Digipak in Photoshop

Photoshop used for creating end product:

For the digipak, I painted a wolf using watercolours and scanned it into the computer. After that I manipulated the image using photo editing software. 

Digipak Template

This is the digipak template I am going to use. I will edit this using Photoshop.

'Cry Baby' Music Video Analysis

'Cry Baby' Music Video Anlaysis

Screenshots of the beginning
of video to establish story.

Picture of Melanie as Cry Baby.

Melanie Martinez is the singer, lyricist and director of the 'Cry Baby' music video. She portrays the main character: Cry Baby (keeping within the idea of a 'star image' in music videos). The colour scheme of the video uses pastel tones to convey the childish visuals of the video. Furthermore, keeping a consistent theme across Melanie's videos, a narrative arch is prominent throughout the video. Much like the 'Soap/Training Wheels' double feature, an initial story which does not have the song playing in the background is played to create a story. In the 'Cry Baby' video, this establishes the birth of the character Cry Baby and foreshadows her dysfunctional upbringing.  

Scene where Cry Baby is attacked by her toys.
It is possible that the toys could represent the
people who have bullied her and made her cry.

Scenes such as when Cry Baby spells 'FUCK' with the alphabet blocks or when she holds a real brain/heart to coincide with the lyrics: 'You seem to replace your brain with your heart' add a maturere/disturbing feel to the music video to contrast with the baby aesthetics (showing consistency in Melanie's ceative star image). The


The following video in the story arch is Dollhouse which is why Cry Baby's tears flood the metaphorical dollhouse in the final scene.



By using a realistic brain and a realistic heart adds an element of gore
to the music video.

'FUCK' written with alphabet blocks.

Cry Baby's tears flood her house.

Behind The Scenes

Behind The Scenes (BTS)

'Behind The Scenes' refers to the creative process that goes into creating form of media which is out of the sight of the public. 'Behind The Scenes Videos' are a fairly recent idea which song artists are beginning to adopt. By doing this, they are able to promote their music video which reinforces the hype associated with the release of the video for their fan-base. Furthermore, it allows for an 'inside' look into the creative process to inspire fans and keep up the idea of retaining a 'star image'. There is usually a director who co-ordinates what the song artist should so (just like filming a movie). In some cases (especially when the star image of an artist is to be artistic/creative/personal), then they may direct the video themselves. 

BTS of The 'Cry Baby' Music Video by Melanie Martinez:

(Note: Melanie Martinez also directed this music video)

Props & Costumes

Props & Costumes

For the assassin (portrayed by me) we purchased a wooden bow & arrow from Amazon. Because our video idea is going have dystopian influence for the visuals (fantasy as a more sub-genre), our props are not going to in a large quantity. Our costumes are also going to be clothes that are already in a wardrobe.

Music Labels

Music Label or Record Label

A record label is a brand or trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Often, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing, promotion, and enforcement of copyright for sound recordings and music videos; conducts talent scouting and development of new artists ("artists and repertoire" or "A&R"); and maintains contracts with recording artists and their managers. The term "record label" derives from the circular label in the centred of a vinyl records which prominently displays the manufacturer's name, along with other information.

Examples of music labels: Atlantic Records, Young Money, Def Jam, Columbia Record are just a few mainstream record labels who have signed popular mainstream song artists such s Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, Rhianna.

Star Image in Music Videos

Star Image in Music Videos

Richard Dyer: Star Theory:
"Pop performer" and "pop star" are not the same. 
Pop stars have an identity or persona which is not solely to their musicianship. A true pop star has "brand awareness" amongst a wider market over a period time.

Star's image:
A star's image becomes a readily recognised sign that is used in many different media forms. Stars can use the fact that their image has meaning by allowing it to be used for advertising purposes. A pop star is a manufactured image and does not correlate to person's personality behind the image.   

Star's influence onto target audience:
Stars are made to appeal to a specific target audience to generate revenue for record companies. Record companies tend to nurture and shape their stars into an image which they deem to be desired by their demo-graph (hence the almost carbon copied image aligned with boy bands).

Culture:
Stars represent a shared culture due to the globalisation of media. When audiences display interest in a star's values/opinions then this further enhances their "star quality".

Character:
A star often begins as what the media portrays as a "real" human which may result in the transformation process turning them into a construct. Sometimes caricatures/personas are created to make the star stand out from competitors (example: Nicki Minaj had several alter egos to breach the mainstream pop audience before reverting back to her hip hop roots which has inevitably made her the most successful female rapper in history).