Website Updates

News Page:
























We've added a new story to our news page which links in with our magazine article and front cover. We spoke about Ivory featuring on the cover of the music magazine NME as a part of their ten year anniversary publications.

Home Page:

We've added the album release date to the home page, alongside the release of the single 'Like Me'. This will allow fans to pre-order and prepare for Ivory's album release.

Page Titles:

To all of the pages we have added social media links so that our fans can constantly access our social media pages and follow our artist. 

The buttons link to Ivory's Facebook and Twitter pages and are present on every page of our website.

Final Tour Poster

After asking our class and receiving extensive feedback we have made some amendments to our first tour poster.
Here is our first draft and the changes we have made:

 



The changes we have made are:

-We changed our colour scheme from dark colours (black and purple) to lighter colours like blue and white. This was because the lighter colours were more suitable for Ivory's image and they match the synergy which is present throughout our work and her artistry.

-We made sure that the writing of the tour dates can be seen and that the dates do not cover her image.

 

Here is our final tour poster:

 

Music Video Feedback- Jake Wynne

Jake Wynne, a professional music video director, was able to give us feedback on our music videos which was amazing to receive as it helped us finalise our music videos. His criticisms and comments were invaluable to us during the final stages of this process because having someone, who has been successful in this industry, comment on our videos was incredible and a real help with our final feedback.

St. Dizier- Bang Bang: Nice framings, and interesting locations with a refreshingly different grade. However, the edit could have done with some more dynamics though to differentiate the build of the track.

Final Heidi- A good energy to the edit and a great use of the photographic technique which resolves nicely at the end of the video. Heidi's performance was consistently strong and her lip-sync was also good. It would have been nice to see a bit more this lip-sync through the video.

Love Now- Final draft: A great set up and concept with the first person perspective. Some really good  locations with amazing colours and vistas. Some more dynamics from the editing would have helped to drive this video along and give a better build to the day ending. It would have been nice to see a bit more of the lip-sync through the video.

Hypnotic Final Video- Really good use of the varying visual dynamics through different parts of the song. The edit picked out the changes in the music very well and the lip-syncing was especially strong. Good use of locations to give variety.

Rolling with Elephants- Great lip-sync, really tight with the editing and I really enjoyed the painted on digital effects. They worked especially well as outlines on the main performance.

I Don't Mind- Tori Lorente: A good filmic aesthetic to the video, with a nice use of colour. Some great framings and solid lip-sync throughout. A little more variety in the edit would have helped it build a bit more towards the end.

Final Video- Megan Thomas: A strong narrative thread that was well performed and consistent. The lip-syncing was very good and the emotion was conveyed very well. A good balance between the narrative and the lip-sync performance, with the cross cutting of both working well.

Ava Final Draft: Good use of varied locations and a strong narrative thread running through. Great lip-sync and a good balance between narrative and performance elements, resulting in a satisfying resolution.

Iuris- Something More: Innovative use of grading, and clever transition technique between shots. Strong lip-sync and some really interesting framing on the performance moments.

Ivory Final- Good strong editing, with clear definitions between verse and chorus. Interesting compositions and a clear filmic aesthetic. The lip-sync was especially good with a clear emotional drive and areas of light and shade.   

Avenue- Monday Morning (Final): A really clear beginning, middle and end. A well thought out video with endearing performances from the band with great lip-sync and fun energy. The comedy was well balanced and the view continued to develop as new scenes played out, helping to drive the story through.

Stay Draft 2: Once again, a lovely filmic aesthetic here, with very well composed shots pulling as much out of the environments as possible. The performances were well lip-synced, but at times I felt the emotions were not as clearly signposted.

Magazine Article: Ivory

After conducting magazine article research we wrote and constructed a magazine article for Ivory in the well known music magazine: NME.

Digipak Analysis

Here is a detailed analysis of our second digipak draft, which outlines the shot types and why we chose them for our album's digipak:

Filming Locations

Whilst filming we went to several different locations. Here is an evaluation of our third location:

Ivory Wins Best New Artist

Ivory has just received the Best New Artist award at the NME Music Magazine Awards after an astounding response from her newly formed fan base.
As the award was voted for by her fans this award means so much to Ivory and her whole team. Here is her acceptance speech from the award ceremony which took place in London last night:

Third Digipak Attempt

Here is our third full digipak:

Digipak Amendments

The amendments we made since the last digipak update:

• We've added Ivory's signature blue streak through her name to the front cover of the album.
• We changed the bottom left image from the image of the trees to an image of Ivory.
• The 'thank you' section of the digipak has been amended so that it is no longer just a quote and now surrounds an image of Ivory

Possible Digipak Ammendments: Signed CD

Whilst amending our digipak we played around with the idea of incorporating our artist's signature on the CD cover, here is the result:

Digipak Update

After receiving feedback on our first digipak draft we had to make a few amendments before creating and completing the final version. One of these changes was adding the institution information to the back cover. The institutional information is crucial and must be included on every digipak which is something we discovered through our digipak research.

After looking at several official digipaks including these:

We began to see similarities in their institutional and extra information. For example, both feature barcodes so this was something we added to our digipak. Secondly, both feature the artist's recording company and who distributed their album which is again something that we made sure to add to our digipak.

The institutional information we added went as followed:

Polar Republic Records Ltd.
Distributed by Sony Music Entertainment
All Rights Reserved
189 Soho Avenue, London, W1D 3AP







Here is our second digipak draft:

Polar Records Institution Logo

To complete our digipak, in particular the back cover, we had to create an institution logo for Ivory's music label- Polar Records.

 

 

Editing Techniques

Editing was invaluable to us when creating this music video because I often had to edit the original clips in different ways to help highlight the craziness/unhinged personality of Ivory during the chorus.
One example of this can be seen below. This is a gif which we made using a clip from the first chorus our music video. Here, Ivory can be seen with messy hair and a deranged look which I managed to enhance through the editing techniques used below.

1) This is a quick video which shows how I edited this sequence using Premiere Pro:





2) This is an example of a Jump Cut which is featured in our music video. Here's how we did it:

New Shot Ideas

After receiving some feedback on our music video we concluded that we urgently needed a wider variety of shots including extreme close ups, wide shots and high angle shots.
To find inspiration we looked for music videos which were similar to ours to see their variety of shots, here is what we found:

Website Update

After conducting our website research we found that female solo artist's tend to have a cover page to their website. On this cover page, the viewer can access the artist's latest music and the artist's official website via a link.
It was because of this discovery that we have created a cover page which, via a button, links to the official website.

So here is the link to our new website (featuring the cover page with a moving background):
http://ivoryofficial.wixsite.com/iamivoryofficial

Digipak First Official Draft

Here is our final, first draft of our digipak which we will be receiving feedback on very shortly. Once we have received this feedback we will begin the process of making amendments in order to complete the digipak in time for the final deadline next week.

First Draft Feedback

We received lots of feedback from different media groups which was extremely helpful as there was lots we needed to adjust  including our merchandise and our digipak.

Key Pieces of Feedback:
Good:
Some nice shots in the music video sneak peek
Our artist's image fits the genre and style of video we are trying to create
Good use of interesting locations which match your image
Good use of different social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Nice, simple album cover with continuity of image from this to our music video.

Needs Work:
Need to ensure their is continuity across all band products regarding the colour of the logo; must always be the same
Need to change up the framing of the shots to have more diversity
Album digipak needs some work and needs to be completed with less focus on images
The flowery dress that can be seen in the music video sneak peek doesn't really fit in with the other outfits or the artist's image as a whole
When the beat drops at the start of the chorus, the shot needs to clearly indicate this drop and the artist needs to start going crazy
The merchandise is too male-orientated and needs more diversity
In order to appeal to a younger demographic, a non-explicit version of the song needs to be released.

First Draft

Here is the first complete draft of the music video for Ivory's debut single 'Like me':

Elements Tour Poster: First Draft

Shooting Schedule

Here is the shooting schedule for the filming of our music video 'Like Me':

Date	Location	Props/costume	Interior/ exterior
25th of September	Danbury	Black dress	Exterior
30th of September	Danbury	Black/flowery dress	Exterior
4th of October	Danbury	Black jacket/top/jeans	Exterior
9th of October	South end	Black jacket/top/jeans	Exterior
15th of October	Danbury	Black dress	Exterior
19th of October	Back of field, by pond	Black dress	Exterior
23rd of October	Danbury	Black/flowery	Exterior
28th of October	Danbury	Black dress	Exterior
2nd of November	Danbury	Black/flowery dress	Exterior
6th of November	Danbury	Black jacket/top/jeans	Exterior
10th of November	South end	Black jacket/top/jeans	Exterior
15th of November	Danbury	Black dress	Exterior
18th of November	Back of field, by pond	Black dress	Exterior
22nd of November	Danbury	Black/flowery	Exterior
30th of November	Danbury	Black dress	Exterior

Tour Poster Research

To help us promote our artist we will be going on tour around the UK, opening for an artist in a few small venues before heading out on our own for a couple of dates in February 2017.
In order to promote our tour we have to create a tour poster which will be posted on our website and around London. We decided to create two tour posters, one promoting Ivory and the artist she is opening for and one solely promoting Ivory and her Elements tour.

Above is our tour poster research in which we analyse the key features of a typical tour poster for a female, solo artist.


Here is the tour poster research we conducted to help us create an original and appropriate tour poster for Ivory's debut tour 'Elements':

Shot List

Here is a detailed shot list, outlining every shot and location in our music video first draft.

First Tour Poster

As our artist is a new, up and coming artist it is unrealistic to assume she would go on a sellout European tour performing in huge venues around the UK.
As a result of this we have decided to go on tour with the established indie artist Ladyhawke who is going on tour around the UK in February next year. Ivory will be opening for Ladyhawke at the start of her UK tour and so we have created a tour poster for Ivory's leg of Ladyhawke's UK tour.

Merchandise Shoot

Aim for Today's Filming

Today will hopefully be our last day filming as we hope to film the remaining footage we need for our music video. We are going to predominantly film the singing shots needed for the chorus as well as a few long shots and cutaways.

Here is an example of one type of cutaway/transition that we are hoping to film today and feature in our music video.



This type of fast, whip motion is something we are hoping to recreate through both editing and filming techniques.
In this music video, these transitions are used to cut between the artist singing in different locations. They create a smooth and interesting transition which isn't too difficult for the audience to visually comprehend.

The full sequence of shots we are trying to recreate can be seen below:


We will set the camera up and have Ivory stand in one position, sing a line, quickly move the camera to the left and then re do until she has appeared in four different locations in a circle. This should hopefully, with a little editing, create the above effect which we will feature in our chorus.

Photo Evidence

Throughout this process we had to document our progress through photo evidence to show us working as a group. Here are some of the photos we took:

 The group listening to Tilly's presentation and making notes.

 Tilly presenting a music video song idea to the group.

Tilly and Connor working on presentations and research.

Storyboard

Here is the final storyboard for our music video 'Like Me':

Weather Precautions

As we filmed the majority of our music video outside, one factor we had to constantly account for was the weather.

First Draft: Magazine Cover

Here is the first draft of our magazine cover which features our artist, Ivory, on the front cover of the well known publication NME.

Halfway Evaluation Feedback

We received lots of feedback from different media groups which was extremely helpful as there was lots we needed to adjust  including our merchandise and our digipak.

Key Pieces of Feedback:
Good:

• Some nice shots in the music video sneak peek
• Our artist's image fits the genre and style of video we are trying to create
• Good use of interesting locations which match your image
• Good use of different social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
• Nice, simple album cover with continuity of image from this to our music video

Needs Work:

• Need to ensure their is continuity across all band products regarding the colour of the logo; must always be the same
• Need to change up the framing of the shots to have more diversity
• Album digipak needs some work and needs to be completed with less focus on images
• The flowery dress that can be seen in the music video sneak peek doesn't really fit in with the other outfits or the artist's image as a whole
• When the beat drops at the start of the chorus, the shot needs to clearly indicate this drop and the artist needs to start going crazy
• The merchandise is too male-orientated and needs more diversity
• In order to appeal to a younger demographic, a non-explicit version of the song needs to be released

                      

Halfway Evaluation and Feedback

Today we presented our halfway evaluation to our class and received their feedback on every element of our artist brand so far including the website, the name, the digipak, the merchandise and the music video itself.

Here is our halfway evaluation presentation:

Ivory Gifs

Here we have created a few different gifs which have been featured on our artist's social media platforms as teasers for our upcoming music video.

Music Video Sneak Peek

Here is a 45 second sneak peek into the beginnings of our music video: Gasoline.

Merchandise Updates and Website

One key piece of feedback that we received from our halfway evaluation was that our merchandise was too manly and wasn't very exciting. We really took this on board and quickly rectified the issue.

These are our original merchandise pieces which we were told were too male-orientated. The original pieces include tops, jumpers, and caps.

 

We took this feedback on board and made our merchandise more unisex. Our new pieces include a more diverse range of merchandise including tops, hoodies, posters, bags, caps and specific tour merchandise.
Furthermore, we have created a separate merchandise website which links to our original website so that fans can easily access Ivory's merchandise from her website homepage. This is an idea which we derived from information collected from our similar artist website research.

Here is our merchandise website which features all of our current merchandise pieces with different pieces being added regularly.

http://saraholivier1.wixsite.com/ivorymerchandise

As you can see when you venture onto our official website, there is a active link to the 'Merch Store' which takes you directly to our merchandise website.

http://saraholivier1.wixsite.com/ivoryofficial 

One thing we considered extensively when making our merchandise website was continuity and synergy across band products. This was because during our halfway evaluation we received the feedback that our artist's image and colours were not presented consistently across all of our products including the website, the original merchandise and the video itself.
This is why we chose a neutral, professional colour scheme for our merchandise website; ensuring to incorporate the colours which feature throughout our website, digipak and artist's logo.

Colours such as white and light blue with black writing can be seen throughout our merchandise website.

Further Website Research

When designing our website we studied and researched other solo female artist's websites to see what key features are present in all of their websites.
The three main artist's websites that we consistently drew inspiration from were: Lady Gaga's, Lorde's and Ellie Goulding's.

Key Features:

• The artist's picture/image is the first thing you see on the website and is usually the home page background.
• All of the websites are very minimalistic and simplistic which works well with the artist's image.
• All promote the artist's current album or single on the home page.

Lady Gaga

Lorde

Ellie Goulding

Digipak First Draft

Music Video Analysis

Today I watched a really inventive and professional music video which has given me some great ideas for our music video.

Tori Kelly- Hollow


The thing that stands out to me when watching this music video is the quick and smooth transitions that link the music video together.
I particularly like this way of cutting a music video together because it is different and not your run of the mill editing technique which creates an element of excitement when watching it. Not only that but after watching this simple but creative music video I have been given new ideas for our own music video and how to edit it together so that it stands out.



It was these types of shot transitions that gave us the idea to change up our current editing technique to something more exciting.

Social Media Update

Twitter

 

As you can see we have started personalising our social media pages with posts offering sneak peaks and interactive gifs and pictures of our artist.

Danbury Filming Reflection

Over the past couple of weeks we have visited this location in Danbury multiple time to get as many quality shots as possible. This location is perfect because it has a more industrial feel to it with the abandoned greenhouses and warehouses, but also has a more nature orientated side to it. With lots of beautiful apple trees, plenty of land and nature footpaths; this was the perfect location. Whilst we were at this location we got lots of great footage that we can use throughout our music video.

At this location we had planned many different shots but when we arrived at this location for the first time we realised that some of our shot ideas were not feasible due to health and safety reasons.
However, despite this setback we got some great improvised shots which were really fun to film.

We did not expect the location to be as picturesque as it turned out to be which was really helpful for the more scenic elements to our video but we then had to create some more gritty shots, using the darker elements of the location, for the rest of the music video.


What went wrong at this location:
We had to go filming at this location multiple times and so due to poor weather, the lighting often differed across the footage which made some of the footage unusable.
We struggled to film all of the shots we wanted because of health and safety concerns with the low ceilings and fragile greenhouses.

Ivory's Signature

To help us develop Ivory's image we created a unique signature which she will use to sign the album digipak and our merchandise.

 

Feedback on Album Cover

 

Album Cover

 

 

  Back Cover

Teacher- Miss Brookes:
I really like the font as it is clear and simple to read.
The image is really nice and works with the artist image you have created.
Improve:
Try warming the image up slightly, so that it matches the rest of the colours in your digipak.

Classmates:
Georgia:
Album Cover: The font really suits the cover and the photo is good.
Back Cover: The consistency of the fonts across the two photos really works.

Music Video Storyboard