Digipak Research - What is a digipak?

Definition of a digipak - 

Digipak is a package designed for CDs consisting of a plastic tray pasted on a high-quality paperboard. They consist of usually four panels, and one of the advantages of digipaks in contrast to jewel cases is that it is stronger. If it is accidently dropped for example, it is likely to escape serious damage. Digipaks vary according to the genre of the artist who's album it is. For example, in a heavy metal rock album, there may be more use of colours such as red and black, to signify a sense of danger and the hardness of the music. Conversely, genres such as Pop will be more likely to use soft and vibrant colours such as blues, pinks etc. A similar effect is used with the font. The acoustic genre is more likely the use less bold, and conspicuous text, in contrast  to genres such as Rock. 

Additional footage, Editing, and Editing Completed.

The editing process is finally finished! This lesson we spent time making sure we are happy with the music video, filming any additional footage (if needed), adding effects etc. I used this lesson, along with a free period and my lunch time to change certain parts of the music video. For example, I took out a few cross dissolve effects as I believe it was getting a bit too repetitive.

Moreover, I also did some additional filming in the beginning of the lesson which took me roughly ten minutes. Although this may seem very short notice, I believe that it does benefit my music video and was worth the time. The clip consisted of the picture flying away with the wind and landing on the grass. This emphasizes the fact that she has let go of the photograph, and it is the final step to giving up the things associated to her past. I also slowed down the pace of the clip to add significance to the photograph falling.

I am generally happy with my music video. Although some aspects of it did not go to plan, such as the actress pulling in ill, leaving me to step in and take responsibility which was not the initial idea, it allowed me to experiment much more with the footage, and be more flexible with timing.There was also the issue of having a number of clips that looked lovely for example, the shots of me singing, but unfortunately because I had to film myself, I was not completely in the middle of frame.

It has been an extremely valuable project, as I have become much more comfortable with using Final Cut Express, familiarising myself with its effects, how to apply them etc.  I have had to tackle a number of difficulties, but have fortunately been able to overcome them. Overall, I have enjoyed every part of the project, and I am looking forward to the creation of the digipacks!

Symbolism and Justifications

Prior to the filming process, we spent a good amount of time planning our music videos, what we would include in it etc. An important part of our planning was thinking about including metaphors to give our music video some weight, rather than it simply being a video with a performance section and a narrative based performance. After brainstorming a few ideas, I came to the conclusion that I would use a broken glass. This would symbolise the girls broken heart, along with the idea that her life has fallen apart. In my music video, I have anchored this shot of the broken glass with a blackout just before it. I believe this really puts emphasis on the broken piece of glass and the blackout reflects the dark side of the relationship, reinforcing this depressing and forlorn mood of parts of the music video.



Secondly, I have also included a candle. The candle symbolises the girls and the boys relationship. When the candle is lit, is reflects that their relationship is still continuing. However, it also highlights that their relationship is dying out (as reinforced by the burning candle suggesting the fact that it will soon come to an end). There are certain aspects of the music video that include the candle at random points. This acts as a reminder to the audience that time is slowly running out.

 Moreover, I decided in the beginning of the planning stage, that it would be a good idea to use black and white. This black and white effect only intervenes when anchored with the shots of the past. For example, as soon as the establishing shots of Central London are shown, the black and white effect is shown, reflecting that we have gone back in time. I also believe that the lack of colours intensifies the sense of sadness in the flashbacks.



Motifs - A motif is referred to as a subject, theme, etc that is recurring. In this case, the motif in the music video is the candle and the photographs. Both of these things are included a few times in the music video to act as a reminder. For example, as stated above, the candle is repetitively brought up in the music video to remind the audience that time is running out, building a sense of anticipation and suspense. Similarly, the photographs are also brought up in the music video a number of times to reflect that the girl is stuck in a limbo. She is still considering whether to leave or whether to stay. It also reinforces the sense of happiness which the couple once shared, also fortifying the sense of sadness.

Cross dissolves - Cross dissolves are used a number of times in my music video. At first, I thought that there was too much use of the cross dissolves, making the music video less visually appealing. However, I have cut down a number of them which are irrelevant and do not create a effect for the music video. The cross dissolves are used  in the beginning sequence of the music video, to add a nice flow to the music video rather than shots just appearing and disappearing abruptly. I have also included cross dissolves in the section where the protagonist is looking at the picture frame considering reasons why she should leave or stay. I used this effect to establish to the audience that she is going into a thought and flashback of her past, and she is coming to a decision. I believe if I did not include such as thing there would be no distinction between this section and the rest of the music video to signify that there has been a shift in time.


Opacity - In the beginning sequence of the music video, I changed the opacity levels for two images to look overlapping, but still be visible at the same time. I think this  a beautiful effect, and the reason why I included it is due to the fact that it really helps signify that as soon as the girl sees the photograph lying in between the pages, it would instantly help draw her back to her past.

The beginning sequence - Although this idea did not spring to me in the planning stage of the project, I did spend a lot of time afterwards thinking whether I should include it or not. After a while of thinking, and asking those around me, I came to the conclusion that it would be a really nice thing to establish what the music video is about. I believe that this would really emphasize the growth that the girl has made, through the fertility surrounding the girl on the balcony. I also thought that the balcony would really help enhance the idea that she is no longer down, but is rather high, which is emphasized through the use of the low-angle shot looking uo at the balcony. This highlights her status, and power at this point of the music video. Furthermore, rather than using the black and white effect, I decided that I would leave these shots with their initial colour, as the shots look extremely visually appealing. There were a number of colours consisting from green to pink, and hiding these colours with the black and white effect would not be a wise idea, and a good way in reflecting the changes in time.
                                                                        

I also took the lighting into consideration. The lighting varies in different areas. For example, the point where the girl is near the door, the lighting is very dark. This reflects that as she gets closer to the boy (on the other side of the door), her life gets darker. In contrast, when she is on the other side it is a lot brighter.

More Editing.

This lesson I focused on tightening the music video, quickening the pace, cutting out the irrelevant shots and cutting down shots that are too long. The purpose of this is to make my music video more visually interesting, rather than leaving the audience bored. I have also added in some more affects, for example, I have been playing around with the opacity of the clips, showing 2 clips at the same type. I did this particularly in the beginning sequence of the music video to highlight the fact that the picture which was lying in between the books, sparks a number of memories of her past. The shots with I have used on top of the previous clips are those of her birthday, the candle, the Big Ben and her playing thumb wars with her previous boyfriend. I have also anchored these shots with the "cross dissolve" editing effect in the beginning and end of each clip, to make it look more professional, rather than it instantly appearing and disappearing out of the music video.

Another thing in which I have been editing is the lip-syncing shots. I have been cutting out some bits of those as some shots would go on for quite a while. I believe this will strengthen the visual variety in my music video.

This weekend I plan to make a plan of what aspects of the music video I need to touch upon in order to make it better, just in case I forget when it comes to the lesson. As the deadline is coming up soon, it is vital for me to make sure I make the most of my editing time, and time in school, to priorities my editing. 

More editing.

This lesson I have spent the majority of my time adding some more clips towards the end of the music video, such as the one of the girl blowing out the candle to reflect her letting go of the relationship. I have also been adding in some more performance based shots in between certain parts of the music video to quicken the pace, making it more like a music video rather than a fully narrative based production. This also strengthens the visual variety in the music video. Moreover, I have been including some more "cross dissolves" to change the repetitive simple cuts that I use throughout the music video. I also use this effect in the section where the girl in holding the picture frame, sparking the memory of her life at this point in time, to highlight that time has passed.

The return to school - Editing and Reactions.

On Tuesday we returned to school, which meant that editing was on the way again. The first step I took was to upload my footage and view it, gathering an overall opinion on the footage that I have taken over the holidays.  I was quite happy with my footage, particularly the "balcony" shots which consisted of me sitting down, studying, and coming across a picture in between the pages, triggering memories of the past. This shots are exactly how I wanted them to be; bright, colourful, and clear.The lighting is perfect, and I managed to include a lot of the flowers in the balcony, to really emphasize the sense that her life has grown, in contrast to the rest of the music video. I also filmed some establishing shots to set the setting of the music video, in the flat. These shots consisted of low-angle shots looking up at the balcony to emphasize her higher status in her life at this point in time. The shots also include the blue sky, as I really thought it would symbolise her happiness through the bright colours.

I was also quite happy with the footage of me singing. I aimed to find a blank wall to video infront of, as I did not want anything to be a distraction to the audience, making the girl the main focus of these shots. The shots consist of me showing quite a bit of emotion, for example, through putting my head in my hands, suggesting that she is stressed, looking around her (in order to imply that she is searching for a way out, and thinking about what the next step for her is to take). 

The next step for me was to start with fitting in the new footage with the rest of the music video. I started off by putting the balcony clips in the beginning of the music video. I wanted to separate the starting sequence from the whole of the music video to really highlight it as a pivotal moment, for the audience to realise that she is going to look back on her past. I also added in the clips of me singing to enhance the idea that it is actually a music video rather than a short film. Moreover, I added a few more editing techniques such as the overlapping effects in the beginning sequence to show that she is getting flashbacks of her past in her head.