Filiming- Class Room Shots

Today, as a group we decided to make a start of filming for our narrative. To start it off we filmed the scenes in a classroom when the character in the narrative is shown to be alone and unhappy at school. This was a successful filming session and achieved alot in this. 

Album Covers-Preliminary Ideas

Before I begin to create my album cover for the new single 'Bring Me To Life' by our band 'Forgetting Last Friday', I have created some preliminary ideas which will act as plans for my final cover. Hopefully from this I will learn how to apply the codes and conventions of album covers which I have learnt from from the analysis. 

Album Cover #1

This album cover uses the contrasting colours black and white, which are also a convention of the Rock genre, to create a strong stiking impact on the audience, an example of this being used on current album covers in the 'XX' and their simple black background and white cross concept. The image being created by the lines reflects the title of the single 'Bring Me To Life' as it is an attempt to replicate a heart monitor machiene found in hospitals. The font reflects the calligraphy used when in rebellion associated with the genre, as it is in another colour of the rock genre red this shows the thought behind the conventions and codes as it represents death and anger, which is obvious in the singles name.

Album Cover #2

Many album covers consist of the artist being on the front cover, this allows the audience to make an imediate connection to the singer, as they can identify that their new single/album is being released. The photo used on this cover was not purposely taken, however by making this preliminary idea reflects my understanding of how when the artist is on the front cover that the shot taken is usually a mid-shot or a close-up, entirely depending on their facial expressions and make-up to sell the single. However in this idea by making the lips red and over laying a tear drop on the cheek reflects the famous american pop artist Litchenstein, and his ways on cartooning. This concept also includes the analysis of famous artwork used on 'Sgt Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band' album and applying this to my own work.

Album Cover #3

The whole idea behind this design was a play on the title 'Bring Me to Life' by using the famous character Little Red Riding, who dies in her fairy tale, and a ghosting effect to create the conventions of the gothic genre. Also this design is very different as it does not typically uses the codes and conventions of the gothic rock genre, and that no picture of the band or members is used, this makes the cover original and gives it credit as it is more like a piece of artwork than a album cover. However the distorted font codes the fantasy/fairy tale aspect of the artwork which is far from reality which is reflected in the title 'Bring Me To Life'.

Album Cover #4

This last design is very minimalist but achieves a lot through the use of codes, colours and conventions. The colours black, white and red are all colours of the rock genre and code the youth, and simplicity as in this importance of the band and their instruments. The silhouette is a clear representation of the guitarist in the band also reflecting the importance of the instruments in the band. 

CD cover collage

After analysing current CD/Album covers I have made this collage of inspiration; a collage of current covers that I like and would like to include some of the codes and conventions in my own cover.

Fom here I am going to create some preliminary album covers for my band 'Forgetting Last Friday' and thier new single 'Bring Me To Life'.

Planning- Lyrics

Through this planning process I have been able to estblish when the band will be performing and there will be a narrative.

Planning- Narrative Idea's

All of the narrative scenes raised are all based on the same main character, leading in no chronological to the first scene of the girl in the bathroom showing what has driven her to this point.  

Music Video Descisions

After discussing the possible songs we were going to create a music video for, the group came to a decision of creating a music video for Evanescences' 'Bring Me To Life'. 
Background information about the song

• "Bring Me to Life" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on April 22, 2003, as the first single from their debut studio album, Fallen, and as the lead single for the filmDaredevil.

• A music video for the song was directed by Philip Stolzl and filmed in January 2003. Lead vocalist Amy Lee is in a nightgown and barefooted, and asleep in a bed within a building, dreaming of falling through the air below a skyscraper. As the chorus begins, the band and Paul McCoy are performing in another room in the building as Lee awakens, making her way to the window. Lee climbs out of the window of her room and begins to scale and climb the building until she reaches the window of the room where the band is performing. During the bridge, McCoy notices Lee and opens the window, which accidentally causes her to lose her balance, and grabs the ledge for safety. Throughout the bridge and chorus, McCoy unsuccessfully attempts to reach for Lee, and she falls off the building. However, she is shown asleep within her bed again, as if the music video were a dream.

Deciding on a song

As a group, Elliot, Jamie and myself had to make a decision of what song we are going to create a music video for. We decided that we wanted to create a music video for a song from either the alternative, indie, rock genre as they are all genres that we enjoy and are fans of. 
Here is a list of songs that we thought of, that can include each member of the group as we are made up of two boys and one girl.
After watching some coursework from other students who had used songs from the Eighty's , we liked this idea and thought of some old Eighty songs that we all enjoy:

• 'Livin' on a Prayer'- Bon Jovi
• 'Shot Through the Heart' - Bon Jovi
• 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'- Bonnie Tyler 

Then we thought about some more recent songs with a female lead in the Rock Genre.

• 'Complicated' - Avril Lavigne
• 'Somebody's Fool' - Evanescence
• 'Bring Me To Life' - Evanescence

We finally decided to create our music video to 'Bring Me To Life' by Evanescence, aswe all enjoy the song, it has a female lead singer but gives oppertunities for Jamie and Elliot to be involved in the band, also when creating a narrative it can be very reflective to teenagers lives.