Practising Photoshop

 

In order to get ready for editing our print productions, we were given a few tasks to do as to practice getting use to using Adobe Photoshop.

 

Firstly, I opened the CD template to ensure the right size and created a duplicate background copy to ensure I could freely adjust this layer, I then coloured the background with a mellow yellow by using the fill tool on the side panel. Secondly, I inserted the photograph of the band and resized them as to fit along the bottom of the template, using a magnetic lasso tool to select around them and inverting to allow myself to user the eraser tool to rub out the white background of the band without hindering the band themselves. Furthermore, I used the text tool to write the band's name and the album, using the line tool also to create underlines and over lines to the text. Finally, I inserted the decorative pattern, brought it to the top layer (so it could be the furthest forward on the cover) and rotated  it around as to get it the right way up. I then used the magic wand to select and erase the white parts of the pattern and changed the opacity to get a softer grade.

 

 

With this exercise, I again opened the CD template and created a duplicate layer from background, adding in an image of crumpled paper to fit over this and become the main background for print. In a separate panel I opened a pre-made Kabeedies poster and separately cropped each band member out, dragging them across to the template once finished. Moreover, adding pre-made photograph frames and fitting them over each image of the band member to ensure they fit nicely; rotating to give difference between the members. Much like the previous edit, I opened the text tool and write the band's name, also using lines as underlines and over-lines to the text. Again, I used the text tool and write "truth" over the centre of the image, bring it above the other layers as to have it on top and changed the opacity so that it wasn't blocking the band. Finally, I used an oval select tool to create a circle hitting each edge of the template, creating a curves adjustment layer and inverting selection in order to apply to the corners of the cover; I dragged the curves line down to allow for darker corners and added a Gaussian blur to make the darkness fade in naturally. As for uploading both these images to my blog, I saved each as a J-PEG after finishing under "Complete Productions" and uploaded these to the blog via my documents.   

Rough Album Cover ideas

For the print production, designs needed to be collated that would best represent the aesthetic style of the music video, ideologies that we had represented within this (based on the band's own views) and conventions of Trip-hop album covers alike. With this in mind, I decided to digitally create a rough album cover in order to best represent ideas of a final product.

The band's font, used on their albums
and website.

Firstly, when shooting our music video outside the American Embassy we already had pre-conceptions of what we ideally wanted for the front cover of the album; therefore, we took stills of the actor in the music video in order to gather resources for editing when it came to the print production process. The main idea was to take two close-ups of actor; one as the business man character, the other as the protestor and crop each down the middle, merging the two images together to create a whole individual with the two personalities that the actor plays. Moreover, the choice of this was simply to further highlight the idea of the different paths people take based on their belief system i.e. is one controlled by their own morals/opinions or driven by power and greed. Additionally, we took these photos at the American embassy in order to further highlight the connotations of corruption and social inequality; the bars work nicely in each image as well, showing how perhaps each persona is trapped between their own beliefs, enforcing the idea of choice. Furthermore, the rough text in the top corner is the band's name; I have used a bold red in order to make Fold stand out, in a way attempting to give the band more recognition. Also, red is symbolic of power and danger, traits that are similar to how we have represented our businessman character (note the red tie as well); in terms of font, I have tried to link it closely to the
band's original font.

The name I have given, "We Must Speak" is the title of one of the band's earlier album; instead of creating a new one, I feel that this perfectly sums up the purpose of Fold's music, in particular, the track we have created a music video for. This is as Fold base their tracks around positive speech samples that represent the true ideologies about our society, and so using "We Must Speak" governs the idea that each track holds truth about the world we live in and it is our job as listeners to voice these messages. On another note, my tutor suggested I take a look at propaganda art to see if I could find any influence from this type of advertisement that may help form a better visual composition of the split-screen; after browsing, I found a few intriguing poster highlighting the differences between socialism and capitalism, the ones above are particularly striking through the use of colour to illustrate to of the same people living under different regimes. This difference in colour is something that I'm likely going to explore when going on to enhance the main panel of my print production, instead, looking at the differences between the 99% and the 1% as apposed to socialism or capitalism (although very similar).

The left image is a rough representation of how I'd perhaps like the CD to open, opening the main panel in to the two halves of the character seems to bear a very aesthetically pleasing look. I based this idea on the album "Entroducing" (Deluxe edition) by DJ Shadow, a renown trip-hop artist.

A video I shot, showing the designs and how the panels open on "Entroducing", giving and idea of how I would like my print production panel to open.

I used a still from one of our split-screen shots within the music video as print on the back panel, the contrast between the "Gove out!" signs at a protest and a business man in the docklands is a highlight of social equality. Whereby, the 99% are making themselves heard against the 1%, of whom are corruptly hurting our society. Although it seems to work well visually, stronger connotations could perhaps be drawn from using a different image to represent the corporate side of the split-screen e.g. further establishment of the docklands, or even stocks. In addition, I have added quote about the band to compliment their reputation, it reads "This is political; it's intelligent & it's music with something to say." - No-TiTLE Magazine. This quote is genuine, and was gathered from their website. Also, I've added a few brief copyright lines to add professionalism.  

After discussing ideas with my teacher, I was able to come up with another possibility for one the panels of the print production - a split-screen photograph of closed down shop opposing the rather modernist banks and stock firm buildings. This gives a strong sense of broken Britain and inequality between classes; whereby, the politically corrupt at the top of the social ladder are doing nothing to help the lower classes through struggles of recession, instead revelling in their own greed. Again, this links in with the ideologies of the band and so would also be suitable for their target audience.  

Locations for the Music Video

Our first choice of location was The Forum, Norwich; this was primarily due to the fact that we needed to film some form of protest in order to create opposition for the planned business man shots, and it so happened that there was a teacher strike occurring here whilst we were in the planning stages of our production. Moreover, this location for protest worked in our favour, The Forum has the aesthetics of a corporate building (the structure and use of glass give it similarity to buildings in Docklands, London); in addition, the contrast between this and the protest gives a strong sense of the 99% against the 1%, a message we are strongly trying to promote within out music video.

Interestingly, The Forum faced St Peter Mancroft's church, giving this location in itself, a sense of architectural binary opposition; The Forum on the left bearing a rather modern, corporate structure, whereas, the church holds a traditional gothic style of architecture. Moreover, perhaps contrasting the followings on each side; the religious followers maybe seen as standing for morality and equality, whereas, the corporate side standing for greed and self-interest. However, these lines can be blurred as corruption isn't unheard of in both.  

Secondly, after deciding that we were going to London, me and the other member of my group discussed with our teacher locations that may be best to visit in order to properly represent the ideology within our planned music video. We decided upon shooting at the American Embassy due to it's rather intimidating architecture, political connotations and history; the embassy has been home to many protests including the Anti-Vietnam war demo in 1968. Moreover, the building houses an interesting structural feature that is a large golden eagle underneath the towering American flag, giving the impression that America is in control and are watching over the public ready to prey on the unexpected and "weak", giving it political connotations such as corruption. Funnily enough, whilst we were filming at this location we had the police called on us for "suspected terrorist behaviour" because the inhabitants of the building believed we were taking pictures of security cameras.

Furthermore, we thought that for our business man character a necessary location would be the docklands in London. This is as it is renown for it's home as the workplace to the majority of businessmen and women within the city; the buildings are stunning, and we were able to capture some incredible examples of modern wealth in the business world, such as the people and surroundings. Additionally, there was a digital display that we were totally unaware of before arriving at this location that showed rolling updates of current stock shares on the market, as well as the news; moreover, allowing us to further strengthen connotations of our wealthy character to give an idea of his occupation e.g. investment banking. Again, we were stopped by numerous security guards at this location and asked for identification to ensure we were allowed to film within the area.

Shot of a business man we got whilst filming in the area.

In the planning stages of our music video we decided to incorporate a few time-lapses to fit in with the more ambient parts of the track, to do this we decided we needed somewhere there would be a lot of movement whilst we could keep one subject still. Therefore, we looked to busy underground tube stations as the solution. Moreover, me and the other member of our group chose Canary Wharf and St Paul's Station; Canary Wharf was clean and modernly furbished, we were also at an advantage in the way that filming of the time lapse begun as the business men and women were leaving to go

home and so we caught a variety of smartly
dressed characters in the mise-en-scene allowing for better contrast with the other side of the screen. In opposition, St Paul's was a lot more decayed, dirty and unkempt; the people entering and exiting are shots within the time-lapse were mainly casually dressed, giving us a contrast between the business attire in the opposing shot. Moreover, these locations were brilliant for creating a highly visual binary oppositions between character and environment.  

Derelict house in "Fight Club".

In order to contrast the time-lapse of the large, corporate JP Morgan building, we filmed the outside of a derelict house at Bracondale Mill Gate. Moreover, the inclusion of this building within our music video was to highlight the idea of Broken Britain, its use for filming was inspired by the derelict house in "Fight Club".

In terms of the morning routine scenes, we used interior locations and setting that contrasted each other greatly to immediately establish the 99% and 1%; primarily though the very wealthy and working class. Firstly, to the left we can see the protestor waking up on a sofa, this gives an idea of less wealth or perhaps less essential need for material possession i.e. a big bed. Additionally, the mise-en-scene is quite packed and colourful to give the idea that it has a lot of life; the variety of books also indicate a high level of intelligence. In contrast, the business man wakes up in a large double bed with an alarm clock at his side and a suit hanging to the side of him. This immediately suggests a rather characterless individual, whose only focus is work i.e. making money; the mise-en-scene is rather dull and cold further promoting this idea of lacking personality.