Pixel man

This is a pixel version of Osama Bin Laden. I found this task quite simple but it was quite time consuming. If I was to change something I would make the colours less blocky and make it look more realistic. A good thing about it is that it looks like who it is supposed to and is very recognisable as Osama Bin Laden.

Julian Opie Portrait

I made an opie portrait which was inspired by Blur's greatest hits album cover.

Evaluation

I found this task quite easy which was surprising as I've never used Photoshop properly before. I followed the tutorial which was a big help. I had made some mistakes with the layers but I looked over the tutorial and this helped me sort it out. I would have liked to improve the features on my face as they don't look very professional or realistic.  

Andrew Goodman 'Dancing in The Distraction Factory' Theory

To be awarded level 4 for your research and planning you must show evidence ofdetailed research into music videos of a similar genre. Below is a guide to how to analyse music video based on Andrew Goodwin's 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' (1992).

Goodwin identified 6 typical characteristics of a music video:

In His Book Dancing in the Distraction Factory Andrew Goodwin points out characteristics and features that can be found in music videos. Looking at a selection of music videos which can be recognised

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
(e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).

2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images.
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).

3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).

4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).

5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

6. There are often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).

Using Goodwin's ideas choose a music video of a similar genre to your and write a detailed analysis addressing the 6 features as outlined by Goodwin. Don't forget to include discussion of the technical aspects as well such as mise en scene, camera movement, position, angle and composition as well as editing techniques used.

Purpose of a music video

The purpose of a music video is too tell the story or narrative of a song. To create a star image which makes the musician recognisable and makes them into an idol. To make more money by showing the music video on television and on the internet, making more people buy the song.

Brief

1. A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with:

• a digipak for the album’s release;
• a magazine advertisement for the digipak.