Visual Identity: Initial Musings

Through propaganda and merchandise that I will design myself, I will advertise myself as a musician. I am promoting myself as a musician instead of a visual artist because the resulting products (logo, business card, website, etc.) will not only be applicable to the class assignment, but they will also help me when I enter the music industry with an already existing collection of promotional material.

One advantage I have over other musicians is that I have experience in art and design, which will help in more ways than one. People always say that we should never judge a book by its cover, but everyone actually does in reality. This is because in the time we are living in now, with the prominence of technology and media in our lives, we are exposed to countless advertisements, popups, articles, text messages, emails, notifications, and many other forms of communication that are trying to catch our attention. With that in mind, it is important that I stand apart from the other musicians if I want to be noticed, which can be done by using visually interesting propaganda.

I am not certain what specific aspect(s) of myself I will advertise yet, which could include pedagogy, performance, sound production, and composition and arranging. I am still debating whether I want to focus on one of my areas of expertise, some of them, or all of them, which I may decide depending on which one I feel I am most skilled in.

I intend to communicate sharpness, boldness, and a sense of dependability, while also giving off the impression that I am friendly, open, and honest, which are all important characteristics of a musician looking for a job. Certain artistic elements will come into play when I design my promotional material. I want to use a clean, thin font without too many embellishments, which will convey precision and simplicity. Below is a sample from the business card I started designing, which gives a basic idea of what I want. Everything may change completely over time, but the idea of simplicity and conciseness will remain the same.

Photography Class: Product Advertisement Shoot

I am proud to say that the advertisement above was 100% shot and designed by me. In photography class, my teacher presented the grade 12s with the task of having to pick a product of their choice and shooting professional pictures of it using the photography studio. Prior to the assignment, he showed us lighting techniques and how to operate  photography equipment (soft boxes, cameras, remote adapters, etc.) to help make our photos turn out looking professional. 

The criteria for the assignment were simple and nonrestrictive, allowing everyone freedom in their ad design: there had to be a shot of the product by itself, and a shot of a model interacting with the product, which in my case was a singer. I looked at existing microphone advertisements for the Yeti as well as others, and established in my head an idea of how a good microphone advertisement should look. 

In my advertisement, there are certain factors which I made sure to include to make it clean and complete. The first step I took was editing the raw photos. While the pictures I took were good as they were, I gently increased the contrast to get that sleek, metallic shine that is best visible to the naked eye. For the model shot, I increased the contrast on the entire photo, but added vibrancy and brightness to only the microphone, and "feathered" the layer so it bled into its surroundings, making it appear as if the microphone is radiating brilliance. As a small touch, I slightly increased the brightness and contrast of the Blue logo on the microphone to make it stand out more.

The next step was the layout. Since the model shot is the most dynamic and interesting, I made it the main photo to draw in the viewer. To accompany that, I placed the headline headline text next to the microphone. I used a geometric and bold font to convey sleekness and modernity, to show that the microphone is the latest and greatest installment in its market. The choice of colour was carefully picked. For the word "Blue," I used a vibrant, deep blue to mimic the logo, and turquoise for "yeti" because that is the colour that the company uses in their advertisements and packaging for this product. I then used white to create a balance in the weight of the colours for the rest of the text. 

The next step was laying out the microphone shots in the bottom right corner. These are the "informational" shots, giving the consumer a full, plain view to give them a good idea of exactly what they are looking at. I made sure the microphone was angled straight up in both shots as well as make them the same size to keep consistency, making them easier to compare.

Every good advertisement will have the logo clearly printed somewhere to inform consumers of who made the product they are looking at, that way they know who to go to when they are interested in purchasing the item on display. I kept it simple by taking Blue's logo and putting it in the bottom right corner.

The final step was the brief blurb on the Yeti, the most informational and hopefully most influential part of the advertisement. I decided to stay true to the company and use the original description of the microphone instead of my own, partly because it is more legitimate, and also because they wrote it well enough that there was no need to come up with something else. I used a simple and clean font for the summary because at that point, the viewer has been dazzled by the glowing shots of the microphone and edgy headline, and the focus should now be solely on the specifications. Although font types seem like a small part of the big picture, when a company is trying to catch and maintain people's interest, every nuance counts. When choosing the font for the blurb, I kept it simple because I personally think that the more elaborate and exciting fonts should be used for titles and headlines to grab attention, while more simple fonts are used for informational text. 

I had my doubts in the beginning, but I'm pleased with how everything turned out, and wouldn't change a thing.

Movie Trailer Recuts

A popular trend on the internet is creating movie trailer "recuts," which is essentially taking a trailer and completely changing the mood of the movie. For example, I watched the trailer for the movie "Top Gun," which is a typical macho, glamorized depiction of jet fighting featuring Tom Cruise. Immediately after, I watched a recut of the trailer, which turned the movie into a gay romance between Tom Cruise and a fellow soldier, whom he was originally enemies with. That is just one example; psychological thrillers have been turned into family feel-good movies, comedies into thrillers, and historical drama into romantic comedy. The basic idea remains the same, that the mood of a movie is completely changed using the same clips, but a different approach.

My recut is of the movie "Groundhog Day," originally a comedy, now converted into a psychological thriller. Watch the recut first, and then the original to see what I mean by a dramatic difference.

Recut

Original

As you may have noticed, I used many of the same clips from the original trailer in my recut. Obviously though, there is a dramatic difference in mood. To accomplish this, I watched many thriller movie trailers beforehand, and compiled a mental list of common cinematic techniques used to make them creepy and suspenseful. 

Some technical aspects I included were the credits and the company logos, as seen in every trailer. I started the trailer with the standard green rating window that informs viewers of the content of the movie. I also used the Columbia logo screen in the beginning because that was the company who produced the movie. Before that though, I showed a brief shot of the clock striking 6 am, which was foreshadowing to what would become a motif throughout the video. The clock is supposed to be a symbol of the same day happening again endlessly, and the impending insanity on the main character.  Another subtle technique I used was a cool-coloured filter on the video to add to the eerie feeling, because the original clips had warm, soft lighting often found in movies from the 80s and early 90s.

The text was another key part in passing on the mood. I originally used bold, red text, but I felt that was too cliché, and used in almost every thriller/horror trailer. By I accident, I discovered an interesting technique by which I made the text black, and added a soft white glow to outline the text, making it three-dimensional. Another cinematic trick I see often is the use of moving text, specifically when the text appears to move closer to the viewer. To make it smoother and more ominous, I made the text slowly fade as it got larger.

The difference in pacing was also an important change. If compared to the original trailer, the original has the same pacing throughout; the music is the same volume and tempo, and maintains a humorous, upbeat mood. The same goes for the video as well, with the trailer immediately beginning at a fast pace to the end. My recut is very different, with its much more dynamic pacing. Instead of "playing my cards" right from the start, I began by establishing the setting and characters. I used full clips with dialogue, and in one shot used slow-motion  for a dramatic effect. At the part when the two men on the radio exclaim "it's Groundhog Day!" the pace begins to pick up, marked by the change in tempo of the music. At this part, the conflict is introduced, and the main character (Phil) is seen trying to grasp what is happening to him. The rise in excitement drops again, with the music coming to a sudden stop except for a deep bass note being held. This is the part when the tension begins to build, as Phil becomes desperate to escape the never-ending loop he has become stuck in. The sound effects and music die off to Phil's colleague saying "you're not a god," which is preceded by a start in the music again. The last two text blurbs before the credits are what entice the viewer, as if to say "watch as this guy goes slowly insane each day." Between each blurb, before the rest of the video, is Phil waking up with a distraught look on his face, the beginning of his imminent insanity. After the last title, the buildup begins with Phil giving his weather prediction, saying that the winter would be "cold, grey, and last the rest of your life," which viewers know he is actually referring to being stuck living the same day every day. This voiceover happens as shots of him slowly going crazy begin to go by faster and faster. The clips become shorter and flash by quickly, with the images and scenes increasing in intensity. To add to it, red flash filters I synced with Phil smashing the clock or driving toward the train were added to really set the mood. A common factor in story lines is to have a falling action after the climax to end with a sense of closure for the viewers. In this case, I ended right at the climax to leave people in suspense and craving the satisfaction of knowing how the story will end. This was important because the whole point of a trailer is to draw people in so they want to go see the movie.

Last but not least, the sound played a large role in establishing and supporting the mood throughout the video. I wrote the soundtrack myself, one reason being that I knew it would be difficult to find a track online to fit my recut, let alone one that was royalty free. The other reason was because I want to make a career writing music for movies, and this was the perfect opportunity to practice.

To start the trailer, I had a quiet synthesizer playing with a slightly out of tune mallet instrument to immediately tell viewers that this was going to be a dark movie. In accordance with the video, the music began at a slow tempo and low dynamics. As the shots progressed, I layered on more instruments and chords. To support the impact of the titles that appeared, I synchronized the sound of gongs, scrapes, and deep drums for when text popped up. When the clock strikes, and Phil wakes up, the music stops, and all that is left is the subtle sound of a low thud in the rhythm of a heartbeat. I then left out all music in the last few seconds before the pace change, because long pauses are used in music to create a dramatic and suspenseful effect. After the men on the radio say "Groundhog Day!" the music suddenly starts again, this time at a faster tempo, which tells the viewers that the story is beginning to intensify. The music proceeds to layer on more instruments and chords again, playing solemn, introspective music. It is once again cut off by a startling scraping sound, which is followed by complete silence except for a deep, sustained note in the bass line. At this point, Phil is telling his colleague about his experiences, and I used subtle effects, such as a low moan similar to wind blowing, a thud when Phil gets hit by the truck, and the car crashing as it hits the valley floor, with the sound of flames burning getting increasingly louder until it unexpectedly stops and cuts to Phil. In this brief moment of silence, Phil claims to be an immortal, followed by Rita telling him he's "not a god." This is followed by a low thud and gong, with the sound of clocks ticking in a cluttered manner. This is the last part of the trailer, when it is about to reach its climax. I started with a single low note on the synthesizer, and began layering on more, increasing the pitch. A common technique used in music and soundtracks is to steadily increase the pitch of notes or raise the octave to generate stress. To add to the stress, I slowly increase the amount of reverb on the mix to create a long, confusing echo to make Phil's last words resonate more with the audience. I also added a static sound which increased in volume until it cut off with the change to the title text, leaving viewers feeling like they were about to see the climax, but it was stopped right before they could see it. I left the credits in complete silence so as not to give the viewers any more of the trailer, and also because going from loud, intense music to complete silence has a powerful effect.

I'm happy with the trailer I did, and even after some of the rough patches I went through, I enjoyed the project.