Final Video - Hold Me Down by Tori Lorente

Final Digipak

Below is the final product of our Digipak for our urban artist, Tori Lorente.

Photo 1- Top Left

 From a previous blogpost we looked into a creative album cover of a male artist called 'The Weeknd' who created a crinkle effect upon an image. We had several other ideas previous but when Alicia created this with the image of Tori Lorente and the red streaks showing through the gaps, it added to the consistency and synergy of the red colour theme throughout all aspects of the production. Furthermore, the photo was taken separately to the footage of the music video which was successful as the image was of greater quality. The decision on choosing this image was finalised when we discussed that the use of direct address is important as it is attaching the audience to the album picture. From the research on other digipaks, we noticed that a lot of artists use direct address at least once to connect with audience. It also shows the facial features of the artist so it is evident who it is. Also, the red synergy is apparent throughout as we want to portray a female character that is in love, and the connotations of love are stereotypically red.

Photo 2- Top Middle

We have decided to use this image as it also features in our music video which is a vital part of creating the mise en scene to be appropriate and consistent throughout. The screenshot we took that allowed us to create it into a image again features the synergy of the red as well as other 'quirky' texts and images such as Glastonbury news. Futhermore, the mix of colours and images are really eye catching which brings something different as the rest of the photos on the digipak usually have one or two primary colours. The fact that it is not just of Tori as well means that it gives the digipak some diversity as well as being visually appealing for the audience.

 Photo 3- Top Right

Again, like image one we have decided to create the crinkle effect upon the image with the red splits of synergy countinous throughout as well. The image also includes a graphic of the Stone Island logo which was a vital connection to portray our character which is used throughout the production on the website and heavily included in the music video also. Interestingly, unlike the first crinkled effect image, it's unclear to say what the main focus point is. This is unorthodox as from our research we could identify that other artists most certainly had a main focus point throughout. Therefore, the use of this image gives the sense that Tori Lorente is a unlike many other artists which means she is unique. This is what we are aiming to try and portray for Tori.

Photo 4- Bottom Left

As Tori Lorente is an up and coming female artist we thought that it would be important to thank the fans for the support that has been given so far in her career. "Hi Guys" is in a different font to the rest of the texts which allows it to stand out as well as using synthetic personalisation to talk to the audience/fans. The majority of the text which includes the main purpose of being thankful is simplistic and easy to read which is important and the grey background allows the text to stand out also. The only image included is taken from one of our most successful filming locations which we edited to be black and white and the 'T x' is effective as its like Tori is addressing you on a personal level.

Photo 5- Bottom Middle

We chose not to include an image on the track list so that the text is easily readable. In our opinion the tracks list names were more essential than including an image as we wanted it to be the main focus of this part of the digipak. The red stays consistent throughout like the rest of the digipak and really complements the white text. The text font is what is used on Tori Lorente's logo so it was important that we linked this into our digipak as well which is also evident by the spines. However, the size of the fonts are different due to 'Unseen' being the name of the album. We finished off  the back of the digipak with a white solid circle which brings the text together and seperates it from the bar code and smaller text below.

Photo 6- Bottom Left

 This is the front cover to the digipak so it was essential that we made sure that every aspect was relevant to all the stages of production and for the brand image of the artist. Firstly, the most important thing was making sure that Tori Lorente was the main focus point of the image which is almost apparent in all the research we have done on other artists like La Roux. The lighting captures all of her facial features and clothing etc. The 'dreamy' facial expressions link to all shots of Tori Lorente in the music video which denotes an artist brand image. The Stone Island hoodie is also in the image and the significance of it being red links to the synergy throughout, it is also very important due to the artist clothing style being 'streetwear'. Additionally, both the black and white coloured text are easily readable due to the background colours allowing them to compliment each other.

Final Website

http://chloeohare13.wixsite.com/torilorente

Screenshots:

Magazine Article

This is our final magazine cover and article. We chose to use the magazine NME as it is widely read amongst UK audiences and it covers a range of different genres in its issues. We have used the colour scheme of red, black and white in order to link the cover and article to our music video, digipak and website.

Tour Poster

Below is a picture of our Tour Poster of Tori Lorente's website.

Music Video Original Song Change

Website Research

For our new website I created for our new type of artist, we were inspired by two upcoming urban artist; Dua Lipa and Nao.  The links to their website are below.

http://dualipa.com/

http://thisnao.tumblr.com/

Social Media Profile - Instagram

We also made Tori an Instagram account as her target audience is young 15-26 year olds and the newest social media app that is out is Instagram.  Therefore, people of this age can easily follow her and see what she is doing.

Social Media Profile - Facebook

We also made a Facebook account for Tori as this would enable her fans and followers to again receive updates and find out where she is with her music career.

Social Media Profile - Twitter

We made a twitter account for Tori Lorente, so her fans could follow her and keep up to date with her new music and news.

Effective Practice Shots

Below are examples of how our practice shots helped us to have an idea of what we should film in Soho, London.

 

We wanted to create advanced looking shots so we chose to be creative. This shot includes a pan to the right and then a pan upwards to the top of the artist. In our final music video we were determined to showcase the fashion style of our artist in order to build up a strong brand image, so showing the clothes Tori was wearing were crucial.

 

 

Our aim for the music video was to make the artist seem "real" and not manufactured to what society would want her to be. To convey this we decided that including natural movements (e.g. playing with hair) would be a subtle way of showing Tori as a normal teenage girl. As stated above, we tried to create more creative shots so we developed our practice shot and created a slight pan up to reveal the entirety of Tori's face.

 

 

 

To further enhance the image that Tori Lorente is a normal teenager, we wanted to show a vulnerable side to the artist. By her avoiding looking at the camera, she instantly appears upset/hurt which is what we intended to show. The lyrics in the song can be perceived as emotional so we wanted our visuals to be so too.

 

 

 

Feedback from Jake Wynne

 

Song Change Contemplation

Bringing back "Hold Me Down"

After completing our new music video for Tori Lorente's "I Don't Mind", we were faced with concern from teachers and peers that the song was not engaging enough and whilst the visuals were stunning, the soundtrack lacked excitement and build-up.
We were given the task to see if we could edit the visuals for "I Don't Mind" to our original song, "Hold Me Down". This is because our audience generally preferred how this song has an increasingly fast pace and interesting lyrics, whereas "I Don't Mind" has minimal lyrics and the same beat is more or less maintained throughout the song.
It was a challenge at first to alter the clips and rearrange the order of the shots. Our shots were cropped and the pace of some were changed (sped up/slowed down) to fit the beat of the "I Don't Mind" soundtrack. This meant that we needed to spend a long period of time making the shots fit the "Hold Me Down" thought beats. Some of the beats in "Hold Me Down" required more advanced transitions between shots. For example: 
 

Red Colour Analysis in Music Video

Throughout our video we have used an effect frame by frame on some shots that include a red object as the focal point - as red is the colour we have chosen to use in order to create synergy between the music video, the website, the digipak and more. The effect also makes our music video diverse from others and gives the 'urban feel' we hoped to achieve.

Below are a couple of examples of the effect we have used in our music video in the form of GIFs.

I Don't Mind - Music Video by Tori Lorente

Evidence of SOHO Filming

Signature Practice

To try to further emphasise the image and also to have available on the digipak, a variety of signatures were created. These will be discussed with the whole group and the best one in our opinions will be chosen. 

GIFS

via GIPHY
via GIPHY
via GIPHY

Hold Me Down 1st Draft Feedback

Strengths:

Awesome variety of shot sizes

Great styling of Alicia

Lovely locations - indoor and out

I really like the urban vibe and think it matches the style of the song well.

I love the red effect

I like Alicia's vulnerability - she performs really well and is a very credible artist. Her lipsyncing is good.

Editing is really good - I really like the thought beats and the flashes.

Downsides:

The pace of the video is too slow - I like the slowness at the start, but then I lose interest.

I wish the concept of the 'street shot' would develop

There is no climax, so nothing to build to

Artist Influences

The female urban music sector is dominated by African-American and Latin-American artists which made it hard for us to find some influences as we want to break the stereotype because Tori is a white english artist in this genre. These are the artists that we found that are the closest to what we wish to achieve for Tori Lorente.

1. Nao (British)

Her sound has been described as a soul combined with electronic music, funk and R&B.  Nao coined the term 'wonky funk' to describer her style.

2. Ta-Ha (French-Algerian)

Ta-Ha's current brand of exquisitely melodic hip hop, identified by melancholy.

3. Dua Lipa (British)

Dua Lipa is an english singer/songwriter whose genre of music is focused around indie pop and R&B.

Location

For our new idea, we decided to film in SOHO in London as this ia a unique location where it has different alley ways in a small space.  Therefore, we also found this convenient as we could do the majority of the filming in one day.

Screenshots of SOHO filming:

Other Artist/Bands Social Media Pages

The first social media page is Dua Lipa who is a female artist. The Twitter page allows her fans to follow her and even suggest herself that her latest news will be posted on Twitter; "YA HEARD IT HERE FIR$T!!". In her bio it also links her followers to her other social media pages and website as well as telling the users that may not know what her profession is.

 Alt-J who are an Indie/Rock band use Facebook not only to share the latest news on the band and connect with fans but also to portray what their personality as a band is like. An example is this post where the band posts a comical posts with a simplistic reply. I felt this was really effective in an unintentional way as it shows that the band likes to have a bit of fun and sets them apart to other mainstream bands and artists. Therefore, social media platforms can also be a very useful tool to portray and learn more about an artist/band.

 Nicki Minaj is an example of an artist that impacts herself and her music amazingly through social media. One of her favourite platforms is Instagram where a lot of photos are posted daily. The importance of this is that fans and followers will constantly throughout the day see photos posted by her on their timeline keeping the audience aware of her daily life. Also, the bio of herself promotes a app which is a free marketing technique which is very effective as she has 73.1 million followers currently.

NEW Steal O Matic

SOHO Filming Risk Assessment

Prop List

Red Jumper

Retro Vans Shoes

Retro Jeans

Palace Coat

Fan

Cigarette and Ash Tray

Basic White T-Shirt

Practice Shots for SOHO Filming

 Before filming in Soho we decided that it was important to practice some shots that we could include and improve on in our main music video. Some of the shot ideas come from the steal-o-matic and inspiration from YouTube producers like Tim Kellner. The 'dreamy' effect we felt is really evident in these shots which we will want to keep continuous in our main music video also. Overall, this was a really important stage of planning.

Costume Moodboard

About Tori

MEET TORI

"I still have moments where I sit back and look at where I am now and everything still feels surreal.  To be able to tour my own country and write and produce my own music then releasing it with my own record label is beyond what I imagined to have achieved.  I feel overly blessed with the childhood I had which taught me to be grateful and I was so lucky to be supported by so many people.  So, to have so many incredible opportunities which has made me the artist I am today is a dream come true.

Tori, as an artist was born in Soho and is set on making music around the urban genre.  She is a 19 year old woman who has been singing for over 11 years.  Tori is definitely a family girl and the support she has had to achieve her dream has been amazing.  She said herself "My family are the people who picked me back up when I was chucked down and without them I wouldn't be who I am today".
​
Since living around London, Tori started to write music which she thought would reflect her personality and she liked to stick to a simple but effective theme of her songs.  As a young girl writing songs, she had the desire to grow up into an independent women who would hopefully inspire young girls through her songs.
​
As a 19 year old girl, Tori is very young to be in the limelight, releasing new music and touring about the nation.  However, this shows what a confident and successful women she is turning out to be.  Tori write all her own songs which come from her life experiences and her personal feelings and thoughts.  She decides to write her own songs purely because if she can connect with her songs then anyone can.
​
Tori's first single is called 'I Don't Mind' and it has a limited amount of lyrics but the backing track and the music video strongly echo's her feelings about her life.  It took Tori over 4 months to make her music video but she said "I had the best team behind me and I couldn't have achieved what I have now without them and i will forever be grateful for that."

Group Timetables

We highlighted each free and study room of each member of our group to see when it is possible to all film together. Where Alicia and Evan both have similar frees, Jono and Chloe haven't because of BTEC lessons, however, it appeared that all group members are free on Wednesday period 5 which is when the primary filming slot will be. Also, Alicia and Evan can also film together when necessary as Alicia is the artist (Tori Lorente), so it is important that we take every opportunity to film when appropriate.

 

 

Group Allocations

Before our group begins the evaluation stage of the music video we discussed who would fit each question dependent on what they would personally like to do and the knowledge they have behind each one. Over the next two weeks we will continue to work on each question and post the progress on the blog.

 

 

Costume Analysis

Stone Island

 We included Stone Island as it has recently been developed into the street wear fashion culture. It was previously stereotyped as a football hooligan brand for the English fans in the 90's which has recently collabed with Supreme. The collabs have allowed Stone Island to expand its target audience and exploit new markets. Furthermore, the red jumper allows us to stay continuous with our primary colour scheme and the 'urban' feel can be consistent throughout.

"From the late 1990s the make has been popular among football fan 'casuals' in England and throughout the rest of Europe. The brand can also be seen in many football hooliganism based films, such as Green Street Hooligans and The Football Factory."

Palace

 

Over recent years Palace has become a massive figure in the streetwear community. Like Supreme the sought after items it produces sells out instantly which creates 'hype' over the brand. Artists like Asap Rocky and Kanye West who are also interested in the streetwear community have been seen wearing it recently which has left fans becoming interested in the brand. The variety of products they produce consisting of their 'Triferg' print, collaborations with Adidas and vintage designs as examples mean that it has their products have a unique selling point. We included both the Palace coat and white visual tee within our video which one of our group members had. We felt it was important to include a brand like this to keep the continuous urban feel of the video as well as the demographic Alicia represents.

"Palace Skateboards’ “Tri-ferg” logo has fast become one of the most instantly recognizable – and highly-coveted – emblems in the streetwear world. Much like Supreme’s Box Logo and BAPE’s Ape Head, the London brand’s icon has made its way onto everything from tees to duffel bags, with the label winning over the likes of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky in the process. Palace’s rapid success was, unsurprisingly, instantly met with derision from keyboard warriors all over the globe; “it’s just hype” being the easiest way to put down any upcoming streetwear brand making waves."

Interview Research

Tour Poster Inspirations

Below are images of the varied tour posters that we like and that we can use ideas from when it comes to creating our tour poster for our urban artist, Tori Lorente.  Each poster is different in their own way but also very similar to each other.


Ella Eyre

Ella Eyre's tour poster interested me as I like how the whole image is the background of the poster.  Also the font and colour of the tour dates and her name is the same and this creates an aspect of synergy and is actually very effective to most people without them subconsciously thinking about it.  I like how the photography is also looked into.  Her top is the same colour as the written information and this makes the poster standout, especially as the dominant colour is bright white.

ELLA EYRE

Tori Kelly

With this tour poster, I like how the name of the artist is below her head shot as the first thing you see is the artist face and not her name.  However, I feel as though this can only be done once the artist is a worldwide artist and people recognise her from her photo and not her name.  Also, I like how the tour dates are written on a white background which is separated by each date.  This keeps the poster simple but effective.  Again I like how her top is black as well as the tour date font being black as this compliments one another.

TORI KELLY

Dua Lipa

I like this tour poster a lot as it is a bright but dull colour red which stands out a lot and isn't the typical black or white dominated coloured background.  This shows the artist is different from pop artist and she will most likely be an urban or electro pop artist which is the genre of Tori Lorente.  I like the colours red and white together, I think they compliment each other and the poster is eye catching and bright.



DUA LIPA

Birdy

This tour poster is similar to the ones above due to the font and the tour dates being the same colour and also complimenting the background picture which is a magic blue.  I like how the title of the artist font is different to the tour dates as this helps the synergy of Birdy to stand out as this is her logo of her music.



BIRDY