Story Board

Permission Slip

Test Shots / Character design

In this image Kate Nash is in touch with her normal surroundings, this was something we tried to echo in our shots of Laura who will be playing Kate Nash in our video. This normal environment which Kate Nash is surrounded by is a typical convention of the indie genre. However the settings in Kate Nash’s videos whilst normal conceptually, are jazzed up using fun elaborate props which are usually brightly coloured. This image of her is also inspiration as to how we may dress Laura during the scenes in the park and outdoors.

The outfit Laura is dressed in is what we plan to use in some scenes of our music video as the flowery ditsy clots are typical dress used by artists like Kate Nash. Laura's make -up is minimal as is Kate Nash's and other indie artists. We felt this kept to the indie and realistic aspect of the music genre, as the indie genre uses detailed mes-en-scene for the outfits, for example artists often  wear converse and t-shirts; therefore we have put a lot of focus onto what Laura wears. Make-up is not usually a main convention in indie music videos therefore we have chosen to keep her make-up minimalistic, this also emphasizes the importance of fashion which is typical of the pop genre. Although make-up will not be a huge focus in our mes-en-scene, we do plan to paint Laura's nails in vibrant colours as this too reflects the style and image of Kate Nash, and we intend to back-comb Laura's hair so it has a bushy effect.

The poses which Laura has been photographed in are casual as this reflects the attitudes of Kate Nash as she is a relaxed artist who conveys the 'easy life' with no cares. Furthermore the environment is common and what we intend to use in our music video - this is also in keeping with the indie theme.

evaluations of other students music videos

Digipak cover research

The Noisettes relate to our artist Kate Nash particularly through their artistic flare and image. The Noisettes are categorized in the indie/pop/rock music genre, as their music has a soulful and blues tone mixed in with a rock/pop edge. The fashion which is central to the pop genre is a big part of this band’s image, however as the fashion is more of a rock style, they fit into this genre just as well. Therefore the image of the band perfectly matches the band’s music genre. The effect of the mes-en-scene in this digipac is of power this is shown through the close up of the female artist on the cover with the two men appearing much smaller underneath each of her hands.  

We chose Kate Nash as our artist as we liked her style and her portrayal of themes in her video using abstract ideas such as relationships being played out through toys in her video ‘Foundations’. Therefore we have taken inspiration from her dominant use of the mes-en-scene and would like our CD cover to have elements of the two characters- Kate Nash and the Skeleton which we are using in our video to feature combined with a key element of the mes-en-scene from the video on the front and back covers.  Inside the booklet and on the track titles we have chosen a few simplistic yet quirky fonts to write with and will use a colour scheme of navy blue for the font colour.  As the song fits into the indie/pop genre, we feel the use of ‘random’ mes-en-scene identifies the genre well. We also intend to have our Kate Nash dressed in a 60’s outfit as we feel this will be recognisable to the consumer as a Kate Nash indie/pop track, as the artist will be sold as a fun quirky artist.

The layout of the booklet with the song lyrics on one side and a photograph of the artists on the other is attractive to the consumer as there is not too much text and the consumer can see more about the artist through the pictures. The genre of rock is also conveyed through their use of wide spaced gold fonted text.

Digipak cover research

 

Amy Winehouse crosses between R&B and soul, her image as an artist is fifties styled. The text on her CD in particular is of a fifties styled LP, and is designed to look like an old LP record. This relates to her sound as an artist, as her music has a soulful jazz tone. The long and mid-long shots of her, convey her as an artist as being independent and the dramatic make up suggests she has an attitude. The background of the lyrics have a black, wiped chalk-board effect which gives the impression that education isn’t important to her and that she is anti-authoritarian, this is also something which is reflected in Kate Nash’s sarcastic attitude in her videos. The font inside the digi pack is displayed at a slant and uses a simple text. This simplistic lay out conveys the simplicity of her songs, however the slanted text could also represent the R&B slant she has placed in her music. The overall CD package sells Amy Winehouse as a soulful young trend setting artist.

Duffy is an antique pop genre merging modern day pop with a Dusty Springfield sixties tone. This cross genre and the sixties theme running through her music relates to our artist Kate Nash as she too uses elements of sixties themed mes-en-scene and sounds to create her music style. The black and white mes-en-scene used in this digipac reflects Duffy’s simplistic and soulful voice. The insert is simplistic and continues the black and white theme of this album, with sections of the lyrics displayed on the pages of the inserts in capital bold white lettering. This black and white theme is edgy and classy; it conveys the artist’s tone and style. The bold, white capital letters create a statement from the artist; ‘spend your time on me’, and the ellipses makes the consumer want to listen to the song. The front cover uses a mid – close up of Duffy looking thoughtful and in-touch with her soul. This sells Duffy as an artist who is caring and modest. 

Digipak Cover Research

Ellie Goulding’s music is a folktronic genre, mixing the sounds and tone of electronically mixed tracks with her folk music. Her image also reflects these combined genres, as she is simplistically dressed on both the front cover and inserts, wearing a plain black top and hood; however the mes-en-scene in the background is futuristic with gold sparkles surrounding her head and body this is space-like. She has a dreamy eyed look on her face which also echoes the electronic/ space theme.  The use of gold mes-en-scene could be seen to relate her cover with her name. As her name is ‘Goulding’ this reminds the consumer who she is with out having to read her name. The font is simplistic yet sophisticated as it is coloured gold, this colour theme run throughout this CD pack.  The artist is sold to the consumer through this image of sparkling gold sophistication with a genuine folk image conveyed through her close up photos.  The photos of her looking down to earth and genuine is a conventional look for folk and country artists.

Taylor swift’s album reflects her more definitive country aspect of her genre through her outfits which are free flowing, simple outfits and are less revealing than the typical pop outfit, however they are not out of fashion. Taylor Swift’s pop genre is conveyed through her pose on the outer insert as this is a manufactured pose and less naturalistic. However the use of a cool blue background and props such as guitars are reflective of her country roots, the blue is simplistic which portrays the country life she is selling as a country artist. The picture on the actual CD of her feet on the grass also conveys freedom and nature.

They have used a handwritten effect for the text; this makes the audience feel closer to the artist as it is a personal touch from the artist to the consumer.

Although Taylor Swift is primarily a country/pop singer, her cross over in genre is something which Kate Nash also does. Both Nash and Swift mix across into the pop genre.

The image and style from this cover is selling the artist as primarily a country artist, and an innocent artist which children and adults alike will enjoy. As the artist appears mature yet has innocence conveyed through her close up photos, she appeals to both the adult and child markets.