To edit our Digipak we used the programme photoshop. In order to create the six panels we needed six different pictures. For the front and back panels we wanted them to join together smoothly, so that the tree would become the spine. To do this i created a blank image two times the size of a panel,
making sure i added a centimetre to the width for the spine of the digipak.
After importing the drawn image of the tree onto our template in photoshop i then began to construct the digipak. The main font I used is called delectable which we found and downloaded from the website DaFont. I chose this font as it has a similar style to the branches of the tree.
After inserting all the font i then added a barcode to the back cover to make it appear like a real digipak. The next panel i worked on was the middle panel. For this panel i decided to insert the rights to the songs and other details about the album. I decided to stick to a simple plain white background and use half of the tree so that it was uniform with the front and back panels of our digipak.
After doing this panel i then edited 3 pictures for the inside of my digipak. So that all of the pictures were uniform i added a vinergerette filter to them in photoshop. I also faded one of the images onto another image so that the guy in the picture looked like he was fading away.
Finally i imported all the images onto my template and inserted a cd holder over the middle image.
The narrative of a text is the way the story is organised.
Elements of narrative:
Time
Enigma- questions or problems that need to be answered
Closure- How the story ends, are there any loose ends at the end of the video?
Linear- when the story goes in chronological order and there are no flashbacks.
Todorov:
Todrov developed the theory that there are 4 key points to the narrative of a story.
The Equilibrium- Everything is normal, the environment can be relaxed.
The Disruption- Something happens that disrupts the plot, e.g. a murder takes place
The Resolution- The problems are fixed, e.g. revenge for the murder
The New equilibrium- Everything has gone back to normal however, it isn't the same as the beginning, e.g. the person murdered is no longer there
Barthes:
Barthes developed the theory of texts being open or closed or polysemic.
Open- numerous 'threads to pull' - Inception is good example of this as you aren't quite sure if the main character has died or is dreaming.
Closed- only one obvious thread to grasp - Many films have closed endings, where everything is resolved.
Texts that can be read in a number of ways are known as polysemic texts. This is when a film can be open to many different interpretations. For example, 'Scarface' can be seen as 'a glorification of violence' or 'a rags to riches' story.
Propp:
Propp developed the narrative theory of different character types. These are:
The Protagonist (the hero) e.g James Bond
The Antagonist (the villain) Jaws, Le Chiffre etc,
The Provider (the donor) Q
The helper The women who help Bond With his missions
The father Q
The dispatcher M
The princess Women he falls in love with
The false hero Rosamund Pike in Die Another Day etc
Eminem Stan
Todorov's theory can be applied to this music video as it has an equilibrium and disruption, however it does not exactly have a resolution and new equilibrium. The beginning of the video shows how Stan has an obsession over Eminem and shows the disruption as his letter gets lost in the mail. However, his problems only seem to get worse as he writes his new letter towards Eminem about how he never responds and this ends in Stan having a psychopathic break and driving off a bridge, killing both himself and his pregnant wife. This shows that there is no resolution or new equilibrium.
Barthes' theory can be seen in the music video as there are some questions that pop up throughout the video. However, as the video progresses, we see that these questions get answered. These include 'Why does Eminem not receive Stan's letters?' or 'Why is Stan driving through the night in the rain?' It is a closed piece of text as we see why everything happened, however there is no real resolution.
Propp's theory can also be applied to Stan, as there are some of the characters that he suggests. There is the 'protagonist' who is Stan, however he isn't seen as a hero. There are also the 'princess' (Stan's wife). The villain is seen as Eminem through Stan's eyes, however, we see that he was not at fault for everything that had gone wrong.
In the music industry, sexism is a major issue particularly in regards to women. Women are treated drastically different to men. when discussing the way in which women are portrayed it is important to consider Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory as it deals with issues of sexism. One of the more important points with her theory is the male gaze. This means that the media texts are created for the viewing of males, and not the viewing of females. This is why in media texts, women are presented to the audience as being "objects of erotic desire". This is because it would appeal to the majority of the male audience. Even when women consume media texts, they have to watch it from a male point of view as they are forced to watch the exposure of women. Blurred Lines
Last year the controversial music video to blurred lines by Robin Thicke highlighted the problems of sexisim in music videos. "It promotes a very worrying attitude towards sex and consent," explained Kirsty Haigh, EUSA's vice-president of services. The main artist in this video Robin Thicke is persistently shown to be completely dominant over the women in the video. Also, the women in the video are wearing very little clothing (in the explicit version of this video they are topless) where as he and the other male are fully clothed. This not only presents their dominance but it also presents women as the object of erotic desire which conforms to Laura Mulveys theory. In reference to Goodwins theory, this video contains many close ups of the artist which appeals to audiences and record labels and the video also features a choreographed dance routine which is typical of a pop video. In terms of Goodwin, the girls in the video have a dance routine which is a characteristic of his theories.
Wrecking Ball
Miley Cyrus's video to her song "wrecking ball" is very controversial in regards to sexisim. In the majority of the video Miley is naked whilst swinging on a wrecking ball. She also licks a sledge hammer in a seductive way. Many argue that it sends an inappropriate message to her younger audience who she gained throughout her career as Hannah Montana. Although it could be interpreted that Miley exploited her sexuality in this video to shock audiences and gain attention, it could also be inferred that she is making the statement that she is no longer the innocent disney star; that she has grown up. This video is unique as she is purposely exploiting herself. she is exploiting the music industry because she is doing something unique and being controversial about it, thus creating interest in her, and therefore giving her more chance of achieving revenue. She is also On the other hand, I think she is being exploited. In regards to Mulvey's theory, she is making herself appear like an object of erotic desire by using her body to appeal to the audience.
Hard out Here
This video is a feminist video as it is mocking other videos that sexualise woman. It is showing how its hard nowadays to be a woman because of all the expectations that people have for them. People think they need to be skinny where, as the song says, you can see their bones. They need to have a big butt and boobs because this is what will get them a good life and get them to stardom. IT even parodies how in many black music v black women’s bodies are reduced to lurid props.However, as the video shows, we can see that Lily Allen completely disagrees with these views. This makes the video entertaining and it can also teach others what woman have to go through in their lives. It is clear that the video is a parody of a lot of current videos, such as J Lo's video 'Booty'. It does sexualise woman throughout the video but this is just to show what happens behind the cameras and maybe even the media in general. In this video Lily is making a similar statement to Mulvey, she's expressing how the male gaze denies women human identity, relegating them to the status of objects to be admired for physical appearance.
as part of our coursework we also have to create a digipak to compliment our music video. A digipak usually consists of 6 paperboards/card stocks which are able to join together. The outer binding allows the 6 to be able to come together. Usually one of the card stocks contains a plastic CD Holding case which is where discs are kept, and they are kept in place by the tray. Digipak editions are often used for special editions of CD Singles or Albums and are known as premium packaging. A typical digipak could include:
Photographs - usually a digipak contains some close ups or medium shots of the artists. The rest of the images are often used to reflect a theme that can be seen within the music.
Track List - On a digipak a track list is usually always found on the back. This is a list that has the name and listing of each track on the album.
Barcode and record company logo - These are present as a way of advertisement, if the consumer likes what they hear on this CD, they know where they can find similar content. In a similar light, somewhere else in the digipak there may be a list of the artists/bands previous work.
-Information on the Album and Artist - Where a digipak contains extra content than a regular CD purchase, it usually contains more detailed information on each member of the band, the roles they have and a list of other people that assist with production that would not necessarily be seen on stage performing.
The Mumford and sons Digipak adopts the plain sideways folding method. This simplified looking album cover/ Digipak suits the genre that Mumford and sons want live up to which is simplicity. picture consists of a pink house most likely a small antique shop as it has a quaint look about it. The shop window contains the four artists along with the instruments each individual plays. They all seem to be playing very old style instruments along with wearing the attire that blends with the type of genre they are expressing (Irish folk rock). On the back cover there is just a picture of the most parts of a window on a white house. There are also the song names of the album, the song “sigh no more” is the first due to it being the album name.
Underneath is the bar-code and all of the copyright laws and disclaimer information. The inside picture then contains the same pink house with four windows and sitting on the window ledges are 4 men, most likely the artists, seeming to acknowledge one another showing their brotherhood, that they are all in this together. Finally, the CD itself is black, a massive contrast to the whiteness of the rest of the pack. However this is most likely to be because it makes it stand out and it also possibly reflecting that many of the songs are about sorrow or anger. Black can can be a common indication of both.
Today we had our first full group meeting in our new group, in which we discussed ideas over how we could all have roles which will benefit the group. This meeting was to explain all of the groups ideas and try to come up with the best possible decision on how our new group will work.
