Bajan Style Photoshoot

Today I did a small photo session for the ancillary task. Here are a few of the photos that I may be using for the finished product.

Creative Ideas [3]

Here are some edits I created of Rihanna with the Bajan flag as the fixed background to test how they would look if I decided to use this idea as my final piece.

Background black and white - artist in colour

Artist in black and white - background in colour

Full colour

Black & white but blue colours

Black and white but the yellow

Creative ideas [2]

I have been testing with different types of backgrounds I could use for my photoshoot to edit in. I have edited this on Photoshop CS6.

If I decide to use the first image as a background for my final piece, I would not be needing the Bajan flag with me. However, if I am not to use that background, such as the second image, then I would have the Bajan flag with me to show the Bajan side of it. 

The second image after I edited it with the background, I added a few PSDs and curves to enhance colours to give it a different effect. However, for the real production I will be using a different background, this was just a tester. 

Creative ideas

For the ancillary task, as we have to create album artwork with a magazine promo, I have thought of some more ideas that I may consider doing.

For the photoshoot for the album artwork I was thinking to just keep it simple with a white back drop and make it look better with the use of props/costume as well as the editing on Photoshop.

I definitely want to get the Bajan flag in there somehow. These photos below are ideas on how I can do this:

Iconography: The visual images, symbols, or modes of representation collectively associated with a person, cult, or movement.

Branding: (According to Al Ries) a brand is a symbol, a name or a logo that someone owns in the minds of the customer.

Bajan Style album

Back cover

Cover Drive's single covers

Cover Drive's single covers are usually quite bright and colourful which could represent both their pop culture and their Caribbean culture of their music. The type 'Cover Drive' is their style of branding/iconography. The album cover is more simple with just a background of red with a white coloured font. 

Album artwork research

Convention: The way something is usually done within a genre.

Cover Drive's music genre is very unique, therefore it is quite hard to find artists/bands with a similar genre.

I have previously looked at album artwork with Rihanna & Shontelle and how the artwork portrays their music style and also fits in with their music videos.

I have also realised that the band No Doubt is quite similar to Cover Drive. The album Rock Steady by No Doubt is alike to Cover Drive's music, as according to wikipedia: 

Rock Steady touches on many musical styles, focusing on dub, synthpop, and dance styles more so than in the past. The band attempted to capture the vibe of Jamaican dancehall music, and experimented with writing songs without its standard instrumentation. 

By looking at this album artwork it is quite hard to tell what style or genre their music is. 

Additionally, an album artwork that I think portrays the music genre is Rihanna's Music Of The Sun album. This is shown through the use of colours in the background with the purple, pink and yellow as it can symbolise a beach sunset. Similarly, with the font is written in a big and quite bubbly font. I feel that this shows the Pop side of it.

                                                   

Another album that I think portrays their style of music is Alaine's album Sacrifice. 

                                                 

The colours of the background, which are red, yellow and green are known as the Rastafarian colours, which are significant to the Caribbean. This portrays Alaine's music with a Reggae vibe. 

First cut feedback

After finishing my first cut of my music video I have been able to see what the positives and negatives are and see what I can improve.

Firstly, my music video idea of portraying a meaning of fusions between British and Bajan culture, I feel I achieved this concept in the first 20 seconds as I put in videos of Barbados and London. I used Electric Avenue sign post to start off the video as then this shows intertextual reference to another Caribbean song Electric Avenue by Eddy Grant. On the other hand, I felt this idea fades throughout the rest of the video. To improve this I will be trying to include more shots of London and Barbados for example London Eye, Parliament and the British flag, to break up the solo shots a bit more and hopefully this should illustrate the fusion a bit clearer.

Additionally, 'selecting mise-en-scene including colour, figure, lighting, objects and settings.' I feel this a bit weak. This is because I think the solo shots with just one location gets boring as it is at the same location. There is also a variation of lighting as when I was filming it, the sun would be shining and then sometimes it wouldn't and it is clear on the footage as some shots are darker than the others. To improve this, filming in a different mise-en-scene such as the skate park at South Bank in London. The graffiti will brighten up the shots as it is colourful. The graffiti will also help represent the genre of music and the singers voice as she has quite a bit if attitude in her tone of voice.

Furthermore, 'framing a shot' was not as good as it could be as all the shots were all one level. The shots needed to be a bit more dynamic to show the mise-en-scene and connection between the camera and the performer. More dynamic shots for solo would include low angle shots to a tilt, as well as a bit of movement so they wouldn't be too stiff. The movement of the camera can also represent the movement of the music.