Final Product

These are the final product of the Music Video Project which include: Music Video, Digipak and the social media.

Music Video

Digipak

Full Digipak

            

Front Cover

Back Cover

Insides

Social Media

Link to our Instagram social media account:

Link to our Discord server:

Audience Interaction

Comment Sections

Critical Reflection

 This is the critical reflection for the Comp 3 Project

CR COMP 3: Music Video

For the Component 3 we chose the Music Promotion Package Brief which consists of a Music video, Digipak and Social Media Page. For the Music video we chose the song “Karma Police” by Pierce the Veil (2023) and a digipak based on it. Our artist (blast) is a four man alt-rock band. They stand for our dominant reading which is that corruption is bad and can bring about negative repercussions.

Fig 1.1

Fig 1.2

Branding is the combination of of different consistent texts to create a meaning and message that is promoted to their audience. This is reflected in Richard Dyer’s theory of stardom where branding is meticulously created and manufactured to fit a certain image that reflects the artists values which then spread to their audience and why consistency in media texts in important. One way we kept this consistency between our media texts is through our use of dark color grading whilst keeping a low budget and grassroots production. These technical elements connotes a raw and gritty image and brand. This is can be seen within the music video, digipak and social media where we often used filters and LUDs to alter the footage making it darker and more LO-FI in quality. 

The Music video follows a corrupt and unjust politician who arrests and punishes those who appose him who then suffers the same fate as the ones who appose him. The Digipak features a chalk outline of a dead person in a crime scene which can be linked to the music video as the chalk outline was drawn at the same location as the execution of the politician. On the back it features chalk writing of the track-list which features songs such as “head of revolution” which fits our anti-establishmentarian meanings. 

Fig 2.0

So the overall brand identity is of a raw, gritty and dark band which is shown in the consistent use of dark color gradings and noisy footage and stills which follows the typical conventions of an indie alt-rock band. This can be primarily seen in the music video and digipak Although the social media does slightly vary from the other media texts as where the music video are more serious as they feature topics such as corruption and death, the social media is much more intimate with the band members giving insight into their daily lives showing more of their relationship in a more light hearted tone and emphasize their youthful grassroots origins and relatability.

Genre conventions are shared common themes and elements that are repeated which form a genre. According to Steve Neale genre conventions can change overtime follow changes in consumer preferences and cultural changes. Producers may choose to conform to genre conventions to create familiarity and attract fans or subvert conventions to create new fresh ideas for the audience to enjoy and standout from the competition. For alt-rock genre typical genre conventions include dark moody colors and lighting, band-focused performances and usually themes/narratives about rebellion or teenage-angst.  (Sleep Now in The Fire - Rage Against the Machine | 2000) (Just - Radiohead | 2008).

Fig 3.1

Our Music video mostly followed conventions as it shown with dark lighting and moody colors with a greenish tint/hue this resembles CCTV surveillance footage which connotes authoritarianism oppression and emphasizes the dark side of authority. Alongside this a grainy film effect is prominent which connotes rawness and links backs to our lo-fi production with vintage styling. It also conforms to the rebellious narrative as it features open criticism to injustice and corruption shown by the corrupt politician getting a taste of his own medicine and features band center performances which help to bring energy into the music video making it more interesting for the viewer. One way we subverted however is having a prominent narrative where our music video both puts emphasis on the narrative and band performances where a typical alt-rock music video prioritizes the performances. This was done to make our message stronger and clearer to the audience.

Fig 4.1

Fig 4.2

As for our digipak we took inspiration from My Iron Lung EP - Radiohead, The Battle for Los Angeles - Rage Against the Machine for the front as these digipacks have powerful underlying political messaging. Our digipak features a chalk sketch outline you would see in a crime scene this again reflects our theme of injustice combined with the dark color grading and rough concrete texture creates this unpolished and rough image that goes against the mainstream status quo. As for the back I took inspiration from Nirvana's Bleach as I liked how it credits individual band members and track-list. However instead of using type I opted to handwriting the text out of chalk this not only creates a strong link with the front cover but also creates this messy writing which like the front cover opposes mainstream polish and creates this personal connection with the band as it's like the band members writing it personally.  The chalk as well fits into our low production budget motif as chalk is inexpensive and easy to use but can create this powerful meanings and connotation as mentioned.

Fig 5.0

For our target audience we wanted to appeal to Indonesian teenagers and young adults (aged 15-25) who are rebellious against authoritarianism and inequality, value justice and are lean more left in the politician spectrum. As well according to Clay Shirky, audiences now are more active and favor intractability between themselves and the artists. One way we achieved interactivity is in our Discord server which acts like a global village where the fans from all over Indonesia and all over the word can come together and interact with the artists and one another. Fans can as well discuss about the meanings behind the songs or the products and develop fan-speak in general chat (semiotic and enunciative productivity) or even post and share their own content about the band such as covers or memes.(textual productivity). This as well fulfils one of Bulmer and Katz uses and gratifications of social relationships were people of similar psychographics above can come together and talk about shared interest such as BLAST.

Fig 6.0

Furthermore, we also use our Instagram page to interact with our fans. We post content about the band such as candid day in the life posts or upcoming shows/events where fans can freely comment on and get replies from the artists aka one of the band members. This creates a tight knit relationship with the audiences which deconstructs the typical social hierarchy and creates a level playing field which goes with or message or justice and equality and subverts typical conventions where the artists is often idolized and unreachable. This as well creates more relatability which can mean fans can be more hooked and loyal to the band.

Our primary representation is of a corrupt government/authority and the issue of political injustice which aligns with the dominant reading that a corrupt government is bad for its people and itself and that injustice must be fought back with justice. This is shown through the politician whom is portrayed as large and overweight a stereotype for greed and gluttony which connotes selfishness, narcissism and a lust for power. This is reinforced with the use of low angles and dark formal suit. which make the politician look bigger and more powerful/authoritative  These technical elements make it clear for audiences to decode the dominant reading. However when the politician is about to be executed he is shown with a high angle as being hunched over and wearing a tight outfit this juxtaposes the original portrayal now showing him as weak and restricted which coupled with the scenes of politician without his suit (more casual) look sad, disappointed and possibly scared which humanizes the politician. This supports Stuart halls theory where he states that audiences may have receive different messages for example some may despise the politician for what he did whilst others may feel bad for him. 

Fig 7.1

On the contrary, the journalist acts as a binary opposite to the politicians authority this is primarily shown through his outfit which is more casual and brighter which connotes hope and progressiveness. The journalists is also clean shaven which makes him look younger and cleaner with opposes the politicians mature and dirtier look. This is as well a symbolic code of their moralities where the cleaner journalists fights for what's right where the politician plays dirty (sending opposition to jail) and is corrupt. The journalists is also stereotypical as its usually the youth such as students who first begin to fight back against oppression and injustice.

Fig 8.0

For the band we show them as conforming and stereotypical to a young indie alt-rock band. This is shown by them wearing dark smart-casual outfits which are typical and aligns themselves to the genre. The causality of the band is to make the band feel more relatable as the audience can picture themselves as the band members which fits into the personal identity aspect of Bulmer and Katz theory.

Digipak: Research and Developement

This blog showcases the research that went behind the production of the Digipak and the developments we made along the way. This blogpost and the digipak was made and designed by me (Gusde).

Research:

Digipak Research by Gusde Yaka

Development:

Digipak Development by Gusde Yaka

Reflection:

For the research aspect it was fairly hard to find albulms that fit our desired branding and mise en scene but after going through a bunch of inspiration from websites such as rolling stones and discogs I found some albulms that we could get inspiration from. A highlight from the researching process was going through my vinyl collections with my team and findings one thats struck out to us. 

As for development I ran into a few struggles firstly the location it was on my rooftop so there was an inherent risk as there was no fencing but we tried to keep to the middle as to not fall. There was alot of sharp and rusty metal which meant that shoes were a must. Then it was the weather as we used chalk to write on the ground the rain would've erased and washed it all away so we had to do things fast and when the weather was good. As well I had a helping hand as I told my cousin Aksyara to help sketch, trace and draw the artwork and that was really helpful as for the front cover one person had to laydown to be traced. In the end, thankfully we got a few hours on a few days without rain even though bali is going through a bit of a rainy season right now and that was all we need to finish it.

Editing

This Blogpsot showcases our editting process and the decisions Max the editor made throughout. Likewise this post was also made by Max.

MV editing by ss

Reflection:

Although I wasnt directly involved wth editting I still gave occasional input and shared my opinion. However one issue with the editting is due to the very last minute shooting so thus the editting had to be done with haste to finish before the deadline. Thankfully our editor Max was able to edit really quickly with the help of capcuts enourmouse catalog of effects and templates and experience of course.

Social Media: Research & Development

 This blog showcases the research and the developements of our bands social media. This Blog Post was made by Maisie

Research:

Social Media Research Comp 3 by Maisie Halomoan

Development

Social Media Development Comp 3 by Maisie Halomoan

Reflection:

Although Maisie was in charge of social media and canonically too as her character scarlett manages the social media due to the grassroots nature of the band. I did help by giving her ideas such as the bagel endorsement post as I felt it would connect the band to the local community as they are sponsored by a local store. I was also the camera man during the photoshoots which was really rushed as our singer actor Gosha had plans in the afternoon which meant that the quality was a bit all over the place which can be seen in my focusing which some pictures where really our of focus. I think next time I would find a way to better organize everything so that we wouldn't be in a rush and can focus on the quality of our work.

Branding Research

 This is my group's branding research about one specific artists brand and how they establish it from their music videos album covers ETC. This was made by teamate sagara

Branding by Sagara

Reflection:

Although I was not in charge of making the branding research I suggested to Sagara that he should research Green Day as they're a punk band that shares our rebellious image. This was really helpful for us to zoom in on our bands brand image and how we can achieve which will also help us with one of the CR questions. I think next time I would do branding research on more artists so we can get more inspirations and ideas on how to craft our branding.

Screen Test

This is the blogpost about the feedback we got from the screentest.  This Blogpost was made by (Maisie) and the questions by Maxine

I think that gathering feedback is important because it helps us improve and allows us to come up with new ideas. Other people might see mistakes or weak points that we do not see, hence another pair of eyes will help us perfect our MV. Additionally, gathering feedback can give us different perspectives and better ways to do things, allowing us to upgrade the quality of our final result. 

Questions

 

Feedback

Most of these answers don't have complaints about our MV so far. Remembering that our genre leans more to the niche side (the people we asked don't listen to our genre of choice that much), this might explain why we don't have specific and detailed answers about which parts could be disappointing. 

However, one of the answers did point out an honest mistake of ours due to the lack of preparation. Since our original vocalist wasn't able to attend, we had to find a substitute in just a matter of minutes. We didn't have enough time to prepare and brief our substitute, hence he came underprepared. If we have enough time after getting most of our things done, we might consider reshooting the band scene with better preparation and planning. 

Classwork: Theory of Stardom

 This is a classwork I made about the theory of stardom made by Richard Dyers.

Classwork: Brand and Persona

 

I think this mind map is quite helpful because it helped us understand our concept and motive on a deeper level, as the questions forced us to think harder to be able to put our visions clearly into words. The questions being asked were so detailed that we were able to write down most of our expectations and goals into a single mind map. Additionally, this mind map will also keep us on track, making sure that we don't stray away from our original concept and ideas. 

BTS ( Behind the Scenes)

 This is the blogpost explaining the behind the scenes process. This was made by Maisie and Gusde.

BTS Comp 3 by Maisie Halomoan

Filming schedule

 This is the filming schedule for our Music Video Project. This was made by Sagara

Design

  Reflection:

Even though we were told to shoot over the school holiday by our teacher, we were unable able to as there was little to no time where everyone was free at the same time as many of the group members took long extended family vactions and thus we were unable to shoot. However we still triumphed and shoot our band scenes on the first day of school which will consists of most of our shots. It went well as we were able to get good and satisfactory footage and we even had time to do a little jam session.

⁠⁠Classwork (technical elements & theories)

 This is a summary of what we've learnt throughout media studies class

Class Work: Technical Elements and theory by Gusde

Classwork: Persona

 This is classwork we did to analyse band/artists persona and create a plan on how we will design our bands persona.

Media Studies: Persona Research by Gusde

Reflections:

Overall this classwork was really fun and instresting as we got analyse the diffrences between reel and real personas of real bands/artists which helped create a plan on how we will shape our band's persona. I think the only problem I faced was trying to research the members persona especially their real personas as we can never really know so the closest thing we can get to it was intimate interviews and infering from known facts/biography of the individual but thankfully I was already knowledgeable in the band members as I have been a fan for a long time. I think in the future I may want to find a band that has a greater contrasts between their reel and real personas as for RATM their reel and real personas were basically the same.

Location Scout and Risk Assesment

 This is the Location Scout and Risk Assesment for the music video

(This was made by Sagara with input and suggestions by other group members noteably me)

Location Scout & Risk Assessment Table .docx by Sagara

Reflection:

Although Sagara was the one who made the Location Scout and Risk Assesment I was pivitol in suggesting possible locations as I was the one who came up with the idea for the narrative so I had already thought of possible locations. One thing I liked about the location was the proximity as most of them are close by especially as most of them are close to school which would make travelling easily. One problem is that we may need to get permission to shoot in these places such as in our school's MPH which is ussally only used for big events, so we may have to give the school a proposal and a plan of how we're gonna shoot at the MPH. So I think next time we should find locations which are more readily present and easier to shoot in where permission is not nessesary as changing locations may mean we have to rework certain scenes.

Mood Board

 This is the mood we made to plan the ambiance feel and atmosphere of the music video

(This was made by Maisie with input ideas and suggestions from other group members notably me and sagara)

Comp 3 Media Moodboard by Maisie Halomoan

WHY:
- Our team decided to go for a bleak, oppressive and dark mood. This is because such coloring scheme and mood will represent the suppression imposed by the politician upon the journalist, and in the larger scheme, the people. This theme was inspired by the music videos we researched especially Just by Radiohead as it had an old timey film type of look. Also this color grading and style was also suggested to me by my IT teacher when I pitched him the idea/concept of my music video as he thought it would be the most suited.

Reflection:

Although Maisie was in charge of making the mood board I helped her by giving suggestions of pictures to choose and also giving her my general idea for the theme and mood of the music video which was dark and bleak. One problem we encountered was actually finding images for the moodboard where even when we had a good idea on the theme and style we still found it hard to find images that would fit. To solve this I think we should've utilised apps such as pintrests more and as well refrence our genre research for example music videos that had a similar style or feel such as just by radiohead. I think next time it would be better to organise the mood board for example maybe one moodboard for each scene or per aspects of the music video such as character or location.