Location Search - Victoria Park

Our Final and best location was Victoria Park in Bedminster. We liked the park ambiance of our choice, it is quiet and remote, a few people around here and then yet we are able to capture all of our shots without people in it. The bench we have chosen looks over the whole of Bedminster area, which can give that romantic city allure where as when shes alone, we can make it look like even though there is an entire city around her, she feels like she will never be with anyone else again. Until the ghost of her former lover appears, she feels like its only her in a city full of people, the bench is more than a bench to her. it is a representation of where she and her lover (now deceased) used to hang out. I feel that the bench we have chosen capture this perfectly so for this choice we have chosen Victoria Park.

 <- these are the photos of our selected bench. as you can see you can see the bench over looks a city which we will use to our advantage ->

Location Search - Queens Square

Our third option was Queens Square, an place with a lot of history behind it, including the bloody riots of 1831, yet the history wasn't the thing that interested us about this place, it was the neat selection of bench's placed around a statue of William III. The fact that these are displayed neatly around the statue in perfect order, The ambiance of Queens Square was the only factor that really put us off the location. While it had a thriving community, that is the opposite of what we want. We want a remote location that represents the characters in their own personal bubble. Like no one else really matters in the world. The same with Harbourside, as we want to avoid others, and we cant entirely crowd control.

 

 The side shots of our chosen bench, as we can see people. 

 More shots of our chosen bench again we can see people.

   

Location Search - St Mary Redcliffe Churchyard

Our second and probably least likely location choice will be St Mary Radcliffe Churchyard. Whilst this location has beautiful scenery and is above Queens Square and Harbourside in appearance. A churchyard kind of promotes a death feeling, a feeling that we don't want the viewer to experience till the end. We are maiming more for a shock value rather than obvious. We want to promote the fact that even though the couple look totally in control and in charge of the situation, that every human life is fragile and meaningful. We want to display the depressing element of the video at the end, which would be hard to do within a churchyard, the location is beautiful yet just behind a church.

<- these pictures are the idea around 

the churchyard location, which we would choose,
yet on the floor are two graves, which gives the idea of death. ->

Location Search - Harbourside

Our location search took us to the lovely waterside of Bristol city docks, using this location would be nice, the tranquility of the night life, and the flare of the street lights would be perfect, The bench we were planning to use sits perfectly in the middle of two trees. It has a side view of a bridge, and sits opposite the restaurant Za Za Bazaar. The problem with this location, is even though the initial idea of the waterside sounds lovely, is that as only A2 students we cant perfectly crowd control. While we believe that the initial bench location is beautiful we are going for a quite spot, so it can make out that the characters we are portraying are the only people left, that no other lives matter to them but theirs and each others, and with other people around it can ruin that ambiance. Also opposite the water, we would like a tree filled forest/park. We want the location to be special to them, and no romantic moves take place opposite a low income all you can eat bar. Even though that can promote post-modernism, we are heading more for a tranquilizing setting and calm ambiance, with a touch of old style films, where everything is very generic and loving.

<- The side view of the bridge, looking over to the bar. Bench in corner.

To the right is a opposing view of the bench, ->

(would use as album cover) 

<- Same shot as above but not in 'Noir' tone, doesn't promote atmosphere so well  

Another back shot of bench, but having man ->

in it, Example of lack of crowd control

Location Search - Continued

Location Search (Thursday 3rd October) 

On this date, my partner and I set out on the grueling task of trying to find a prime location for our video shoot. We knew it had to set around a bench, but the question was, which bench? We ended up sussing out four locations to consider...

1. -Harbourside
2. -Saint Mary Redcliffe Churchyard
3. -Queens Square
4. -Victoria Park

Luckily for us we live in Bristol and our school is in a good location for us to travel to, to find prime locations for our media presentation. 

Location Search

Today is the big day. The day we search for our locations to shoot our video, wish us luck on this task!

Album Cover Analysis- We Came As Romans.

Unlike The amity affliction, We came as Romans have focused their significance of album covers over them all, with their unique design on each, if you know the band it will become instantaneously recognizable for fans. In all of the album covers their is a lot going on artistically. They all feature trees. Which helps with the bands instantaneously recognizable design, They are all dramatic with a lot of detail, showing that their cover wasn't just slapped together in a matter of hours but are more planned out, it shows it means a lot to them. as this is their own image, the one they created for themselves and its defiantly not a boring one.

Looking at it more contextually;
Colour
The colour is the same for most a different shade of blue or purple two colours that are related to each other. The colour scheme really links with each other keeping feel of a 'brand image' for the band.
Lighting
As for the lighting they are all dark, being drawn and not taken they were able to do this in a better way being able to get the exact light they want without making it look to over produced and photo shopped. The lighting is dark to represent what the band stand for coming out of the darkness and into the light.
Camera Angles
As they are all drawn it is hard to talk about the camera angles yet I can review why they put certain objects in certain places. The human like figures are always central they all seem to be battling their demons with 'understanding what we have grown to be' it is two entities injecting their tongues into his ear, one representing good and one evil. This shows he is combating his evil demons with good. In tracing back roots it shows a man escaping the tree he is bound to. Escaping the roots hes set himself into and being free. All three albums give the impression of battling demons and winning this is a signature that they have given with each cover.

Album Cover Analysis- Amity Affliction (Chasing Ghosts)

The amity affliction, this album chasing ghosts. The album cover caused massive controversy when originally released. The band had to initially apologize for the disturbing image printed on the front, yet it has become the most iconic symbol of the band. It was a whole representation of what the band stand for, the initial image of the man hanging is meant as a symbol of fear, its shows a dark dingy woods which looks airy. As a life less body swings from the tree tops, its mean to scare people away from suicide. The band also released another copy without the corpse, yet I feel that one isn't as effective, same as the band.
Colours 
The colours chosen are dark and dingy. The mist in front of the dark blue and particular shade of a dark forest green. This gives the element of death and despair. There are no happy or vibrant colour in the frame this gives the eeriness that they were going for.
Lighting
As well as the colours the lighting is also dark and depressing. The background makes it look like it is at night. This gives off feeling alone, that his whole world around him is dark and in a damp state and makes the scene itself look unhappy. which is what the band were aiming for.
Characters
The singular character is alone. No one around him that he has taken this action all by himself. This gives off loneliness which the band was aiming for that the character was alone in his final moments and its a ploy to scare people away from being alone in their final moments.
Costumes
Talking about the character his costume is that of a classic metal core fan. The rugged skinny jeans and the converse all are the main uniform of a rocker that this is how the audience they are aiming for dress. This comes across that they are relatable all having mental health issues themselves that maybe this album unlike others will speak to you. The band use all this to give off the look they are looking for.
Camera Techniques
Not only taking in those factors we take in the camera angle shot size and distance. Using these techniques we also come across the perfect album cover. The angle of the shot is straight on facing the man we are meant to be looking at showing that he is the main image in the shot that he is the main focus of what we are meant to be looking at keeping the tree to the side so we get an idea about what he has done. The shot itself is far out away from the man so we can get everything in view and that we can see him from far away so he looks distant to us. This is so he looks like a distant idea for us that we won't partake in what he has done. The shot cuts off his head so we cannot see what he looks like so if we are in that position we can imagine ourselves in that frame and then aspire to stay away from that. That why they used the costume they did as that's probably what the average person is wearing.
In conclusion they use all the elements of mise-en-scene to further the meaning of their cover and make it relatable to the consumer.

Album Cover Analysis - I Set My Friends On Fire (Astral Rejection)

While looking at album covers I have explored the controversial and the Cohesive album covers.
But one area i never looked at was the down right weird and eye catching. This is the most surreal album cover i have seen. As lets be honest nothing is more eye catching on a shelf than a narwhal merman riding a dune buggy through an space lightening storm over a city. The image alone will make you want to pick up a copy if you are looking for new music. An idea I probably will not go with but its still an interesting thought.

The Struggle For Music!

Whilst we have already created our storyboards, we are struggeling to find sutabile royalty free music to fit what we have. We were originally aiming to find a song with lyrics which expresses our son, but my partner and I have moved onto more Lyric free music to use to express our tragic storyline of a lost love and a tradgey which the female will over come. The music will need to bee slow and happy at the start and eventually speed up, it will take a lot of searching on every corner of the internet, but we will eventually get royalty free music which will fit.

Album Cover Analysis - Blurry Lights (Sounds of Emotion)

This is the album cover to Blurry Lights album Sounds of Emotion. The genre of this particular album is Ambient Rock/Post Rock, which is along the lines of what we produced. Looking at this cover and many others iv seen, They all seem to have a pattern of a Photograph taken with a different effect of a city or something along those lines. While that is just generalizing, it seems to be the norm for most covers of this particular genre. In a personal opinion, it doesn't come across as overly eye catching, but it has become a norm for the genre characteristic to be that. It kind of plays a way to be more of a marketing ploy for Ambient Rock bands to produce a album cover that relates to the others. As people have become familiar with the type of cover. This then will link to the genre, and it may persuade them to buy it. I feel like this is an idea that we could use. The colour of this cover is dark and bleak.
Colour
Using the dark morning sky and picture of a less than appealing blurry road really relates to the album itself.
Location
The shot is taken over what appears to be a balcony. The shot itself is wide and straight looking into the horizon over the busy highway.
Characters
Whilst a distinct lack of individuals in the shot there are many people in the vehicles below unaware of the photo and the photographer is unaware of the individuals in those vehicles. This shows that in a massive city surrounded by people that the individuals are not known by many this is the reason that they have choose this shot type and it strongly links the to the music that they play.
In conclusion the album cover uses subtle yet effective techniques to give off a good album cover to the consumers.