Album Cover - Draft 4

For the 4th and final draft, not much changed on the outside cover of the album. The back of the album was rearranged and a QR code reader with a link to the NTLS website was added and on the front cover, the contrast of the images was changed so that the image was more prominent on the dark background.

On the inside cover, the picture of the artists was kept, however the image behind the CD was changed to the NTLS logo. We felt this carried the artist's identity and band image further, as before only one of the artists was present, suggesting they were more important which was not the case.

Album Cover - Draft 3

Finally we had all of the components for the album cover, and putting them together we were really pleased with the result. The graphic worked really well and the way the image was formed from dots created a really strong band image. 

There was still an issue with the inside of the cover and the fact that Vivian was on her own, and we had also had feedback from our teacher who had suggested we add some more interactive features to the back of the cover, but apart from that the whole thing was pretty much finished.

Album Cover - Draft 2

Unhappy with the dotted graphic containing the images of Vivian and I, I began to redesign it from scratch. Not to waste time, the group began piecing together the components we did have into a functioning album cover.

Unfortunately we did not manage to take the promo shots containing the lights scribing technique, which meant that we just used other promo shots from the shoot instead. The we messed about with other designs seeing as the main graphic had not yet been completed, and one we came up with was the above layout. We did like this design because of it's simplicity, and it held the brand really well.

 The only issue with using the promo shots on the inside was that we did had intended to have a black on white and white on black image of the artists, except couldn't find a good enough image with both of the artists on the white background, so instead went for on of Vivian on her own. The issue with this was that it was confusing for people to see the female artist on her own, due to how the image had been created for all other aspects of the project.

Album Cover - Draft 1

Rather than designing all of the components for the album cover in the same document, I created various components in separate adobe programs for practical reasons.  

The main graphic for the cover of the album I designed in Photoshop. This was due to the fact that it involved various image layers and I also needed to edit the photos that were being used, for instance change them to black and white and mess about with the contrast to make the images more striking.

For the band's logo, I printed out picture of a nettle leaf and drew over it, incorperating the letters NTLS into the design. The original sketch was in pencil, and to scan the image in with a clearer line i went over the pencil with felt tip pen.

I scanned in the image and then opened it up in Adobe Illustrator, and then used a tool to create a mask that selected all of the black areas of the image, isolating the design. I neatened up the edges of using a pen tool and make it so that the thicknesses of the lines were the same, and above is the final result.

With all the graphics now designed, the next step was to piece the components together into a functioning album. 

Album Cover - Template

The album cover template did not change from the original design, apart from some small details.

• The graphic on the front cover was still central and contained a collage of the two artists and was in black and white greyscale
• The forest background for the album cover stretched from front to back as a panorama, containing the two artists on the back dressed in all white
• A tracklist was written next to the image of the two artists on the back of the album
• Legal copyrights and trademarks were added, a record label logo put on, along with a barcode 

• The design for the inside featured the two artists sitting down dressed in all black, and a light scribing technique would be used to illuminate their faces and create abstract images surrounding them
• The image on the inside of the album cover would be another panoramic image across both panels

An example of the light scribing effect we
 intended to use on the inside of our album cover

Music Video - Grading

The grading for the video in our case was especially hard for a number of reasons. We decided to grade in Adobe Premiere Pro, using tools such as procamp or threeway colour corrector, however this caused quite a few issues with some shots.

This is what the interface for Threeway colour corrector looked like

This is what the interface for procamp looked like

Shots like the ones above were not too much of an issue as there was not much to change. We decrease brightness slightly and increased contrast as to make the image of the black on white more intense.

You can see the minimal change in the above image (there is a faint divide across Vivian's face, with the graded image on the left and the ungraded image on the right), and likewise with the VHS shots below, with the graded image on the right and ungraded on the left.

The major issues were with shots where we had taken with too high an exposure on the camera, which made them overly white. We tried to fix this in Premiere Pro, however the grading tools were not advanced enough to isolate colours, which meant we changed the colour of the background along with the subject.

To fix this problem, we had to open said shots in After Effects, which allowed us to isolate specific colours, which wasn't difficult luckily.

Once in After Effects, we used a plugin called Colour Finesse

The interface for Colour Finesse was a lot more complex than Procamp or Threeway Colour Corrector, but it didn't take long to learn how to use, as the principals of using sliders to change certain aspects of the image were the same.

As you can see, the change is really drastic and although the image on the left looks really nice, it was way too bright and stood out from the rest of the shots, so we darkened the image and brightened the background, making the subject stand out a lot more.

Website - Draft 3

The 3rd draft of the website got put together really quickly after all of the missing components were completed, and ended up being the finished product. In the video I explain how all components of the website work, and show how the band's image is advertised through the site.

Website - Draft 2

Trying different layouts, pages changed a lot but not much new content was added as the components such as the music video, album cover and promo shots had not been fully completed or edited to final standard.

This is the homepage, where we tried adding various button
layouts and extra features to make it more interactive.

We took influence from the 1975's website and the way they had laid out their social media links. Using this, we redesigned and selected social media platforms we thought best suited the band's image. 

Using the square icon design rather than the circular one on the 1975's website also meant that they were more recognisable. The decision to use white logos was because the background for the website was so dark.

Seeing as we had portraits of the two artists, we decided to design and complete the 'About' page of the website. The artists profiles we available by clicking on buttons next to their faces, which lead you to a hidden page containing a short artist bio and a link to their twitter feed. This was meant to improve user interactivity with the artists and was put in place for the more hardcore fans.

Website - Draft 1

After drawing out the plans onto paper and finalising the layouts, we set about putting in components, even if they were tests/mockups, just to see how all the components fitted together.

Using the SBTRKT website as an influence, we used the main graphic from the album cover for the home page to create a link between NTLS' website and their debut album, creating an even stronger band image. 

We uploaded photos from the shooting of the video and a variety of other promotional shots for the more dedicated fans looking for behind the scenes additional features. 

We laid out the store also, naming merchandise and setting prices, colour and available size. Eventually this would be filled with items photoshopped with the NTLS logo on them.

Website - Template

Music Video - Editing Style

Before any of the editing using Adobe Premiere Pro had even started, I decided to sync all the videos to the music as an easy way to later click and drag footage down to the editing timeline where it would be pieced together into the final product. This method proved really time efficient when cutting between multiple shots, as it meant rather than having to sync the shots individually, they were already done.

The takes were locked as to not shift them, meaning they were kept in sync the whole way through.

The issue I had with using this method was that some shots contained bits where we had skipped sections of the song while the camera was recorded as to save time on the shoot, but this was easily solvable by finding the area and using the razor tool to cut up the footage. Other issues included fidgeting during the takes, but there was nothing we could do about this and just had to choose the right shots so that they fitted together.

The editing method used was achieved by using alternative layers, as to make it easier to change cut away points for each shot. It also made it easier when rearranging shots as well.

The cut away points were controlled by the beats in the song, as mentioned in the blog post referencing Carol Vernallis' theories. We also made sure to keep a balance of the black on white and white on black shots as to switch up the audience's viewing experience. 

There were a few issues with doing this however. We wanted to have the shots of Vivian and me blinking to the beat, but some shots were just out of time. Other shots as well did not last as long as we wanted them to either.

Luckily, most of the shots we wanted were static, and so we slowed the footage down to 70% or half speed in some cases, which extended the length and made it so the footage fitted in time with the music. 

In summary though, the edit was not difficult after completing the initial task, as we had planned the edit well enough that we knew which shots would go in which area, making the whole job a lot easier. 

Location Photography - Shoot And Review

Leaving these photography shots until quite late in the day, we hadn't accounted for how quickly it would get dark. Seeing as these photos were on location, this was quite a big issue for us. Nonetheless, we had a complete costume, a designated shoot location and had organised what the shots were going to look like so the only issue was choosing when to shoot them.

In order to prepare for the real shoot, we took the costumes to a forest area next to the school to do a few test shots. This was also to have an idea of how the background of the album and website would look.

On our first attempt, we began travelling to the location, and half of the way there we soon realised it was about to get dark. We made the decision to use a more local area, which we were able to reach a lot quicker. Once we were there we scouted the area and realised it was actually better than where we were travelling longer to get to, and quickly began to start shooting as it had begun to get dark. We had a external flash for the camera incase this scenario happened, however it was not much use seeing as the majority of shots we wanted to obtain were extreme long shots of the artists. We took the shots, and although they were dark, we planned on editing them in Adobe Photoshop to look brighter, so that the image was more visible. Changing the shutter speed was also ineffective, as the camera could not be kept still enough to obtain a sharp image.

Collecting the images and uploading them onto a larger screen (as opposed to the camera display), we quickly realised that the images would be way too dark to use for the album cover and website. Some of the shots were salvageable, but the majority were too dark to brighten, as when you did, they would produce a weird grain. The shots taken using the flash were also really unappealing, as most photos taken using flash, and so we decided not to use these either. We planned for another shoot day, one where we had day light and kit that would allow us to work in darker conditions if necessary.

Next shoot day, we left on time in full costume as to save time and got to the location where we set up the tripod and other equipment. Wary of time, we made the shoot very quick. Luckily, as we had planned the shoot for midday, there was enough light to not have to use the flash or tripod. The images for this shoot turned out exactly how we had originally planned them to be and we were even more pleased looking back at them on a larger screen when we later uploaded and edited them.

Here are a couple of photos from the shoot day:

VHS After Effects Test

To film the VHS footage for the music video, we used Louis VHS camera, which obviously produced authentic VHS style video. However, as this model was rather old, we thought it would be appropriate to have some sort of back up just in case the camera or tape decided not to work. With this in mind, we decided to record Louis and Gina with both the VHS camera and a HD camcorder.

The idea was to be able to edit the footage in after effects in order to recreate the authentic VHS feel, and also to find a solution to the 4:3 ratio Louis camera used. Looking at various YouTube tutorials available, we were able to recreate some VHS styles with the footage we had got from the on-location shoots.

At first, we looked at the above tutorial, which was some person's after effects pre-set package. The package had a variation of sliders which we were able to tweak in order to achieve the desired look. After reviewing how the footage looked however we decided to search for other tutorials, not because what we had produced was bad but as a comparison.



This particular tutorial was a lot more complicated as there was no video tutorial, only a list of instructions. However, the footage turned out very different with this edit, as there were no sliders and it was purely based on trial and error.

After collecting all the variations of the edited VHS footage, a compilation was put together to compare it all, including the original VHS shots. This is because as we edited, the possibility of using the 'fake' VHS footage was becoming more likely.



After reviewing the footage next to each other in sequence, we decided to stick with the original VHS camera and use the after effects method as a back up, purely because of the authenticity of the original style. We also decided that we actually rather liked the black lines created by the 4:3 ratio of the camera, as again this was more authentic.

VHS Shoot And Review - Final Shoots

The last shoots were those in which the relationship began to broke down. We organised to shoot in Central London again, this time at night and near Tower Bridge. The point of this shoot was to get the footage that tied the narrative together well, as Louis and Gina were becoming less happy together, and we tried to make visible on camera.  We started off at London Bridge and made our way down the riverside to Tower Bridge, and filmed along the way, neither of them would smile and there would be very little conversation.

Looking back at the footage, as always, a large majority of the shots were unusable. We got what we needed however, and it was clear that Louis and Gina were unhappy in this scene.  We managed to get some really nice static shots on the bridge and also some of the couple talking by the side of the river with Tower Bridge in the background. This is really great footage as it means that the band image of being a British band is even stronger.

With the narrative shots almost done, we planned the final shoot day, which was the break up between Louis and Gina. We filmed this at Gina's house and had her throw clothes that Louis had worn throughout the video at Louis. Gina was also shouting at Louis and we made it so that Louis was not angry at Gina, as this would make it clear to the audience he was breaking up with her.

The footage was okay, in the respect that it flowed and narrated the story well. We felt that some shots were a bit unnecessary however, such as the shot we got of Louis closing the front door, as we thought this would slow down the pace of the argument. The acting was convincing enough to convey the narrative and all shots made sense in terms of continuity, even though the shots in sequence were not wholly continuous.

After editing the footage together we realised that there needed to be some shots of Louis leaving the house, to show his expression after the argument. We felt this was necessary as otherwise the narrative was left too ambiguous to the viewer, and summed up the story quite well. For practical reasons, we decided that we could shoot at a location closer to the school, as no shots of outside the house had been shown previously. We managed to film Louis outside "Gina's" house one lunch time in school, and review the footage soon after because we were so close.

As expected, the footage being added alongside the argument between Louis and Gina summed up the scene well. Some shots were bad and needed reshooting, but the majority were exactly what we were looking for. Unfortunately, the camera was accidentally put onto a setting which made the footage brighter than other footage. We decided seeing that the location was so close to school, the scene took so little time to shoot and it was the last shot so we wanted it to look good, we went out to reshoot the footage again, this time on the right settings.

The new footage was noticeably better and was used in the final video. The shoots were more visible, darker and had better framing.  

VHS Shoot And Review - Development

Our second shoot was located more towards Central London, around Brick Lane and the Shoreditch area and eventually China Town.  We took the tripod, despite the fact we rarely used it on previous shoots, and again recorded the day on both a HD and VHS camera. We had the route set up, and met up at Liverpool Street Station, where we then proceeded to film through the streets towards Shoreditch and Brick Lane. After collecting the footage from these areas, we began travelling towards China Town.

A map of the route we took around Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane

The journey between the two locations gave us ample time to review the footage, and we soon realised the majority of footage was that of Louis or Gina from behind. We had tried to get a range of shots before and the fact we had too much footage from the back of the couple had been mentioned but not properly addressed. We decided on review, that we would make more of an effort to shoot from the front of the couple as they walked as well as from other angles. The footage overall was what we were looking for though, as we needed shots of Louis and Gina being happy, which we got plenty of walking around the stores and throughout Brick Lane's shops, however not too many outwardly happy shots, so we also decided to try and get a lot more silly and laughing footage.

Once in China Town, we tried getting all the shots of Louis and Gina which we had missed in the previous location. We got some footage of the two running, laughing and browsing the Chinese tourist gift shops. These were all vital shots, as they showed the couple being happy and having fun together which we knew was essential to the narrative sequence of the video.

Looking back at the footage from the day's shoot, we managed to get some really cute shots of the couple which is exactly what we looking for. We ended up with about 12 minutes of footage for the whole day, with about 4 costume changes and 3 location changes throughout. This was a really successful shoot day, as it meant we had captured a large majority of the VHS shots in one go, which was really satisfying. We noticed that the camera we quite shaky when walking, so decided to try and get more static shots next shoot, still handheld as to keep the home-video effect, but static in order to make the footage easier to watch. 

VHS Shoot And Review - Starting Out

The first shoot we ever did was at a party. We wanted to collect footage for the Beginning of the video, where Louis and Gina are dancing, smiling and socialising. To make sure we knew exactly what footage to get, rather than take a shootboard, which we assumed would get lost quite easily, we stuck a post-it note onto the camera, making it clearly visible and easy to access for members of the group. However, we thought that to make the archive footage of the couple seem more authentic to the viewer, we were open for spontaneous shots to be filmed along the way. All footage was collected and some unplanned shots were achieved, making the first shoot a success.

Looking back at the footage later on, there were a few problems. We had not anticipated the fact that the VHS camera shot in 4:3, which meant that the footage, in comparison the studio shots, had two thick black bars down the side of the screen. Also, because the technology was not very advanced, features like image stabiliser and auto white balance were not part of the camera, making the footage dark and shaky at times. We were pleased with the footage overall, but now knew what we could do better for the next shoot.

Starting on the next shoot, which was planned as Alexander Palace, Chip Shop and Louis House, we used the knowledge gained from last shoot to plan this one more carefully. We took a tripod this time, and after discussing the issue of the 4:3 VHS ratio problem with the technician, we organised to take a second HD camera that shot in 1080p, which we could hopefully use footage from to create a VHS look in Adobe After Effects. We managed to get all the shots we were looking for with time to spare.

The footage was great, especially as we now had two different angles that we could switch between. The shots of Ally Pally were outside in nice light and all the shots were visible, the chip shop scene was a little static but useable and the stuff from Louis house was really good. Problems with the footage however were that the VHS shots were a bit shaky at times, and we didn't realise just how HD the footage from the HD camera would be, but it was really good quality. This raised issues with how authentic the footage would look after conversion to VHS. Overall though, some really great footage containing a lot of what we planned to obtain from the shoot.