Ideas

Location

I have chosen various locations for my Music Video.

Since I made my target audience listen to the song and the feedback I got contained of an "outdoors" setting I have chosen just that but leaning towards the nature side as I believe that it will fit the song perfectly due to it's calm tempo. The location I have chosen is my garden as I thought it looked pretty and it had all the props already. For example I have the wooden and metal bench as my actress has many parts in the garden and it also fits the location perfectly. Another reason I have chosen my garden is that it has various plants and most importantly the bamboo as it visually pleasing and it is also associated with Oriental/Asian which will give my audience the first hint within the 30 seconds of the introduction that this music video is K-pop or at least Asian.

The second location I have chosen is my living room as I find it pretty and my audience have also said that they want a simple background to be different from usual Kpop music videos. Another reason is that my house is always free meaning I will be able to film that section of the scene. I will however have to move some furniture around to get it the way I have pictured it in my head.

The last location I have chosen is New Eltham park which is close to my house meaning I will be able to go there all the time. I don't need a permission to film too which is another benefit. The park is rarely used which means that my actor and actress doesn't have to be in front of the public and their confidence will stay the same.

Actors

I have now chosen 2 actors who will create the narrative of my music video. There will be one female performer and one boy who will act as the boyfriend.

My female artist is Richa Gurung who is the main lead. I picked Richa as though she isn't Korean she looks it and as I'm doing a Kpop song I need someone who'll look the part. Moreover she too listens to Kpop which is a benefit as she will know the conventions of the artist and it'll be easy for her to learn the lyrics. She also has the charisma when she's in front of the camera which will make my audience adore her. Her acting skills are also very good which is good as there will be a lot of acting involved due to the narrative.

The male actor I have chosen is Sam Hong who will act as the boyfriend in the music video. He will be the perfect as he has knowledge of Kpop which means he knows how the male actors act in the music video. He also own Korean style clothes which means I won't need to purchase much. Furthermore, he will be able to play the "boyfriend" part well as he's a natural at which. He's also good looking which is a bonus for the female audience as it will attract them due to his sex appeal.
 

The most important aspect is that they are both in reach as they live very close to me. This means that I will be able to gather both of them and it will not be a hustle to film both of them together.

Moodboard

Here’s my mood board which has some of my ideas and inspirations. I've gone for a nature themed music video as the weather has inspired me. Furthermore it will be easy to find a good location as there are many places to use such as a garden, park or a house. However, as want my music video to be bright I will have to think about the time of the day which I would film. 

I have also thought about the practicality of the location as I may need to re-film a section and it would be difficult if l chose a location such a central London as the environment may change.

The accessibility is also another important thing to think about and by using a location such as my garden I will always be able to use it whereas it I had chosen to use a large park, it may close for a certain reason during summer.

Western to Korean & KCon 2013

The most recent news that has entered the K-pop world is the Korean version of Little Mix’s UK’s no. 1 hit “Wings” surfaced on the Melon a Korean online music store. Little Mix’s Korean version is sung mainly in Korean but the chorus is kept the same.

This act that Little Mix has tried is very new and not many western artists have attempted it unlike Korean idols such as Big Bang, SNSD and Wonder Girls who have. However there’s been a huge online controversy about Western acts trying to copy K-pop Idols. 

On the other hand the main agenda to why Little Mix have done this is due to the growing Korean fans, however it is also to boost Western artists songs and style to the Korean audience but from my point of view Little Mix’s style isn’t quite far from the Korean’s as they also rock colorful clothes, make up and the beat of their song. 

In conclusion their action signifies that there is no limit when westerners get inspired by K-pop idols. Furthermore this has influenced me to mix some aspects of western conventions to my music video.

 

 

 

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This is the 2013 Kcon which is a huge event in Los Angeles which is where everyone can experience Korean music, games and culture.

The Fung Brothers are running a YouTube series about Level:Asian which is where they ask the public about Asians where they find in-depth information to how they are portrayed.

It's clear that most races know about K-pop which signifies how big the Korean industry is and how many people like it. The influence of K-pop has changed countless amounts of people to how they dress, what they look for in a partner (boyfriend/girlfriend) and language.

In London alone, there are now over 10 schools which cater the Korean Hangul language for people who want to learn it. It's not classed as a degree or an A-level but as a hobby and to be bilingual.

 

 

CD Advert - "Sherlock"

This is a very different yet smart advert, it’s promoting both the Shinee Sherlock application as well as the album. This is a little different from the norm however it still follows the conventions such as the use of bold title of the album name however the groups name isn’t in bold nor is it very noticeable. This may be due to the fact that Shinee is very popular and the word had been spread among the fandoms that they have released a new album as well as the app. The colour scheme used is also very simple which links with the pictures in the Iphones which shows continuation. The use of the pastel yellow brightens up the page and grabs the readers attention, the way it has been laid out is also another aspect which draws in the audience. The word “Sherlock” has been repeated various times which will imprint onto the readers mind. The logo of their record label is also displayed on the last Iphone which is different as the other two advertisements I have analysed didn’t have a logo of the company. There’s also a few more details on this advert than the other two for example Korean Hangul and English translation on the left which tells the audience that the apps are available for two of leading digital store.

CD Advert - "Coup D'etat"

This magazine advertisement is for G-Dragons new single as well as his album. It has a very noticeable colour scheme consisting of red, white and black. These colours work together to attract the target audience and also has certain meanings for example the red could signify danger and the fact that the biggest feature on the page is a stop sign may follow that. But the good thing about this advert is that the red doesn’t wash away the rest of the information and details of the advert, the red is balanced with white to make it visually pleasing. The title of the album isn’t the usual horizontal way but in fact it’s vertical which is unusual however G-Dragon as a Kpop idol is known to be unique and different from the rest which may also signify that he’s trying to channel his star power to the audience through this. His name is located across the top half in a bold red font which again may signify passion, danger or love. One of the most important characteristics of a magazine cd advert is the date and release type, it’s clear that YG Entertainments marketing team have thought bout the releases and dates as it’s visually printed on the bottom right underneath G-Dragon. They have halved the releasing for the 2 singles as well as the albums, this had been done to increase the profit and income of the company as the longer the advert is out the more people will be able to get attracted to it and soon buy it. G-Dragon’s image in this advert will attract the female audience due to sex appeal with his shirt off and flashing his abs but the male too due to his charisma. The mode of address is clear in this picture as he is looking straight at the camera with heavy eyeliner making his pupils stand out more.

CD Advert - "Falling in Love"

This is a magazine advertisement for 2NE1’s new single which was released early this summer. This advert is simple yet effective for example we know that this is a summer single due to the palm trees in the background which looks like a real picture that had been edited by selecting 2-4 tones of colour which makes the plants bolder this can be done on picmoney.com by using the Warhol tool or on Photoshop. The bold teal colour used for the title of the single against the contrasting purple makes it stand out which will grab the readers attention. The use of aztec design above and below the title gives the advert a very summery feeling to it which is perfect as it was released during that season. The name and logo of the Korean pop group is also situated on the middle bottom which will make the readers know who the single belongs to. Again the colour of the “2NE1” is in teal with a light pink used as a shadow to make the logo attractive. These are all common conventions of Kpop cd/single adverts however there is something different on this advert, that would be the fact that it’s missing a record label logo, website, type of single whether it’s a hardcopy disk or a digital download. This may hinder or progress a CD’s sale as the fans will get confused and they will not know how to get a copy of the single or it could make them wonder which would make them go to 2NE1’s website boosting their page view counts.

CD Analysis - New Breed

Jay Park is a very well known Korean-American rapper/singer. He's been known as the leader of all boy group 2PM but in his early years a few mishaps occurred and he was taken off the band. This lead him to go back to America where he was able to pursue his B-boying career but at the same time still follow his singing career as a many “J-walkers” (his fans) protested and wanted him to sing solo. Then in early 2007 he came back into the Kpop industry. This album is his latest which is a mixture of English and Korean songs.

The Front

This is the front of the album follows all of the conventions of a CD. For example the album follows a simple colour scheme, the black and white gives the album a very formal and respectable vibe. This may have been done to target Jay Park’s target audience which is slightly older than the regular Kpop audience which means that his album needed to have a sense of maturity and sophistication.  The audience are firstly attracted to the cleaver photo of Jay which is a medium close up shot, his left face shows a neutral reaction however the right side is a darker side of Jay which is shown by the skeleton makeup on him on the contrary, the white background behind him may signify innocence and purity but it also helps make him stand out against the matte black cover. The effect of using serif font for his name as well as the albums name it connotes superiority and boldness again attracting an older rage of audience however, by having the texts on below the image allows the audience to first familiarise Jay’s face. 

The inside 

This is the inside of the CD and as you’ve probably noticed the CD looks like a normal western album this is because Jay is also known in America and wanted to fit in with the western standards. The colour scheme of black and white is carried on to carry on the elegant feel. But there is a little change with the actual CD itself as it is red, the red may signify that the cd is full of his hard work and passion which he poured into while recording. The title of the album is again shown on the photo book and a mid shot of Jay is used to show more of his suit to emphasise his maturity moreover the skeleton makeup shown on the front cover is gone which may signify that we are “inside” him, in other words we are in his brain where we are able to hear his thoughts and senses through his songs.

The Back

This is the back of the 2012 New Breed album and it’s very bare and not much to it however it does follow the main conventions such as having a simple font clearly here they have used white against a black background as it’s easier to read and still follows the colour scheme. There’s also a track list and track numbers which has been laid out to follow a pattern. The unusual thing about the back of this album is that there are no copyright information or record label information this is because they have placed it inside the photo album to make the back look sleek and clean, there isn’t a barcode on the album itself either as when purchasing it, it is wrapped in a plastic like material where the barcode is placed on the right hand side. I think that it has been done this way to keep the hard copy clean and undamaged.

In conclusion, I have gathered that the album should look clean and modern by using various techniques such as putting all the label information in the photo book instead of the back. 

CD Advert Conventions

These are the main conventions of Kpop magazine album adverts which I will follow. 

I'm planning to make my advert a full page too with a picture of my artist and the release dates in bold. Though these are my initial thoughts I may change it when I start constructing it.

CD Analysis - Midnight Sun

BEAST are a well  known Korean boy band, they were back in 2009 and are under Cube Entertainment. Their debut was in late 2009 with their first mini album called "Beast is the B2ST". The group have six members - Yoon Doo-joon, Jang Hyung-seung, Yong Jun-hyung, Yang Y-seob, Lee Gi-kwang and Son Song-woon.

This B2ST album is very unique and fresh. The album doesn’t have the boys on the front which will intrigue the fans to buy it for the photo book.

The simple design is that B2ST have chosen differentiates itself from the norm which is sometimes rare in Kpop albums. The matte black chosen for the background reflects upon the title of the Album “Midnight Sun” and the use of gold represents the shining sun. What I like most about the album cover is the 3D artwork which is hardly seen on western albums which makes this album very eye catching and different. The small “B2ST”

logo/name placed in the top middle of the album signifies that the fans don’t need to see the artists name to recognize the album as the boy group has already grabbed their attention even before the release of the album and they’re at the peak of their popularity. By using gold and black as the two main colors makes the album look very elegant. By having the large “B2UTY” mask that the center of the album it makes the fans instantly recognize the album and the fact that it’s gold makes it tempting to buy. The way the eye cut on the mask has been done makes it look like the album is looking directly at the buyer. The mode of address used here connotes that the person is hiding their inner “B2UTY” from everyone else.

This is the inside of the album as you can see the photo book is located on the left, usually for western albums that’s where the lyrics book would be. The inside of the album introduces new colours and steers clear from the gold but instead a mixture of blue, green, yellow an a red. These colours represents each of the boys in the group. The small gold writing act as a border but it’s actually the song list. The inventive use of sharp lines makes the CD look 3D and makes it appear to both genders. The photo book contains lyrics at the very back translated which has 3 languages, the first one is Romanised English, Japanese and traditional Korean Hangeul. This is so that the bands international popularity can increase by targeting western fans especially in America and the UK as their fan bases have increased from a few hundreds to thousands in add. The logo on the middle of the photo book is also very interesting as it spells out “Midnight Sun” and is in a shape of a sun. The surrounding shapes may connote a galaxy and the fact that the sun is in the middle could suggest that it’s the mist significant on the page.

This is the back of the album, it's kept simple but there's a slight change as it doesn't contain the song list. This is because the song list of this album had been pre-released 2 weeks before the release of the hard copy. Cube Entertainment created a medley for the songs on their website for the fans to see. However this adds more of a mystery for the fans as they're expecting the unexpected. The fact that Beast have chosen not to put their songs on the back is very different and unusual. 

Overall, I have gathered that the back of the CD album should be simple and easy to read. The front should be unique which would attract the audience and to also have a good colour scheme. I should not over do it with metallic colours or it'll look too polished and fans do not like that. The use of matte black is also very trendy right now so I could use it as current fans like it on the other hand I shouldn't as I want my CD to look different and have it's own style.

CD Analysis - Alone

This is the Sistar album "Alone", Sistar are a well known South Korean band who are under Starship Entertainment. They were formed in 2010 with 4 members; Hyorin, Bora, Soyou and Dasom. Last year they made a comeback in April with this new album. 

Front Cover

Inside

Back

The conventions of a Kpop CD album that I have gathered so far is that the colour scheme must be kept in uniform, choose good vibrant colours which are easy on the eyes and are a good combination, have a photo book as the majority of albums have that and be creative.

Kpop CD Packaging

Last month I went to an event called Hyper Japan which takes part 3 times a year at Earls Court. The event had many new inventions from japan, new mangas, animes and video games which they show cased. The event also sold various things from other Asian countries such as Korea. I found a very large stool that sold Korean items such as Kpop albums and merchandises.

As you can see, Korean Pop albums come in various shapes, sizes and colours. They're very different from Western Cd's which are regularly uniformed square. Korean are more inventive and creative in a way which attracts many buyers. They don't just include the CD most will have something called a photo card collection which is a selection of pictures of the band or artist presented in a photo-book way which is regularly sized A5-A6. Not only this but they also have small cards catered for the buyer and fans inside which has a little personal message saying their gratitude, some albums will have the autographs of the artists. 

I've also attended other events such as the MCM Expo which again features Asian games, music, food and cultural awareness. It's a great experience and I've learnt a lot from them, one being that not only do Asians go but many other races too, they certainly enjoyed the food and atmosphere (here are some pics from my personal blog about the MCM Expo)

Audience Research - Questionnaire feedback and conclusion

Questionnaire results from thatasiankim