Digipak Research: Meet The Vamps Album Cover Analysis

Here is a Prezi highlighting the key points of analysis of this album cover titled 'Meet The Vamps'
http://prezi.com/wckcp2i_wnuz/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

 

Overview of Editing

In my opinion, the editing process ran smoothly. Although there was a couple of bumps and crack along the way with the loss of sync and style of editing. Nevertheless, it was a smooth transmission that had everyone in our team contributing to the process, whether it be editing or simply voicing opinions and ideas.

In terms of my contribution to the editing process, I acquired the use of some of my free periods to test new ideas and themes that could possible embed into our music video, whether it be something that conformed to the genre such as a slowed down speech change for clips presented in the instrumental opening, or overlays during the slow sections of the song, as well as the usual trial and error approach.

The use of timescales whereby we plotted dramatic tempo increase or lowered tempo, aided us in advance with clip placements and pace changes.

Meeting The Deadline

We managed to finish our music video before our deadline was over, as well as publishing it on YouTube. A week before the deadline, issues and concerns were raised within our group regarding whether or not we will finish this before the deadline. But, we successfully managed to complete this before the deadline as well as having a private screening of our music videos with our other class.

Letter-boxing & Title

Letter- boxing was something we did towards the ending or completion of our production, it was more or less an on- going thing towards the deadline date which marked the stage we were at regarding our production. Of course during the stage of losing lip sync to  sound, we had to re- apply the letter-boxing effect as a crash procedure whereby it was a constant motion of applying this effect to every clip the music we came across in the music video.

The title was acquired by a team member. She chose this specific title option on Final Cut Pro

MTV Logo

We needed a logo to put on our music video; the most obvious logo we would use is MTV. However we went through the phase of deciding which one would suit our music video, which meant we had to research each sub-genre individually and see how it would fit our music video.  



 

It was hard to depict which sub-genre would apply to our music video and reason for this. However, a member of our group argued that this kind of music video would play and be considered as chart music. I further agreed with this because I have noticed a change in the taste of music, Indie music is gradually leaking into mainstream music and is something that is widely listened to by the mass audience.  As a result of this predicament, we came to the conclusion of not inserting a sub-genre based logo, but applying a generic MTV logo that stands out and is recognized by the mass audience.

The Big Hunt for Overlay

It was an icy cold October when I was cooped in the media suite, taking a break from editing our music video with the song that never left my head for the past month; I went on YouTube, hooked by the school's previous productions and came across this...

I was immensely fascinated by a certain technique used in this music video that I felt could be applicable and provide us with the adrenaline rush needed in aspects of the song where sound was intensified.

After thorough research, I found that this was an effect called overlay that was achieved by placing a clip above another clip (just as shown below) then pressing overlay to allow both of them to play on screen

As a result, we came to this image that we decided to keep in the music video

This effect was also placed on other clips that allowed us to keep up with the tempo increase during and after the bridge of the song, these clips are as shown below:

Editing: Little Tweeks and Changes

Following suit the development of a structured and completed sequence, as well as the necessary effects, our production was close to its completion.

Little tweaks and changes had to be made and these mainly focused on the clips positioning in the sequence or perhaps creating a fast paced aspect to the music video in conjunction to the drum beat. We also had to make sure each clip that was colour graded had the same shade of colour grade throughout the video. For example, the studio shots  (that was not shot in the studio but was shot in Asfah's bedroom) when graded to black and white, it was a lot lighter than the subway shots. Moreover, we looked through each clip and compared them to a standard colour graded clip used towards the beginning of the music video. For example:

Our standard template of colour grading for any subway clips is...

Our standard template of colour grading for any studio clips is...

Our template of colour grading for any studio clips is...

Editing: Researching

Carrying out research, even as simple as 'How to edit a music video' can be considered as a well-known starting point to almost anyone, so well-known that I am sure many people would not even have to go through the process of researching ways to edit a music video. In terms of editing a music video or any media production in that matter, the understanding could be to cut, drag and make a sequence out of clips. In all honesty, during the editing process of our film openings I considered this stereotypical simplicity of editing. Yet was challenged during this film opening and completely overthrown by challenges that were in a constant requirement to tackle for our music video.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyn7FYUONgY&feature=player_embedded

Aside from ’in processing' of adding quick cuts and installing close up shots to the sequence, our sequence was going well. Yet, that same feeling, that I am sure every director, editor, producer would have at some point in their lives, cascaded our production, 'our production lacked something'

 The need to act on that feeling was there, so I did some basic research. I came across a video that gave a demo on 'How to edit a music video', me being me, I decided to click on it. It wasn't necessarily the context of the video I was particularly focusing on; it was the procedure the instructor decided to take that sparked my interest because it was a logical and organised procedure. Because of my impulse to work in trial and error, to see where things take me, I used this technique of using markers and syncing all the clips at the start before I start making my cuts. But, I am sad to say it did not work as well as I planned, simply because the level of cuts required was too complex as opposed to the simplicity of the video and the procedure was discarded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNxiKR6PKAY&feature=player_detailpage


The sugar glass and the tinted bottle was deliberately red, because I wanted to get the Pleasantville effect on board. I visited different sites on how to create the Pleasant Ville effect which varied from written instruction, to visual demonstrations, but the only good demo I found was on my good ol' friend YouTube provided a demo video for this effect and how to get it to its finest. After numerous efforts in making sure the whole object bottle was red, while the background was black and white, I succeeded in causing this effect on my smashing bottle and included this in the music video.  

Filming/ Editing: Artistic collage