CD cover analysis 3

Embrace the Tide are a band in the post hardcore genre who are an organic band that sell their albums based on their music, not their image. The first feature noticed from the CD cover 'Distances' are the dark, dull and depressing colours. The use of black contrasting with a misty grey colour relates to the target audience as it appeals to gothic and emo's. The predominant image in this picture is the man standing on the train track. This instantly connotes suicide and death as it is not normal to stand on a train track and face a train. The character in the CD cover has his back to the camera. This is so we cant see their emotion and it is a more powerful image as it leads the audience to decide what this person is like and why they are standing there. The band attract a teenage target audience- and this character is likely to have teenage troubles. The audience can then relate this to typical issues teenagers face; for example, is this person getting bullied? 

The font on the cover stands out as it is bold and is all in capitals- which is eye catching and matches the post hardcore genre as it is heavy and alternative. The colours are not standing out and add to the misty and groosome feel. Furthermore as the back is turned it may put the audience in the point of view shots which makes the audience feel uncomfortable and eerie. 

Digipack front cover: choices

For the digipack front cover I gained inspiration from The Strokes with separate images of the band members but lining them up with each other with the name of the artist on the top and the album name on the bottom. 

The 3 pictures of Rodrigo, Serge and Tristain I could work with and have chosen the best pictures for it. However the lead singer, Bennie, I edited 3 photos I took of him and put each one in the missing gap to see which one suited best. 

Choice 1: The following picture I liked because it was easy to fit in the theme of using half of their face and the pose Bennie made was a good fit. However there were a few negatives and issues in the photo. For example. in the original photo he was very pale to the rest of the band members so I edited him to make him look more tanned like the rest of the band. Also, the picture was taken in another location therefore the plain background differs from the rest of the pictures, looking out of place. 

Choice 2: this following picture suits in more to the rest of them as it was shot on the same location in the Graffiti Tunnel, and the contrast looked much better. Originally I wasnt sure whether I liked the scream for the front cover. The advantages of this photo is that he stands out from the rest of them; which is good because he is the lead singer and is the main actor in our music video. Also, the picture of Bennie screaming will help the album stand out to the rest of their competitors on shelves as it is eye catching.

 

Choice 3: The following picture I would still have to edit to make him look brighter, however I believe it will not be the best picture as the background is the same as the others with the white circle and it looks too similar. Whereas choice 2 had a different graffiti background therefore making it easier on the eye. 

Digipack for Perfect Fall

From the photoshoot, I collected the individual photos of the band. I cropped them to get half their faces; having The Strokes as an inspiration. After cropping the picture, I edited the pictures so the background would all be black and white. I did this so their faces and image stood out so people can start to recognise who the band are as they enter a new market. 

After cropping the images, I was able to draw around the band members so the background would become a seperate image, and then I would click on image, and desaturate the picture, so the background would go from coloured to black and white. 

Filming analysis for narrative part of the music video

Filming analysis for performance based of the music video

Star image analysis 3- Black Veil Brides

Black Veil Brides is where the inspiration has originated when Bennie did a scream shot in the shoot. 

Black Veil Brides' star image is very unique and differs from the others in the genre. They wear a lot of make up, have pale skin and have long hair. Although having the same target audience, they try and differ themselves from the others.

 You will notice that Bennie touches his hair a lot in the music video, however we have also seen similarities with this with other bands from the same genre. This means that an element of their image and style is important to them despite them being an organic band and focusing on selling their music rather than their looks.

  Rodrigo is the screamer in our music video, and he uses a similar technique to the members of Black Veil Brides as he tilts his head when shouting the parts to the song.

Tristain is similar to other guitarists in this genre. Focusing on the guitar and making it sound to the best of its ability.

Star image analysis 2: Of mice and men

Of mice and men is an American metalcore band from USA with the name of the band from the novel 'Of Mice And Men'. 

4 band members as we can see have long hair, which is typical of band members of this genre. All of their photo shoots are done without instruments which poses the question; are they trying to sell their looks over their music?

 In the following pictures they are wearing dark clothes and showing off their tattoos and piercings. and wearing hats. This is typical of the post hardcore genre.

After researching similar bands and their photoshoots, we took a photoshoot of the perfect fall also outside by trees in a more rural area. This makes the band seem more united and organic. We wanted to make sure that the Perfect Fall would be as professional as their competitors, and therefore it was vital for us to shoot in a similar way to gain a similar target audience of late teens and early adults.