2nd photoshoot

After doing more precise and in-detail research into the type of album front cover we wanted, collectively we decided that out first shoot didn't suit the kind of image we were going for, so we decided to re-do another shoot bringing some new, fresh, more clear-cut ideas to the photo shoot.

 We felt that having both the male character and the female character model for our front cover would be a way of re-enforcing the connection between the two characters and the drinking habits of the male character. Although we tried many different poses we felt it best to use the same mise-en-scene of an alcohol bottle as it is used throughout the entirety of our video, therefore it creates continuity between our music video and out ancillary task.

Setting up:

In order to create a professional looking white background we set up the white sheet provided by the school, this made the images brighter and brought the darker aspects of the image even more

We then set up a small stall for the model, this ensured that he was at the same height level of the camera, making it easier to take more precise shots.

We then made the female model stand behind him with her arms round his neck holding the bottle is several different positions. We decided not to have her face in it because we felt it would add mysterious element to it which carries on from our video where the audience is not quite sure who she is. As well as that all the research we have done the male artist are usually always featured as the dominant main focus, so we decided to follow this. 

Lighting

In order to create a professional looking image, we used the specialized lamps provided by the school in a calculated way to provide a good quality images which we could later edit to create the correct tone we wanted, we felt this would be better than taking photos with dark lighting (our original plan) because the pictures came out bad quality when completed in this way. Below are some test shots in which you can clearly see the bad quality when the photos were taken in dark lighting. 

Mise-en-scene

When discussing the mise-en-scene, we decided on an alcohol bottle. As I stated before, because we have used an alcohol bottle throughout our music video, the continuity from our music video, leading into our ancillary task, meaning they can link the front cover back to our music video.  The alcohol bottle acts as visual iconography both in our music video and our ancillary task.

We felt that it would be best for the female character to be dressed in white because this colour represents purity and also is also the colour associated with angels (this again sparks questions as to whether the mysterious girl is a ghost or not); again this is a visual link back to our music video where she is dressed in all white. It is a way for the audience to recognise that it is the mysterious girl despite not being able to see her face.  

We chose to dress the male model in black because these are contrasting colours which work together but also correspond with the tone of our video because it connotes life and death. We felt that it would be best to leave the male model unshaven as this would make him look unkempt adding to the depressive atmosphere (almost as if he is too depressed to even shave), we also felt that the fact that he was unshaven brought out his facial feature more. Finally the contrast of the female models white nails on the male models black shirt brings attention to the fact that she is holding an alcohol bottle which is an important part in the picture.

shots of the male model by himself

We experimented with some shots of the male model by himself against the white background as a backup in case we changed our plan at anytime but also to get a general feel of what it would look like to picture the male model by himself. When we compared the images of him himself with the images of him with the female model, we felt that the images of the male model by himself looked quite plain and simple and didn’t create as much of an impact that would attract the audience as well as the images of them by themselves. Despite the fact that none of these images seemed correct, it was apparent that the use of the bottle was the best option because it added that alcoholism imagery which we needed and played as an iconographic image, giving our photos more of an edge. 

shots of both male and female model 

It’s clear to see that the images with the female model around the male models neck is far more successful because her presence adds an eye-grabbing aspect to the picture, the audience are able to first question who she is then link her back to the girl they saw in the music video, we see her holding the bottle of alcohol which re-iterates the fact that she is the reason why he is now alcohol dependent. Her arms also frame the male models face whilst adding to the mise-en-scene by filling some of the empty space that was left when it was only images of the male holding the bottle by himself, We experimented with images where the male model would look into different directions to show how although he is desperate to get away from his problems, he is confined by the thoughts of the mysterious girl.  We also experimented with shots of the female model standing behind the male model with her arms on her hips to show her power over him but we could see that these images just didn’t work as well as the pictures with her standing with her arms around his neck. below are some of the shots that stood out for us the most, we felt that in these shots the alcohol bottle tied into the photo it didn't look like we just added it in for no reason, you can see the correlation.  

our chosen shot

Collectively we felt that this image was the perfect shot for our album front cover, we felt that all the aspects of the picture worked well to create the correct atmosphere were looking for. For example the way the male model looks up at the unseen female character with a look of desolation adds to the ominous atmosphere of this image. He is holding his hands together quite powerfully suggesting that he is under a lot of pressure, whilst the image of the female character standing in white clothes becomes almost like an angel there to comfort him , but at the same time the fact that she is holding the alcohol bottle suggests that she is also the reason for this depressive state that is portrayed through this image. 

Final edited shot 

Here is the final edited version of the above image that we are going to put on our front album cover. We edited the image black and white by decreasing the saturation, then in order to improve lighting we enhanced the brightness and contrast, this gave the image a clear white background making the dark clothing worn by the female model along with her dark hair stand out even more. To edit the wine bottle we created another layer in order to make the red stand out more against the black clothing. The brightness of the background also made the colour of the female models dress which was white stand out more, however this worked well as it gave the image a more ghostly look.