Eminem, Just lose it album artwork (Front Cover)

Now I've decided on my song I thought I may as well analyse the cover to see if I can gain any further inspiration. Above is the front cover from the album "Encore". as you can see the colour scheme is predominantly blue. In the effort not to copy his artwork I won't copy the layout or colour scheme but a further note is that his next album "the Eminem show" to be is the same sort of style cover with a similar animation on the front, although the colour scheme is red its such a similar style. (Below is the artwork)

I'm only going to make one product or album cover but I should take note of the fact that it's very similar to the Encore "album" and that means I can have a similar poster.

The curtains on both covers are slightly repositioned, the "Encore" album artwork looks more like Eminem has just done a performance hence the title "Encore". Whereas in the "Eminem Show" album artwork the curtains look like they are just about to close which could indicate the ending of his career even though it hasnt ended. Additionally, there are people in the foreground facing him like everyone is intersted in him because he's a big superstar at the time. Oppositely on the "Eminem Show", there is no one there other than Eminem showing media interest has moved on and the conventionally ridiculed and contraversial artist remains that we know today.

What I aim to do after this post

I think my research is detailed enough to start moving on to producing drafts of my products. Filming will intervene posts as and when I do it which should be in the next week or so, this is because I am wating for my camera to arrive as I've ordered one for another reason and it has HD capabilties, so I thought I may as well use it to get a fantastic picture quality overall. So I will start on my CD first then move onto my poster and hopefully the first shots of my music video will be posted and maybe even edited so I can post something to show you what I'm aiming for.

Colour scheme feedback

I got some feedback from peers about my colour schemes. Some people thought they would work on a cover but others thought they really didnt suit eachother and "I would need to be more accurate in determining the colours."

Lee: the purple schemes aren't very Eminem like. He had colourful albums yeah but they're red and blue both darker shades as well, purple doesn't look particularly girly but I don think think you could get both products or even one on the purple schemes. Do one with a far darker scheme with either one or no colours in.

Charlotte: I agree with Lee, don't do a really colourful one unless you can design something really outstanding. Stay with simple and visually easy.

Brad: Don't make the colour scheme completely boring, mix one colour with shades of dark colours like black, grey and white.

Colour Schemes

Below are some possible colour schemes I could use for my products, I will try some colourful ones firstly and then I will move onto simple shades of darker colours as much of my research into the covers themselves has led me to believe that this is a better quality in my products concerning my theme. However, many of them feature one or two bright colours which stand out on a dark background so I may need to consider combining both.

Here are some schemes I've created:

I have created these schemes by looking at album covers both in my research and looking at random other hip-hop/rap album covers. This is just to help me get a general overview of what colour schemes match so I can pick my own.

Fonts

I liked this font a lot when I found it, it's not boring but its a more plain font that wont attract more attention than it needs, I think it's a likely candidate for my products.

This font I didn't like as much, I thought it was too graffiti like and chavvy. It also actually looks slightly 80's like so I think this one is better avoided.

This had some negative feedback from classmates (more feedback below), they called it "Gothic" and "emo" like. Additionally, I think it's the sort of font that could attract more attention to itself than maybe what it says. Although I wouldn't rule it out, When I make my products I may at least try to put it on to see what it looks like.

This ones my second favourite. The font name itself has relevance to my theme of song and it (like the first font) is simple and shouldn't attract more attention than other fonts, again even if I decide not to use it I could still try adding it to my product at some point and see the outcome.

This font I feel is similar to the "Loserboi Grunge" font, It may work on one level but on a CD cover it may not, I would have to feature it but a smaller less important role on my poster possibly.

Above are the fonts I have chosen using the Dafont site, I typed in keywords like rap/hip-hop, and after some time I found these, I have also asked for some feeback from people in my class to see what they thought of my choices. This is what they said:

Lee: I like the "hitman" font. It looks far more sinister, cool and adaptable to products. The only other one I would use is the "V-DUB" font because it looks like it has more relevance to your theme and products will therefore be easier to produce.

Leanne: I think the "raslani hip hop" font is too chavvy for the products your going to make, it almost looks 80's and I don't think it would suit anything to be honest. I'd personally agree with Lees' choice.

Brad: The "Loserboi Grunge" font is too Gothic or emo-like to be the right font for your product, A lot of the album covers I see for rap/hip/hop album covers are far cleaner cut, defined and simplistic within reason. This would look too out of place on a cover that should potentially be very simple.

After this feedback it is obvious which one I should pick, the favour is heavily swung for the "Hitman" font and "V-DUB", however I think the "V-DUB" font is too simplistic and the "Hitman" font just has the edge on aesthetics. So that is the one I will use.

Researching fonts and colour schemes

Whilst my filming of my video is in progress and other events/posts are being dealt with I need to start thinking about the construction of my two other products which are my CD cover and poster. So I will research my fonts first then my colour theme, shortly after this I will hopefully have the first stages of my video done.

Actors, actresses, locations and clothing

Actors and actresses are an important role in my video because they need the right body language and clothing. Not only this but I need to get the different locations right including what's in them, for example, I might try to get either a very expensive and exotic car in the background but although I know of one locally to me I will need to owners permission and he/she may not let me anyway.

So for my main actor (Eminem) I have my good friend, Tom Jones.
He's familiar with the song, has the dress sense that is similar to what I'm after and has a few ideas of his own which I can try out and see where it takes us. For the other actors and actresses I'll ask some slightly younger girls and boys if they will do their bit in the video, I'll post their faces as soon as I get the OK from them but for now at least I have my main character sorted out, some clothing and one or two locations.

Just lose it storyboard

Presentation1

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This is a full analysis of the video and general storyboard throughout the video, I've analysed it thoroughly and got ideas and learned about how it has been made. I am now far more knowledgeable in what I think will work in my video.

Email to Interscope Records for Permission

Above is my e-mail to the producing company of Eminems' Just lose it song, which is asking them permission for me to use their song. I may not get a reply so at least I sent one and I did also state that I wouldn't use it for profitable purposes so I am in theory within legal rights.

Thoughts at this point

So Ive decided on my song, I've done extensive analysis on the products I'm going to produce. I will start drafts of my poster and CD after the main drafts of my music video as the light in the day is shortening each day, I will have less time for filming during the day whereas I'm creating my other products on the computer so it won't matter what time of day it is when it comes to starting to make them. I've yet to decide who my actors/actresses are although I have a good idea of who I can use, next I will produce a short storyboard, what font will appear on my products and a permission request email to the company who own the rights to Eminems' "Just lose it" song to say I am using their song however I do not intend it for profit making schemes and therefore I am not defying the integrity of the music business.

Analysing lyrics of my top three song choices, Eminem: Just Lose It

Eminem: Just Lose It



[Intro]
[Eminem making sounds:]
Down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down!
Ok..
Guess who's back?
Back again
Shady's back
Tell a friend
Whaaaaaaaa


Now everyone report to the dance floor
To the dance floor, to the dance floor
Now everyone report to the dance floor
Alright Stop!.....Pajama time


[Verse 1]
Come here little kiddies, On my lap
Guess who's back with a brand new rap?
And I don't mean rap as in a new case of child molestation accusation
(HA-HA-HA-HA-HA)
No worries, papa's got a brand new bag of toys
What else could I possibly do to make noise?
I done touched on everything, but little boys
That's not a stab at Michael
That's just a metaphor, I'm just psycho
I go a little bit crazy sometimes
I get a little bit out of control with my rhymes
Good God, dip, do a little slide
Bend down, touch your toes and just glide
Up the center of the dance floor
Like TP for my bunghole
And it's cool if you let one go
Nobody's gonna know, who'd hear it?
Give a little "poot poot", it's OK! [Fart Sound]
Oops my CD just skipped
And everyone just heard you let one rip

In the last lyrical analysis of Eminem s' Ass like that, I said that the artist is renound for offending other artists, in this video Michael Jackson features in it a lot (Eminem dresses up as him) and he takes the mickey out of his plastic surgery in part of the video by "losing his nose." Additionally he raps about his child molestation charges over his adopted child. When I start shooting my video, I might choose to copy this outrageous way of making a video by dressing people up in costumes and creating scenarios from life similar to this video.

[Chorus]
Now I'm gonna make you dance
It's your chance
Yeah boy shake that ass
Oops I mean girl girl girl girl
Girl you know you're my world
Alright now lose it
(HA-HA-HA-HA-HA)
Just lose it
(HA-HA-HA-HA-HA)
Go crazy
(HA-HA-HA-HA-HA)
Oh baby
(HA-HA)
Oh baby, baby
(HA-HA)

The chorus is funny as the lyrics are talking about him being a homosexual, also made worse by the fact that in the video there are younger children dancing so its a further "middle finger" to society.

[Verse 2]
Well, it's Friday and it's my day
Just to party all the way to Sunday
Maybe 'til Monday, I dunno what day
Everyday's just a holiday
Crusin' on the freeway
Feelin' kinda breezy
Got the top down, lettin' my hair blow
I dunno where I'm goin'
All I know is when I get there
Someone's gonna "touch my body"

Excuse me miss, I don't mean to sound like a jerk
But I'm feelin' just a little stressed out from work
Could you punch me in the stomach and pull my hair?
Spit on me, maybe gouge my eyes out? (Yeah)
Now, what's your name girl?
What's your sign?
[Dr Dre] "Man, you must be up out your mind"
DRE! (HA-HA)
Beer Goggles! Blind!
I'm just tryna unwind now I'm

Here Eminem is pretneding to be drunk and goes into a bar where he gets rejected by women and tries to flirt with his producer Dr. Dre when hes disorientated. Another situation which I could use in my video?

[Chorus]
Now I'm gonna make you dance
It's your chance
Yeah boy shake that ass
Oops I mean girl girl girl girl
Girl you know you're my world
Alright now lose it
(HA-HA-HA-HA-HA)
Just lose it
(HA-HA-HA-HA-HA)
Go crazy
(HA-HA-HA-HA-HA)
Oh baby
(HA-HA)
Oh baby, baby
(HA-HA)

[Verse 3]
It's Tuesday and I'm locked up
I'm in jail and I don't know what happened
They say I was running butt naked
Down the street screaming
(HA-HA-HA-HA-HA)
Well I'm sorry, I don't remember
All I know is this much
I'm not guilty
They said, "Save it, boy we gotcha you on tape
yellin' at an old lady to 'Touch my body!'"

Now this is the part where the rap breaks down
It gets real intense, no one makes a sound
Everything looks like it's 8 Mile now
The beat comes back and everybody lose themselves
Snap back to reality
Look it's B.Rabbit!
Yo you signed me up to battle!?
I'm a grown man!
Chubba chubba chubba chubba chubba chubbie
I don't have any lines to go right here so, chubba teletubbie!
Fella's (WHAT?!) Fella's (WHAT?!)
Grab you left nut, make your right one jealous (what?)
Black girls
White girls
Skinny girls
Fat girls
Tall girls
Small girls
I'm callin' all girls
Everyone report to the dance floor
It's your chance for a little romance or
Butt squeezin' it's the season
Just go (HA-HA-HA-HA)
It's so appeasin'

The firs tpart of the verse in the video, he is literally runnnig naked but I dont think that I will find anyone to do this for me. He is also reffering back to his 8 mile film in which he (character name rabbit) starts out as a small time rapper looking for respect in rap battles, the only idea I have for this section is maybe to dress someone as a rabbit because I dont know how else to go about making part this part of the video.

[Chorus]
Now I'm gonna make you dance
It's your chance
Yeah boy shake that ass
Oops I mean girl girl girl girl
Girl you know you're my world
Alright now lose it
(HA-HA-HA-HA-HA)
Just lose it
(HA-HA-HA-HA-HA)
Go crazy
(HA-HA-HA-HA-HA)
Oh baby
(HA-HA)
Oh baby, baby
(HA-HA)

[Outro]
UmMmMmm touch my body
UmMmMmm touch my body
Ooh boy just touch my body
I mean girl just touch my body

Analysing lyrics of my top three song choices, Sir-Mix-A-Lot: Baby Got Back

Sir-Mix-A-Lot: Baby Got Back



The video starts with two white women in classic 80's-90's clothing and talking about the other girls bottom, saying that she only gets attention like she is doing because of how her body is shaped, this is a common talking point within media world, being slightly overweight or curvy as its now known is apparently in this video uncool and "prostitute like" however the artist argues against this point.

[Intro]
Oh, my, god. Becky, look at her butt.
It is so big. *scoff* She looks like,
one of those rap guys' girlfriends.
But, you know, who understands those rap guys? *scoff*
They only talk to her, because,
she looks like a total prostitute, 'kay?
I mean, her butt, is just so big.
I can't believe it's just so round, it's like,
out there, I mean - gross. Look!
She's just so ... black!

(racism used in last line to kick off the song)

I like big butts and I can not lie
You other brothers can't deny
That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist
And a round thing in your face
You get sprung, wanna pull out your tough
'Cause you notice that butt was stuffed
Deep in the jeans she's wearing
I'm hooked and I can't stop staring
Oh baby, I wanna get with ya,
And take your picture
My homeboys tried to warn me
But that butt you got makes me so horny
Ooh, Rump-o'-smooth-skin
You say you wanna get in my Benz?
Well, use me, use me
'Cause you ain't that average groupie
I've seen them dancin'
To hell with romancin'
She's sweat, wet,
Got it goin' like a turbo 'Vette
I'm tired of magazines
Sayin' flat butts are the thing
Take the average black man and ask him that
She gotta pack much back
So, fellas! (Yeah!) Fellas! (Yeah!)
Has your girlfriend got the butt? (Hell yeah!)
Tell 'em to shake it! (Shake it!) Shake it! (Shake it!)
Shake that healthy butt!
Baby got back!

Within this verse, there are a number of references made commonly by black people, such words as "home-boys" and "brothers" mean friends. So there is evidently a large influence from the black community in this song.

Baby got back!
I like 'em round, and big
And when I'm throwin' a gig
I just can't help myself, I'm actin' like an animal
Now here's my scandal
I wanna get you home
And ugh, double-up, ugh, ugh
I ain't talkin' bout Playboy
'Cause silicone parts are made for toys
I want 'em real thick and juicy
So find that juicy double
Mix-a-Lot's in trouble
Beggin' for a piece of that bubble
So I'm lookin' at rock videos
Knock-kneeded bimbos walkin' like hoes
You can have them bimbos
I'll keep my women like Flo Jo
A word to the thick soul sisters, I wanna get with ya
I won't cuss or hit ya
But I gotta be straight when I say I wanna *fuck*
Till the break of dawn
Baby got it goin' on
A lot of simps won't like this song
'Cause them punks like to hit it and quit it
And I'd rather stay and play
'Cause I'm long, and I'm strong
And I'm down to get the friction on
So, ladies! {Yeah!} Ladies! {Yeah}
If you wanna roll in my Mercedes {Yeah!}
Then turn around! Stick it out!
Even white boys got to shout
Baby got back!

More references to sex and the stereotypical "hate" view of thin white women (Knock-kneeded bimbos walkin' like hoes)


Baby got back!
Yeah, baby ... when it comes to females, Cosmo ain't got nothin'
to do with my selection. 36-24-36? Ha ha, only if she's 5'3".

Refers to cosmopolitan magazine women being fake and he prefers other women.


So your girlfriend rolls a Honda, playin' workout tapes by Fonda
But Fonda ain't got a motor in the back of her Honda
My anaconda don't want none
Unless you've got buns, hun
You can do side bends or sit-ups,
But please don't lose that butt
Some brothers wanna play that "hard" role
And tell you that the butt ain't gold
So they toss it and leave it
And I pull up quick to retrieve it
So Cosmo says you're fat
Well I ain't down with that!
'Cause your waist is small and your curves are kickin'
And I'm thinkin' bout stickin'
To the beanpole dames in the magazines:
You ain't it, Miss Thing!
Give me a sister, I can't resist her
Red beans and rice didn't miss her
Some knucklehead tried to dis
'Cause his girls are on my list
He had game but he chose to hit 'em
And I pull up quick to get wit 'em
So ladies, if the butt is round,
And you want a triple X throw down,
Dial 1-900-MIXALOT
And kick them nasty thoughts
Baby got back!

Further dislike shown towards cosmopolitan magazine and tells tells women to call his number to get rid of the thoughts about him and come and join him physically instead.

(Little in the middle but she got much back) [4x]

Analysing lyrics of my top three song choices, Eminem: Ass like that

Eminem - Ass Like That


Ohh Beeby, The way you shake it
I can't believe it, I ain't never seen an ass like that
The way you move it, you make my peepee go Da- DOING DOING DOING
I don't believe it, it's almost to good to be true
I ain't never seen an ass like that
The way you move it, you make my peepee go DOING DOING DOING

The chorus lyrics are similar but only differ each time because Eminem is talking about another celebrity, many of his songs have relevance to his life in the past wether that be about his drug problem, social breakdowns with family or having been ridiculed by the media world for years for being too brash or offensive to them or other celebrities, often singers. This is not only evident in the songs but it is also evdient when you watch the videos. In the first chorus above, he is talking about them in general so it's an introduction to the song.

The way she moves, she's like a belly-dancer
She shakin that ass to the new Nelly jams
I think someone's at the door but I don't think Imma answer
Police saying, FREEZE... DOING DOING DOING
What do you mean freeze? Please I'm a human being
I have needs, I'm not done, not til I'm finished peeing
I'm not resisting arrest, I am agreeing Mr. Officer
I'm already on my knees, I can't get on the ground any further
It's impossible for me, And do not treat me like a murderer
I just like to pee, pee, pee, Yes, I make R&B
I sing song, it Ring-a-Chong-a-Ching-Chong-Chong-Ching
Psych, I joke I joke, I kid I kid. If I offend, I'm sorry
Please, Please forgive, for I am Triumph, the puppet dog
I am a mere puppet, I can get away anything I say and do and love it

Again the verses start reffering to the video, he says he is a "puppet dog" in the song, and sure enough in the video he has a dog on his hand and the people in the video he is talking to keep turning into puppets (the police officers.) The video keeps switching between him rapping and the storyline, this technique interests me becuase it means I have the opportunity to keep my video entertaining and interesting.

The way you shake it
I can't believe it, I ain't never seen an ass like that
The way you move it, you make my peepee go DOING DOING DOING
Jessica Simpson, looks oh so tempting
Nick, I ain't never seen an ass like that
Every time I see that show on MTV my pee pee goes DOING DOING DOING

Mary Kate and Ashley used to be so handsome
Now they getting older, they're starting to grow bum-bums
I go to the movies and sit down with my popcorn
Police saying, FREEZE... DOING DOING DOING
What do you mean freeze? JEEZ I just got my seat
I have ticket, look I put away, my zipper's zipped
Please do not remove me from this movie theatre, please
I did not even get to see Mary Kate's shower scene
I didn't mean to be obscene or make a great big scene
And don't treat me like I'm Pee-Wee Herman
This movie's PG, Mr. Office, I demand to see my attorney
I will simple plead innocent, cop a plea, and be free
Free, yes free, right back on the streets
What you mean my lawyers with Michael, He's too busy?
I am Triumph, Britney Spears has shoulder's are like man
And I could say that and you laugh cause there's a puppet on my hand (ha-ha-ha)
In this verse he's further reffering to his hatred and offence that he causes towards other stars such as Michael Jackson as it goes in the song "what do you mean my lawyers with Michael, he's too busy", in the "Just lose it" video, he offended Michael Jackson by dressing up as him and losing his nose and scaring people due to his large amount of plastic surgery.

The way you shake it
I can't believe it, I ain't never seen an ass like that
The way you move it, you make my peepee go DOING DOING DOING
Hilary Duff is not quite old enough so I ain't never seen a butt like that
Maybe next year I'll say ass and she'll make my peepee go DOING DOING DOING

The way she moves she dances like a GO-GO
In that video she sings get out your puzzle
I need a new boyfriend, Hi my name is Jo-Jo
Police saying, FREEZE... DOING DOING DOING
What do you mean freeze? My computers will be seized
And my keys, to my ranch. I just bake cookies
Mr. Office, lookie, take a whiff of this
Here, I make Jesus juice, take a sip of this
Nobody is safe from me, no not even me
I don't even know if I could say the word peepee
Pee on the radio but I think I did
Janet is that a breast? I think I just saw a tit
Psych, I joke I joke, I kid I kid. I don't think my joke is working
I must split quick, get to the chopper, everybody get out
I am not Triumph, I am Arnold, get down!!!


The way you shake it
I can't believe it, I ain't never seen an ass like that
The way you move it, you make my peepee go DOING DOING DOING
So Gwen Stafani, will you peepee on me, Please
I ain't never seen an ass like that
Cause the way you move it, you make my peepee go DOING DOING DOING

[' FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU](followed by short instrumental)
Again in this last verse the language becomes more vulgar, this attitude towards life is what Eminem is most famous (or infamous to some) for, and I like the rebelious theme shown in his videos and songs.

Song table tally and feedback of song choices

Here is my table of songs I have chosen, I conducted a survey of which 20 people voted on a song I chose that they thought I should do for my video. Here's what some of them said.

Jasmine: I don't like the Aloe Blacc song, if I was going to do that I'd really struggle for camera angle variation, storyline and location. Plus it's one of the longer songs so that only makes it harder, I'd do either of the Eminem songs.

Lee: The "baby got back" song by Sir-Mix-A-Lot is a good one to do because it's lyrics are simple and it's a funny song as well so you wouldn't need to worry as much about making it entertaining, but it's also a dated song and you may find it hard to create modern products such as the poster and CD with a song like that.

Brad: The lyrics in the Eminem song "Just lose it" are the simplest among the songs you've picked, it may be the third longest in your list but it wont count for much when you take into account how easily this could be made. I think you should seriously consider this song.

Song shortlist

Obviously I need to make a song shortlist and decide on what song I should use. I've narrowed down a list of songs I like in the genre I've picked and I will collaberate a survey within my class of 20 people and see which one they prefer and why. This may help generate more ideas for specific songs that I may not have ideas for yet. I won't necessarily pick the most voted for but it may have an influence.

1.Eminem - Ass like that (Duration 4:25)
The lyrics are very distinguished and I have watched the video on you tube over and over again to see how the images relate to the song, this is one of my favourites on the list. It's got a slower beat than most of the songs on this short-list so camera cuts will be less consistent, however it's the longest track of all I've short-listed so making enough quality footage would be a challenge

2.Sir-Mix-a-Lot – Baby got back (Duration 4:22)
Again, this has countless ways of being presented, lyrics are clear and decisive, meaning what my actors do will be different each time and its a funny video (the original) so I will be able to add an aspect of humour. Disadvantages being it's another long song.

3.Kanye West & Jay-Z – Otis (Duration 2:58)
This song refers back to the stereotypical view of black rappers I have researched about in earlier posts, this song features and expensive car with a lot of slow motion which is a plus side on editing and capturing footage because I will be able to shoot less if a majority of my footage is slow motion. Additionally, I would find it difficult to locate and expensive/exclusive car to put in the background. I do know someone local and extremely close to where I live but whether or not he'd allow it to be filmed remains to be seen. This then is a less likely candidate despite it's noticeably shorter duration.

4.Rizzle Kicks – Down with the Trumpets (Duration 3:07)
This songs duration is just about the halfway point, so it's good in terms of length, but the lyrics in my opinion can only let me shoot certain situations which (in the video) have already been done, so again this song is slightly less likely to be my products tune.

5.Aloe Blacc - I need a dollar (Duration 4:04)
I like this song a lot because it has more unique video that the others, it has two screens showing his silhouetted figure singing and another of him being the person in the story of the song, it also has a slower beat which favours me in some respects. But some of the shooting I put in the video in my head would get boring and for it to be four minutes long you need quick cuts, very distinguished lyrics and action shots.

6.Eminem - Just lose it (Duration 4:09)
This is another potential in my opinion, its similar to the other song by Eminem I've short-listed except it's slightly shorter, has a faster rhythm and I know the lyrics off by heart whereas the other song needs to be listened to so I can fully remember the lyrics, this can help me hugely because it means I can be pro-actively thinking about ideas for the shooting whenever I hear or think about this song.

To conclude the three most likely are numbers (songs) are 1,2 and 6 followed by 3,4 and 5.

Target Audience

This sideshow is an in depth look into the conventions of my target audience. So by looking at this I will be able to conventionalise my products and chose my song, and how I go about shooting it correctly with the correct entities like clothing etc.

Target audience

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Who are my target audience?

My target audience is a key part of my coursework. They are the people who will interested in my video and products because of the artist, genre and other factors such as lifestyle of those people. Specifically, my target audience will start from around 15 years of age and upwards to mid 30's. This is because my target audience attends gigs and other events that include these artists. However, strictly speaking, my target audience should start at eighteen because in some song choices or songs related to others, swearing and other meanings are present. So it may be important for me to remember that if I pick a song with moderate language, that I will need to decrease my target audience gap from 15-30 to 18-30 and include in my products an age restriction warning or logo such as this.

Summary of my research so far

In the past few days, I have examined the use of media techniques in music videos, album artwork/covers and poster for tours. The experience I have gained is that the genre I have chosen to do (hip-hop/rap/R&B) has similar conventions throughout but it can differ in appropriate cases. I have identified that animation may be appropriate when it comes to creating my album cover and poster but I will stick to filming normally when I create my video. Such conventions I could use in my video is slow motion for certain quotes in songs or situations, making sure my characters are appropriately dressed such as using sunglasses and dressing in similar clothing if there is more than one artist. As I've just mentioned animation has a heavy influence on the other two products I've researched so I should maybe follow such conventions. Next I will identify my target audience and identify what attracts them to certain aspects or areas of my chosen genre.

Research and planning, More animated album covers/artwork

More animated album covers

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As I have so heavily suggested that my products be animated, I have collaborated a larger collection of artwork from a selection of artists. In these instances, I have used the "Gorrilaz" who are a band but appear in music videos and on products such as magazine covers, album artwork and posters all as an animated group of multicultural men who live on a world halfway between a fantasy and our own as is shown in music videos. I have also used "Deadmau5" album artwork, as their artwork rarely changes, it conventionally shows a rounded animated mouses head which consists of different colours. However the same font is generally used throughout, I have also added the rest of Kanye West's albums as they are similar to "Deamau5" artwork except they show more of a related storyline and not a similar image repetitively. The Black Eyed Peas have in the past couple of album releases converted to animated covers and I think this shows progression in the instance of animation, it could be considered a more modernistic way of presenting albums for the future.

Research and planning, Posters, Lil Wayne Tour Poster

This poster doesn't support my theory of simplistic posters but I did think it was an excellent metaphor for a number of reasons. The most obvious being that "Darth Vader" the baddie from Star Wars features on the cover, (this is the first poster to be unconventional in terms of featuring the artist on the cover but it is yet another animated image on the cover for R&B/hip-hop/rap artist posters.) the most popular term from that film is "come to the dark side" which is not only a metaphor in my opinion for the promotion of the artist in this particular case being black but it's teaser for fans and I think it's a clever technique to start incorporating films into the world of music like this as many songs nowadays are the official soundtrack to films. Also, the helmet has graffiti all over it. Reading them informs the audience/reader of his life, such logo as ESPN the popular american sports channel and the New era NY logo which is commonly found on baseball caps. This not only suggests he's proud of being American but it suggests lifestyle. There are also captions and language used on the poster which further promotes feelings and possible situations in life which has made him think of these things. This poster is therefore more personal and it's affected the way the posters presented. On top of this, the poster conventionally features the common use of same font, colour scheme (which also matches the star wars theme used.) It mentions guest performers, dates and where to buy tickets which is all the vital information needed yet it remains a minimal list of text that doesn't intrude on the posters just like the other three.

Research and planning, Posters, Jay-Z's BP Tour

This example of Jay-Z's BP (blueprint album) tour is what I previously posted about. It's the same genre of music however this poster is arguably simpler as I've argued. This also gives me an idea of what to do for my poster. To the untrained eye, the background to this poster is just a pattern however it is the album artwork to the Blueprint album which he is basing the tour around. So when I design my album cover I could do this as so far it, this technique has been used twice. The Razorlight album featured their album simply inset on the page and this poster has Jay-Z's cover behind him in the poster. Similar to the other two posters I've researched, this poster contains a lot of black on it and a matching colour scheme, font selection and the artists face. More similarly however, this coincides with Kanye West's poster far more as it features both artists as animations and wearing sunglasses which reflects the R&B symbol of "coolness", wealth and power. This is especially helpful as both Kanye West and Jay-Z have the same genre within music, also meaning I am starting to reveal conventions and it in turn can have an effect on the outcome of my products if I take into account these techniques and create them properly.

Research and planning, Posters, Razorlight Tour poster

Iv'e decided to look at other genres for tour posters as this will help me to understand what conventions are found on other artists artwork etc. It means I can better target my audience and avoid using other genres' techniques altogether. This one of Razorlights "en Tournee" is an excellent example because it's a simple and elegant poster which gives no more information than in needs to. It features an inset of their album, a newer photo of the band and a few sponsors along the bottom. This in turn reflects their music which is simple, subtle and infectious. The previous poster I researched with Kanye West on the front was colourful and vibrant, the similarities between them are very little, other than use of a lot of black on the poster. Razorlights' music is simpler as is their poster. This indicates to me that I need my poster to be relatively busy, however I may find a similar genre poster which is simple so if I do I need to take that into account as well.

Research and planning, Posters, Kanye West, Glow in the Dark Tour Poster

This poster is a fantastic use of computer animation and editing, the editors have created Kanyes' face and related the use of colour to the tour (poster's) name, "Glow in the Dark". The font used stretches around the poster from Kanyes' name to the name of the tour which will mostly draw the audiences eye, the only other thing of the poster that draws the eye is the animation in the centre which is of Kanye West anyway so it is clear that he is the headlining act. This is something I will consider when it comes to creating my poster. Also, because it is a tour poster, it features supporting acts names at the bottom in a less obvious way, so it doesn't intrude on the whole poster but it makes it fuller and "complete". The same font is used so no specific part stands out more than the next, the only different part is the font used for the word "tour" which nobody is really interested in until they have seen who is appearing in it.

Research and planning, introduction to music posters

Now I will look at the posters which are used to promote the albums of artists. However I will not use the posters used by the artists i've researched before this post, I am going to further expand my perspective and see how different artists use their own conventions to promote themselves. I will even use examples of tour posters and see how multiple artists are used on one poster to attract the attention of many times the audience.

Research and planning, Album artwork, LMFAO: Sorry for party rocking

This artwork is slightly more conventional for album covers. It features a singular photo with them either side of a girl who is dressed in little clothing but what she is wearing bears reassembles what people wear in the video. So it's an indication of what the album is about, unusual clothing, good looking people who give the impression that all they do is dance.

Additionally the album name is painted on the girls body, this could represent disregard for the human body and that it is a blank canvas upon which it can be written and drawn on in the spirit of the moment. At this point I could take into account that the album name maybe isn't as important as the title or name of the artist so it's something to bear in mind when i'm creating mine. It could also be drawn on her to keep the LMFAO logo (title) in the main focus of the audience. Maybe emphasising the importance of their band name as opposed to that of the album. Which brings me on to the logo which consists of bright colours that are the main eye draw on the artwork. It also contains cartoon sketches of their faces so it's an instantly recognisable sign. Lastly, they appear slightly spaced out which means they are either in shock from the girl standing by them or they are maybe encouraging drinking/partying because it's a crazy lifestyle but it's intended to look exciting.

Research and planning, album artwork, Kanye West + Jay-Z: Watch the throne

This artwork is very different to anything else that i'll research. It does however reflect the point to the "Otis" song I evaluated. I talked about them being typcally surrounded by wealth, the album cover appears to be no exception. It has extremely detailed markings all over the cover which is a golden colour which reflects the name of the album "watch the throne". A throne which usually belongs to someone of social importance such as a king of queen, however it can be interpreted as "Kanye West and Jaz-Z, the kings of hip-hop/rap.

Research and planning, Bruno Mars Doo Wops and Hooligans Rear Cover

The rear cover is no different to the theme of the front cover and CD art. Simplicity has been the key theme and it works well. Not only does the packaging look minmalisitc and bright, but it ties into lyrics of the songs on the album which is about being lazy and "larking around."

However, I critisize the rear cover because I think it looks unfinished and a bit plain, I think they could have done a better job and still make it look minimalisitc, it just looks like it was done in a hurry.

Research and planning, Album artwork Bruno Mars Doo Wops and Hooligans rear cover and CD appearance

I have deicded to research the entirety of the Doo Wops and Hooligans album by Bruno Mars. This is so I can gain perspective of the whole product and it may give me an idea of how to go about producing my media product.

Inserted is the CD itself, as you can see, it's very simple reflecting the front and rear covers. It has been displayed as a dark grey/silver colour (which looks like an old record disc) with Bruno Mars as a small figure in yellow, he is presnted in exactly the same way as the front cover, I like this idea of changing the colour but not the image but this won't work if my front cover is too busy.

Research and planning, Album artwork, Bruno Mars: Doo wops and hooligans

So this is the album artwork for my first song i've researched. The lazy song is more of a pop song than rap or hip hop but what I was more interested in was the simplicity of the video which used only one camera angle and a very simple yet effective dance sequence.

Refering back to the artwork, this almost reflects the song, simple yet memorable. It is very bold and clear which helps it to stand out. Fans of the artist will instantly recognise the album if it were on the shelves for example. The font is also a simplisitc font which doesnt attract attention any more than the rest of the album artwork.

Research and planning, introduction to Album artwork

Now I will research some album artwork. I will return at a later date to decide on my song choice. Firstly because I am still deciding and secondly because I am going to conduct a small survey which will allow a greater perspective of other peoples views on the songs i've chosen. This may give me more ideas as people are likley to comment on what they think I should do if they have an idea for that song which is also likely to back up the reason they voted for that song in the first place. As I have to produce more than just the video itself (CD artwork + rear cover and poster). So research is equally as important for this as well as my video. It will need to be relevant to my chosen genre so I should start perhaps by looking at the artwork produced for the songs (that I have chosen) albums.

Amateur Video analysis

So far I've only looked at the processionals workings. Nobody has thousands of pounds spare for costumes, locations and expensive filming equipment so I have decided to see how people when they did their music video went about doing theirs, I've found an A2 music video from not long ago at all from another college who posted the video on YouTube and I will now analyse it and see what made in my eyes a success.



So the person has chosen an R&B dance song. Chase and Status & Plan B's "Pieces".

The firs thing Iv'e noticed is that the start is drawing to the audience. It appears the actor has vanished behind the bus. This is already showing that the person has thought about the video and he's making it interesting.

Secondly, there's a massive range of shots but I think it's because some parts of the song are slow and others fast. However all of mine is fast so I cant afford a clip of the same thing for more than a few seconds. For example, within the first twenty second, he's been shown standing still in two similar locations but its not because he couldn't be bothered to make anything interesting in the clip, its because he's speeded the clip up to make the video appear abnormally fast, again this is showing further intent that all the clips don't have to be moving, or have the same speed as normal time. I like the speeding up of things as this could become relevant to what I'm doing but unless I think of a particular scene on my video I don't think ill be slowing anything down.

When the music speeds up cuts are more frequent and scene changes have a transition effect to them they don't just change, however looking over my artists videos this doesn't happen so I think this is just a technique to admire and not use on mine. He has also used the multiple shot on one video section e.g four windows of him doing different things at the same time, as it;s something I've suggested in another part of my research I think ill do something like this.

Other camera angle include ones from cars that he's played on the video in reverse which further adds to the videos diversity. The video shows him in the same shot twice with interesting lighting for night-time. I haven't thought about the possibility of night-time shooting so it's something I could experiment with. He also includes slow motion, and other camera techniques such as pans, close ups and first person shots all of which I should do.

However what I did notice was that he wore exactly the same clothing throughout which I don't want for my video but he may have done this for a reason in his to follow its storyline. However I plan to have singing and a storyline in mine which is where my clothing on actors will change from scene to scene. Lastly he starred in the entire video almost completely by himself until near the end when the storyline comes to a close which indicates you can shoot most if not all of the video with one person in it, but it needs to be thought about a lot or else it will get boring.

Research and planning. Analysing Videos, LMFAO: Party Rock Anthem

How are the band/ artist represented? Is this similar across the videos?

The duo in the video are represented as a pair of "hospital patients" (in the full video) who awaken into a deserted street. The general point being that the song is an infection, the actors/dancers act like zombies as they are filled with the sound of the song and I think it is a subconcious attempt to motivate the audience into liking the song. This storyline to the video closely follows that of the film 28 days later, it's an unconventional method but it may be something I could try as an idea of what to do with my own video.

What relationship exists between the images and the lyrics in the chosen videos?

The lyrics dont really coincide with the images shown, only a couple of quotes match e.g "every day im shufflin" and occasionally dancers dressed up in various outfits (jesus/robot) will perform the shuffle move. But the overall theme of the video is a party

What relationship exists between the music and the images?

The relationship that exists between the music and the images roughly matches, it is a constantly moving scene with a mixture of simple dancing moves and extreme break dancing which add effect to the video as the audience may gasp in amazement at the complexity of it. All improving visual effects and general approvement of the song.

Is it possible to see any common features in the music video?

As already mensioned, the most conventional or common things found on this particular video is the dancing. However, in an increasing amout of videos including this one, expensive cars are shown in the background. All this does is simply boast money and show off, however most people enjoy this as sometimes this can be a major part of the video. Also as im doing a hip-hip/rap themed video, it may fit in more effectively as they are all about being big,brash and portray power. There has recently been a video released with such part for an expensive car and it is one I will analyse to show what I an reffering to.

Research and planning. Analysing Videos, Otis: Kanye West, Jay-Z

How are the band/ artist represented? Is this similar across the videos?

Both artists are represented as typical rappers, they wear similar clothes and as I said in the last post, they come across as powerful and dominant. They have confidence when they are in front of the camera. Also, they wear jewellery and watches which is conventional for rappers Additionally in my last post, I described that an ever more conventional theme used in hip-hop/rap videos is that of expensive cars. Which is one of the reasons I have chosen this video as an example, most videos only show the cars as a still object which create a presence of money and fame. However, this video could be exempt because the car they use in the video is modified using power tools. It therefore shows the audience no matter how expensive the object, they don't care what they do to it because it's "back pocket money" and it doesn't matter.

What relationship exists between the images and the lyrics in the chosen videos?

This is similar to the "party rock anthem" video. At some point in the song, one artist mentions "putting supermodels in the back." which is exactly what they have done. Supermodels are renown for being well paid and that they find it attractive in men to have substantial amounts of money, which could be another reason for them to be in the video.

What relationship exists between the music and the images?

Much of the video is in slow motion when they are driving around as you can tell. it would otherwise be out of synchronisation with the beat if it was played in normal time, so slow motion is something else I will take into account when creating my video. Otherwise in selected parts of the song, the rappers are mouthing their words at the camera and occasionally make gestures towards it e.g praying when Jesus is mentioned. This is used so the audience don't become bored with the video as cuts are every 5-10 seconds for switching scenes (of which there are around 4) giving the overall video a more flowing feel just like the lyrics being spoken

Is it possible to see any common features in the music video?

Slow motion is now becoming a convention in music videos as it can add effect where needed whether the whole video is presented in slow motion or just some parts of it are like this one. other conventions include the use of an expensive car (apart from it being modified), attractive women and the artists themselves being shown singing/rapping.