Researching chosen artist CD artwork

This is the album front cover for our chosen artist that we will be making a music video with their song 'Louder'. The background is a simple white background but it includes four separate images, one showing each group member quite close up. The images have a different filter on each square that covers each image of the girls, which is quite effective as it is quite an original thing to do. The font of the groups name is the font that they have used from the beginning when they first released a single, so it has become a trademark font for the group, the album name is taken from one of their earlier singles 'Welcome To The Jungle' and because this is their first ever studio album it is like it welcomes the listeners into their style of music and them as a group. This aspect can be useful when we come up with album names and start creating our own CD cover as it allows us to create a meaning behind the title so we can link it to our created group.

Researching CD artwork

When artists release music they usually release a CD form of them as well as a downloaded/iTunes version. The artists make sure that their CD artwork for albums, EPs and singles reflect the song/s on the CD but also them as artists. This is something that we will have to consider when creating our own CD digipak. We will also have to think of what image, font and album name we will want to use for our own work, which will also need to reflect on our created artist/group.

This is the front cover artwork for girl group, Little Mix, new album. The album name is 'Salute' which was chosen because it is one of the songs on the album, but also maybe to portray an idea if girl power because it's an all girl group and the album cover looks to be quite a powerful image, particularly with the clouded sky behind the image of the girls. The font is a red and it is a paint-like style, to give the cover a more grungy look, and they have also included the Little Mix logo in the corner, also in red, to make the album more recognisable to their fans. The image of the girls shows their own personal style and fashion choices, but they have been styled to colour coordinate with each other to go with the theme of the album itself which is girl power. They're also posing in quite a sassy way to also go with the idea of girl power and independence.

This is the front cover artwork for boy band, One Direction's, new album. It is quite simple as it only consists of two images of the group, in front of a wood background, however it stills shows each members individual style. The font is their own created font that represents them as a band, written in white inside a black box which shows contrast and makes the writing stand out. The album name is 'Four' which was chosen because it is their fourth studio album and they have been a group for four years now, which is again quite a simple name but it does have a meaning behind it.

Some artists choose not to be on the cover of their albums, EPs or singles. This example is from Ed Sheeran's second album 'X', and it is very simple as it just shows a black X across the whole cover, which looks like it has been spray painted on, which highlights the name of the album. The background is just a simple bright green, which also creates contrast and makes the album title stand out.

The front cover is not all that is needed for a CD digipak, we also need to think about the back cover of the album. We will have to consider if we want another image of our created artist on the back or something that may represent them, or we could decide not to have a back image at all. We will also have to think about where we will place the track listing and what font and colour will be used for this. As this is a CD digipak we will also have to include the record labels logo, and in our case we're using Sony Music Entertainment, and to show that rights do go to the label, and we will also need an image of a barcode to show it is able to be sold in shops and online websites.

Character mood boards

I created two character mood boards for the members of Vintage Strobe. This allows viewers to see what the members personalities and interests are, and from this I feel that both girls have quite similar personalities in the way that they both like YouTube and Instagram, and aspects of beauty (nail polish and make up). These sort of things are a pro of being put together as a group by someone else because it makes it more likely for the members to connect and get along with each other. This can also be used for when we're filming and making our CD digipak as it will help us be able to choose the right image and style for the video and album front cover.

Group biography

Group name- Vintage Strobe, consisting of two members. The group was put together in early 2012, and after doing radio tours and school performances they went straight to the studio to record.

Rebecca 'Becca' Bennett- (Born 14th April 1997 in Medway) Becca first started off on Youtube making videos for entertainment purposes,  but she soon started recording covers and putting them on her channel. These videos then became recognised by Sony who put her forward for an audition for the girl group, which was very successful as she is now a member of the group.

Victoria 'Viki' Cresswell- (Born 31st October 1996 in Kent) Viki is the oldest member of the group and has taken part in the UK Xfactor, plus carrying out some photography work. She got through to the Judges Houses but then was sent home before the live finals. Syco Music then decided to put her into the group with Becca, making them Vintage Stobe.

They released their first single in 2013 which was a cover Neon Jungle's 'Louder', which peaked at number 2 in the UK chart. The group are planning to release their debut album in early 2015 named Faded Lights, and they have also been on the cover of the popular UK music magazine 'Q'.

After releasing their album they are set to carry out as tour across the UK, plus making appearances at summer festivals such as Wireless Festival and V Festival.

Email referencing to copyright

In order to be able to use the song that we have chosen for our video we had to send an email to the record company that our group is signed to, in order to use Neon Jungle's song 'Louder'. Neon Jungle are also signed to Sony so we felt that it would be best to email the record company to as for copyright use. By doing this it allows the project to feel more professional, because in the real world, if an artist wanted to use a song for a video or cover that has already been released, they would have to ask permission from the record label and artist.

Andrew Goodwin's theory of music videos

Andrew Goodwin's theory states that there are 5 aspects to a music video.

1. Thought through beat, so thinking about what the lyrics mean or represent. You first have to analyse the chorus and verses if the song, then think about the main artist singing in the song, so you're then able to identify what can be related to the said singer. You would finally have to then think of the story or plot that the singer may be trying to portray through the lyrics of the song. The music video can help with this by showing the video through the lyrics and vocals of the song. However sometimes it can be more difficult to put a storyline together for a song if the lyrics are unclear.
2. Relation between music and visuals, there are three different ways that visuals can be used to promote a song, the first being Illustrate. Within music videos they use particular images and camera shots to illustrate the meaning of the lyrics in the song. The next way is Disjuncture, which is used when the meaning of the song has nothing to do with the music video. The final way is Amplify, which refers to an image or camera shot being repeated in a music video so it is reinforced in our minds.
3. Relation between music and visuals, Goodwin stated that a music video can promote a song by the way it analyses the lyrics, this is particularly shown when a character in a music video does exactly what the song says, for example if a song lyric is 'Jump, jump, jump' the characters may actually be jumping in the video.
   
4. Performance and narrative of song, Goodwin believed that it was important for artists to be involved in their music videos by acting out or performing a role as a main character. He said that it helps with the song looking more realistic and allowing the audience to understand and connect with the song lyrics. For example, One Direction's Night Changes video shows the groups being the main actors in the song but also performing the song, which makes the whole plot of the video seem more realistic to the audience.
5. Star image, lots of camera shots making the singer centre of attention, This is a vital aspect of a music video, the singer makes it look more appealing to the audience. The beginning image is always important in the way that this is how the singer is presented, for example through their costume, movement and appearance. This then helps to promote the artist, as well as the music video.
6. Technical aspect of a music video, Goodwin believes the technical aspect helps to hold a music video together, through use of mise-en-scene, special effects, sound and editing. The lighting and colours used helps to set the mood for the music video and create emphasis on certain parts of the song to create a dramatic effect. Mise-en-Scene can then help make the artists work appear more professional, through the use of relevant props, costumes and setting. Depending on the beat of the song, this can be useful during the editing process of a music video, because when the beat changes you can cut to different scenes of the video accordingly to make it run smoother.

Institutional research

Sony Music Entertainment

Founded in 1991, this corporation is part of the 'Big Three' along with Universal Records and Warner Music Group. Labels that are partners with this company include Epic Records, Syco Music and Columbia records, which have successful artists signed to them such as Calvin Harris, Michael Jackson, One Direction, AC/DC and Whitney Houston.

Executives:
Doug Morris- Chief Executive Officer, SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Kevin Kelleher- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT


Neon Jungle Louder Video- Was directed by Colin Tilley, who is an award winning director who has directed videos for the likes of Enrique Iglesias, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, Nicki Minaj, 50 Cent, Jason Derulo, Usher, Keri Hilson, Cheryl Cole, Wiz Khalifa and UK rappers Chipmunk, Plan B and Dappy. He has won various awards including a BET award in 2011. He is now nominated for another BET award for Director of the Year 2014.

Neon Jungle are signed to Sony Music Entertainment, on one of their main labels RCA, so if we were to do a girl group music video it is likely that Sony would sign a group like Neon Jungle. They also have other groups linked with Sony, such as One Direction who have become increasingly popular, so this may cause them to be interested in other groups which could help them gain recognition and profit.

Since  a popular director such as Colin Tilley was able to direct Neon Jungles video, this may also mean that he would be happy to direct another group video. The girls are also a UK artist and he has worked with various other popular UK acts, so he may be happy to work with a new starting group who needs a director for a video.