camera which is very inventive and clever.

Pendulum - Propane Nightmares

The video starts off in the woods, with a close up shot of a dirty plastic bag, straight away giving a sense of destruction by the way it is fluttering in the wind with its various tears in it. There are also mid shots out of focus, giving a sense of unease. There is a shot of the sun through the trees, the shot is low angled looking up at the sky. This shot was said to be created by Kurosawa in the 1960 film 'Rashomon'. There are also close up shots of objects such as leaves, with the figure of a person out of focus in the background, which is a good technique to use. The performance part of the video is intertwined with the narrative part as the band are playing in the bar in which the narrative is taking place which we feel we would like to incorporate into our video. There are many shots which use a change of focus, focusing on one thing and then another, in the same shot, this is a simple technique which allows to reveal things which aren't clear at first, this almost shocks the audience. There is a section in the video which uses handheld camera and fast cut editing, which creates a sense of urgency as the people in shot are running away from something.

Trivium - In Waves

The video has no performance whatsoever, which we may do too, instead just showing the . The video is shot in low key lighting and low saturation of colour. There are shots in the dark woods, with high lighting coming through the trees which is a technique we may use. There are sections in the video which use fast cut editing, generally close up shots, which are edited in time with the rhythm of the song. The costumes of the band are plain, dark, clothing which connotes the band to be individual and suits their style of music and appearance.

Blink-182 - I Miss You

We will take inspiration from this video. It involves both performance and a narrative. The mise en scene uses lots of 'old fashioned' clothing and objects such as spiders, these both create a 'creepy' atmosphere to the video. At the beginning, the video is shot in the woods with excessive lighting, revealing a woman dressed in white, we have intentions to use this technique in our music video. The video has lots of close up shots of people's faces, sometimes through leaves giving the audience the idea that there is something wrong with them. Also, in the performance parts of the video, the band are playing old fashioned instruments, e.g. a double bass rather than a bass guitar, this adds to the whole 'creepy' atmosphere of the video and dated vibe. The video uses special effects, making people seem to appear from nowhere, which is a simple but effective technique to use to create a sense of disbelief.

Stars, Celebrities and Personalities

Stars, Celebrities and Personalities

Media institutions and audiences - Nick Lacey

Stars, celebrities and personalities are very important aspect of both the content and promotion of media texts. Stars are most evident in film whilst celebrities can come from any walk of life as long as they have achieved something; personalities on the other hand, are only famous for being famous. All three require the mass media to circulate their images.

In early Hollywood, performers were anonymous and often not even actors - the film's technicians would play parts. When stage actors began performing in front of cameras the producers refused to name them, fearing they would demand more money. The creation of a star requires the mass media. It is insufficient for stars merely to appear in films, or a star persona, details of their own lives need to be circulated within the public domain.

Key ideas in Media - Edwards

Film stars are less significant in people's lives than they were. Developments in modern media production where there are more competing sources of entertainment mean that films are only a part of the wide-ranging media experience of audiences. They still have significance but share this with stars drawn from the worlds of television, music, sport and fashion. The central concern present is being famous across a whole range of entertainment formats. This means more exposure to allow the full exploitation of their qualities.

They need to sustain their star image to be in the public eye for longer and hence the sense of 'mystique' can be lost. The exploration of their private lives in magazines, videos, photography, interviews and appearance become the focus of concern.



Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey is a promoted indie artist from America who's talent was said to be found over the internet following in the footsteps of those like Bieber. Lana (real name Lizzy Grant) has an extremely retro vibe to her appearance and style, many of whom have compared her to a 'gangsta Nancy Sinatra', but also larger than life lips to portray her 'natural' beauty. She changed her stage name because lets face it, Lizzy Grant isnt going to get you anywhere in this harsh industry, especially as an indie artist. The reason why i have commented on 'natural' is because she is infact the complete opposite and is a well created fake.

Lana Del Rey has been created by her multi millionaire father and infact not over the internet with her, also fake, plastic lips. From all this cover up of her actual roots, Lana Del Rey has accumulated a lot of hatred and pretty much lost all popularity and raving over her, but a lot of fans are persistant in believing that its all a lie and that she isn't a fake whatsoever. To prove she isn't a fake, Lana has performed several live performances. A lot of these live performances have been completely slated by critics and youtube viewers.

 

'Lana Del Rey's rise says much about the nature of modern fame in the U.S. The internet has allowed figures like her to come rapidly to the fore of the cultural landscape, whether or not their emergence is planned by a record executive or happens spontaneously from someone's bedroom. It has speeded up the fame cycle. It is worth nothing that the huge backlash to Del Rey is happening before her first album has even been released. This reveals a cultural obsession with the "authenticity" that fans, artists and corporations all prize above all else.'

Lana Del Rey - Video Games

• Retro footage (as explained above she seems to take on the retro image in her image)
• Americanised video with shots of Hollywood and California. It is considered that Hollywood and California mean you have made it, it's the American dream.
• Some shots look like a home move- going with the 1950's theme.
• A drunken female celebrity is involved in the video - the audience answer questions as to why she is included - creates curiosity. 
• Shots of her at home on the webcam- looking at camera. Perhaps trying to create a link with the audience.
• Almost creating a Nancy Sinatra image. 

Lana Del Rey - National Anthem

• Americanised as JFK is involved within the video
• Wealth
• It's leading moreover to the pop genre
• Uses a 60's iconic narrative
• Using Jackie's speech at the end could be risky as JFK's assassination was a memorable one and she is using it as a gain for her work. 
• The video could be highlighting the darker side of the 'American dream'. It could represent the corruption as at the beginning of the video she sings Marilyn Monroe 'happy birthday' who JFK supposedly had an affair with.

Lana Del Rey - Born To Die

• This video has a massive budget so It is too polished for an indie audience.
• A lot of wealth is shown in the video, commonly seen in mainstream music videos therefore I think that she is beginning to lose that 'indie' status she has. 
• It is extremely americanised
• A narrative is included. 
• She appears sexualised but also vulnerable.



Indiana State

Indiana State

The 'Indie' band that our group (Me, Tom and James) have designed is called Indiana State. They will be playing blues rock music, like artists such as The White Stripes and The Black Keys.Image

 Our band will consist of one male and two females, this will attract both genders to the band. Also, the band will be targetting both genders, from the teenagers to people around the age of fifty. The band will all wear plain looking, brown suits like the ones shown in the image. They will wear these clothes in the music video, whenever playing live, and in photo shoots, this is so that they will create a memorable image for fans to enjoy. They will all be dressed the same to keep the focus on all three of them, rather than just on the lead singer, like most bands.



This will also be portrayed in stage, as the drummer will be in line with the rest of the band on stage like The Black Keys.
 




The BandCraig Chimming- He is the lead singer and lead guitarist. He will have long hair with a scruffy beard and a kind looking face. He will play a deep, red, electric guitar, to give more attention to the musical instrument rather than the band's looks.

Amanda Johnson- She is the bassist and assiting vocalist. She will have a large build, similar to Adele's and plain, brown hair. This is to take focus away from the band's image and put the focus on the music. Also, it will show that even women are talented musicians. Her bass guitar will be pure and white.









 

Zoe Buffon- She is the drummer. She will have a normal build and blonde hair, she will be naturally good looking and not heavily made up. She will not show off her attractiveness and wear the suit like the rest of the band. She will play golden drums.

Music video concept

We want Indiana State to perform a cover of 'Sexy Back' by Justin Timberlake, but with their blues rock twist on the song. We chose this song because it is completely different to Indiana State's usual style of music which we think will appeal to a wider audience and get the audience thinking that they are a controversial band.

The music video will be low budget and self directed consisting of half performance by the band and the other half a narrative. The narrative part of the video will take place on the streets with a beautiful girl living on the streets brimming with potential but having nothing. She will then go through a battle to reach the top and fame. She manages to buy nice clothes with a new job she has and it goes on like that until she finally makes it to Vegas where she is one of the most desired women in western America. Meanwhile the band have their set on  the desert planes of Las Vegas in the heat including plenty of establishing, close ups and wide angled shots.

 

 The Press release is about the recently released video of their cover of sexyback, the video attracted alot of attention and went viral within days with their extrodinary twist on the song mixing different genres of music together. The video gained support from Radio 1 and Xfm, amongst other stations. With numerous plays of their song floating around the media world their fame grew gaining them a much larger and wide spread fan base than before just before their self titled album is set to be released.

This attraction was good advertising for the new album and was a huge success in their career and was definately a turning point in their career as a band which brought them wealth and fame. Yet their failures were the 4 hard years beforehand in which they were trying hard to make it big but because of their eccentric style and set up which differs from other bands no one paid them much attention. They were judged on image not their music.