Final 2 CD cover designs (front&back)

Having made 4 initial front cover CD designs I have now taken my favourite two forwards to develop and produce a back cover for as well. I liked 2 of my designs more than any of the others and therefore decided these two would be the ones I kept to take forward into the development stage.

This is the first of my two final ideas. The idea behind this picture is to combine the element of nature - which is shown throughout my music video - with the idea of fun, happiness and childhood. I think the action of the performer reflects this well and I also think the typeface I've chosen work well with the black and white aesthetic. I have also focused on the framing and structure of the photograph to make it suitable for my CD cover. The use of layers, the dark grass bottom layer and the plan sky, work well as it creates a contrast and also allows me to put the title of the album over the darker section. I set the typeface to a light grey and applied a 70% opacity which gives it a transluscent look.

I also wanted to create a back design which would match the front. The design I have made uses a different picture but using a similar aesthetic. The image was taken using the same lighting and set up but with my hand in the foreground to create the large silhouette in front of the figure in the background. I have added 5 of the original album's songs to create an EP which would have 'Stressed Out', the song I used for my music video, as the first track. The design of the cover matches the colour scheme and mood of the front cover but adds a further element of fun to the overall brand of the design. I also chose to include the track times of each song as an extra piece of information. The layers on the back work well as they did on the front.

This is my favourite design of the final two. It features my friend and star performer, Jordan sat and stood on a fence in different positions while I took 3 different pictures. I then used the picture editing software, Adobe Photoshop, to merge the 3 images together into the final photograph you can see on the left. I also used the software to add the album title at the bottom of the design. When creating the image I considered the framing of the shot by the large tree on the right, the long metal fence and the plain sky above. As well as these elements I looked at the dark grass which would form the background behind the text. I also set the opacity up on this cover design as it added more interest to the design as a whole.

This is the back of the final CD design. I really like my work for this section and think it has worked well with the front design.  The photograph is one of the 3 that I used to create the merged front CD cover design image. I also used the dark grass section to apply the text needed on the album and used the lightly coloured sky as a canvas for the track details on the EP. I think the image of Jordan standing and the writing set out next to him works well because it creates a dynamic and entertaining layout while looking highly professional and being easy to read.  I also think this design works well because the text reflects the structure and direction of the tree's branches as well as the bars across the metal fence in the foreground. All in all I'm very happy with my final EP designs.

First CD Album Designs

In order to promote and sell my work in the music industry I would need to create a CD and packaging design to house the album. 

I wanted to create something that would tie in with the natural theme of the music video and the style of the already existing twenty-one pilots albums. You can see my research into past album designs in by clicking this link: Twenty One Pilot's Album Covers

These are my 4 CD designs. I have created them using adobe photoshop and adobe illustrator. When taking the pictures I used a tripod to ensure that each picture contained exactly the same background. The only thing to change between each image would be Jordan's location. This then meant I could edit the image and cut Jordan out of one picture and into another to give the effect he was in lots of different places in the same picture. Below you can see my 3 CD designs. 

Lost In Time - My first album cover design.

This is my first album cover design. I created it using photoshop and illustrator and mainly focused on creating a distorted image that still resembled the face of the performer. This blurring effect matches the name of twenty one pilots most recent album "Blurryface" and also matches some lyrics in the song "Stressed Out". The background of the CD design is made up of the words "Lost In Time" in a wingdings font. The effect looks good and has meaning behind it which enhances the album cover in my opinion.

Lost In Time - My second album cover design. 

The idea behind this design was to combine the idea of nature using the tree, and the idea of fun and childhood which is present in the lyrics of the song 'Stressed Out'. I used the image of Jordan hanging from the tree to reflect this element of childhood and fun because it is something that is childlike, playful and careless, all things that the lyrics suggest the performer misses.

Back in Time - My third album cover design.

This is my 3rd CD album design. It features the star of my music video, Jordan, in front of the setting sun. I wanted to use the natural landscape to match the theme of my video and also used the sun as a representation of time and how things can run out. I like the design of the CD cover because it works in layers and the type is clear and easy to read. The black and white also works well and may be something I use in my final design. 

Back in Time - My fourth album cover design.

This is the last of my album designs. Similar to my second design, this cover mainly focuses on the element of time and change. I have used the fence as a symbolic reference to being trapped and cut off. I have also chosen to have the image in black and white which also suggests time and the past. The 3 positions Jordan is in are also key to the design of this cover. From left to right he gets lower down, this symbolises how time can lessen a person or how time can reduce the levels of happiness. The change in height also represents the downwards curve in a graph showing a negative change over time.

Twenty One Pilot's Album Covers

'Twenty One Pilots' - Twenty One Pilots (2009)

Before designing my own album cover I want to look at already existing designs used by the band. I will see what colours, styles and images they use in their marketing pieces and should give me a better idea of what aesthetic to use in my own work. I will be looking at their 4 album cover designs to see if they have any differences or similarities between each other.

This is the debut album from the band Twenty One Pilots. The illustrated cover design shows coloured liquid pouring out from a large chest or box. It's an abstract design as it is difficult to tell what the image is exactly. I don't like the design of this cover because I feel as though if I didn't know the artists, I wouldn't know what sort of music to expect. Although, I do like about it is the different sections and how some parts are in black and white and some are in vivid colour.

'Regional At Best' - Twenty One Pilots (2011)

This album cover is very different from the last. It is made from a single photograph whereas the 2009 album 'Twenty One Pilots' was created as an abstract illustration. This design also features the name of the band on the white banner across the top of the image. It also says the album title on the cover whereas on the indie pop artist's debut album there was no title or text at all, just the drawing. In addition to this, this design features the artist's logo behind the text which adds to the marketing visuals of the group. I like the colour scheme used as they have matched the red and blue in the logo to the red and blue of the children' jerseys. Colour is something that features in many album designs and will be something I think about hugely.

'Vessel' - Twenty One Pilots (2013)

This is the cover design for the 2013 album 'Vessel' by Twenty One Pilots. It is a relatively plain design, simply made from a portrait photograph of two men stood together, arms behind their backs leaning towards each other slightly and facing the camera. There is also a darkened section with a reduced opacity that adds an extra colour element to the design of the album cover. The only writing on the design is the name of the album itself. This contrasts with the band's second album which has their name written across the top of the picture a lot. Similarly to the band's 2011 cover design, it's a photograph of two people dressed in similar clothes to one and other. It also features two people with not much of an age gap between them.

'Blurryface' - Twenty One Pilots (2015)

This is the cover design of the band's most recent album 'Blurryface'. With a back background and 9 pattern-filled circles in the centre the design is relatively minimalistic. The name of the band and the name of the album are both on this cover design which works well however the cover doesn't use any photograph which is a contrast from the previous two albums. I like the limited colour palette used in this design with red, white and black being the only colours used. I think it also works well having the album name and the band name separated by the central artwork. This layout may be something I try to implement in my own design later on in my project. 

Shot Inspiration

Shot 1: Car POV shot

I used this shot in my music video to add to the idea of being on a journey and time. I created the shot by filming from inside my dad's car and used my camera to record part of the journey. In my editing I increased the speed to keep the pace of the music video constant. The shot features different lines and curved elements which create a more varied shape on the screen. I got the idea for this shot from 'Open Your Eyes' by Snow Patrol. The whole music video to this song is a shot of the journey of a car, I liked the effect and decided to use it in my own music video.

Snow Patrol's "Open your eyes" music video

My own music video for Twenty One Pilots 'Stressed out'

Shot 2: Lens flare lighting shot
This shot was inspired by the music video for 'Hold back the river' by James Bay. This music video is all performance based but focuses hugely on lighting and camera angles. Having the panning shot in the music video makes it more interesting than a stationary position for the camera. The key backlighting creates lens flare which also makes it more interesting as a complete shot. I tried to replicate this effect in my own music video. However, my nature themed video used the sun rather than an artificial light source.

My own music video for Twenty One Pilots 'Stressed out'

James Bay's 'Hold back the river' music video

Shot 3: Bicycle shot (towards camera)

Another shot I'd seen in a professional music video was one of someone cycling towards the camera in the music video for 'Take me to church' by Hozier. In this music video the shot is in black and white which works well as it fits with the rest of the piece. However, in mine I have kept it in the original colour so that it doesn't look out of place. Having said this, the weather was very overcast when I filmed this shot and therefore it wasn't especially colourful anyway. I think the shot works well and the clouds in my frame look atmospheric and add to the naturalistic aesthetic of my work. 

My own music video for Twenty One Pilots 'Stressed out'

Hozier's 'Take me to church' music video

Candle Time-lapse

Original time-lapse setup

 To add to the 'time' element of my music video I wanted to use my GoPro Hero 3 to create a time-lapse feature. I decided to use the time-lapse to create effect but also to match the lyrics of the song.

 In the song, the lyric "How come I'm never able to identify where it's coming from, I'd make a candle out of it if I ever found it." This line is the inspiration behind my time-lapse of a candle burning down. I initially set up the shot using black card as a background, white card as a light filter and the candle in the centre of the shot. You can see the original shot set up on the right.



When I began taking the time-lapse images I soon discovered the lighting and backdrop didn't work. The black card reflected light too much when curved and the lighting was too bring for the shot and meant that the candle's flickering flame didn't create the warm glow I was aiming for. I then decided to alter the set up of the shot to make it better. I changed the lighting but setting the candle and filming area up under my desk, where it was much darker. I then used the same light but without the white filter which worker well because it meant there was a nice shadow cast behind the candle itself. I also changed the background by using a plain grey painted wall rather than separate sheets of black card. Not using black card sheets meant there were no visible joins in the background and made the shot a much higher quality. On the left there is a picture of the final time-lapse set up as well as an image of how the framing of the shot looked after capturing the 2 hour time-lapse piece (below).

Candle Time-lapse - Risk Assessment

To add to the the filming I had already done I've decided to produce some time-lapse photography to merge into my music video. Using this technique will not only show my photographic skills but will also add to the overall effect and link with time in the song's lyrics.

I wanted to use time-lapse photography (created using a GoPro Hero 3) to make my music video more unique. However, before beginning the filming I needed to fully assess the risks involved. I have completed a risk assessment which you can see below. 

Risk: Change in lighting during time-lapse
Prevention: When creating a time-lapse piece, natural lighting can have a bad effect on the final outcome. Time-lapse photography often lasts several hours, in which time the location of the sun in the shot will change and cause different shadows at different stages of the production. Therefore, I will make sure my candle time-lapse is created in a room where no natural light will be coming in and the shot will be lit using artificial light rather than natural light.

Risk: Fire caused by lit candle
Prevention: To reduce the chance of a fire I will make sure all pieces of paper and card used for a backdrop is secured tightly to the walls so that it doesn't fall onto the flame causing a fire. I will also make sure I check the candle regularly to check everything is going okay.

Filming Day 3 - Local Park and Field

My third day of filming took place at a local park/field with a country lane. It was in the town where I live and study at sixth form so it wasn't too difficult to get there. Myself and Jordan cycled from sixth form to the location for filming with the equipment in my bag.

Our first shot was some lip syncing for the music video. I wanted to use the slowly setting light in my music video to cast long shadows on the subjects face during the shots. I used a natural backdrop (trees and the field) to contrast with the building background of the tracking shots used in other sections of my film. However, the natural background compliments the other lip synching shots where I've tried to include natural elements as much as possible. On the right there is a shot of the lip synching piece.

I then moved onto filming more tracking shots of Jordan. I want to include different shots that show Jordan moving/travelling in the music video because the theme behind the song is about time and how a journey has changed over time. I will use reverse and standard, forward editing techniques to create a more meaningful representation of time, pace and direction. The wide angle shot I used shows the length of a journey and the following/tracking shot from a low angle and from behind Jordan suggests he is being followed and that everyone is the same and wishes they could go back in time and live their youth again.

Once we'd created the lip synch and further tracking shots I wanted to turn my attention back to the lighting and the setting sun in particular. To get more interesting shots for my music video I wanted to use light in different ways. Having a shot of Jordan sat still and the camera orbiting around his head while the setting sun in the background created lens flare has created a nice looking shot that works really well in my piece. I also think it works well because the slow speed of the shot implies the character is taking time to reflect on things which further conveys the message behind the song lyrics.

I also used the low level sun to make another effective wide angle shot of Jordan walking. This shot looks good especially when Jordan is seen walking in front of the sun because it removes the lens flare for a second and then it returns again.