Star Image Collage

McFly Image Collage

Above is a collage of how the band McFly have changed their image drastically and how they show this.

Steps To Designing A Cover

The Commission 
You give the job to the artist and give details about it. 


The Brief 
- Collaboration between the album artist 
- Talks with the music artist/band 
- Name of the album
- Lyrics/Song names
- Concept album
- Manager
- How best to promote the album/band


The Roughs 
Initial ideas based on the brief and the artists reaction to the music itself. There will usually be several 'roughs' to show the artist/manager who will often make the decision.


The Presentation
Where the artist presents the ideas either on large viewing boards or an actual CD case.


The Shoot
- Takes images for album artwork
- Make two different ideas
- Creating the concept


The Artwork
- Editing
- Cropping
- Create cover from this concept
- Combining everything to make finished article


The Printing 
- Separation
- Printing
- Production
- Distribution
- Images work as proofs


The Aftermath
Finished printed copy

Response To Storyboard

We have uploaded the storyboard on to the group blog now. The story board will prove to be useful as now we know what shots we need so we won't be wasting time by just filming the whole song with a medium shot, then a close up, then a wide shot etc.

I found it difficult because I wasn't sure what shots to do as we didn't always agree. However, we were able to compromise and we were both happy with the result.
I know the story board is subject to change, but it will help with the filming and make the process a lot faster.

We have split the video up into the narrative, the bridge and the chorus. Our video will follow typical conventions of pop music videos such as:

- artist performing on a stage (chorus)

- artist singing to the camera (bridge)

- a narrative storyline

- cuts to the beat

Changes In The Music Industry

The music industry is constantly changing because of new technologies coming around and allowing easier/cheaper ways to listen and download music such as file sharing (eg. lime-wire), Spotify, We7 and even YouTube.


YouTube, Spotify and We7 are not illegal however, they have caused a lot of arguments in the media as they allow people to listen to music for free, this has been reducing artist's revenue. By using YouTube to watch/listen to music, the audience may send the link to peers using social networking sites (eg. MySpace, Facebook, Bebo) causing more fans and therefore more consumers of the product however, this may only cause popularity and not actually revenue. Spotify has so many songs available to listen to on a computer for free, just like iTunes but without having to pay a price, therefore it's no wonder consumers chose to use this technology instead of buying album/singles off of iTunes which will become 'old' after a few months.


Lime-Wire and Bearshare are only a few of many illegal file sharing examples. This works by people sharing their music online and others downloading this, which is basically stealing from the artist. The government are trying to find people doing this and charging them to try and prevent this.


Some artists have chosen to 'go with the flow' with these changes by:
1. giving their albums out for free in newspapers (eg. McFly, Prince)
2.  giving fans their music for free and allowing them to pay how much they think it's worth.


This has caused major viral advertisement which means it is cheap to advertise so maximum profit is made. Personally, I feel this is a good way to go about it as it would be too difficult to find people that are downloading music illegally, as well as very time consuming. I feel that technology is changing so speedily that the music industry must follow it if it is to be successful.

Prelim - Lip Sync Activity

The software used for this activity was Final Cut.

Personally, doing the prelim activity was very challenging. I got quite wound up not being able to use it, and at first it looked very daunting to me. To fix this, I went home and recorded my own clips and did my own practice movie on my macbook. I watched tutorials on YouTube on how to put effects in and how to use Final Cut. It was only a rough video, but it helped me understand the program a lot more, which helped with doing my prelim at school. Although it was hard at first, it became a lot easier, and proved to be a very useful program.


From doing this exercise, I learnt about the development of a music videos. I learnt how to cut clips and to add effects, transitions and how to render all. The most important thing I learnt was to save all clips on to the computer asap incase anything happens to the camera or the tape, which we unfortunately experienced, however, the tape came out of the video camera after a while. I was also told about scratch disks, which proved to be very helpful when wanting to swap files from the school mac to my macbook.


From this experience, I have been made much more confident in doing my final product. I now know the effects and possibilities I have now when using Final Cut whereas before, I didn't know what was possible with this program. I now know that during filming, we must film from many different angles, to make the most of the editing.


Over all, I found this experience enjoyable and by doing this, I am able to make a better video than before. Below is our final prelim video.

Lyrics for Kiss N' Tell

These are the lyrics for our song choice;
Ke$ha - Kiss N' Tell


Listen to yourself, you're a hot mess
St-st-stutter through your words, breaking a sweat
What's it gonna take to confess?
We both know

Yeah, I was outta town last weekend
You were feeling like a pimp 'round your lame friends
Now your little party's gonna end
So here we go

Whoa, you got a secret
Whoa, you couldn't keep it
Whoa, somebody leaked it
And now some shit's about to go down

I never thought that you would be the one
Acting like a slut when I was gone
Maybe you shouldn't, oh
Kiss 'n' tell

You really should've kept it in your pants
I'm hearing dirty stories from your friends
Maybe you shouldn't, oh
Kiss 'n' tell

You're looking like a tool not a baller
You're acting like a chick, why bother?
I can find someone way hotter
With a bigger, wow, well

'Cause I'm talkin' 'bout all the ways that you've messed up
You weren't smart enough to keep your stupid mouth shut
I'm so sick of it, I've had enough
I hope you cry

Whoa, you got a secret
Whoa, you couldn't keep it
Whoa, somebody leaked it
And now some shit's about to go down

I never thought that you would be the one
Acting like a slut when I was gone
Maybe you shouldn't, oh
Kiss 'n' tell

You really should've kept it in your pants
I'm hearing dirty stories from your friends
Maybe you shouldn't, oh
Kiss 'n' tell

Kiss 'n' tell, kiss 'n' tell
Kiss 'n' tell, kiss 'n' tell
Kiss 'n' tell, kiss 'n' tell
Kiss 'n' tell, kiss 'n' tell

Oh, I hope you know you gotta go
Yo, get up and go, I don't wanna know
How or why you're gross, you gotta go
Yo, get up and go 'cause I don't wanna know

I never thought that you would be the one
Acting like a slut when I was gone
Maybe you shouldn't, oh
Kiss 'n' tell

You really should've kept it in your pants
I'm hearing dirty stories from your friends
Maybe you shouldn't, oh
Kiss 'n' tell

Maybe you shouldn't, oh
Kiss 'n' tell

Song Decision

We have made a final decision as to what song we want to use for our music video. This is...

KE$HA
Kiss N' Tell


We thought that Kiss n Tell would have the potential for a better story line than the others. So that's how we came to the decision for this song choice.

Initial Ideas for Music Video

We knew we needed a song which was a fast pace for quick short cuts. I listed artists that have fast jumpy songs:

- Lady GaGa

- Ke$ha

- Calvin Harris

- Girls Can't Catch

We decided Ke$has album had the best song choices as her old album had fast paced music and not many of the songs were made into singles. The potential songs we listed were:

- Kiss n Tell

- Backstabber

- Party at a Rich Dudes House.

Good Charlotte; The Young And The Hopeless

- This album cover shows the conventional album name and artist name.
- The artist name is the same colour as the album name which is a dark green 'grungy' colour to go with the genre of the music.
- The font of the artist name is medieval like however, the album name's font is more neat, showing a juxtaposition within the fonts.
- However, the album is unconventional as it doesn't have an image of the artist, it is purely showing a message that they want to portray to their audience.
- The album has a black circle around it, as if it is from a persons point of view, like someone is spying on the family. Good Charlotte show here that they feel that someone is always watching.
- The colours used are dark, as if to push the 'Hopelessness'.
- Shows children looking at the screen, to prove that they are young, and showing what our world is becoming on the screen.
- The cartoon like image shows the average family.

Mika; Life In Cartoon Motion

- This is Mika's debut album so it's used to establish his style
- Colorful cover is code for vibrant, bright personality
- The hand drawn images are code for a laid back life, not serious
- Although everything is in cartoon, there is a real image of Mika so that he is publicizing himself as a person
- The cover is in cartoons because of the album name 'Life in Cartoon Motion'
- The images are referring to the separate songs in the album such as a woman in the corner which is with the 'Big Girls You Are Beautiful' song.
- The piano in the corner shows that the artist is musically talented as he can play piano and not just sing
- Flowers are code for peace and love, hippy
- The mechanic's show all the hard work that has gone into making this album
- The sofas on the corner are referring to the single 'Relax, Take It Easy', this means it is a relaxing album.
- The clouds and blue sky are code for heavenly, dreamy
- It has the conventional artist name. It is 3D, bold and all in capital letters. Capital letters are code for 'the next big thing', not a quiet or shy man. It looks like it has been stenciled in which fits in with the hand drawn theme
- It has a conventional album name. It looks hand written which is code for down to earth and shows that he does everything himself; all the music. It is blue to be colorful and lively
- There is also an image of the artist himself which is a typical convention of an album cover, however, the images have more priority over the artwork suggesting that the music means more to him than the fame.
- The girl in the pink with a lollipop is a code for the song 'Lollipop'
- There are mini arrows everywhere showing that there are different directions to his music, not just one style. He as an artist wants to move in different directions to get newer audiences and make a revolution.

Kesha; Animal

- This was Kesha's first album so it was used to establish her style
- The album cover has the conventional album name and artist name
- The photo is black and white and looks like a vintage photo copy
- Her eyes and lips are defined as they are compared to her black and white face, hair and background
- The glittery font is a juxtaposition to the dark image
- The font for her name is in capital letters to emphasise her importance and show she isn't a quiet person
- The S in her name is a dollar sign, which is code for money to show she is rich and successful, this will hopefully become iconic for her
- The font is gold which is code for rich. Glitter is code for glamorous, young, careless
- The font for the album name is a purple/blue colour which is more of an 'animal' colour as it is dark
- The facial expression shows her confidence and squinting eyes make the audience not able to look into her eyes well. Keeping herself private

Nirvana; Nevermind

- The importance of money
- Baby is code for purity and innocence
- Society is corrupt by money
- Juxtaposition of money and innocence
- The fact that the note is on a fishing rod shows that it is bait for humans, this is what they're driven by
- There is nothing else in the water apart from the money, which is code for this is the only thing the world has to offer to a new life
- Restricted in water
- Dollar bill; American code
- Ideological album cover - American society is corrupt; money driven
- Seriousness of band is highlighted by showing a political issue
- External blue colour is code for freedom and heavenly
- Bold and serious font; simple and pure
- A lot more to it than just an image, showing sophistication.
- Tall and thin font, code for proud

The Beatles; ST Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

- Peter Blake is an established pop artist
- This album cover was revolutionary, it wanted to be more than just an album cover, it is a piece of art
- Flowers are code for hippy, flower power, beauty, nature and peace and love
- Drum is a code for music; performance; entertainment; fun
- Font is circus like
- Artist costume is circus like and vibrant military colours
- Juxtaposition of the colours within costumes of artist and other iconic people
- Establishing their fame by positioning themselves in front of all the other famous, iconic people.
- Claiming they're the most legendary out of the crowd
- Most important
- Blue sky is code for happiness, 'summer of love' and heavenly.

Album Cover Art

- The album cover design establishes the genre of the music

- It establishes the identity of the artist

- It establishes the credibility of the artist and the album itself

- It seeks to attract audience attention through striking imagery

- It acts as a persuasive device drawing audience in

- The cover can be original/inventive/innovative/unique or conventional depending on what is sought

- Album covers use codes and conventions to communicate with the audience

A conventional album cover usually consists of:

- Artist name

- Album name

- Striking image

- Image of artist

Market A Fake Artist - Reuben Jay

We were set to market a fake artist. I worked with Natasha and Jake and we chose to market 'Reuben Jay'. This is our presentation, we described the slides fully when presenting it.Slide 1: This is Reuben JaySlide 2: [Read slide and elaborate]Slide 3: [Read slide and elaborate]Slide 4: These two Michael Buble images are the kind of promotional clothing he will wear. The smart crooner look, however he is very young so we want to keep the cheekiness of Enrique's unbuttoned shirt. For events, he will be wearing the sort of clothing that Preston is wearing, smart, young and chilled.Slide 5: [Read slide] U-Stream will be used which is a website where Reuben can go on webcam and his fans can instantly type to him. That way, he will connect with fans on a personal level and his happy-go-lucky charm can come across. Also, we will make sure he replies to tweets on Twitter so that he interacts more with fans.Slide 6: [Read slide and elaborate]Slide 7: These PR stunts will make sure he attracts male and female fans. He will appear on talk shows such as The Graham Norton Show and Alan Carr: Chatty Man. Also he will perform his new single on Xtra Factor (this is the spin off show of x factor where smaller artists perform but still have the same audience as the bigger show).Slide 8: His music will mainly be exported online but you can buy the physical version if ordered directly as this is cheaper for an up and coming artist.Slide 9: [Read slide and elaborate]Slide 10: [Read slide and elaborate] He will also be interviewed by teen magazines such as 'Sugar' which will gain him many young fans when he explains he is looking for a girlfriend.Slide 11: [Read slide and elaborate]

How Katy Perry Markets Herself

Katy Perry is on numerous social websites such as:

www.Twitter.com/katyperry is used as to speak to her fans on a personal level. Fans can follow her to find new updates about her and competitions. She is known for saying whatever she thinks, so she is always being talked about. She also uses it to promote her music. Her background right now is colourful because of her new single 'Firework' but it always changes depending on what she is trying to promote.

From her Twitter is a link to her website (www.katyperry.com). This promotes her new single and her album and gives fans a chance to buy it directly from here. This website changes depending on the theme, right now her new single is 'Firework', so the background has been suited for this. There is a Twitter feed with all her tweets, a place to view all her videos, news about her (for every country), online store (to buy merchandise), dates for her tour and a photo gallery on her home page alone. She also has many links to different pages of her website which you can see on the left and there are some more at the bottom such as how to join the street team, links to all her social networking sites and her biography.

She also has a Myspace account which you can find at www.Myspace.com/KatyPerry. Here, fans can become a friend and message/comment her. She probably doesn't read them though, as this is managed by her management and not the artist herself. The theme is similar to the one on her official website, which creates an iconic background for her. There is live streaming music that fans can just listen to and add to their own playlists. Also, there are blogs with the latest news.

Katy also promotes herself using Facebook (www.facebook.com/katyperry). You can chose to 'like' her, this creates more fans as if a person 'likes' something, then it shows on their timeline which all their friends will see. This makes people go and see who this artist is and listen to some of the tracks they have uploaded. This generates even more fans.

Katy uses a YouTube account to publicise her music videos (www.youtube.com/katyperry). Her background isn't the one that is on most of her pages, but this one is more for the album as a whole. This is because it is candy floss which is on the cover of her current album 'Teenage Dream'. This site allows users to 'subscribe' to her videos so they get alerted when she uploads a new video. Also they can add her as a friend.

www.katyperryblog.tumblr.com is a Tumblr account where she personally bogs. She gives her views in videos and uploads pictures, this gives fans more of a personal insight to her life than the musical side.




This is all the internet sides, but Katy Perry is marketed in many different ways. She currently has a very good gimmick with her album 'Teenage Dream' below.

The cover smells like candy floss to go with the theme. This encourages fans to buy the physical copy instead of the online copy (or both). 

She now goes on reality shows that look for singing talents. She was a judge for American Idol and X-Factor, marketing herself in 2 major countries affected by the music industry. She later performed her new single on the X-Factor.


She is on tour frequently, and she goes all out. She has an unconventional style with her clothing and themes which lead to her being photographed, which means a lot more publicity.

Carol Vernallis Quotes

'Quick cutting or editing on the beat' - Carol Vernallis
What is clear for my detailed research is that the music videos synchronise the images with the rhythm of the music itself. Vernallis states that the videos exhibit 'quick cutting or editing on the beat', this is evident in a number of videos I have analysed such as Waking Up In Vegas by Katy Perry.


The music videos I have analysed have a number of very short scenes or edits with consistently quick cuts; this notion is also explored by Vernallis who states 'edits in music videos come far more frequently then in film'


There is a massive responsibility on editing in music videos. The editing has to be able to convey the narrative. 


'Music video editing bears far greater responsibility for many elements than does classic Hollywood film editing'


'...the editing in a music video works hand in hand to ensure that no single element (the narrative, the setting, the performance, the star, the lyrics, the song) gains the upper hand.'

Eminem ft Rihanna; Love The Way You Lie

This video isn't chronological as it is not shown with a progression of time. Montage shows sense of their relationship. Leaps from different types; flash backs. Editing in time with music. Series of close-ups which are codes for their emotions. Drifting in and out of focus; spontaneous.
The artists aren't on a stage. 2 worlds collide; performers are part of the narrative. Actors mime the lyrics.
Fire is code for destruction, anger, a burning desire, pain, fire in their belly.
The mise-en-scene is realistic because it's in an everyday house. They don't care about the outside world as they have the curtains closed. Natural light makes it look devine. Insight to their lifestyle (beer bottle). Editing in time with the music. Costume creates image.
Code for liberty, freedom, he has escaped to field, juxtaposition. Tilt, pan, this field may go on forever. Iconic costume of Eminem; white vest Rihanna is code for sexuality. Camera tracks them, facial expressions.

Lady GaGa ft Beyonce; Telephone

Main conventions used:
- Explicit reference to Thelma and Louise and Kill Bill
- Establishing shot; jail
- Low angle shots; especially on the fence. This gives the illusion that it is higher than it actually it, to show that the character cannot get out
- Many establishing shots at the beginning of the video
- Font is;
-- Yellow and pink
-- 90's font graphic
-- Feminine, block, chunky
-- Promotes 'girl power'
- CCTV Shot
- High angles
- Progressive narrative
- Iconic shoulders
- Old fashioned costumes
- Titillation
- Erotic clothing
- Dolly shots, showing Lady Gaga's point of view
- Breaks the 30 degree rule
- Realistic mise en scene
- Juxtaposition with costumes
- The baton is a code for phallic
- Breaks 180 degree rule
- Product placement
- Not realistic camera work
- The video makes the artist seem very important
- Neurotic, intimate camera work
- Match on action
- Series of stills; jump cuts
- Phallic sausage role


Lady GaGa is iconic for her odd outfits and strange behaviour. This was a break through video breaking many rules. It included a narrative at the beginning to introduce Lady GaGa and to set the scene, there was also a narrative break in the middle to introduce Beyonce. Having breaks in the music for the artist's, promotes the importance of both these artists as individuals. The theme for this video is obvious 'girl power', the video is filled with women in erotic clothing through out, there aren't many men, but those that are in it are taken of their masculinity.


From this video, I especially like the idea of having a 'theme', so I will think of a theme for my own, as I think it makes the video more personal and intriguing.

2pac; Ghetto Gospel

- Point of view shot
- Close up
- Establishing shot
- Helicopter hints to the audience that there is a crime scene
- The video goes straight into the action
- Non diegetic sounds
- Stereo typical costume
- Defocusing
- Realistic environment
- Dark to light
- Happy times are with Elton John's voice
- Hand held camera; this helps the video seem more realistic
- Run down area; this is shown with a graffiti infested area
- Bars; this is a code for crime
- The narrative is given by a montage of clips and images
- - A single parent household
- - Dodgy dealings
- - Bible and church show a religious side
- A conventional hip hop video
- Constantly focuses on the narrative; we know this because there are no flashes to the artist singing. The point of the video was to get a point across to its audience, a tribute to 2Pac.
- The video is a cycle as it starts and ends at the same point. This happens in many music video's that I have analysed such as Katy Perry's Waking Up In Vegas.
- Temporal leaps; the montage isn't in a specific order.
- There is a clock on the side, to give a sense of time.
- The weather uses pathetic fallacy to reflect the mood of the video.
- Fades to black are used to show a change in time.
- The man is shown living a gangsta life yet a religious side is also shown.
- Graphic matches
- Close up on hands; code for drug money.
- Shows the man as a family man; a good person.
- As the man is walking alone, he seems like he is isolated. He has gates either side to him, as if there is no way out.


This video, shows a story and is more about the narrative than the actual music. It is a message to many young people who are doing illegal things, that you can always turn your life around, before it's too late. The message has been put clearly across by using a real life story as you can see the actual artist on the television in the background which affects the audience in a more personal way.

Green Day; Wake Me Up When September Ends

The two young people in the video who are smiling together are code for warmth, happiness, Summer and young love.
The washing hanging in the background is a code for the lifestyle they live in, middle class.
The lighting drains when the narrative shows the lifestyle that the boy has adopted.
The video has an opening dialogue which is a typical convention in alot of music videos, this has been placed to show the audience the background story of what happens in the narrative.
Other conventions used are
- intimate camera work
- sound bridges
- extreme close ups
- in and out of focus
- contrapuntal music
- a narrative in the interlude
- short, sharp edits
- images and narrative are in time
- band performing live
- series of each band mate
- juxtaposition between the girls life, and the boys life
- diegetic sounds
- images relate to the narrative and tell the story


This music video shows a lot of the narrative because it shows itself as a film at the beginning and middle and the characters stories progress throughout the video. However, the artist has showed the band performing to remind the audience of the actual music. They show their faces as well as the instruments to show that they make all their music themselves. This video has a good mixture of narrative and music.

Katy Perry; Waking Up In Vegas

- Starts with non diegetic music of the gambling machine.
- Dull colours, glamorous clothes but not so glamorous lifestyle.

    - The mis-en-scene is showing a poor non-glamorous lifestyle. It is in a laundrette, with an over filled bin next to the machine. Dull colours signify the non-glamorous lifestyle.

-       - A two shot showing that the woman is leaning on the man. Looks glamorous.

-       - Close up of coin. Shows that this could change their life.

-       - Long shot establishes where they are and their life style, which is dreary.

-       - A juxtaposition of her lifestyles, it contrasts between rich and high class to low class working in a laundrette.

-       - Singer sings in the narrative.

-       - Close up of hands, showing they’re in this together. She has gloves on and he has a suit on.

-       - Close up of him putting money in the machine.

-       - Zooms into characters as they see that they might win the money, and keeps flashing back to the machine.

-       - Close up on money coming down.

-       - Two shot, man is blurred but Katy isn’t. Focus is on Katy as she sings, to remind viewer about the actual music.

-       - Zooms out, equal focus on both characters. They’re wearing same costume but the lighting is brighter. Shows they’re on a poker table; gambling.

-       - The fact that they’re at the poker table, it signifies that they have money to burn. Everything about them, the costume, mise-en-scene shows they have money.

-       - It is Las Vegas, so it’s very bright. Bright lights are blurred in the background whilst narrative shows the happy couple in the middle of the screen.

-       - Katy has very low cut tops, which shows sexuality.

-       - Close up on hands as she has a jolt in the music, so there the music matches the narrative.

-       - Lyric image match.

-       - Advertising in the video by showing Katy’s album on her music phone.

-       - Zooms into males back whilst the background is blurred. You can see Katys face as she is very surprised.

-       - Everybody is very nice to the couple when they’re rich.

-       - 1:12 ‘Did we get hitched last night, dressed up like Elvis’ – Go to the memory showing the wedding and the man dressed up as Elvis.

-       - 1:31 Establishing shot of Las Vegas, which goes with the song. There are fireworks, flash cars and bright lights; the city that never sleeps.

-       - 1:56 Dancing when there is no singing

-       - 2:09 The couple are in a phone booth, with money all around them. This signifies that Las Vegas in all about money.

-       - The brightness shows happiness. This suggests that money is needed to be happy.

-       - 2:22 Singer mixes the lyrics with the narrative here as she tells the character to ‘Shut up and put your money where your mouth is, that’s what you get for waking up in Vegas’

-       - 2:32 Lyric says ‘Shake the glitter off your clothes now’. When the song says this, the character appears to be losing her money whilst gambling.

-       - 2:42 ‘That’s what you get baby’ The character sings this herself whilst staring at the camera, so she is trying to warn the audience. As she says this, men are in her room taking her possessions away, showing that people are no longer nice to you once you don’t have the money to give to them.

-       - At 2:50, you see the opposite of 1:04 when the men take their room back. This shows that both pairs of people have hit their low and high times of having money.

-       - The video is in a cycle as it starts and ends at the same point.