My CD advertisement

CD posters

digipack

Digipak- Inside left and right for CD

I chose to go with this plain style because i didnt want to make the CD cover look too clustered and stuffy. Also the music video itself is actually the actress with 2 lifes so its representing her life a bit like a movie.

Digipack- Front Cover

For my 2 front covers i just used one of the images i had already edited. For the first cover I did the font the same way as i did the back cover by using 'dafont.com' and used the same font 'apple Garamond' for the artists name and album name however i made the album name bolder to make it stand out.

Digipack- The back

When creating the back i had to research some songs that i would put on that were already made my lana del rey. These are what i have found..
1. Carmen
2. Summertime Sadness
3. Dark paradise
4. National Anthem
5. Video Games
6. Blue Jeans
7. Ride
8. Young and beautiful

To find the font for the back cover i used 'dafont.com'. I chose to go with the style 'apple garamond'. I print screened the image of the website:

I then went on to photoshop and pasted it onto it there. Where i would then use the rubber to rub around the text. I then used the magic want tool to get rid of the rest of the white.

 I then did this for all the rest of the songs.

Here is the back of a katy perry CD. It shows other conventions i must include these are:

• The name of the album on the side
• Bar code
• Producer
• Copyright when it was made
• Managements groups
• Executive producers.

To make this on my own i thought it would be quite hard so i just copied the text on this album cover and changed a few words.

 Executive producers: Dr James & Luke David
Original Painting by Rodeo Clive
Direct management group, inc/ Mathew Grove, Davis Stent

2010,2013 capitol records. Manufactured by capital records
100 Ninth Avenue, California, CN 10011. All rights reserved, unauthorized reproductions and violation of applicable laws.

Final Back cover of CD

My singers previous digipacks

The best way for me to follow the conventions is by looking at lana del reys already made digipacks. These are shown below.

Editing photos for my digipack

I used pic monkey mainly for my editing. I find it a lot easier then Photoshop and I like the effect that it helped me create on the front cover. Below is a powerpoint explaining each step in editing for the photos. I also edited each photo in several different ways.

Ancillary Text- Digipack Template

When creating my digipack i am going to follow this template that our teacher gave us..

Ancilary Texts- CD

A cover for it's release of part of a digipak (CD/DVD package):

Below are some images of CD covers. These female singers are also quite closely associated to the genre of 'Lana del rey'. Every album cover is similar in each way. They are all very simple with not a lot going on within the image. The singer and the album cover is very plain and simple. It doesn't bring much attention away from the singer. At least half of the CD cover were in black and white. The reason for this was to connote nostalgia. The audience would immediately be able to see what type of genre the singer associates herself with. We also assume that the songs on the CD will symbolise sadness and depression. Most of them tend to be close ups. The reason for this is so we can see the emotion they are giving off through their album again creating assumptions for the audience. A lot of songs will be sad which is a strong emotion emphasised across their faces on the covers. Some of them also shy away from the camera emphasising this. Every single digipack cover also has a title in capital letters, this could be because it makes it stand out more.

Some ideas for digipack title

Drawn idea for digipack and ancilary picture

Font ideas

There were several different categories on dafont.com that I thought would look conventional to lana del reys fonts. These are shown below with the categories they are under.

Groovy

Sans Serif

Decorative

Filming session 10/02/14 Evaluation part 1 (micro)

Today I had just the odd scenes missing in the house. These were the final steps to completing my music videos. The lyrics I shot today are below:

(1:50-1:55)
It's tirin', tirin"

(2nd Chorus)
(2:00-2:05)
She gives them butterflies, bats her cartoon eyes
(2:07-2:10)
Her minds like a diamond
(2:15-2:24)
Like lightning, whoa, like lightning

Props

• Vodka- I wanted the vodka bottle to be held in her hand for the first lyric shown above. I wanted to show that she is dependent on alcohol and when shes on her own she is always drinking. Emphasising she is an alcoholic.  
• Wine Glass- Typical alcoholic glass but the fact that it has vodka in it not wine is ironic. Wine symbolizes a drink you have for celebrations or socializing. This is her not celebrating or socializing, just drinking to try and forget everything. Wine glass also emphasises its alcohol in it.
• Water- Instead i replaced the vodka for water. I obviously couldn't have my actress drinking straight vodka as this could lead to health complications and her getting drunk on the shoot. 
• Old pictures- The old pictures are to represent her when she was younger shwoing her looking back on her life. This smiles indicate she had a happy childhood because she has nothing to worry about whereas the age shes at and the generation we live in there is a lot for young teenagers to worry about like alcohol, drug abuse etc. 

Costume
For the happy scenes I put her in a white top to connote hope, purity, innocence etc. This is to again remind the audience she is in a happy form at this point, i carried on the natural makeup look with her for this part. For the part where she is drinking alcohol i put her in a black bed top.This contrasts with the white for the next few shots again reminding the audience that this is her bad form. I made it look like she was ready for bed because the 2nd shot shows her passed out on the bed.

Mise en Scene
  The location for both these shots were set in the house. For the bad aspect of her drinking alcohol it has all been kept and filmed inside the house because its meant to represent her 'behind closed doors'. However I also put the happy scene in the house too, to show that she can have happy moments to her self and she is still normal because everyone should feel comfortable and happy in their home at some point. I also put them both in the kitchen to show a link of the same place but different mood of the character.

Post production
For the post production I cut the clips to the right length for each scene. I also kept the same continuity of the effects throughout of the aged film and 50's tv for the negative scenes and then just aged film for the happy scenes. I  used the fade tool again too.
What would I rethink about?
If I was to re-plan this i would change the second scene of her happy side into something else. I don't quite like it and i think it just looks quite messy and has know narrative to it like the others it doesn't really link.

Filming session 07/02/14 2nd part Evaluation Part 1 (micro)

Like the previous post this was filmed in the same day. However the lyrics of each scene filmed in this day are meant to be set in a different time period therefore i had to film them at 2 different points in the day. Th shots i filmed here was set at night so i had to wait till it had got darker. The lyrics I filmed are shown below:

(1:17-1:21)
Carmen, Carmen, stayin' up till mornin'
(1:21-1:26)
Only seventeen but she walks the streets so mean

These are the shots from my story board I began filming today..

PUT STORY BOARD IMAGES

No props involved in this scene.

Costume
I put the actress in a grey hoodie, grey joggy bottoms and a bodywarmer. The reason i chose for them to be grey is because it connotes dullness and sets the scene of it being at night. If she was wearing bright colours she would stand out in the clip whereas with the dark colour it shows she is blending into the night and wants to be forgotten about and hide away from everybody about the life she really lives.
Cinematography
I used long shots of her walking down the street to show her being distant from us and to establish the scene of her being outside in the dark. I did one shot of her walking up to the camera and the other shot of her walking away. The reason i did it in this order is because the 2nd shot of her walking away creates mystery for the audience as we don't know where she is going?
Mise En scene 
I chose to locate this shot down my street at night and in my house. The reason for this is because it matches the lyrics of what the singer says about her staying up till morning walking the streets and  it shows her doing this alone. 
Post production
Like most scenes I added the '50's Tv' and 'aged film again'.
What I need to rethink about?
I think I may speed up the character walking to also represent time speeding up this is to emphasise the fact that she stays out all night just walking around. It could also emphasise that she wants to run away from the bad life.

Filming session 07/02/14 1st part Evaluation Part 1 (micro)

Today's filming session was only to film a little bit in my friends car for the first appearance of the chorus. This is representing her happy side again. The reason I did it in a moving car was to show her that when she is in her positive life she is moving a long in her life beneficially whereas when she is in the negative side she isn't  this is reinforced by the still shots. The lyrics are shown below:

(0:52-0:57)
She gives them butterflies, bats her cartoon eyes

(1:07-1:16)
Like lightning, whoa, like lightning

These are the shots from my story board I began filming today..

PUT STORY BOARD IMAGES

Props

• Car-  this is for my actress to be sat moving along in.

Costume
I kept the natural look again to highlight the same points i have already mentioned in previous posts. However I put my actress in a fur jacket. Fur represents wealth and glamour, it gives off positive denotations which is what i want to create, a positive vibe, to again reinforce the positive lifestyle.It also shows 2 very different looks between 2 very different lifes.
Mise en scene
The road driving resembled the girl moving on with her life in her happy side whereas the negative side shes not which is reinforced by still shots. Also again it is highlighting like the previous posts the idea of nature.
Post Production
After filming I added the clips to the rest of my video. The effects I added to this was just the aged film to keep with the continuity of colorful shots to represent her happy side. I also added a slow motion effect for the second line 'like lightning, whoa, like lightning' because the bit I had filmed wasn't long enough for the shot. I also liked the idea of the slow motion because it showed the characters smile more boldly. 

What would I rethink about?
If i was to do it again I would maybe make my actress's hair style a bit more glamorous because i looks quite plain. Whereas a lot of Lana Del Rey videos she has made a big effort with her hair.

Filming session 4/02/14 Evaluation Part 1 (micro)

Today I set out to shoot the scenes in the bathroom. This is for the chorus mainly and another few lines of the song. I decided i would film the full chorus from several angles so I could change where abouts i put them in the video and vary them so every time the chorus is repeated it is different. Like shown in my story board my chorus has other scenes in it which are usually meant to show her happy, this is to contrast her 2 lifes.  The lyrics to what I will be recording are shown below:

(0:33-0:38)

I'm dyin', I'm dyin'" (second paragraph).

 (0:43-0:46)

Lyin', I'm lyin'"(second paragraph) 

(several choruses)

The boys, the girls, they all like Carmen
She gives them butterflies, bats her cartoon eyes
She laughs like God, her mind's like a diamond
Audio tune lies, she's still shining
Like lightning, whoa, like lightning


Props

• Knife- A knife is used in cooking to cut things therefore it would put more emphasis on the fact that the girl is cutting her wrists showing she is upset and something is wrong. A knife also symbolises violence which is how the girl is acting towards her self in this side of her life.

Costume
I decided to smudge her makeup again like a previous scene i shot of her taking the drugs. This is to emphasise to the audience that this is again her negative life and helps create continuity. I basically used the same costume as the last part again to reinforce this continuity in her negative life. However this time i chose to put her hair in a messy bun on the top of her head. The reason i chose to do this was because when a person takes drugs they may sweat, this is the body's form of defense to get it out of their system. By doing this it is showing that it is after she had taken the drugs and she is on something which is what i wanted my character to act like when she was singing towards the audience in the chorus which i think she did quite well. The messy bun was also to symbolise how messy her life really is and how she doesn't know whether she is going forwards or backwards it also shows that in this side of her life she isn't bothered about the way she looks because she is under the influence of harmful substances. 

Mise En scene
The location for this was set in the bathroom. The reason I chose this room was because in a bathroom it gives off the idea of hygeine and cleanliness which is ironic as the character at this point in the video is not clean or hygeinic she is taking drugs, alcohol, slitting her wrists. It also shows her in an everyday setting reinforcing that she still is a person trying to live a normal life. Bathroom are also known to be cold and stoney again symbolising herself on this bad side.

Cinematography 

The main shots in this were close ups or mid close ups. This is to make the audience feel close to the character and to emphasise this is what her real life is like opposed to the happy life which uses quite a few distant shots, again showing us the character that we actually know on the close up and that we are close enough to her for her to reveal our secret to us helping the audience create empathy.

Post Production
I used the clips in the bathroom several times for the chorus however I tried to rearrange them at different times to make it more interesting. Again I put the affect 50's TV and Aged film to keep the continuity throughout the video which is the effects that are put on the remind the audience which lifestyle the character is living in, at this point it is the negative one. To remind you, the black and white is done to connote the misery and dark like she lives in when shes in the negative world. This is how she see's life from her eyes, dark and cold. I also put a fade for the first 2 lines shown above because they come from when she is singing to the camera, i did this to show her remembering what she does in her negative life and what she hides off screen from the real world.

What would i rethink about?

When I filmed the knife spinning it would of been better if the object was central in the shot however it was hard as it kept moving when i span it.

Filming session 01/02/14 Evaluation Part 1 (micro)

The shots I wanted to film today was the ones of her in the garden, showing her when shes around people and putting on a happy personality for the camera, literally. Lyrics of what I filmed are shown below:
(1:26-1:30)
It's alarmin', truly, how disarmin' you can be
(1:30-1:33) 
Eatin' soft ice cream,
(1:33-1:35)
Coney Island queen
THE 3rd CHORUS
(3:19-3:21)
they all like Carmen 
(3:26-3:30)
She laughs like God, her mind's like a diamond(
3:36-3:46)
Like lightning, whoa, like lightning
(3:46-3:53)
Like lightning, whoa, like lightnin

These are the shots from my story board I began filming today..

PUT STORY BOARD IMAGES


Props

• Water fountain- To help set the scene, water also symbolises pure and innocence eg. holy water.

• Watering can- I chose the watering can to again emphasise the point above as she is pouring water in the plants. It is also ironic that she is giving life to these flowers which is representing the life she has in herself when she is happy yet the life she doesn't have when she is sad.

• Ice-cream- To link with the lyrics.

• Bike- A hobbie everyone enjoys doing to emphasise she is still a normal person.

Costume
I chose to put my actress in vintage type clothing as a conventional style of Lana Del Reys  reto look as shown in one of my posts before. This is for the reason of me choosing a white baggy top and levi shorts. I chose to put her in a white top as white connotes innocence and purity. It also reflects light and is considered a summer colour which fits in with the garden scene, eating ice-cream in the sun. Also to emphasise that it was set in the summer was the use of the summer hat she was wearing at the time too. The levi shorts are often also found in a lot of vintage shops as they have usually been cut from old jeans.

Mise en scene
I chose to film this scene in the garden because it is a natural setting. Also the reason for the use of the colourful flowers which could symbolise the life that the character actually holds in one of her sides. When we also see someone surrounded by nature we perceive them as pure and other positive connotations that come with it.

Cinematography
I chose to put a few long shots in these scenes. The reason for this is because the people that see her from this life are distant and my shot shows this. The reason we feel distant from the character in these shots is because we know this isn't the real her and she is lying to her friends and family that she is happy. This also helps us differentiate with the other life she lives because a lot of these are close ups showing that we are close to the character and we know this is how she really feels. I also put panning shots in this. The reason for this is again to help contrast between her sad life and happy life. The sad life shows all still shots this is to show her sad life is still and has nothing going on it as she is in decline.  However in her happy life she has a lot going for her and is happy and movement shows excitement. 

Post production
At first I began by creating these shots in the same effect as the others using the 50's film etc. However i decided to change it and only use the effect age film to represent that it again it was set a while back like a convention of a lot of lana del reys videos. I chose to take the black and white effect of so the audience could differentiate between her 2 lives when we watch the video. The black and white is meant to represent 1 of her lives being full of misery and depression where as the colour film i meant to resemble the other being bright and happy. I also put the effect 'camcorder' onto these shots to emphasise people are meant to see these videos and this side of her life.

Filming session 28/01/14 Evaluation Part 1 (micro)

The scenes I filmed today was in the bedroom when she is getting ready to go out. The lyrics are below:

(2:23-2:28) 
Baby's all dressed up with nowhere to go
(2:28-2:33)
That's the little story of the girl you know
(2:33-2:37)
Relyin' on the kindness of strangers
(2:38-2:43)
Tyin' cherry knots, smilin', doin' party favors
(2:43-2:48)
Put your red dress on, put your lipstick on
(2:48-2:52)
Sing your song, song, now, the camera's on
(2:52-2:56)
And you're alive again




These are the shots from my story board I began filming today..

PUT STORY BOARD IMAGES

Props

• Red dress- The reason I chose a red dress was because in the song it clearly says red dress. Red also connotes danger and love. Showing shes dangerous and lovable, again an example of her 2 sides.
• Light up mirror- Light up mirrors are usually seen in Hollywood movie dressing rooms and are seen as glamorous and posh. I chose this particular mirror to keep in with the Hollywood theme of the clapperboard and the idea of the actress being filmed for a movie. 
• Turban Towel- Used to help with the getting ready process, showing her transformation from being unready to ready when she takes it off. I also put it in to symbolise the singer letting her hair down for her happy positive side.
• Foundation (makeup)- The foundation is showing her getting ready to look nice for people
• Perfume- The perfume is showing her wanting to impress people by wanting to smell nice which is ironic because if we was to see her other lifestyle (which the audience actually does in the video) of her doing drugs etc. we wouldn't be impressed.
• Giant mirror- I thought a good type of cinematography was seeing the singer putting her lipstick on the mirror, sort of being able to see it in her point of view and what she see's because that is generally what the video is about, to understand the pressure of the character with these 2 very different lifestyles.
• Lipstick- The lipstick is again another prop clearly stated in the lyrics.

Costume

The costume in these scenes make our actress to look innocent which she doesn't in a lot. Whats ironic about the costume is we see her going into this costume, which is basically saying that's how she wants people to perceive her and its not just a coincidence. The red dress i have explained already up there. I made her makeup again to look natural like the last scene i filmed. Again this natural look makes her look innocent, vulnerable and ordinary  Which unlike her other side, we know she isnt. She is also wearing false neat nails. This is a contrast to the black nails she had in the other scenes and the reason i chose to put these on her is to make her look more glamorous. The white dressing gown is also a stereotypical outfit girls wear to get ready in. 

Mise- En scene 

The mise en scene is mainly made up from the props which i have highlighted above. However I chose to film it in the bedroom which is a typical place in the house where a girl would get ready. Therefore we see her as a normal girl in this scene which we are not used to throughout. There is also bright lights as well used to emphasise the fact that this is her happy side. 

Cinematography

At the end of the scene we see a closeup of the actresses mouth forcing a smile. I chose to put this is because i want the audience to realise that everyone sees her as a happy girl which she forces when shes really not. I did a long shot of the actress walking up and past the camera to show us her half way through the process of getting ready in her red dress. I also did a mid pan shot of her wardrobe. I did this to show us she is glamorous and has all these clothes that she can afford, that we don't see her wear in the scenes where shes doing drugs etc. which is where she is wearing a lot trampier clothes. Again helping the audience differentiate and contrast between the two lives.

Post Production

In the post production part i just stuck to the same effects like the posts for her singing in the chorus in the bathroom. I used aged film and 50's TV again. 

What would I rethink about? 
The shot where the actress pulled the towel turban off her head wasn't done very smoothly. I could improve this by doing it again. A long with the panning shot over the wardrobe.