DVD cover research

I have annotated a DVD case to see what basic conventions they have. The cover I have annotated has many similar conventions to other DVDs I looked at.

DVD cover research

For my second ancillary product I have chosen to make a DVD cover for my music video. I have researched some existing products to see the kind of things I should include on my own DVD cover. I looked at a variety of DVD cover images on Google and found that they all had very similar things in common. 

• Many of the DVDs include a variety of Videos for a whole album
• They all include a photo that either links to the band/artist or the album/songs
• Most have an age rating attached though a few don't
• A bar code 
• Some logos for companies/bands/advertisement
• Information about the production (director/editor etc)
  
  
  
  

  

DVD Cover

My original idea for my DVD cover was to have a picture of a young hand holding an older (signifying the young boy who's grown up and his young child). I also wanted to include the symbol of stars that runs right through my music video however, I couldn't think of a suitable picture that would include all aspects I wanted. I therefore changed my mind and decided to base my DVD cover around stars and fairy light as both images appear in my music video.

I cut out some paper stars and stuck them to string, I then hung them on my washing line at night and hung fairy lights behind them. I put a sheet behind to block any background objects. I then took a variety of photos from different angles so I could chose the best one to edit.

I changed the picture to black and white, which also complimented the theme that runs through my music video. I then blurred the vary lights even more (I had already manually changed the depth of focus slightly when taking the photo) and sharpened some of the colours and contrasts.

Below is the original photo compared with my finished one:

Reaserchning Existing Websites

For my ancillary text I have decided to do a website for my artist as one of my tasks. In order to get a template of the structure and personality of my website I have looked into existing products. Websites I have looked into are Birdy's, Lily Allen's and Passenger's. I haven't yet looked at Ellie Goulding as I didn't want to get influenced by her website and be tempted to copy some aspect; I'm ensuring my website will be all of my own, original ideas. I may look at her website at a later date to help me get information about her career and current life however, I will ensure all my deign elements of my website are complete first.

Things I liked:


-Hyperlinks to the artist social networking site and advertisement areas (sound cloud, Twitter, YouTube channels)
- Navigation bars that include extra bits about the artists life (merchandise store, videos, discography)
- A 'News' section keeping their fans and readers up-to-date with their lives
- Links to the artists new releases and music videos - encouraging downloads (typically off iTunes) and keeping fans current
- 'Subscribe' links allowing fans to get further in sites if they wish
- A quirky and personalised aesthetic to the web page to ensure the site is special to the artist and creates an appropriate feel (often linked to the newly released album cover from the artist)


Birdy - http://officialbirdy.com/
Lily Allen - http://www.lilyallenmusic.com/
Passenger - http://passengermusic.com/



Cast and Location

Character:

My music video is based around 3 main characters (a daughter, her dad, and his mum) however, it shows different stages of the three character's lives and therefore, I have had to use a range of cast members for my music video.

For my mum I am using Ellie Bunce, she is a high grade, a level, drama student with much experience in acting. She is also an a level media student, this will be helpful when filming as she will understand the pressure of creating your own production and therefore cooperate well.

For the young son I will be using a doll, I decided this would be the best option as it may be hard to keep retaking shots with a very young baby without upsetting him.

The young toddler will be played by Daniel Hutson, a 3 year old, who like Ellie has blonde hair and blue eyes, therefore making the relationship aesthetically believable. I will also be using Daniel for the older school child, I will make him look older by changing his costume and shooting in such a way that you can't see his feature in detail.

I haven't yet decided who I will use for the adult boy, I will most likely chose once I've started the rough edit so it's clear what sort of character I am looking for.

The young daughter (child of the grown up son) will also be played by Daniel Hutson however his costume and once again the filming, will allude that he is a girl.

Location:

I will be using my own bedroom as the setting for the small baby's bedroom as it is white and therefore will have very pure connotations

Daniel's bedroom will be used for the shot of the toddler as it already has the right aesthetics for a child of his age

Woodstock CofE primary school will be used for the school shots

A local park, church will be used for the other shots

Seeking Permission From The Record Company

I sent a letter to Polydor Record Label to seek permission to use Ellie Goulding's 'How Long Will I Love You'. Below is a copy of the letter I sent.

After sending this letter on the date stated in the above screen shot I have no recieved a reply and so I am using the track anyway. 

Preperation For Filming

Before filming I broke down what I wanted to catch on camera to make sure I got all shots that I wanted and ensure I was organised during the shooting to ensure it went smoothly. Below are copies of my 'Scene Breakdown' and my 'Shot List'.