Directors Commentary

Evaluation screen flow

Evaluation Screen flow

Evaluation Screen flow

Music Video

Media A Level Music Video

Digi Pack

The Digi pack presents the band as being involved with their music displaying images of the lead singer singing and setting up his microphone. The expressions on the band members' faces show a contemporary mood of slight distance from the world, seemingly quirky and having their own agenda. The clothing the band members are wearing is down to earth and casual, these clothes are also worn in the video and on the poster creating a recurring sense of style. The small ghostly like cartoon on the guitarist's shirt and the lead singer's wrist bands demonstrate a kind of punk element. The set is unpretentious and straightforward, showing they are more passionate about their music than their public image.The faded, collaged images are creatively experimental, and the images of Camden, clocks, grafitti and the tube map are iconic symbols of London. This is another boost for the band as they are seen as part of London's culture and its well known music scene. The pictures of Camden project the band's youth as Camden is known for being a hot spot for experimental teenagers. The images on the Digi pack are darkly coloured giving the band this underground feel. This album cover has echoes of a young newly signed band, similar to 'The Beatles' when they first arrived on the music scene. The body language on the front of the CD cover suggests that they are determined and centred. The amps, microphones and drums which are shown in the images, make the band look hardworking and dedicated to the music they create. The font is varied and is strongly coloured which is modern eye-catching and constrasting because its unusual. The font has a rough feel as it looks as if it has been cut out of magazines and reassembled to make different worlds and styles. This is similar to the music video that has several different effects and images edited next to each other. Like the music too it's a mix of genres, like 80s pop, indie and rock.

Magazine Advertisement

My magazine advertisement has changed a lot compared to the draft I created, when I first began to plan how I wanted the advertisement to appear. Orginally, I wanted to use a shot which is featured at the end of the music video - this shot displayed the entire band, whilst they walked down the streets of London. However, I decided to change this image to a picture of the lead singer stood in front of a brick wall. Images of brick walls are featured in the music video, therefore using this image created brand idenity. The bricks also suggest that the singer is urban and streetwise. He looks, in this image,  confident and cool, he also looks isolated from the band suggesting that he is an outsider. The black and white effect added to the poster makes the lead singer appear sombre, melancholy and dark. The photograph is slightly out of focus which suggests it is from the past however the checkered shirt is a badge of indie fashion. This  modern dress and makes it clear he is from this time and place.

The font and style of writing I used for the poster is similar to the writing used on the Digi pack; I was aiming for something which suggested an alternative edge, for example the record company label has a retro feel and could be something that you could have seen in the '80s or '90s.  "Generation Records Presents" is outlined in purple and draws the eye in as it's the only colour used.  The text underneath is bolder,bigger and more modern which creates a statement and highlights the band's name suggesting they are a group to watch out for. The font is aggressive because of its size, therefore projecting teenage 'in yer face' anger. The darkness of the font echoes the mood of the band and their music.The name of the song is in smaller font above the band's name and is similarly reflected in white below. This upside down reflection has a disorientating effect, again lending a more modern edge to the band.
The aggressive type face and urban wall is balanced out with the ordinariness of the lead singer's appearance.

The poster features quotations from well known, reputable music magazines such as 'NME' and 'Kerrang'. Because of the music these magazines are associated with it lends the band authenticity, and the postitive reviews will help to increase sales and convince the public of their talent.

Mock up of Digi Pack and CD Cover

Here is my first draft of my digi pack. When developing and creating ideas for my digi pack, I looked at the photographs I took during the shoot , and decided I wanted to use a number of them for the digi pack. However the shot I wanted to use for the front of the digi pack is the last shot of the music video. I thought this was the perfect shot to use because the male singer looks confident and independent. By using the final shot of the music video it also creates brand idenity, linking the CD cover to the  music  video therefore making the artist more established in the public eye.

The shots I used on the rest of the digi pack are of the band behaving naturally instead of posed like most artists' digi packs. The reason I chose this type of look is because I want the band to appear laidback and carefree. The shots that I use on the digi pack will be edited so that the colour appears faded; an alternative idea to this is having all the shots in black and white. Both these effects will create a rough and edgy effect which is part of the band's image. The title of the band will be written in a dark yellow font similar to the font on the cover of Nirvanas' 'Lithium' album , this font will also be used on the magazine advert, and on the CD itself. I also liked the dark colours on the 'Lithium' album and that inspired me to use a dark yellow and black colour scheme. I really like the idea of collages , and thought this would be an interesting and unusual design choice. I decided I wanted to feature some collages of the band on the back of the digi pack , where the lyrics of the songs are written. For the digi pack most of the pictures I have chosen show the band as being united and together, however I still wanted to keep the concept of the lead singer as being more of an outsider then the rest of the band. Therefore some of the images show  the lead singer as being slightly distant from the other band mates; the cover of the CD shows the lead singer alone, hinting that he is more isolated. The CD itself is dark yellow with the same Nirvana-inspired font. The name of the band will go around the CD following its shape, getting smaller as it gets nearer to the centre of the CD. This look is abstract , slightly surreal and quirky. Most  of the pictures featured on the digi pack have the brick wall of the basement where the music video was shot in the background. The brick wall was important to show because it makes the band appear trapped and is  also slightly rough, urban and unpretentious, which matches the band's attitude.

Magazine Advertisement


The magazine advertisement has a thin black border around the edges to make it look official and neat. The font will be the same font on the digi pack, again creating brand identity. For the image on the magazine advertisement I wanted to use a shot that was not featured in the music video. The shot features the band and some groupies walking down the street in Gospel Oak with the lead singer Rowan slightly ahead of the group. The reason I chose this image is because the roads are clear, making the band appear more isolated; the expression on Rowans face is carefree and he looks effortlessly cool. His distance from the band make him appear strong and confident therefore making his music appear more interesting. The rest of the band and the groupies look youthful and happy , which sells the music more as it gives the viewer the impression that this is how they will feel when they listen to the music. Underneath the band's name are quotes from famous alternative rock magazines such as 'Kerrang' and 'NME' , saying about how they feel about the band's album. This makes the music much more desirable, as it  has been proved popular by well known media sources. Below the image is the title of the song in bold; this makes the song more recognisable, and also gives the viewer a sneak preview into what the song's meaning is. The houses in the background of the street where the band stands make the setting appear urban and make the band appear "street savvy" and slightly rebellious as they wander around in a gang through the streets of London. During the music video shoot I experimented with using a flare lighting effect in some shots and the result was brilliant: it added a very dramatic and experimental effect.  I wanted to add this lighting effect to the photograph to create a glamorous night time effect.

Nirvana "Lithium" album.