Lyric Analysis

Junior Empire – Said and Done

 (VERSE #1)
I like what I’m used to, never giving that up

With one eye open and another one shut
Nobody chooses where they’re gonna end up

(CHORUS #1)

When all is said and done
Ooooooooooooooo 

(VERSE #2)
While the feeling is lucid I'll soak all of it up
The streets that I move in and the skin that I touch
Maybe I’m clueless but I love what I got
When all is said and done

(PRE-CHORUS #1)
All that we’re dreaming of
The foreign hills that we love
Will turn to dust in the sun

(CHORUS #2)
When all is said and done
Ooooooooooooooo (When all is said and done) X4

(VERSE #3)
I’ve been cruising with no bag in my hand
Leaving these rumours like a trail in the sand
A faded illusion but I know where I land
When all is said and done

(PRE-CHORUS #2)
All that we’re dreaming of
The foreign hills that we love
Will turn to dust in the sun

(CHORUS #3)
When all is said and done
Ooooooooooooooo (When all is said and done) X4

(OUTRO)
We can learn
We've been reckless
We can learn to love again
Learn to love again

Analysis

The song takes inspiration from the binary form structure however alters it, following a structure of verse, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus and then the final chorus, followed by an outro.

The first line suggests a sense of individualism and self-confidence.

The pre-chorus is repeated twice

Permission

As a group, we contacted 3 unsigned artists.

1. Dave
2. ZieZie
3. Junior Empire

Attached below are screenshots of the messages:

Planning - Individual Pitch

Unsigned Artist Research

Artist:

• ZieZie

Genre:

• Hip-Hop/Rap/R&B

Song Title:

• Fine Girl

Contact:

• The artist has an Instagram account which he can be contacted on as well as a YouTube account, where he posts more material. We both have a mutual friend too so he can be contacted in that way too

Video Ideas:

• The video could be shot at a party where drinks are flowing, there is dancing occurring and everyone is having a good time
• The lighting would be quite muted with laser lights shining around the room
• There would be close-ups of everyone smiling and laughing as well as the artist (or if not possible, an actor) to lip-sync
• A video which this can take inspiration from is Zayn Malik's 'Still Got Time', however our video would be less explicit

AS Reflection (Conventions for Real Media Texts)

AS Reflection (Use of Digital Technology)

AS Reflection (Creativity)

AS Reflection (Research and Planning Process)

AS Reflection (Post - Production)

R&B Genre Research

Contemporary R&B, also known as simply R&B, is a music genre that combines elements of pop, rhythm and blues, soul, funk, hip-hop, gospel and electronic dance music.

Contemporary R&B originated at the end of the disco era, in the late 1970s, when Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones added more electronics to the back music sound of the time to create a smoother dancefloor- friendly sound. 

Conventions of R&B music videos from Harsh Makwana

Here are a few examples of R&B songs:

COLLECTIVE IDENTITY: REPRESENTATION OF YOUTH

• Zoe Sugg is an English fashion and beauty vlogger and author. Her debut book "Girl Online" broke the record for the highest first-week sales of a first time novelist in November 2014. 

• Sugg is influential through social media, being mentioned by The Telegraph as one of "Britain's most influential Tweeters" in 2013.

• Her website is very interactive and easy to use. At the very top of her page is all of her social media links, making it easy for her fans and followers to interact with her:

She also has many tabs on her website:

• Beauty
  
• Food
  
• Life
  
• Places
  
• Style
  

The design of her website is very simplistic, although has a lot of content as seen above. The same handwritten font seen in her logo at the very top of this post appears again on both her website and her YouTube page. Her YouTube channel Zoella currently has over 11.9 million subscribers and features over 300 uploads, with her most viewed video racking up over 21 million views. She also has a second channel, MoreZoella, where she uploads daily vlogs, and has over 4.5 million subscribers.

Main Channel

Second Channel

Many YouTubers collaborate in videos together to enhance both their views and subscriber counts. Zoe Sugg, is currently in a relationship with fellow YouTuber, Alfie Deyes, and is the older sister of Joe Sugg, who too is a YouTuber. With the three of them racking up a total of 23 million subscribers between them (not to mention their second channels), it's no wonder why they often feature in each other's videos.  

She has also crossed over to other platforms when she released 3 books:

She has a huge presence on social media, with 10.5 millions followers on Twitter and 11.2 million followers on Instagram.

Alfie deyes from Harsh Makwana

TECHNICAL POST: Green Screen

Here is an example of Green Screening:

How do Green Screens work?
In movies and on television, actors walk and sometimes fly, through elaborate and fantastic landscapes that simply do not exist in the real world. All of this happens with the help of backdrops of brightly coloured fabric or paint, and a process called chroma keying, also referred to as a green screen due to the backdrops' colour, which is typically a vivid green. 
Chroma keying allows media technicians to easily separate green screens and panels from the people standing in front of them and replace those backgrounds with pretty much anything:

Chroma keying is not just for backgrounds, it works with objects too. elaborate animated characters, such as the dragons in 'Game of Thrones', often have bright-green stand-ins that actors hold and interact with, but which the fully rendered animal replaces during editing.

Over decades, chroma key tech has become more sensitive and sophisticated. improved edge detection and the capability to separate even individual hair on foreground actors' head from a green background makes integrating live action with spectacular effects more seamless and realistic than ever.
Digital technology has also become cheaper and more accessible and chroma key is now within reach for anyone with a smartphone or tablet. Many different apps such Photoshop make is possible for the ordinary public to tweak and manipulate their own photos.

Below is a video displaying how to use a green screen:

Research: DIGIPAKS

Elements of real Digipaks:

Front Cover                                                                                              

• Basic
• Simplistic
• Muted colours 
• Album cover art

Back Cover       

• List of songs
• Name of record label
• Barcode

Spine

• Album name
• Band name 

Internal Panels

• Booklet
• Name of band 
• Names f band members and instruments played
• List of songs on album

Research: Music Video Analysis

Controversial Music Video

Eminem - Love The Way You Lie ft. Rihanna

Controversial Lyrics:

"I laid hands on her, I'll never stoop so low again, I guess I don't know my own strength"

Promotes domestic abuse, which features as a key theme in the video.

"If she ever tries to ******* leave again, Im'a tie her to the bed and set this house on fire"

Portrays aspects of a possessive and controlling relationship, which can easily lead to domestic abuse.

"Maybe our relationship isn't as crazy as it seems"
In terms of this line, the video clearly suggests otherwise which highlights the abusive nature of the relationship being shown.


Goodwin's Features

• There is a clear relationship between music and visuals.

Controversial Music Video from Harsh Makwana

Research: Magazine Advert

Previous A2 Magazine Advert

I find this magazine advert the most realistic as it features social media links such as Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat which appeals to digital natives. It also features links to both iTunes and AmazonMusic, clearly showing the audience where the song can be streamed. It also features a five star review which would further attract an audience.

Recent album releases

I found finding recent magazine adverts for albums and singles quite difficult. This is because in this day and age, the majority of artists simply use social media and the internet to promote their work. Due to this, I have not been able to find recent magazine adverts so I have embedded a few from over the past few years.

Target Audiences

Different genres of music do use different ways to target their audience. This is due to the fact that not all music fans are the same and they do not have the same interests, so artists of different genres have to use different ways to advertise. For example, some genres of music divide opinions such as rock; the genre of rock is not everyone's 'cup of tea' and as a result, there are a few magazines which are solely dedicated to the rock genre, such as 'Classic Rock'.

Poster Analysis

DIGIPAK Analysis

What is a DIGIPAK?

It is a marketing tool intended to offer the buyer an incentive for purchasing the hard copy from a high street or online retailer rather than downloading/streaming the music. It is particularly important as sales of albums have dwindled as buyers often prefer to download their favourite tracks rather than pay out for the full album. 

Elements of real Digipaks:

Front Cover                                                                                              

• Basic
• Simplistic
• Muted colours 
• Album cover art
• Eye-catching

Back Cover       

• Tracklist
• Name of record label
• Barcode
• Album artwork
• Artist/ album name

Spine

• Album name
• Band name 

Internal Panels

• Booklet
• Name of band 
• Names of band members and instruments played
• List of songs on album
• Additional artwork
• Artist information
• Song lyrics
• Personal messages

Retailers

In the first half of 2015, CD album sales in the UK fell 5.7% from 22.68m to 21.38m. In the same period, sales of digital albums dropped 6.6% to 13.86m.

Close Textual Analysis of DIGIPAK

Chris Brown - Fame

• The main image is of Chris Brown himself in a painting effect. Perhaps, this could be a representation of his artistic life and interests. the colour effect is multi-coloured which also gives an artistic tone to the album cover. His facial expression is serious as he glares into the camera. This can be inferred as the connection he wants to build with his fans and the seriousness that his music within contains. I may be that the album is passionate about his feelings towards his success and his fans therefore he undertakes a rather serious tone to guide his audience with the emotions they should withhold whilst listening to his music in order to connect with it. 
• The background is seen to be quite busy containing images of himself and possibly his views. It includes images such as children and some of his artwork that he has produced himself. Therefore, I would depict that the background is an illustration of his background information that has made who he is. The background also features pictures of a younger self, either side of his current picture which could be an attempt to portray how far he has come since his younger days.
• The multi-colours used overlapping the black and white images of himself could be a representation of the old him going through a change due to his fame and him seeing a new oath of his life which is colourful and positive. 
• There is a parental advisory sticker. This gives a warning to whoever buys this DIGIPAK that there may be language and intent that could cause offence. Always seen in the bottom right hand corner on the front. 
• The font of the word FAME is written in a thriller/horror font which contrasts with the rest of the DIGIPAK, full of bright and vibrant colours. 
• The back cover features a list of all the songs that are on the album and also includes some institutional information.