Initial Group Planning - Miss Georgiou

Our group consists of myself Lily Badcock and Vasil Nikolov. In our first meeting we discussed what artist we were going to use and what part of the indie genre they would be in. In addition we decided on what song of our chosen artist we would use that would be most conventional to our chosen music genre and best to create a music video with. Once our song had been chosen we printed a set of lyrics to annotate in order to pick out and highlight bits we could use to match the lyrics/music and visuals within our music video.

Our initial ideas consisted of 5 different indie artists and a variation of their different songs were yet to choose from. These artists were Lana Del Rey, The 1957, The Weeknd, Disclosure and Ed Sheeran. We limited our choice down of songs by discussing their most popular music and their most lyrical which would be appealing to the audience of our chosen genre. The majority of the artists we had chosen consisted of those from the indie genre the other was from the dance genre. We eventually chose to settle on the female indie artist Lana Del Rey and her song Blue Jeans as we felt this was very lyrical and would be good to match up the lyrics with the visuals which is conventional to the indie genre and also follows Goodwin's theory. However, once listening to this song we felt as though it was too slow so we therefore came up with the idea of combining the indie genre with the dance genre and by doing this we had to find a remixed version of Blue Jeans. This was called Lana Del Rey RAC Remix - Blue Jeans. 

Within our lyric analysis we highlighted and picked out the most appropriate and conventional sentences to display through a visual aspect of our groups music video.This included lyrical lines such as "Blue jeans, white shirt" here we highlighted and stated that this can be used for costume ideas as we thought our male character could be seen wearing jeans in a blue colour and also a white top or shirt in order to follow Goodwin's theory of the lyrics matching the visuals in which is conventional to the indie genre. Our group highlighted the parts of the song which we felt we could tie in with editing techniques such as fast editing and also effects as well as different camera shots that would reflect and work well with the lyrics. Our group picked out the parts of the song which we could use for the flashback parts of our music video - these included words in the lyrics that are associated with the past tense such as "But I still remember that day". We also included an overall analysis of the concept and connotations behind the song which we concluded to be the artist having deep feelings towards a male lover/partner.

Within our next group meeting we moved onto the Copyright of our song and had to email the record label of Lana Del Ret to be granted permission to avoid getting sued for using what they own without consulting them first.
We then went on to research into our chosen music genre - the indie genre as well as the dance genre as our chosen song is a remix. Our group researched into the codes and conventions of both the indie and the dance genre to consider applying within our music to appeal to our target audience. 

Photo Shoot - Miss Miller

 We need to take pictures within our groups as they will be used for our magazine adverts and our own artist digipaks to give the audience a visual aspect of the artist and their music. It is important to take a variety of different pictures as it helps to engage the audience into what the artist is about. For example our groups images contain close-up images of the artists face as well as long shot images to show the artists surroundings which is effective in showing the audience both the artists facial expressions and the scenery that matches their music genre.

I have taken a picture of this particular image to give the audience a clear view of the artists facial expressions and emotions which therefore builds a relationship between the artist and the targeted audience as they get an understanding into what the artist is about. I intend to use thus picture for both the digipak and the magazine advert as my magazine advert only includes one image of the artist which is this close-up to engage with the audience. This close-up I took is conventional to the indie genre as close-ups are typically used to show the individuality of the artist and how they are unique from the rest of the artists arising or currently within the music industry. I think the close-up is good in putting a face to the music of the new upcoming artist so the audience can recognise her and get a visual aspect of the voice of their music. I think this close-up will help the audience build a relationship with my artist as they are made to feel connected to them within the close image of her looking directly into the audiences eyes thus building a relationship with the artist their music and the target audience.

I have taken a picture of this particular image to make the audience familiar with the type of surroundings and location the artist is associated with which therefore gives them an insight into what type of artist she is and what she is about. For instance, the artist is seen in what is visual in the image - a forest as she is leaning against the tree. This could connote that the artist is into nature or is even natural/pure. I intend to use this image within the digipak only as digipaks are supposed to include various different pictures of the artist to involve the audience with the artist and their music by letting them into what the artist is offering and what type of artist they are. The use of this long-shot is conventional to the indie-genre as is shows the nature scenery in which is typically used within the indie genre as indie artists are associated with nature to show their individuality and uniqueness which differs from other music genres which promote artificially and unnatural non everyday things. I think this long-shot image of the artist builds a relationship with the artist by letting the audience in to the different aspects of the artist and giving them an understanding of the things associated with the artist in which makes up their music.

I have taken a picture of this particular image which shows the artist smoking a cigarette to give the audience an insight into what kind of person the artist is. In this case, the artist is seen to have a rebellion side to her which contrasts against the other images within the photo shoot as the artist appears to be pure and a lover of nature. I intend to use this image within the digipak to give away more about the artist in the bonuses a digipak provides the target audience of an artist. This image is conventional to the indie genre as indie artists are normally associated with cigarettes or alcohol to exaggerate the deepness/depression of their music and how they rebel within the music industry as opposed to other music gene artists of whom are purely about the entertainment of their fans and the audience. I think that this image will help to build a relationship between the artist and the audience as it gives the audience an insight into the character and personality of the audience which appears to be rebellious and careless thus what our artists targeted audience could relate to in this realistic stage of the youth.

I have take a picture of this particular image which shows the artist and a male standing side by side in order to give the audience a sense of romance that the artist has to them. I intend to use this image in the digipak as it will allow the audience to capture to concept that the artist is a romantic which unveils more about the artist but this is only available in the bonus of a digipak. This two-shot image subverts the indie genre as that music genre tends to make the pure focus the artist only to show their individuality and independence which a two-shot does not support as is promotes the idea of love as opposed to uniqueness. This image will help to build a relationship between the audience as the concept of a love story and relationship between a male and female is relatable and an everyday situation in which the audience can relate to and aspire to have.

To conclude, I found taking the pictures quick and efficient for my photoshoot and I feel as though I captured the smoking close up particularly well. 

Filming schedule - Miss Georgiou

Our group created a filming schedule to follow for whilst we are filming within our locations. A filming schedule is and important  aspect to have as it can help make  the filming run faster and therefore more efficiently. Our group decided to make the schedule as detailed as possible so that each shot that is produced is as perfected as possible which overall makes the music video a better quality. A filming schedule helps give us an idea of when we were going to film and pin point what exactly we were going to film on that particular day. This made everything easier for us as we were able to plan as a group exactly when we were going to film in order to make everything accessible and easier for everyone to do and to get too. Filming schedules are important to have as they enable us to have a simple structure to our groups planning and therefore give us an easier way of discussing as a group when we are all available to film and make sure we have it in writing in order to remember. 

When we completed our filming schedule we had to make sure whether we could follow the structure and the timings of the schedule and see if we could complete certain elements of the schedule by the dates that we had allocated them as in order to complete our music video before the deadline given to us. When filming we had to go up to make two trips to our locations as we didn't have enough daylight to film so had to re-arange to go earlier another day; however this did not set us back with when we needed to complete our rough cut by. 

Planning Digipak - Miss Miller

A digipak is presented in the style of a book, with paperboard/cardboard outer binding including one or more plastic trays for the CD. This style became popular in the 2000s and is often used for special edition albums. A jewel CD case is the original disc case, that consists of three pieces of plastic and includes a plastic tray for the CD. Most of the detail is on the cover and the back, with song titles listed. Below is a listed comparison of both types. 

A digipak provides the fans with more information from the artist, for example a personal fan message which overall enhances the fan/artist bond, which is another positive factor. Digipaks are also unique and more attractive as there are featured bonus tracks and the use of higher quality images.

A jewel CD case is argued to be more traditional and durable because of the plastic sides. Due to this, a CD is quicker and easier to make and is cheaper to buy in stores. This type of casing is also easier to store and the booklets won't bend inside. Lastly, CDs are a better option for new fans testing the music.

Within my digipak draft the colours consist mostly of white in the background to bring out the artist making her the main focus of the audiences attention and also the typography will stand out more as it will be black that will be used within the digipak.

Mainly red will be used used for the typography of the digipak to create a feminine feel to the digipak and also to connote passion/love or danger to give the audience a visual insight into the representation of the artist and her music. The use of the colour red within my digipak could also connote a relation between the artist and her music and how much she loves and is passionate about her music.

My digipak is conventional to the indie genre as I have included a close up of the artist which allows the audeince to identify who the artist is which therefore makes it easier for the target audeince and other audiences to put a face to the music. A page on the digipack includes a personal handwritten message from the artist quoting lyrics from one of her songs which will be used to allow the audience to feel personally involved with the artist which then builds a relationship between the artist and the audience. I have used elements listed down below to promote the artist, highlight the indie genre and cause the artist to build a relationship with the audience. All of the elements listed appeal to the target audience as they express parts of the artist's life for especially the note to fans. This promotes her as an artist in a positive way as it creates the idea that her fans and music are her main priority. Fundamentally, this digipak converts to the indie genre with the use of all elements for example, the use of images, this is to keep fans interested and cause members of the public that enjoy this genre to purchase the album.

The images used throughout the digipak include only pictures of the artist so the audeince can identify the artist without distractions of other images and also allows the audience to get a visual aspect of  what the artist is about. The different pictures of the artist are helpful within my digipak on the collage page for the audience as to they can try and get a personal feel for the music and the digipak is meant to draw the audience in and allow the audience to know more about the artist, which is something that the jewel CD case provide as it lacks in the amount of images in which can be displayed. The artist is portrayed as confident due to her posture and facial expressions within all of the pictures, although the smoking is questionable, it shows that she in charge and independent and also adds to her vintage, 1950s vibe. Linking to this, the artist seems fierce and independent as she is the only person in every picture and on the cover through a close up, showing her importance and to promote her further. Her look is also natural with 50s makeup, worn previously by famous models and actresses such as Audrey Hepburn, and big, back combed hair for a vintage look, to bring back elements of an earlier time which makes her seem cool and unique. Lastly, in the front cover she wears flowers in her hair and looks quite natural which is conventional of the indie genre and appeals to an artist. 

  

The design and layout used within this digipak is mainly close ups of Lana Del Rey's (Autumn Healy's) face to show the audience who the artist is and to promote her. These different pictures are to gain the attention of the audience and the personal feel that they are involved with the development of the artist and her music. The artists name is placed on the top of the digipak page which shows the audience that she is the most important person to focus on and engage with. The layout and design of the overall digipak is quite simplistic. The white background on the front cover makes the artist the main focus, showing her importance and promotes the album to the audience and the close up makes the cover more memorable as it stands out on shelves. One of the other pictures features a long shot of the artist in the forest, which highlights the theme of nature which relates to the indie genre because of naturalistic aspects and purity and is simple which is relatable overall however, the smoking image makes her more rebellious and cool, making her questionable and unique yet converts to the indie genre and artists within this genre usually uphold this habit.

The style of language used within my digipak is simple, basic so thefore easy to read, this is meant to reach out to a wider range of audience it would be unfair for people who don't know about Lana Del Rey (Autumn Healy) and if the publishers started using long words the audience may feel intimidated to buy the digipak as they may not understand what the artist is trying to say. The connotations of this show that the artist doesn't speak through many words but mainly through music which therefore implies to the audience that they have to listen to the music in order to gain an understaning of the artist. 

To conclude, I found this useful when taking pictures for the digipak because it gave me new ideas on what to have within my digipak and what I thought would be acceptable for the audience to see what the artist is like. This is preparing me for the use of photoshop as it gives me an idea on the look of the artist that I want to portray to the audience. 
I am more aware of the photos that I need to take and how I want the artist to be conveyed through the images and personal touches.

Planning editing styles - Miss Georgiou

A variety of editing styles are vital to include within a music video, this is because the editing elements cause the music video to be more intriguing to watch and makes the video appear more professional. Particular editing styles can create a story, and entice the audience which therefore builds a relationship between the artist and the audience.

Within our music video we will first include flashback scenes which will occur throughout the video of clips of memories of the artist that she is having of her and her partner-the narrative of a love story. This is inferred as a POV hand held camera is used. This will makes the video more personal and the audience/fans will feel closer to the artist. This is typical of the indie genre as artists use different conventions to show their life and past memories to the audience to create an idea/concept such as negative relationships, which makes them become more admirable. Also, the flashback scenes will be in sync with the lyrics of the song for example 'I will love you 'til the end of time' which shows the artist's true emotions creating a larger bond with the audience and reflect's an element from Goodwin's theory.

Through these flashbacks, faster editing will be used, for example the clips of the fireworks and roller coasters. Combined with the hand held camera work, these clips from setting such as a theme park, makes the video more believable and includes clips from the artist's life. This is conventional of the indie genre as artists use fast editing to create excitement and makes the audience more interested/intrigued, and these types of feelings are linked to roller coasters and fireworks. This also shows that the artist does normal things like her fans, which creates a strong bond and shows elements of her relationship and how romantic they were.

Lastly, through out the video, a vintage effect will be added within the flashbacks, especially. Combined once again with the hand held camera work, this creates a vintage and real life feel. This also creates something new but then again brings back elements from an earlier time. The vintage effect links to the artist as she is dressed in a 50s costume through out, with matching make up and hair styles. This represents the artist in an interesting and unique way, which is also conventional to the indie genre as fans of this genre prefer to see new elements that are unique and interesting to view.

My target audience (teenaged/young adults/females) can build a relationship with my artist through the use of these editing styles as the flashbacks for example, create a narrative and causes the audience to feel empathy towards the artist and relate to past life events. The fast editing is used to make the video more intriguing and interesting and the vintage camera effect makes the video different and interesting, also. Overall, editing styles are used to make the clips more exciting to watch and make the audience build a relationship with the artist and fundamentally, include conventional elements of the indie genre.

Storyboards - Miss Georgiou

Within this post I will be analysing our groups story board and the importance of having one is whilst planning and creating our own music video. Storyboards are very important to create when planning to film a music video, this is because the group will be provided with a structured plan to follow, therefore making the process in creating a music video quicker and more efficient. The purpose of a storyboard is to allow and help us to plan what specific content and elements we are going to include within our music video. It enables us to plan second by second all the different elements such as camera angles, location, iconography, sound, editing styles and also the narrative that will be used as video footage on screen. It also gives us a better idea on how to plan the way we want to film all of our footage and how every camera angle will be different throughout the entire music video, this will make everything more simpler for us to follow and therefore know exactly what we need to film and include within the editing of our music video without any confusion through the transition of the making of the music video. It also allows us as a group to plan certain elements together, and follow a structured plan instead of creating certain elements that may not flow with the video, and instead of including elements that we haven’t planned. Below are pictures of my group's storyboard:

Our planned our initial storyboard on paper with a table layout. This enabled us to physically plan our storyboard as a group together in class and including all of the elements necessary. As we listened to each second of the song, we were able to analyse lyrics of the song beforehand to give us a brief encounter of the narrative we were going to include when filming. This then let us plan the storyboards whilst following the song and the lyrics in order to let the lyrics match the visuals in a way that could show hidden meanings or a completely different meaning to the original narrative of the song. We also had included hand-drawn images of what we wanted to include and a brief explanation of what is going on in the image. We continued to do this for every different camera angle we wanted to include, therefore giving us a numerous amounts of storyboards and frames to work with on our music video. We shared the roles equally so that we all had a fair chance of giving ideas to include within the storyboard, and working effectively and efficiently together as a group. We decided to give each other a specific role within the group. 

When filming our music video we followed our storyboards for the majority of the time but we also filmed a lot in bulk, this is because we tried to keep the filming as natural as possible capturing moments between our actors that we simple and true to reality rather than fake and non relatable to the audience.  

Within our groups storyboard a frame number is added at the top, this is so that the group can follow a particular sequence, to keep everything in order and clear for when it comes down to filming. In addition, the duration of seconds is also included as a single shot is not the same for over four seconds, this therefore meant that we didn't want then to bore our audience by creating a simple and unprofessional video so resulted in us noting down and planning ahead with the amount of seconds each shot would be lasting. We then added the different camera shots and drew pictures to show this, as can be seen, we mostly use hand held so that the audience can build a relationship with the artist and the video is more relatable as this cinematography use makes the clip seem like a home video. Next, we use conventional iconography to the indie genre for example, cigarettes and alcohol which is used to tell a story and is typical of the indie genre as most videos within this are true to life and reflect the artist's past experiences. Lighting changes to tell a story, and create different effects. For example high key during flash back scenes of uplifting times and low key lighting during negative experiences and the present time, after the break up, showing the audience the negative effects of this event. Also, it is important that the actors are noted so that not too many people are around the equipment at one time, so that the experience can be as easy and quick as possible. The sound also needed to be noted so that we can add the Goodwin's theory element (link between lyrics and visuals) and so that the group was aware of how long a clip should be to fit to certain lyrics. Overall, the noting of certain elements will aid us in filming the music video.

To conclude, creating storyboards will be an extreme help, as every member of the group will be aware of what is filmed and the filming and overall editing process will be much easier and will take less time. Completing planning such as this, will make the video stronger and more detailed as there is a strict/structured plan to be followed.

Risk Assessment - Miss Georgiou

The duration of filming can hold possible dangers, it was important for us to keep in mind any risks or hazards that can occur and how to prevent them. By planning this before hand, and discussing methods to help prevent these such as the weather, camera equipment and danger in locations, filming shots will run smoothly and will result in successful clips and to avoid any failures. 

Planning Magazine Advert - Miss Miller

Magazine adverts play an important role when contributing to the promotion of an artist's album as a wider range of audience will be made aware of the album and the artist which also helps the audience to identify the face of the artist. This is effective as it creates convergence dues to the fact different companies have come together which is beneficial for both the artist and their record labels as well as the magazine itself. I will be creating a magazine advert for my artist's album on Photoshop, which is effective as this tool is necessary in order to promote represent the artist and promote their album in a way the public would find appealing. In addition, magazine adverts also contribute to the promotion of an artist's album through the use of the close ups of the artist in order for the public to identify the artists face to their music. This can promote the artist and their new songs that they are releasing, or songs that they may be re-releasing. Our group will be creating our own magazine advert for our own artist to try and release their own song and to be appealing to our target audience. Below is my first draft.

When creating my first draft of a magazine advert I decided to emphasise and exaggerate the albums name, the artists name and also the song titles by putting them in the colour red in order to show the importance of what is in these colours and to bring forward the concept of the connotations of the colour red which can be both love/passion and death which shows how both elements are incorporated within the album and the music within it. In addition to this the image of the artist shows that her lips are in the colour red which shows a relation of the connotations of love/passion between the artist and her music as it could represent her being passionate about her music and the album that is being promoted within the magazine advert. I also included the colour black to emphasise the boldness making it stand out to the audience and makes it more eye catching and prominent. The colour black subverts the indie genre and follows the conventions of the rock genre more however, this causes the artist to become different and unique making them more interesting to the audience. Overall I have subverted to conventions of the indie genre with the colours as I wanted to create a statement through individuality and uniqueness in which the target audience can admire.

The typography used within my magazine advert consists of a handwritten quote of a song from the artist "I will love you til' the end of time". This is effective in building a personal relationship between the artist and the audience as it is almost as though the artist is quoting her lyrics to the audience personally by writing them this personal message on the album advertisement. Furthermore the artists name will be written in an italic style font as shown in my draft in order to build a relation of the connotation of the artists sophistication as well as the sophistication of her music.

The image I chose to use within my magazine advert draft is a central close up of the artist's face. This is effective as it causes her to become the main focus of the ad which keeps the audience from getting distracted from anything irrelevant to the artist and the album. Within the images the artist will also portray Lana's signature retro style by wearing a 70's hairstyle- shown in the image of a beehive- and also with her makeup look with added red lips to emphasise beauty and connotations of love and danger, linking further to the name of the album 'Born To Die'. 

The layout of my magazine advert is simple -simplicity is conventional to the indie genre. The advert only shows the artist and a blank background which is effective in highlighting her importance and the fact that she feels as though her image and music is what matters most. This links to the image of the artist looking straight down at the camera lense, which shows the power and confidence that she has in herself and her music.

The language within my magazine advert gets straight to the point as it is quite short and colloquial for example the release date is shortened and only the 'hit songs' of the album are quoted as opposed to the whole list. This is effective as it makes it easier for fans to read and remember without getting distracted or even bored by too much writing. Due to the fact that the most popular songs are covered it makes the album stronger by highlighting the artist's talent how well she has done through the success and popularism of the songs being stated.

I found this planning useful as the use of Photoshop will be helpful for me to experiment to make an eye catching advert for the audience and to be able to promote the artist. Also from this, our group will know what type of pictures to take of our artist as they are already planned which overall, makes the process quicker and more efficient. I feel as though I am more aware of the pictures I need to take for my advert and the idea that they would need to create a representation and conform in some way to the indie genre. In addition, I fundamentally have a visual aspect of what I want the advert to look like which gives me an idea of the image I want to portray of the artist to the audience. I want the audience to be able to relate to the artist therefore pictures of the artist will involve the audience and allow them to gain an understanding of the artist. 

Digipak analysis - Miss Miller

The purpose of a digipak is to give the audience more of an insight and to being more information across about the artist so the fans can get to know them and their personal life. This can make the fans feel more connected to the audience as though they know them personally along with the meanings behind their songs. There is more of a design included within the digipak to make it more appealing to the audience which can include more images of the artist and showing them within the studio or singing whilst filming as it is presented in the style of a book, with paperboard/cardboard outer binding including one or more plastic trays for the CD which makes the audience feel as though they are a part of the growing stages of the star becoming famous.  A jewel CD case is the original disc case, that consists of three pieces of plastic and includes a plastic tray for the CD. Most of the detail is on the cover and the back, with song titles listed. 

Within a digipak the artist can also include a small note to the audience to make the audience feel as though they are including the audience and make the digipak more personal for the audience. There are more spaces for images which are of main high definition and quality images to make the audience feel as though they are paying a good price for the best images and more images, to make the audience feel more involved and closer to the artist and their work and making into their music. The six sides used within the digipak is used instead of four is to be more detailed within the pack for the audience, it also makes the main points of the artist more accessible for the audience. 

A jewel CD case is argued to be more traditional and durable because of the plastic sides. Due to this, a CD is quicker and easier to make and is cheaper to buy in stores. This type of casing is also easier to store and the booklets won't bend inside. Lastly, CDs are a better option for new fans testing the music. They usually inlcude the main information that you need which may include the artists name and the songs, which can make it easier for the audience to understand the song titles and the artist that it is from. 

The artists name is situated on the front to show the audience who the artist is and to give a clear view for audiences of all ages. This helps the audience to make the artist known and to also to be able to identify the same artist on other different advert. 

The plastic casing of the CD case will protect the information within the case and the CD not allowing it to get wet and therefore protecting the main contents within the CD case, which is also more durable.

The lyrics within digipacks can be included of the main songs within the CD case to allow the catch on to the most popular music of that artist. Also some audiences like to look at the meanings behind the song that they like and therefore read the lyrics, and read between the lines of the song to gain a better understanding of the concept and the artist. 

The digipak I have chosen to analyse is Lana Del Rey's 'Born To Die'. I have chosen to analyse this digipak as it was  her fist ever album to be released which  therefore means that I am able to analyse the aspects that causes an artist representation and the build up towards being a star.
Firstly, the artist's name is presented as the largest and most bold font which is situated at the top of the album cover in the bright colour white. The purpose of this typography on the header is to promote the idea that Lana Del Rey is a new upcoming artist which ties into the fact that her name is positioned in the centre alongside the central image of her showing that she is the main focus of whom is seeking for acknowledgement which therefore makes her face and name more recognisable to the public and fans. In addition, within this digipack we can see that the song titles, artist's name and album title are all capitalised, spaced out lettered and bold highlighting their importance which therefore makes the artist and album name more memorable to the audience as it is more likely to catch their eye and stick in their minds. Furthermore, the title name of the album 'Born to die' is also written in the same font which is also bold but in the colour blue which matches the sky within this image which represents the artist as being serious about her music due to the fact colour co-ordination is used as it could mean she is a perfectionist. The title is positioned on the artists white matching shirt which could mean that she is connected and in sync with her album therefore conveying a sense of pride and shows her personal involvement with her album and music. 

On this digipak, the artist is situated in the centre of album cover with the use of a mid shot and low angle for the image included. The use of the central low angle connotes that Lana Del Rey is looking down to her audience of whom are looking up to her as her importance and her strength to be a role model is the main focus within this element and her confident independent posture which is effective in building up her star image. This is conventional to the indie genre as she is wearing concealed and non promiscuous which is typical in many other genres such as hip-hop and pop instead she has a unique and individual style which is effective in showing her bare appearance, making her seem more realistic and so therefore more relatable to the audience. Furthermore Lana Del Rey has a 70s retro element to her image which is evident with a back combed hair style and bright red hollywood lips to show the audience a relation between the artists style and her type of music.

Lana Del Rey's body language and posture represents her to be confident, as she is shown to be an independent woman which appeals to her target audience which consists mostly of females of whom may be enticed by the feminist representation brought across by Lana on her album cover. The artists confidence ties in with the title of her album 'Born To Die' due to the concept of death being accentuated and Lana appears to have no emotion as her facial expression is relaxed and calm. This is conventional to the indie genre as  it highlights the fact that she doesn't follow the fears of the norm that the majority of people do which highlights her individuality.

The colours used throughout Lana Del Rey's digipak consist of the colour blue within the song titles which is calm and pleasant therefore linking this with her music and her intricate restful voice as well as tying in with the indie genre as blue is  seen as being a naturalistic colour- in this case connoting the natural sky. White could connote the idea of purity which  shows the artist's innocence and demure as well as bringing forward the concept  that she is a pure or fresh part of the music industry. The colour red is used for the roses on the CD, the artists lipstick colour and also the blood splattered pages which conventionally connotes passion and love, which links in with the meaning and lyrics of Lana Del Rey's music. Red could also connote negative aspects such as death, which ties in  and emphasises the name of the album 'Born To Die'. Furthermore the use of the colours combined- red, white and blue are cleverly used by the artist to convey her love for her country due to the fact they're the colours of the American Flag which can appeal to a wide range of audience from America who can relate to the love of the country.

The design and layout of the image conveys simplicity as it is has a plain background and causes Lana Del Rey to become the main focus. The simplicity of the album cover is conventional to the indie genre as there are no further distractions for the audience which may cause confusion instead they are linked firmly to her image. Lana Del Rey is only featured on the front cover of the digipak which shows she wants to promote her music and meaning behind it just as much as her own image and artist representation.

I will use my research to assist me with the creation of my own digipak as I can use these ideas that are conventional and related to the indie genre and the ideas used will be able to reach out to our target audience. The font of the typography will represent our artist and the album and the songs involved as well as the connotations brought forward through the use of colours. This will show the audience and help identify them when the audience sees the font they will understand what the artist is about and what message they are trying to get across to their audience.With our groups design and layout we will use central pictures of the artist or close up images of them in order to help the audience gain a personal relationship with the artist.

Lyric analysis - Miss Georgiou

The hidden meanings of our groups chosen song 'Blue Jeans' is the concept of a failed love story as the male lead loved the artist but turned out loving money and choosing money over her. This is evident through the use of the lyrics in the song quoting " I will love you until the end of time" and "I promise" which shows the male goes against his word and deceives the female by leaving her for money. The artist is in an unhappy relationship and wants to get out of it which is evident throughout the song it includes different parts of the relationship and shows what is happening with both characters and the relationship problems between them and how she wants out in the relationship  In the end she get's out and lets the relationship go.

We have annotated the lyrics by annotating each stanza creating different ideas and analysing the different micro-elements. We analysed the narrative particularly and the elements such as mis-en-scene, editing, cinematography and what we are going to do with these specific elements. We looked at different effects we could use for editing and different camera angles, mise-en-scene elements such as iconography, costume and make-up.
The mise-en-scene elements will include stereotypical elements such as clothing, makeup iconography. For example we have discussed when analysing the lyrics the clothing conventions of an indie genre. For example when researching more into different indie artists we saw that the stereotypical conventions was relatable clothing and that it is easy for the audience to be able to copy. This would therefore create a relationship between the artist and the audience as they will be able to copy the artist as it is relatable clothing and everyday clothing that is more realistic. This would make the audience think that the artist is a relatable character and somebody that doesn't care about what they look like, we want to portray the character to be somebody who the audience can relate too instead of somebody that they find hard to copy and even relate too. This then shows the indie conventions of the clothing and shows how we can replicate artists but also show different ways in which we could convey her individuality.

We annotated the lyrics by identifying the hidden meanings and why Lana had written the song. After that we then focused on some of the lyrics and how we can use them for our music video. For example we will use high angle shots to portray her vulnerability when the lyrics become more sad and then a quick close-up to confirm with the use of a reaction shot. This still keeps with the conventions of the indie genre as we mainly portray the artist and promote her via shots such as a close-up in order to maintain the focus of the audience upon her and what she is trying to say. The use of a high able shot is also slightly subversive to the indie genre as it is conventional for the indie genre for the camera to be mid-shot or a long-shot.  We will then be also using POV shots as using a variation of different camera shots makes the music video more entertaining and appealing to the audience and this way we can still link the video to the Dance/House genre. This is further strengthened by the tempo of the song as when it decreases, we could use the extra time given to insert a small memory sequencer that will have been in a different font effect. This is conventional for a House/Dance music genre as the use of the space given when the base is building is to allow more information for the audience to be given.

Our group have annotated the lyrics by picking out lyrics in which we can give the audience a visual aspect and imagery of within our music video. For example, the lyrics quote "blue jeans, white shirt" for this we will literally be showing the male lead to be wearing 'blue jeans' and a 'white shirt' which follows Goodwin's theory of the lyrics matching the visuals. We also annotated the lyrics by taking each small stanza/verse and breaking it up into small sections and working out what we would use within our own music video through the particular lyrics and what we intend on doing, for example the cinematography and the different camera angles, also the editing that we on intending on using and the different effects or filters that we plan on using within our music video. 

Our groups music video is to start with a panning shot that shows a lengthy shot of the location Victoria park. This is in order to create a calm atmosphere to gradually build up from.  This scene is conventional to the indie genre as indie artists like to use cheap scenery such as everyday realistic locations in order to connect more towards their audience and be more independent as opposed to those artists in other music genres. This way their audience can dedicate all of their focus upon the artist, rather than being lost in any complication scenery's or backdrops. We chose to use this location in order to introduce the artist and how she meets her partner. This way, we can prepare the audience what they can expect to see, with the start of the narrative of a love story gone wrong.

In the next set of shots our artist would start singing, allowing us to quickly portray our female character and how she looked before she met the loved interest. There will be a low-angled shot with which, we can show how strong and independent she was, before her relationship with the male character. She will be wearing her vintage clothing which links to the indie genre as indie artists like to make themselves stand out and be more memorable for their audience, she would then go on to be seen in more grungy outfits as the music video goes on and she gets deeper into the relationship where the male has a negative effect on her. The theme of alcohol will be introduced here as his bad habits are rubbing off on the artist as our female character will start to copy him. This is conventional for the indie genre as the artists like to introduce rebellious themes of society in their music videos, providing that they have a narrative in their video, this way they could subvert to the mainstream society.

We are going to close our music video with the concept of death from the negative effects and abuse of drugs alcohol and love. The cause of death shown within our music video would be from an overdose of pills. We will show this by the artist dropping the empty tub of pills on the floor with alcohol to show that it has caused its effect, which would result in the audience believing that the artist has died. This is conventional for the indie genre as the artist makes the audience remember her with a unique and dramatic ending.

The annotations will help me when planning the micro elements, style, target audience and conventions because going through each stanza on the lyrics sheet we annotated what we would be using, how the artist will look and the different editing styles that we intend on including. This is helpful because when it comes to actually filming the music video we will only have to look at the lyrics sheet and what we should include within the music video instead of having to guess what we are going to use it will already be on there. These annotations will also help the entire group when planning the conventions and the music video story because going through each paragraph of the lyrics sheet, helps us to think about the effect, lighting or cinematography we could use. Once fully annotated, the annotations would be completely helpful as we will only gaze at the lyrics for a moment to remember what we would have to do.