Final Digipak

I have now created my final Digipak for the band as one of my ancillary products. The following four pictures are pictures of exactly what I printed, all to scale. 

The following pictures depict what I did to create the CD case and its linear notes.

I folded the individual sheets for the linear notes along the spine, layed then in the correct place, to construct the right order. I then used spray mount to glue them together. I glued two halves together and then glued the front and back cover sheet onto the remaining two empty faces of the linear notes, to create the finished version. I then used a linear rotary cutter to cut off the excess paper. 

To create the final digipak, I followed a similar process, I backed both images onto a single piece of card, one picture on one side, the other on the opposing side. (I did not use card when sticking the linear notes, as it needed to be a booklet and not as thick and ridged as the Digipak.) Once the pictures were back on the card, I simply folded the edges and glued it together to create this final digipak.

To resolve the issue of the visable tabs, I was unable to find a perfect solution, but what I did worked to a much better standard than the previous version of my digipak. I cut the tabs a lot smaller, and glued them to one side of the sleeve so they were more hidden and discreet. 

Adding Black Syndi-Conga To The Video

On the digipak and website there is the slogan, join the black syndi-conga, but it wasn't on the music video. I wanted it to become a thing associated with the band, a memorable saying for the band. However I realised it wasn't on the music video, and it didn't work continuity wise. It made no sense for it to be on both the digipak and website but not the music video.

It was important to me that I keep the fonts consistant, so I needed to learn how to import a font into Final Cut Pro. Following a YouTube video I found online I learnt how to import the fonts.

Not only did I keep the font the same, I also wanted the colour of the font to be the same, so made it the same dark red. I wanted the focus to be on the slogan, so I then inserted the website below, but smaller, so you can read it but its not the focus. I just added it at the end of the video after the production company, as an extra advertisement.

Second Digipak Draft

I have recently created a second digipak drafted. I created a Emaze explaining the changes from the first version to this one.

Website Issues

I am having a few issues with my website that I can't seem to fix. The left image is of the website while I am in the editor mode and making changes. You can see that all the words lines up and fit the boxes they are backed on. However when I publish the website and view it as if I was a fan entering the site, this is what it looks like(the right hand picture). You can see that the font doesn't fit the boxes and has all moved about. I have tried multiple things to fix this issue, resizing the font, resizing the boxes, changing the font, but nothing seems to work.

Initial Final Version

Following my colour correction edits on my product, I have recently finished what I see as my first final version of the footage. I have posted a link to my Instagram and added a link on my Facebook asking them to watch the film and fill in my questionnaire of feedback incase there were things about the production they didn't like or felt that needed to be improved.

My initial final version;

morrighan media first final rough cut from morrighan humpleby on Vimeo.


https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7HK578P

Reviews of Zombie discovery scene

During my feedback session, they agreed that the scene where the band stopped playing to listen to the noise outside and investigate was a little awkward and clumsy. The felt like one of the reasons they felt this was because the music completely stopped for the whole scene until the drummer and base player open the door, which is very unconventional for a music video. I agreed that maybe the stop of music for the whole of the scene is unnecessary but it did need to stop at least once as the band stop playing to hear the noise. So what I did was stop the music but only for a few seconds, and ease it back in once the drummer and base player leave to see to the noise. 

Upon further consideration I thought one issue might also be that its just a static shot through the whole scene. In retrospect, it would be ideal if another camera angle of this scene, however turns out this was the only shot I had of the scene, so had to work with what I had.first three changes

As I said, original the shot was static with no change of angle or anything.

second/final change

So what I did was as the music stopped, cropped the image closer to the band, then do  jump cut further back to show a long stop of the band. In all honesty, I am not happy with the outcome of this section, but this is the best I can do at the moment, and will look into other ways of improving it.

Issues With The Footage

 When editing the footage I noticed that the footage from a certain camera was very lined and low quality. I first assumed I would have to disregard the footage on this camera so didn't use the clips, however upon upload to Vimeo, I noticed that clip wasn't lined like it was when editing, so assumed it was an issue just with the footage streamed through Final Cut Pro. I also noticed to clip on Vimeo wasn't in HD so selected the HD button and instantly it was back to the lined footage, so when it was played in HD it was lined, if it was no HD it was much better quality, as seen below.

Although hard to see in the picture, this is the footage in HD with the lines.

This is the footage not in HD so much smoother overall. 

Vimeo 

Final Cut Pro

The difference in quality is easier to see here, you can see just how lined the footage is in the picture directly from Final Cut Pro. Overall there is a slight improvement on quality from HD upload from Final Cut to Vimeo either way, but its only when the footage is played in Vimeo, not in HD that the footage is in the best quality.










I considered the cause of this and decided what probably happened, was the camera with this issue might have been filmed not in HD so when trying to play it in HD it isn't compatible with a HD stream, so when played not in HD do you see the accurate representation of the camera quality.

Band Photoshoot

Today I am photoshooting the band for images for their website and Digipak. 

I am performing the shoot in a local woods, taking conventions from existing rock band album covers such as Black Stone Cherry; Folklore And Superstition.

This band do however take themselves quite serious, which Black Syndicate do not. So the overall feel of the Photoshoot/digipack cover will not be as serious.





Although they are a pop band, Me First And The Gimmie Gimmies are a parody/cover band from America. Their whole characteristics and personality is similar of that of Black Syndicate;



The overall style of my work will be a combination of the styles of the two bands; Black Stone Cherry and Me First And The Gimmie Gimmies

When looking up digipak case I discovered a number of templates that you can download and use for your own personal use. The standard Digipak case has two sleeves to it, one to store the booklet, the other sleeve for the CD itself. However when researching templates I was unable to find a template with two sleeves, so will adapt a template with a single sleeve to be correct for two sleeves.

http://www.oasiscd.com/graphics/templates-digipak.asp

Website conventions

I found a Prezi made by another media studies student, about the conventions of a website. Its the conventions shown in this presentation that I must conform to in my final website. Some of which I have already met with my website.

I have recently developed the website further towards the final site. I have inserted all the key points on the website in place, with some basic detail and finish.

I have filled all the links in the 'connect with us' section with their pages, added their music from soundcloud on the right.

I have recently asked the band for information on new tours and news, but they only have one tour coming up which I added to the Dates section, I made up some news to add to the Lastest News section for now. I wanted to create some form of enigma for the audience to keep checking on the band, so added the mystery event on the 10th April.

Colour Correction

Using colour balance setting I changed the
exposure, brightness, contrast and colour
tones to the footage. I saved this 'present' so
I could later apply it to all of the clips. 

The original footage was quite lit and bright, which isn't conventional of
music video for a heavy metal band. 

I had to basically match the colour of the footage to the colour of the worst quality camera. The worst camera had a kind of green tone to the footage, I did actually quite like this look as it further added to the dystopian effect I was looking for. This was want my final set 'present' looks like on one clip. 

Although I added the same 'Present' to all the clips, due to changes in light and camera quality and other factors I couldn't control it didn't always look the same across all footage. 

So using the colour balance tool again I made slight changes to the 'present'. You can see on this footage of the drummer, is very, very green once the present was added to it. 

So to counteract the green tones on the original footage, I added some pink tones as they are opposites on the colour wheel, so counter balance the green tones. 

I originally wanted to keep the scenes outside the original colours and brightness, however after watching the footage with the inside of the 'studio' matched with the scenes outside it was too much of change in colour. So reduced the exposure and brightness of the clips, so it was still lighter than inside the studio but not as light as the original.

The footage inside the studio gets steadily darker as well, as I wanted to impose the idea of the zombies bringing in the darkness so for that idea to be consistent, the zombies need to have the darkness outside which they bring in with them as they enter the studio.

First rough cut

morrighan media first final rough cut from morrighan humpleby on Vimeo.

I have recently finished my first rough cut of the music video to show to my media studies class, my band but also the focus group I have put together.

I will add the feedback I received in a following post.

There are issues I am aware off, one of them being that the colour of the footage changes from camera to camera. I don't mind that the quality is different, as I previously stated I feel like it makes it look more grungy. Its just that some of the clips have a different colour to them and have a green tint to them, which I need to either change or make all the other clips like that too. In addition I am aware that I want the whole thing to be a little darker as it would create more of a dystopian feel to the music video, which is the scene I wanted to set for a zombie apocalypse.

I will create a questionaire for my audience who I wont meet face to face to answer. Whereas for my media studies class I will ask them the questions and film their responses.

Here is the link to survery I created that I will give to the band and the focus group, with the questions I will ask my media studies group.

feedback from morrighan humpleby on Vimeo.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7HK578P

Below is a Emaze presentation I created analysing the answers that I got from my audiences.

Ancillary Products; Website

I have started adding the social network accounts for the band to the website

Although this isn't the image I will be using as the header for my website, I have put it in the correct place on the site to create a visual representation of the website, but I will later change. 

Make up for my production

A good friend of mine, Ellen Archer studies Media Hair and Make Up at city college. I will be using her to do the make up for my production. I have given her rough sketches of how I want the make up to look. On set she informed me that she was also interested in creating the costumes for the zombies too, so she could add the whole group of zombies make up, hair and costume to her portfolio.  Ellen ripped the zombies costumes where she felt appropriate and I told them I wanted them to be scruffy and muddy etc. They then went outside and they rolled in the dirty to get the messy look I wanted. Following the drawings I made for my make up artist, she created wax wounds on their faces/bodies, added fake blood to the wounds and their clothes. I wanted the zombies to have pale faces, pinky eyes and back combed hair.

This was the final outcome of my zombies hair, make up and costume. Below are close ups of the wounds on the zombies faces.

I was very, very pleased with the outcome of the zombies make up. as it was very convincing and effective. I particularly like the fake wounds on the models faces and bodies. 

Although the band didn't require any make up for their scenes as a normal human band, they needed to have make up for the zombie scenes. Ellen(my make up artist) followed the same idea of make up and hair for the band when they are zombies. As shown below(I apologise for the faces in the pictures, the band are never serious)

Here is the group shot of all the band members in their costumes. I didn't want to change their costumes and make them dirty etc for continuity reasons. The original zombies came from outside so them being dirty makes sense, however the band members never left the building they were playing in, so would have no way of getting dirty.