ABBA - Knowing Me, Knowing You (Re-creation Evaluation)

Pros

• Choreography and timing is somewhat accurate
• Lip Syncing is done well and lines up
• All shots come from correct angles

Cons

• Timing is not 100% accurate
• Needed to include more shots of hugging scenes
• Accidentally include people in shots they were not meant to be in a few times
• Needed more planning

ABBA - Knowing Me, Knowing You (Re-creation Exercise)

PW Blog 6 - Branding (Gorillaz/Kanye West)

Gorillaz

Gorillaz are an animated band which has 4 animated members but actually only 2 real members this style already makes the band unique and reflects their unique electronica style of music. They were made as a parody of Simon Cowell's musical creations and supply it with a edgy, dark  image and sub plot and so their music appeal to an audience who enjoy music that is not 'mainstream'. To maintain their ideology and the ideology that their fans have of them they turned down a nomination for the prestigious Mercury Prize award. They have also collaborated with big names such as Madonna, Bruce Willis, Snoop Dog, Sean Ryder and Lou Reed.

Lastly to increase support for their fan base they created a sense of exclusivity if you do not have membership to the Gorillaz club (£26 fee), or an 02 mobile contract or a Glastonbury ticket – then the chances are you won’t be even be getting a look in at tickets to any live performances. Also their unique brand and style makes it seem as though you either “get” Gorillaz, their eclectic collaborations and musical style or you do not.

Kanye West

Kanye West is a very controversial figure, making headlines constantly by doing stuff such as feuding with Taylor Swift, begging Mark Zuckerberg for a billion dollars and having a backstage meltdown at SNL. However his confident and arrogant personality is all marketing and he creates controversy at all the right times. In the midst of all the Kanye drama he released his new album, The Life of Pablo, in the form of a listening party, which happened to take place at his fashion show for his new line of clothing based on his brand and nickname 'Yeezy' in Yeezy Season 3. Just as everyone is talking about the ridiculous things he is saying on Twitter, he released both the album and fashion line at Madison Square Garden in front of thousands of people. Everything Kanye does seems calculated, and each thing is promoting something else. 

Kanye West also knows how to create buzz by changing the title of his album multiple times and getting people excited for the albums release. He also creates buzz by having a sense of exclusivity much like the Gorillaz. He announced his album would only be available on Tidal, which happens to be his pal Jay Z’s music streaming service. The newest pair of Yeezy Boost sneakers has a demand really so incredibly high that they can’t produce enough, or do they want it to seem that way because they understand people always want what they can’t have? Making a limited number of these shoes makes them seem exclusive, which only makes people want them more.

Album Art

This following exercise was done in preparation for the digipak and magazine advert, that goes along with the music video. I completed this exercise on Adobe Photoshop which I have had some previous experience with and so this exercise allowed me to enhance and refresh my skills with this program.

Solo Artist

The first album cover is for a solo artist. I was inspired for this album cover by the album 'My World 2.0' by Justin Bieber. The cover features the artists face and name as the focal point of the album as he is the selling point and then the title is underneath in a smaller font. To create the album I first deleted to background of the photo then I made the photo black and white and changed the brightness and contrast to fit with the gradient background of the album. Lastly I added the name of the album and artist.

Boy band Album

The second album cover is for a boy band. I was inspired for this album cover by the album 'Parallel Lines' by Blondie. The cover features the group together  as the focal point of the album and the name of the band and album above them, it also has the black and white stripes in the background to help it stand out. To create the album I first deleted to background of the photo then I made the photo black and white and changed the brightness and contrast to fit with the gradient background of the album then I linked the layers together and changed the filter to 'Texturizer'. Lastly I added the title and name of the band above.

Indie Album

This is the last album cover I did and it was for an indie album. For this album I had less of a focus on the artist and more on the art by not having their face shown and having their name in a significantly smaller font then the album title. I did this because many album covers for indie arts don't feature the artist on it at all because they are generally unknown and therefore not a huge selling point so instead they have to attract an audience with a unique looking album cover as shown in the example above. For this photo I didn't have to edit it too much as many indie albums have a focus on nature which this photo already includes. I added the filter 'Water Paper' to the picture to make it look almost like a sketch, I then changed the brightness and contrast to what I thought looked appealing and I ended it by adding the albums and artists name to the album.

PW Blog 5 - Branding (Spice Girls/Katy Perry)

PW Blog 14 - Added Value (A-Ha/Sinnead O'Conner)

One of the reasons to why Music Videos are made is for the benefit of increasing revenue streams. At first the single may not produce a lot of profit, so something additional would be creating a music video which helps with creating value.This is because the music video helps make the song popular. Two examples of this are A-Ha - Take On Me and Sinéad O'Connor's - Nothing Compares 2U.

The video for Sinéad O'Connor's 'Nothing Compares 2U' was originally meant to be shot in Paris and was actually a cover of a song from Prince. But after some time the director changed the video and after watching back the footage of Sinéad 's close up of her singing the producers decided that the concept of the video should be her implying that she is the main focus of the music video.

PW Blog 4 - Andrew Goodwin, Characteristics