ABI RAJI A2 Media Blog: 2016

Monday, 25 April 2016

How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research and planning and evaluation stages?

Saturday, 16 April 2016

Thursday, 17 March 2016

THE SPICE GIRLS

Who were the Spice Girls?

The spice girls were an English pop gril group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Melanie Brown (named 'Scary Spice'), Melanie Chisholm (named 'Sporty Spice'), Emma Bunton (named 'Baby Spice'), Geri Halliwell (named 'Ginger Spice') and Victoria Beckham nee Adams(named 'Posh Spice').

They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single "Wannabe" in 1996 which hit number one in 37 countries and established them as a global phenomenon.

Their debut album Spice sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, becoming the best selling album by a female group in history.

Some documentaries on the Spice Girls include ; <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-c2y2xEZjUs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The Formation of the "Spice Girls"

In the mid 1990's, a family management team named Bob Herbert, Chris Herbert and Lindsey Casbon set about creating a girl group to compete with popular boy bands that dominated the pop music scene in the mid to late 1990s.

In February 1994, Heart management placed an advertisement in The Stage trade magazine stating; "WANTED: R.U. 18-23 with the ability to sing/dance? R.U streetwise, outgoing, ambitious and dedicated?"

They then held an open audition, where 400 women entered to make the try outs. They were all put into groups of 10 and had to dance a routine to 'Stay' by Eternal. After this took place, the selecetion continued and the girls had to sing solo songs.

The Spice Breakthrough

On the 7th July 1996, the Spice Girls released their debut single "Wannabe" in the United Kingdom. The video was an instant hit and was aired up to seventy times in one weak at it;s peak.

After the video was released, the Spice Girls had their first live TV slot on the LWT's Surprise Surprise.

The clothing of the Spice Girls

Their clothes were carefully chosen for their first appearance on American TV.

Victoria wore sophisticated slinky black number, Emma was a in baby pink dress, Mel B was in her leopard skin trousers, Geri was in red hot pants, top and bra and Mel C was in her favourite Liverpool Shirt and tracksuit bottoms.

Selling the Spice Girls

The spice girls were sold to us a group of friends, just goofing off and making top-selling singles together. However, they were actually a carefully selected group of strangers chosen, aftern hundreds of auditions.

They had endless merchandising and sponsorship deals, and were involved with everything from Pepsi ads to Polarod ads to Barbie-style Spice dolls.

Everything about them, including their Scary/Posh/Sporty etc. nicknames were under the control of the men or corporations. Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice") almost didn't make it into the group as she looked older than the other girls, when they asked for her age, she reportedly said "I'm as old as you want me to be. I'll be 10 with big boobs if you want"

Creating the brand

Often artists/groups are sold as a brand and the music video acts as a product of the brand, in the hope that the audience will be inspired to "buy into the band". For some artists the 'image' is of greater importance than the quality of the product. The spice girls are a good example of this.

Other times it is the song and the meaning of the song that is sold, and the artists 'image' has little to do with the sale of the song. E.g. Ed Sheeran.

Thursday, 3 March 2016

Second Day of editing the music video

Editing day 2 from ECastillo11

Friday, 26 February 2016

Asking for Permission to use the band room

First day of editing the music video

Taju started on the editing for our rough cut today after 2 days of filming the different scenes. He was able to edit the whole video in about 5 hours without using any effects. He used the speed tool increase/decrease the speed of certain clips to match the mood of the scene in the music video. He also used the layering technique that he learned whilst doing the lip sync exercise in which he would layer each clip that involved singing on top of one another. From doing this he would select the best clips for that specific point in the music video. Throughout the music video there is one medium shot that will act as the foundation of the music video and will be shown when any close-ups or Party/London shots aren't. I placed this medium shot in the 'Video 1' slot on the timeline so it is the main clip throughout the video.

Here are some images of hisediting process.

This image shows the video after he selected the each of the segments he wanted from each individual clips.

Shooting Schdeule

Shooting Schedule

Day	Scene	Location	Equipment	Costumes	Props	Cast + Crew
Wednesday 7^thOctober	1	Robert Clack Upper School (Drama Room)	Camera, Dolly, Tripod, Lighting.	White shirts with black ties, bracelets.	Drum set, bass guitar, electric guitar, microphone.	Cast: Taju, David, Samuel and Jordan. Crew: Leon, Abi, Ebun.
Thursday 8^th October	2 & 3	Ismael’s House & Westminster.	Camera, Tripod, Lighting, Dolly.	The Party Members: Boys – T-Shirts, Jeans & Trainers. Girls: Dresses, Make-up, heels, thongs. Jessica: Party dress, make-up, purple lipstick, leather boots. Taju: Mac Coat, Turtle Neck & Loafers. Abi: Dress, Heels. David: Shirt, Skinny Jeans and Trainers. Leon: Bomber jacket, t-shirt, jeans, trainers.	Alcohol bottles, Balloons, pillows, glasses. Coffee cup.	Cast: Extras & Taju, Abi, Leon, Jessica. Crew: Ebun & Leon.

Shot List for Party and London Scene

LONDON & PARTY SHOTLIST

Shot List
Scene	Shot Number	Description
2 (Party Scene)	1	Establishing Shot.
	2	Close Up of Jessica.
	3	Close Up of Taju and Celina.
	4	Medium Shot of Taju.
	5	High angle shot of Taju and Celina.
	6	Close Up of Jessica drinking alcohol.
	7	Extreme Close Up of Jessica drinking.
	8	High angle shot of Jessica.
	9	Tracking shot of Jessica.
	10	Close up of Jessica’s face.
3 (London)	1	Wide Shot of Dagenham Heathway station.
	2	Tracking Shot of Jessica sitting down on the train.
	3	High angle shot of Jessica’s phone.
	4	High angle, Medium Shot of Jessica and Taju.
	5	High angle, tracking shot of Jessica walking up the stairs.
	6	Close up of Jessica and Taju. (Camera is being perceived as a phone camera)
	7	Medium Shot of Jessica stumbling on the bridge.
	8	Close Up of Jessica walking down the street.
	9	Medium Shot of Taju and Jessica walking down the street.
	10	Tracking shot of Jessica walking down the stairs.
	11	Medium shot of Taju and Jessica looking out to the river.
	12	Close Up of Jessica crying on the floor.
	13	Medium Shot of her walking inside towards McDonalds.
	14	Over the shoulder shot from Jessica’s perspective.
	15	Close Up of Taju and Jessica taking Photos.
	16	Wide Shot of the City.
	17	Wide Shot of the City.
	18	Wide Shot of the City.
	19	Medium Tracking Shot of Taju and Jessica walking into the arcade.
	20	Over the shoulder shot of Taju and Jessica playing Air Hockey.
	21	High Angle Tracking Shot of Jessica walking down the stairs of McDonalds.
	22	Close Up of Jessica sitting down at the McDonalds table by herself.
	23	Point of view shot from Jessica’s perspective.
	24	Over the shoulder shot from Taju’s perspective.
	25	Close up of Taju and Jessica drinking and eating.
	26	Medium Tracking Shot of Jessica entering Westminster station.
	27	Medium Shot of Jessica laying down on the bench.
	28	High angle close up of Taju.
	29	Close Up of Taju talking to Jessica.

Location Sheet

LOCATION SHEET

Location Visit Sheet

Programme Title: Red Emperor - Kink in your Soul

Cast: Taju Deen, Abi Raji, David Awobona, Jessica Prior and Jordan

Writer: Taju Deen, Ebun Awosiyan and Abi Raji

Producer: Taju Deen

Director: Ebun Awosiyan, Taju Deen

Date: 25/09/2015

When it comes to filming we have chosen 3 different locations, we have decided to do it at Robert Clack, in the drama room, because we felt that this would be the perfect scenery to film the band, when they are playing the drums and the guitar etc. We also feel that it has a dark atmosphere to the room, so this would fit in with the dark story-line that we have in the music video we are going to shoot.

We have also decided to go to Westminster, which is around the London Eye.

We decided to go to the London Eye, because we felt that we were able to get some good shots of the scenery there, and it will also be able to fit in with the story-line of our music video. So at this location we are going to be filming most of our story-line, so this will include the shots where she has a flashback of her and her boyfriend, and also of her falling asleep on the bench and lastly where a guy gives her a coffee. This is a good location because the scenery of the area is beautiful, which will have a positive impact on the turn out of our music video.

The last location we have decided to use is at a friend of ours house, at this location we will be filming the house party. We felt that his house would be the perfect location, because his house has the party atmosphere that we need to be able to make the turnout of the party a great one. Also his house is local, meaning that when it comes to carrying the equipment around, it wont be as hard, and it wont take as much time to get to the location.

Access to location via:

So when we are going Robert Clack, we take the 175 or 5 to Althorne Way, then from there it is about a 3-5 mins walk. When going to Westminster, this does take quite a while. firstly we will take the district line to West ham station, then from West Ham Station we take the district line to Westminster Underground station, so it will take us approximately 42 mins, to get to this location. The last location, which is at our friends house, is very easy to get to, as it is literally in walking distance. It will take use about 5-7 mins to get to this location which is great.

Name and number of location contact:

Robert Clack School

Green Lane, Dagenham

Essex RM8

02082704222

Bridge Street, Westminster

London, SW1A 2JR

02072221234

Health and Safety Issues to note:
When it comes to filming at Robert Clack we need to make sure that we are taking into consideration to the other students who are attending the school, so when we are carrying equipment around such as the lights and the camera, we need to make sure that we are careful when walking around the school. Not only for the other students in school but we also don't want to damage the expensive equipment that we are carrying around. We also need to make sure that where we are filming is safe, so this means there will not be any loose wires around, as this can be dangerous.
This also applies, when we are filming in London, we need to make sure that we are taking into consideration of the other people around us,so we have to be careful when we are carrying around the equipment, so hat we don't put anyone in any harm. We also have to make sure that we are filming around any puddles or slippery grounds, because one of us could slip and fall and this could lead to serious injuries,
When filming at our friends house, we need to make sure that there are no loose wires around, where one of us could slip and fall, because this can be dangerous. we also need to be making sure that we take good care of the equipment, because we are going to be filming the scenery of a house party, so this could be packed, which is why we have to take good care of the equipment so no one gets hurt.

Potential Filming Problems :
The main filming problems that may occur is the weather, because when it rains it can be very difficult when it comes to carrying the equipment around. Which is why we have to check the weather before hand, before we go out filming. So this will apply when it comes to filming at Westminster. The problem with filming at Robert Clack, is that at times the halls can become very packed, which can cause problems when it comes to carrying around the equipment, which is why we have to make sure the halls are empty when we are carrying around the equipment. Also another problem could be, when we are ready to film the drama studio could be booked, which will leave use no where to film, so we need to make sure that we have he drama studio booked for when we are about to film.
Also the when filming at the friends house, we need to make sure that they are home for when we are ready to film, we also need to make sure that people are available on the day, so that it can look like a proper party atmosphere, or else it will not look good on our music video if not that many people show up.

Additional Notes: (map of area/weather forecast etc)

Information about the artist

Our band Red Emperor who were our biggest inspirations for editing and how to construct our music video 'Kink In Your Soul'. They are an unsigned band from Brighton. How in April 2015 they couped a gig in front of 15,000 people at a festival in Dubai after being spotted on social media.

Red Emperor are playing a festival in Dubai with Kasabian

Red Emperor- Band

Red Emperor, normally play small pub gigs in Sussex, will now share a stage with the likes of Kasabian and Craig David at the Blended Festival on April 30 2015. The group of friends were spotted by the events organizers after one of their songs reached them via social media. The lead singer Charlie Herridge said "This is on another level. We've never played to more than a few hundred people, When I got the call from Dubai, I hit the roof. It's amazing where social media can take you. " This goes to show what a success it was for Red Emperor to receive such great news.

The band recorded an EP last year and shot a music video for the lead track ' Kink In Your Soul' which reached Sanjay Shah, cheif executive of autism rocks, the charity blended festival is in aid of.

Great things are happening for Red Emperor, they are now releasing a new EP in the summer and their current material is on SoundCloud.

https://soundcloud.com/redemperor

Constructing the advert

While constructing the advert, we looked at a range of other magazine adverts in order to help us and give us an idea of how we wanted ours to be like. We was extremely inspired by previous magazine adverts from previous members of Robert Clack school that are on display boards. In addition, we had taken some photographs just like the digipak, of the band members. However, we made sure that we took band photographs as well as individual ones, to see which ones we liked better and if need be, we could add extra photographs that we liked to the advert.

Below you will see some of the images we were deciding on;

However, in the editing of the photographs we decided to use the image below that was in black and white as it matched our theme that we followed with our digipak. It also includes all the band members. We also felt that this would best represent our single 'Wondering Souls' as well as our band members name 'Forgotten Kings'.

In the next stage after choosing our photograph. We had to decided the best font that would suit 'Forgotten Kings' as well as 'Wondering Souls'. Once we decided on the style of font that we wanted and the size of the font we had to decide on where we wanted to place the text.

Once we researched and viewed other magazine adverts we decided we needed to add 5 star ratings from other companies such as Kerrang, Daily Mail and NME, in the same font as the album single.

Finally, we lastly decided to put relevant information as this is how and where the single can be downloaded, this also includes our website and the advert so that people who see our magazine advert can check out the website page.

Finished Magazine Advert

Asking For Permission

The making of the Digipak

Today we started creating the digipak for our brand's album. We were first given a lesson on digipak's and learned what their purpose was along with what's included in one. I also took a look at some artists' digipak to help us generate the creativity to produce our own. I noticed that Rihanna's digipak focused much on her body. The whole of Rihanna's digipak has a strong red input such as her lipstick and roses, which is a connotation of love and lust. In order to create our digipak we had to take photos of the band members. This was conducted by myself and one other band member. We agreed as a group that we wanted extremely clear photographs for the digipak, as we wanted it to look perfect. We used a Cannon Digital SLR camera which we borrowed from our teacher for the day. We then took the images in our school concentrating on the mellow atmosphere that connected us with nature. Taju (the band leader) bought in his acoustic guitar from home so Jordan (the guitarist) could take some photographs with it, this was very helpful and added flavor to the photographs, rather than Jordan just standing there.

Below will be some images from shoot.

From the above images you can see that the photographs have come out as expected, clear and perfect. We then went into the classroom and began to edit the images further on Photoshop using the Apple Macs. We learnt new editing tricks such as adding a fake beard and how to erase blemishes. This helped us in order to make the photographs look perfect and professional. We decided we wanted the photographs to have a black and white theme and then we added a new layer and made it black and white, as well as adding more contrast to the photographs. Once doing this, I decided I wanted the back cover of the digipak to be a quarter of Tajus leg including a lot of the leaves for a subtle effect. I had this inspiration from a lot of the digipak's I researched.