J Cole - She Knows Analysis


 J Cole - She Knows

"She Knows" is a single by American Hip-Hop artist J Cole taken from his album Born Sinner, released in 2013. 
  • Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics ( Hip-Hop)
The very first shot demonstrates the Hip Hop genre as it pans through an American suburb (North Carolina) that looks cheap. Also all of the characters featured in the music video are mixed race or Black, which conforms to the Hip Hop genre. Once Kyle gets to school he meets his friend and decides to skip school. They go skateboarding and the setting very much conforms to the Hip Hop genre as it's run down, bleak and desert-like.

  • There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals 
The relationship between the lyrics and visuals are subtle because the video is narrative but there are many links. For example the shot below is in time with the lyrics "Got me up so high". Also Kyle and his friend are seen running away from the cops in time with the lyrics "Can't be what you wan't from me" which could be referring to how Kyle is letting down his parents by skipping school. Both of these examples amplify the lyrics rather than contrast them.  


  • There are normally close-ups of the artist to promote them
As the music video is a narrative based music video there are no close-ups of J Cole. However most record companies demand shots of the artist in music videos, which could well of happened as J Cole does have a cameo role. J Cole is depicted undressing Kyle's mother, just as Kyle walks in to see what's happening.


Final Website


Our completed website has five pages: Home, About, News, Store and Contact. All of the pages can be seen above. I tried to maintain the same image we have for the Digipack and music video and to make the website similar to Hip-Hop artists like Logic and G-Eazy. 

Digipack 1st Draft

Digipack 1st Draft
This is what Issak and I have produced so far for the Digipack. The front, back, CD, special thanks and extra content are complete. The top left is going to be updated to include an image of iSO and lyrics from our single Buried Alive.



Example of our Digipack in use 

Example of the back cover in use


Merchandise for Store

After researching other artists websites and specifically stores it became obvious that stores are a big part of artists like Logic and G-Eazy's websites. So I decided to dedicate a lot of time to making professional products and adding discounts.

Full store screenshot
As part of my research I identified that Black was very common in our genre but also in similar artists products. So many of the products, especially the clothing are Black. Offerings on G-Eazy's website were mainly types of clothing so I decided that our store should also largely feature clothing. However I have also included accessories such as phone cases and rucksacks.

Example of product preview for iSO stickers
In the preview section of the store I included at least one image of the chosen product, a description of the item and a SKU code. There are also links to social media as this was something that people suggested in the feedback for the website.

Example of 10% discount
As iSO is an up and coming artist I decided that our products should be priced very competitively. So I made the products all slightly above real cost and added a 10% discount code - "iso10". This was also something I identified from my website research as Logic is known for making his merchandise very cheap in order to give back to his fans.

Digipack Improvements


 Above is our first draft digipack, we have showed it to as many people as possible to get feedback. Nearly everyone thought that the front and back cover were good and fit into the Hip Hop genre. Most people also liked the special thanks which we included after analysing Logic's debut album. People thought the strain of DNA was good as it links to the album name but shouldn't be used twice.

To improve our Digipack we will:

  • Add a lyric sheet to replace one of the DNA strands
  • Move the special thanks up one one the grid so it is on the back 



Shooting Schedule #3


Above is our shooting schedule that Libby created for our group to understand what our plan was in terms of shots we still wanted and at which locations.

Acting On Website Feedback

After receiving feedback on my website I picked out some of the best comments and made changes based on the suggestions.

1. "The store icon doesn't fit in with the theme because of the colour."

I changed the store icon from Red to White as it fits in a lot better with the black and white background.

New store icon 
2. "The about page is too basic and doesn't have enough content."

 I changed the layout of the about page completely and added a link to Instagram, a description of iSO and the record label as people were getting confused by the Real Proviso name.

Updated about page
3. "Social media links should be used more as that is a main form of promotion"

I added Twitter and Instagram links to every page and put them in the corner of each page to amintain consistency.

Example of Twitter link


Website Feedback

Today we received feedback from other media students on our website. Most of the feedback was very good with my website scoring on average 7/8 out of 10 from. However there was a lot of good comments on how I can improve the website, some of the best comments can be seen below:

iSO: 

On this website I really like how the background links with the album with the galaxy and colour scheme. the links at the top of the page look good and professional like the logo. the bag looks a little out of place and being red makes it sand out a lot which kinda emphasizes this. The pages themselves look good shows the artists themes and how he is represented well. merchandise looks really professional. the contact page looks really good with the pin on the record company. add the social networking sites to the bottom of each page so that it is consistent and easily accessible to the audience. On the store page make the phone case image larger so that it is easier to see.
iSO:

There is a visible theme (monochrome) and your genre is apparent. There are working links. There isn’t much text. Even though you have your new album cover on your homepage I feel like the background should be of the artist. There is only one photo of the artist which is used throughout the website.

The real Proviso(iso) - 8 Good layout on the front page and its good that it points straight to the new album. The quality of the iso could be improved. The about page is good and i like the way it goes straight to instagram. News page is the best page and its very good detail. I like the discount on the store. The map on the contact page is good. Could the background move at all?  

iSO: 

The website created by ISO is nearing completion and because of this the website looks professional the only comment I would make would be on the amount of information that is provided. Information that could be shown could be more about the creation of the song and more detail about the artist rather than a few sentences that give a slight idea but it is still unclear. The background of the website is very effective with creating the image of ISO because the black and white look is replicated within all products which have realistic prices. The use of the map to show the location of the Real Proviso is clever and makes it look professional.

ISO - The home page for ISO is very simple but effective. i like the dark background as it settles in with the image for his music video as well and the genre he is following. The about page is very poor as i feel it is organised badly therefore it looks basic and low budget. ISO could add more information on this page and set the pictures out differently to make it more effective and better to look at. The merchandise looks good and fits in with the dark colours from the website.
Website scores

Filming in Town and at Crematorium

As we were behind due to our lack of footage me and Issak decided to dedicate a whole day to filming. We went to the crematorium to get more shots as some of the stuff we filmed there before was very good. We also filmed in urban parts of town and at the Graffiti Wall.

As we spent all day filming we got the majority of footage for our music video. Especially the parts at the end that we were missing and we can now replace some of the poorer shots from our first time filming.


Panorama Issak took whilst standing on Graffiti wall


Shooting Schedule #2

Shootimg schedule #2


Digipack Feedback

After producing our first draft of the digipack, we received some feedback on ways in which we can improve it and also details that people liked about it.

Some positives of the digipack were:
Colour scheme works with the images on the digipack although the top left and top right pictures are too empty
Enough representation of the artist
Level 3
Colour scheme is good as it all links
The rainbow is used on all of the panels which is subtle but effective and makes them link
Level 3 - 8 marks
Like the images used as it fits with the genre and the artists image
The dark image used shows us clearly what genre they are trying to portray as a lot of rap music is dark and sinister
Front cover and song list is good
Whole digipak is a strong theme and artist genre is clear
6 marks - 1/3 of your digipak is a 9 but others let it down
DNA strands link with his album title
Personal identity is the theme
Level 3 - 8 marks
The title on the album is good, but doesn't necessarily match the genre
Level 3 - 7 marks
Photography is good with good editing to make the photos look better and look more professional
Good strong colour scheme looks professional
Clear artist image

Some constructive feedback was:
Text is good but the bottom left might look better if it went out wider to the sides of the frame
top left and right are too plain (why are panel 1&3 the same?)/ too simple
The font on the back cover doesn't fit with genre. Make this page and 'special thanks' page the same font to make the link clear
Don't agree with font used as it doesn't give off an urban feel to it more of a rock/indie feel
Colour is dark which makes it hard to outline the artist (are dull and boring)
Doesn't like the CD image, looks ok for genre of music
Level 2 - 4 marks
The back cover looks squashed
DNA is basic
No information on the spines
Special thanks is too long
Looks like pop genre
Level 2 - 6 marks
Only one picture of the artist, could use another
Level 2 - 5 marks

Creation of Merchandise

To create the majority of our merchandise I used Vistaprint. It is a website primarily for business cards but it also allows you to make branded merchandise such as t-shirts and bags. The built in website software makes it easy to add logos and images to clothing and other items.

Vistaprint
Example of t-shirt creation

Shooting Schedule #1

1st filming schedule
Above is our shooting schedule for which we have filled in to keep track of the shots we plan to shoot and when we plan to shoot. By doing this we can ensure that we all know which shots we want to shoot and when.

Website Feedback Scores

This is the feedback we have been given on our website. Other media students gave us an overall score and points to improve and what is good so far. Some of the suggested improvements I will add to the website.
Summary of our website feedback

Animation Of Text

Issak created a title and wrote text on it. He then placed the title over the time lapse on the timeline and then altered the scale of the text to increase over a set period of frames to achieve a 'zoom' effect. The font is Poplar STD, which is a text we identified as common in our genre.
Example of text animation

'Eyelid Blink' Effect

There is an eyelid blink effect in our music video, which can be observed below:



This slideshare explains how we constructed the effect and then implemented the 'Eye Lid Blink' Effect into our music video:


Tour Dates Poster

This is our final tour dates poster that me and Issak created. We used a very similar layout to Logic's tour dates poster. The image of iSO was created on PowerPoint using their image editing effects. Issak found a way on Phototshop to create what looks like clouds to surround the dates.
Our Final Tour Dates poster

Album Cover Inspiration

Tinie Tempah: Discovery (2010): 

Tinie Tempah is a UK grime artist who broke into the pop mainstream with the release of his debut album 'Discovery' in 2010. This album was especially important for us to take inspiration from as Tinie Tempah is a UK solo artist and this was his first album.

Tinie Tempah is portrayed as a powerful and successful man on the front cover. He eyes are covered by sunglasses and he is holding the world in his hands. This adds to the representation of Tinie Tempah being powerful and mysterious. His watch and bracelet are clearly visible which adds to his powerful image and makes him the envy of young men aspiring to 'make it'. 

The colours on the album are clear and colourful and the background is outer-space. This could suggest that his music is 'out of this world'. His name, in the corner, is in large bold white text this could be as it is his debut album it's important the name is clearly visible. The album title is identical but is much smaller in comparison. However as it is white it contrasts the space background well and still stands out.
Discovery album front


The outer-space theme is consistent and clearly visible on the back and the triangle is the same front to back but is more visible on the back as Tinie Tempah isn't blocking it. The font on the back is identical to the front except it is smaller for the track list than album title. The album doesn't conform to the Grime/Hip-Hop genre as the theme is more futuristic than Urban.

Discovery album back

Logic's Album Release

Logic this week just released his new album The Incredible True Story. As Logic is a similar artist to iSO I thought I could learn from how he released the album.

The Incredible True Story artwork
Logic released the album on iTunes and Google's music store as well as selling physical copies. The album is priced at only $4.99 and for a limited time people who purchase it will be sent a free poster and t-shirt. This sparked a lot of Logic's fans taking to Twitter and Facebook to praise Logic for making the album not only cheaper than all other new releases but for giving away free stuff with it.

An example of the social media reaction:
On the surface it look likes Logic is happy to make less profit to benefit his fans. However there could be a more cynical motive from the record label, as pricing the album at half the average price has given Logic loads of promotion, like the tweet above, from fans on social media which would have cost thousands to buy.

Time Lapse Opening

We shot five different views of the sky as a time-lapse. Issak has used them for the opening of our music video. Issak linked the time lapses to the instrumental in the song so they are in time with the beat.

An example of one of our time lapses 

Website First Draft


I have now got to a stage with the website where I have a template for each page and every page has some content on it. The home page is finished and is only missing the final music video YouTube link. The Store page has five products on it all priced with product details. The news page has a Blog setup on it with a few posts and a sidebar accompanying it. 

To improve the website what I need to do now is add more content to the blog, about page and add another fifteen products to the store.

Near-complete home page

Store with the few products I have done so far

Student Music Video Marking



All That Glitters - No Sleep Tonight:

 I would give this music video a 35/40 Level 4 mark. This music video has great mise en scene with the constant genre changes being presented with a change of scenery and clothing. The constant changes make the music video interesting to watch and eye catching. The editing is exceptional and makes the meaning apparent to the viewer. The only way the music video could be improved was if the cutting was better in sync with the song in the last part of the video. 



Can't Hold Us:

I believe this music video is a 30/40 Level 4 mark. This is because the idea is very original, entertaining and in-keeping with the theme of the song. The editing is also very good with the cuts to cartoon-like images helping to tell the story. However the music video is limited by the quality of filming, which wasn't of a high quality. 

Website Design

Before designing the website on Wix I drew a rough sketch of what the layout will be for the home page and the news page. This will help me when designing the layout of the website as I have something to look back to.
Sketch design for Home page
Sketch design for About page 

Filming Locations

iSO's Interview Questions

We wanted to release an interview with iSO before his music video was released so that his audience could receive an update from him and learn a few things about his influences and/or inspirations into getting involved into the music industry. I researched some common interview questions that we could ask iSO and I researched into what form of interviewing logic normally takes part in so that we could replicate it.

Below were the questions that we used:

As a child growing up, music surrounds us; what type of music surrounds us; what type of music did you hear the most back then?

How does it differ from what you listen to now?

What made you first realize you wanted to pursue a career in music?

Going back to early childhood, what was your first experience with music for the first time like? What song do you remember most as a child?

What can people expect to see at a live performance of yours?

If you had to describe your music in 3 or 4 words, what would you say?

What are your immediate career goals?

If you had the opportunity to change something about the music industry what would it be?

Do you have other interests or talents you would like to share with us? How do you like to enjoy your relaxation time away from the music?

What/Who has been your strong influence to continue performing?

What do you feel distinguishes "an artist" from just a musician?

Are there any other "behind the scene" secrets, tips, or additional information you would like to share with your audience?

Interview Research

I wasn't sure what would be the best form of interview to do for iSO. I narrowed it down to either a social media Q&A, magazine interview or a conventional video interview. So before deciding on what to do I decided to research what similar artists do to communicate with their fans.

Logic: 



This in an interview that Logic recently did for 'HardKnockTV' it lasts for seventeen minutes and is with an interviewer who has interviewed him many times. The interview stands out to me as it is very relaxed and appears more like a conversation between two friends than a commercial interview. The interview is mainly about his music and how it has progressed. However the interviewer does ask a few questions about other artists and his personal life to try to create a headline.

The main thing I learned from researching Logic's interviews is:

  • Logic's interviews are all videos and a few magazine articles
  • All the interviews have no background music in the video
  • The interviews last for about ten minute on average
  • The interviews are very informal and relaxed

 G-Eazy:


This is G-Eazy interview was uploaded this week by Wild 94.1 radio station. As G-Eazy has only recently gained mainstream exposure the interview consists of his story,how he made it and what he represents more than talking about his music. The interview lasts for twenty minutes, which is more common among radio interviews. G-Eazy's interviews are much more useful than Logic's to us as he is not yet an established artist so his interviews will be our main source of inspiration.

What I learned from researching G-Eazy's interviews;

  • He is hugely loyal to the area he grew up and does a lot of local radio interviews 
  • Like Logic none of his interviews have background music
  • G-Eazy's interviews consist of YouTube interviews and magazine articles
  • As a newly breaking through artist his story and who he represents is just as important to discuss in an interview as his music
After researching I decided that doing a conventional video interview and a magazine article will be best as they conform to the Hip-Hop genre the most. We will do our interviews taking inspiration mainly from G-Eazy but also Logic.

Advertising Examples

Drake, an established Hip Hop artist has recently been in the news after this billboard was put up:

Drake billboard in Toronto

The billboard has sparked rumors that Drake's upcoming album 'Views From The 6' may be released sooner than anticipated.  As Drake is a big artist even one billboard which would have been very cheap advertising can generate a huge buzz due to social media.

To show how we could advertise iSO if he was an established artist I edited the image on Photoshop and made two different versions, which can be seen below: 

'iSO' is watching

'The Identity' is watching

Halfway Evaluation

First Draft Feedback

As we were behind with our filming our first draft lasted one minute and fourty two seconds but we still got feedback on what we have so far. Some of the best constructive feedback we got I have listed below:

  • Need more movement, most of the camera shots too static
  • Need more shots of artist in the centre 
  • More locations that fit the genre 
  • Should use colour correction on some shots
  • Cut shots out off stairs, doesn't fit in with rest of video
  • Use colour wall more in video


Tour Dates Poster Research

Before creating our tour dates poster I decided it would be best to research similar artists tour dates posters to find the conventions. I looked at G-Eazy's When It's Dark Out Tour Poster and Logic's Welcome To Forever tour poster.

G-Eazy's tour dates poster:

 The only colours used are Black, Red and White for the text. The Red is used on the 'When It's Dark Out' to make it look like neon bar lights which connotes drinking which a lot of G-Eazy's songs are about. The red is faded across the image and onto G-Eazy and A$AP Ferg's face which also makes it look like a light.

G-Eazy isn't in the center of the poster and is only slightly more prominent than A$AP Ferg. This could be because A$AP Ferg is quite a big act to be supporting G-Eazy. Both A$AP Ferg and G-Eazy are staring straight into the camera and the faces have been made darker.

The actual tour dates are listed on the bottom half of the poster in small white text. Bold larger white text is used for G-Eazy and A$AP Ferg's names.
G-Eazy Tour Dates Poster
Logic's tour dates poster:

The only colours used for the tour dates poster are Black and White. The theme of the poster is outer-space which is very similar to our album cover. Logic is in the center of the shot so the focus is on him unlike in G-Eazy's tour dates poster. Also the supporting acts are on the side of the image and are faded into the background.

The dates are featured below in the small White text
Logic Tour Dates Poster

Photoshop Editing Research

Before starting to make the Tour Dates poster on photoshop I thought I should watch some tutorials to get comfortable with the software. As I haven't used it since last year to make poster for AS Media.

This tutorial was good for learning the basics such as layering and other tools:


This tutorial showed me how to manipulate lighting effects which I will use at the bottom of the tour dates poster: 

Clothing Research




Clothing is a huge part of Hip Hop music and probably more important to rappers than any other kinds of artists. Below is an article from the Guardian which explains how Skepta, a relatively small UK grime artist, has helped increase Sports Direct sales.
Guardian article on how Skepta affected Sports Direct sales
From this research I have learned that when we film or do photo shots it's vital that we think carefully about what clothing labels iSO is seen in as this is a huge part of our artists representation. 

Visual Moodboard


I took screenshots of some of my favourite shots from music videos in our genre and put them altogether to make a visual moodboard. This will make it is easier to visualize what theme we want to achieve when we go out filming.

Video Inspiration #3

Miguel - Waves

This music video has just been released and I watched it as I like the song. While watching it even though Miguel makes R&B music not Hip Hop I thought that the way he worked the album cover into the music video was really good for consistency. 

At 0.40 this shot of Miguel with the same background as his album cover is used to cut to a completely different scene and is time with the music perfectly. 


Shot that matches the album cover
  
Miguel's Wildheart Album Cover

Logic Website Research


Conclusion: Logic's website is like heaven for Logic fans it has everything they could ask for all in one place. I really like the blog on the home page it's a great way of keeping fans updated. However I thought the Home page was too content heavy so when I create iSO's website I will incorporate a blog into it but on a separate page like a news page for example.

I also really like the layout of the store page, Logic doesn't have many products but I thought the way they are shown is good. I also really like the header image for the store. After doing a photoshoot I will edit something very similar for iSO's store.

G-Eazy Website Research

G eazy website research from eaglej09

Conclusion: G-Eazy's website has a very simplistic effective layout which I liked. I will use G-Eazy's home page as a template when creating iSO's as it has everything necessary and looks professional. The other pages were also had a great layout but didn't have much content.

G-Eazy's store is exceptional and I will refer to it when designing iSO's store and the products in it. The range of products on G-Eazy's store is huge and they are all high quality items.

iSO's Social Media

I set up the Twitter account using @therealproviso (iSo's record label) as the username and created a header which is identical to the Facebook profile except for the Twitter logo this makes our social media consistent. The goal for Twitter now is to get 50 followers.



There are no usernamses for facebook pages so I named the page iSO and listed the page under the musician category.The goal now is to get 50 likes on the Facebook page.
Facebook Page

Potential Album Cover

Proposed Album Cover


Issak created this album cover today in lesson on Adobe Photoshop. We had three different album names before deciding on Identity. We felt that Identity was the best choice as it is iSO's debut album it will give him an identity. We also suggested using text that Libby identified when doing the font research would stand out and fit our genre conventions.

I will create another album cover so that we have two to choose from. Whatever album cover we choose to use as a group I will then create a tour dates poster based on the album cover. This is so they match and that we can establish our  artist as a brand.

Digipack Research

Before making any major decisions about the Digipack I thought it would be best to research everything first. As with the websites I have looked at artists similar to iSo to try and take inspiration from them. I researched two of Logic's album covers and one of G-Eazy's.



Logic's first album Young Sinatra features a picture of a mugshot of Sinatra with his eyes obscured. This is a subtle link to crime which very much conforms to the Hip Hop genre. Also the first cover is in black and white, dark colours are very common within our genre. 

The second Logic album cover is Under Pressure, which has just been released. The front features a portrait of three friends in what looks like a bedroom studio. This could be Logic trying to show what little he started from, with just friends a laptop and some speakers visible. This also confirms to genre conventions as staying 'grounded' is a big part of hip hop culture. 

The last album artwork I looked at was G-Eazy's album 'These Things Happen' which is very simplistic. The front features G-Eazy standing in the centre of the shot in a White shirt with his name in very small text in the corner. The album cover could quite easily be a male pop solo artist as the white background and shots being focused on the artist are not typical of the hip hop genre. However as a white rapper G-Eazy has to stand out. When we create ouralbum artwork we need to find a balance of conforming so it is obviously hip hop but like G-Eazy we need to appear slightly different.



Video Inspiration #2



J. Cole - No Role Modelz

The first thirty seconds of this fan-made music video is what we want to try and replicate in our music video. The video starts with a time lapse of scenic forests and the sky. The shots are good because they are interesting in their own right but it's much more effective as it fits the intro of the song perfectly. 

Risk Assessment

Before we could start filming we had to complete a risk assessment of all of our chosen locations. To minimize risks we will look at the risk assessment before each time we go out and film.

Our Risk Assessment 

Timeline Of Annotated Lyrics

Video Inspiration #1





Issak showed us a Logic music video today in class and pointed out that the cuts are very heavily linked to Logic's hand movements. As his hands either move towards the camera or away from it generally there is a cut. This is something that we will try to emulate when filming our music video, especially if we want to conform to our genre conventions. The jump cuts are also very effective in this video and could work well in our music video.

Exampe of Logic's hand movements

Font Research

I used DaFont.com to research fonts that we could use. DaFont lets you preview your chosen text within a range of different themes. Some of the fonts I thought looked best and fitted our genre are listed below:




Storyboard


This is our storyboard we made it has all of the shots we want to include and we will use it as a plan when filming the narrative of our music video.

Storyboard

Website Journey

Narrative and Conventions for 'Buried Alive'

Issak suggested that the video needs to set a narrative to represent the [main character's] personal story. The narrative will follow a teenage male living with their parents, of whom do not care about their child/forget about their child as they're so caught up in personal problems and arguments resulting from financial problems. This causes the teenage male's imagination to spiral and create an escape from the parental turmoil that they're caught up in and attempts to break the mould.


An important concept of the music video, that is key for the video's success is the CHANGE from normal to greyscale filter. This does not only correspond to the lyrics, it also looks impressive if done correctly and helps the narrative come to life. Full colour shots and greyscale shots also have clear colour differences which have different connotations.

Photoshoot

Today in our green room I took pictures of Issak with different posses and costumes. We used my Black Hoodie as from our research I found Black is commonly used in costume in our genre. We also used Issak's jacket which fits the conventions of our rap genre. Below are two of the best examples of the raw pictures, before editing the background, that I took. Although in the first image the quality isn't amazing the faded look works and once edited will fit our genre well.

  • Once edited these images will be used for all of the social media profiles and promotional purposes

1st Costume

2nd Costume

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