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

Feedback on Editing

After we started to edit our music video and it started to come together, we thought it would be a good idea to ask for feedback on our editing to see what we did well and what we could improve. Below is the feedback that we received:

What We Did Well:

• The footage is very clear and the colour of the footage from the different locations match perfectly. Meaning that the footage works well together and looks professional. 
• A couple of the fast cut shots match perfectly with the chorus of the song and therefore look really good within the music video.

What Could Have Been Improved:

• The locations we chose have very different themes and so when edited together they look strange. To improve this we had the idea of putting the more calm/innocent footage at the beginning of the music video and the crazy footage towards the end to show the development of her image. This would help the footage make sense to the audience.
• Another improvement that could be made to the editing of our music video is the special effects. We need to include more exciting and quirky effects that will fit in with creepy image we are trying to portray for our artist. 
• We also need to work on the lip sync to ensure that the timing of the song with the footage of the artist singing is perfectly in sync so it is believable to the audience. 

Update on Ivory's image

During the music video process, we decided that the image we wanted to create for Ivory needed amending and so we began to make changes to her clothing, make up and hair so that we could perfectly portray this 'new' image.

Possible Digipak Ideas

Album Cover Ideas:

Inside Cover Ideas:

Website: Early Stages

The website of an artist is extremely important as it is a universal platform that allows the artist to connect with their fans and vice versa.
We have begun designing the website for our artist Ivory and are slowly getting to grips with the perfect layout and content in order to accurately represent our artist.

Here is our website so far:



Improvements to made:

• Once our music video is complete we must upload it to the website
• When we have completed the "Making of Gasoline" video it must be uploaded also
• Tour dates are to be added
• We must complete and update our biography paragraphs 
• Complete our gallery page
• Create an Instagram link
• Create a unique fan page
• Add a merchandise page
• Create a press release for the new album
• Finalise changes and layout
• Receive feedback and make further improvements

Reflection of Southend filming

Today we visited Leigh-On-Sea and Hadleigh castle to do some extra filming for our music video. Whilst we were there we got a lot of great footage but we did make a few filming mistakes.

Great Improvised Shots:
Because we went filming with no real idea as to what shots we wanted to get it opened us up to some amazing, improvised filming possibilities which was really exciting and fun for everyone.
Shots like this one were purely improvised after we saw the water and the pylons under the bridge whilst walking past. Once we had an idea of what we would do we set up and started filming. The result was a visually stunning tracking shot of the artist walking through the water which serves as a great way to the start the music video.














Another example of fun and improvised filming was our trip to Hadleigh Castle. We went to Southend to film in Leigh on Sea and expected to stay filming there for the entire time we were out but after seeing a map that featured the castle we decided to take a trip down there in the hope that we would get some cool shots; and we did.
The castle and the land were amazing and provided many different shot ideas and camera angles, like this circular tracking shot we filmed inside the castle ruins itself.















What went wrong:
This was a shot idea that came out of nowhere and was completely improvised in the moment. Two members of our group saw that the train was about to pass and rushed us to set up and film our artist in front of the passing train.
It would have been a great shot if it wasn't for a few silly mistakes. As you can see from the shot below, we accidentally got shadows in the shot which distracts the audience away from the artist thus ruining the shot.
Secondly, because we rushed setting up and didn't have time to focus before the train passed, our artist can be seen smiling and laughing before going into character but at that point the shot was almost over and the train had almost completely passed.

Album and Track Listing

Album name: Elements
Available to pre-order on 11/02/2017

Track Listing:

1. Gasoline
2. Falling
3. Hurt
4. Reckless
5. Hurricane
6. Black Heart
7. Tangled
8. Spirit 
9. Deeper
10. Scars

The current single 'Gasoline' is out now and available to buy.

Magazine Research

To help us create our artist's first magazine cover and article we conducted some music magazine research to ensure we stuck to our genre conventions.

Artist Synergy

After having looked into synergy across band products (Beyonce's Lemonade album) it became clear to us that we would need to brand our artist in a similar way.
Synergy is key for an artist to present continuity and to stay consistent for their fans. This something we considered extensively whilst creating our artist, her logo, digipak and music video.

The beginnings:
At the start of the process we, as a group, struggled to come up with a theme for the music video that we could also use to tie all of artist products together. Here are a few of the ideas that we came up with:
- florals
- natural elements (wind, fire etc.)
- concept ideas (powder paint, water etc)

However, after thoroughly studying the lyrics we decided that none of these themes, on their own, would work for our music video and our artist synergy.

Lyric Analysis

"Are you insane like me? Been in pain like me?-  We imaged a crazed women, with smeared make up and tangled hair singing this line. A woman on the verge of madness. We had the idea of demonstrating a slow descent into madness throughout the music video, with our artist starting the music video appearing calm and collected but slowly appearing more and more deranged and unhinged as the song and video develops. 

These voices won't leave me alone,

Low on self esteem, so you run on gasoline."

These lyrics paint a much darker image than we had previously thought and so we had to appropriately adapt our music video and artist to fit.

On the other hand, as this is our artist's first single we did not want to go too alternative just in case we alienate a large proportion of our possible fan base, so we had to try and combine our previous theme ideas and the new lyric research we had collected to create our final theme. 

Danbury Risk Assessment

Here is an updated version of our risk assessment for the filming we conducted in Danbury.

Font Research

When trying to establish Ivory's brand synergy and her image we had to decide on a font that we would use for her name and consistently throughout all of her products.
In order to do this we used the site DaFont.com to search and ultimately decide on a font that we would use. Here are some of the fonts that we picked for our final choices:

We chose to use the font type Marzo because after receiving feedback from our class, this was the font with the most votes.

Merchandise

Here are our merchandise designs which we will feature on our artist's website:

Our t-shirt design which will be available for both men and women. We will price it at £20.

Here is our hat selection that we have created, both featuring our artist's logo.
We will price the beanie at £10 and the snapback at £15.

Here is one of our jumper designs, available for both men and women and in a range of different colours.
It will be priced at £25.

Our second jumper design still features our artist logo but is a bit more inventive and will be available in a range of different colours.
Priced at £25.

Merchandise Research

We liked the idea of having a song lyric on the front of a grey or white jumper, with the name of the artist on the back.
This is an idea that we got from merchandise like this Beyonce jumper which features a lyric from her single 'Formation' on the front of it.

We also had the idea of not only creating clothing but hats and snapbacks, as well as other accessories like tote bags and wristbands.
For example, this snapback features a lyric from another Beyonce song and has Beyonce's name on the back.
We took the idea of featuring the artist's name and decided to create a snapback that featured our artist's logo on the front.

Finally, we decided that instead of featuring a picture of our artist on our merchandise we would stick to using our artist logo instead.
So, we chose to use our artist logo on every element of our merchandise which connects the artist to their merchandise and ties the whole collection together.

Artists with Similar Style

The style of our artist is extremely important in the making of our music video because we need to ensure that all mise-en-scene and style details match perfectly thus helping us create an effective image for our artist, Ivory.

It was because of this we decided to do some research into artists which have a similar style to that which we are trying to create for Ivory. 

Artist Track Listing

This is our first attempt at names for songs on Ivory's album "Elements".

Tracks:

1. Gasoline
2. Droplets
3. Falling Flames
4. Willows
5. Spirit
6. Tangled
7. Black Heart
8. Scar
9. Stream Light
10. Energy of the Soul

Artist Photo Shoot

Website Research

To help us with our Wix website, we did some research into similar artist's websites including Lana Del Rey and Chvches.

Website Research from SarahOlivier1

Social Media

Social media platforms can make or break new artists and are vital in promoting and launching new careers.
Here are links to Ivory's Social Media platforms including:
Twitter- https://twitter.com/Official_ivory_
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/ivory.hawkins.92?fref=ts

Interview with the Artist

Here is Ivory's first official interview with MTV in which she discusses her music career high and lows, as well as the reasons she started singing.



Interview Script:

Interviewer: When was the first time you realised music was your future?
Ivory: When I was ten years old I picked up a microphone from a karaoke machine I had got for Christmas. I started singing "The Promise" by Girls Aloud, and from then on no one could stop me sining. I think I started to annoy everyone…
Interviewer: What is your most embarrassing moment in your career so far?
Ivory: My first gig that I got was because of my mum. She got me a gig in a local bar in Camden. I was 16 years old and I was so nervous and when I arrived there was only one very drunk man sitting at the back of the bar.
Interviewer: Best moment of your career so far?
Ivory: Last week I was talking to one of my friends and she told me that I had become one of the top 10 best newcomers on the Radio 1 chart. That was a big moment for me and I sat calling everyone I knew because I was so excited.
Interviewer: What was the first album you ever bought?
Ivory: When I was 12 years old, I saved up my pocket money for a couple of months and when I had enough I ran down to the local music store. The album I bought was The Best of 'S Club 7' and I still have the album to this day.

Artist Logo

Today we had to create our artist's logo and experiment with different fonts and ideas. Here are a few of our favourites and our final artist logo:

Final Artist Logo

Mood Board

In order to help us come up with ideas for our music video, I decided to create a mood board of inspirations for Ivory's appearance and costume, possible music video shots and locations as well as other elements we wished to include.

Location Shots

Today we visited a few possible music video locations and took a few photos to help us with inspiration for our music video.

Steal-O-Matic

To help us with inspiration for our music video, we have taken clips from similar music videos and edited them together to fit our song. This will give us shot and storyline inspiration for our music video.

Production Diary

Below is a presentation for our production diary throughout this process. Each slide lists several different days and what we, as a group, did on that day that contributed to our final project.

Letter of Permission

Here is our letter of permission to the artist, Halsey, asking to perform and create a music video for her song 'Gasoline'.
As it is for educational purposes only, it shouldn't be an issue but we have to write to the artist, or in this case the record company to ask for permission.

Risk Assessment

Similar Artist Research

Our artist is Halsey and is from the indie/pop genre. We researched similar artists to see their fashion, hair, style etc. to help us develop our artist and plan costumes. The artists below are also from the same genre...

VERITE

VERITIE'S moving Echo EP is pure pleasure-pop, featuring an enchanting mix of danceable beats supporting well-crafted harmonies. Byrne's voice is warm and inviting, and she seems like a genuinely nice person, but it remains to be seen whether her social media persona and stage presence can flourish into something marketable and quirky enough for the viral demands of the scene.

 

Allie X



Allie X is putting her own spin on the shock-pop genre with he GIF-inspired Jungian meditations on medical trauma and issues of he self. With a good sense of style and an even better ear for synth lines and hooky choruses, Allie X is bound for fame.

 

Phoebe Ryan

 

Phoebe Ryan is an American singer/songwriter from Texas. She began her music career as a songwriter, writing for artists such as Oh Honey, Bea Miller and Skizzy Mars before moving on to bigger names such as Britney Spears. She released her first solo single in 2015 which was a mash up of 'Ignition' and 'Do You', before being signed to the record label Columbia Records. With the help of Columbia she released the single 'Mine' which received recognition from Taylor Swift and Tove Lo. She currently has 1.2 monthly listeners on Spotify and 20.2k followers on Twitter.