This past week I have been practicing the fine art of purely audio medium to transform an interview I did on the role of music in my life. It has been a pleasure to become familiar with Garage Band for this project and I can't wait to continue my journey with creating audio projects.
In this project I am working on a design for an album cover that represents me right now.
Here are a few album covers I am drawing inspiration from. Both in terms of sound but mostly in visual design. I think The titles of these albums say something that is not so obvious as do many titles do sometimes forcing the audience to listen to the album to find the meaning more instead of being able to guess the context.
These artist are thoughtful and expressive in their sound and lyrics while their cover art remains minimalist. Minimalism alines with my style and the way I'd express myself visually if I were a vocalist and how I currently express myself in my art.
Cover of "The Miracle" by Queen
Cover of "Coloring Book" by Chance the Rapper
Cover of "The Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd
Copyrighted video of Show Opening "'Original Mouseketeers' Role Call" could use with Fair Use found on Archive.org but 'sharing disabled'; Link to web page posted below MickeyMouseClubOpen on Archive.org
Copyrighted video of Merry Mouseketeers song found on Youtube, could be used under Fair Use
Mouseketeers 1957
The Mickey Mouse Club premiered October 3, 1955 on the ABC network. The variety show ran for four seasons before being canceled. Disney later bought ABC and revived the show.
Image without restriction
Jimmie Dodd: Lead Mouseketeer, 1956
Image without restriction
Cover of DVD Collection Sold on Amazon
Picture of cover represents the licensing of the original episode
Link to the Disney Channel Commerical for Mickey Mouse Club Original Reruns
Free to use video from Archive.org Disney Promo on Archive.org
In this Heinz commercial that aired in 2016, during the Super Bowl, both comedy and empathy were used to capture the attention of the audience. It appealed to both hotdog and regular dog lovers and had a simple way of comparing the relationship between a dog and it's person and a hotdog and it's Heinz condiment.
Breaking it Down by Frames
The creators of this commercial were very intellgent and strategic in appealing to a very wide audience. They not only used different methods to evict both humor and compassion but they also made it appoint to include both children and adults as well as other tactics to be as relatable as possible.
Figure 1
Right of the bat, they begin the commercial with an adorable small dog in a costume running as seen in Figure 1. The ears are flopping and the wide-open, sunny field indicates nothing but pure joy.
Figure 2
The side-shot seen in Figure two was helpful in showing the audience a different perspective of the costume and dog so they understand that it is a dachushun (aka. weiner dog) dressed as a hot dog.
Figure 3
The next few seconds introduce more dogs dressed up as hotdogs because what is cuter that just one pup? And as Figure 3 introduces more pups, Figure 4 goes a step further in providing a sneak peak that there are even more dogs by framing canted and making it difficult to tell how far back the pack of dogs are and just how many more will come into frame, keeping the audience guessing and holding their attention.
Figure 4
Then, the creators when a step further to reach out to the audience by showing a puppy dressed up because even if you don't like hot dogs, dachshuns, or dogs at all, mostly likely a puppy whould still apeal to you because of its nature of being something small which people tend to find cute.
Figure 5
Figure 7
Figure 6
Figure 8
Finally, the audience sees the first frame of people dressed up as both ketchup and mustard, two popular hotdog toppings, and the audience can begin to connect the dots as to why all the pups are hot dogs.
It is finally revealed to the audience in Figure 6 that there is a huge litter of dogs running to a faint line of Heinz bottles but you can clearly see that there are more than ketchup and mustard on the horizon.
The wide shot in Figure 6 is followed by a compilation of shots such as those seen in Figures 8 and 9 that offer a close up of the people's facial expressions to demonstrate the lingering, loving anticipation of the pups arrival. These shots focus more on the feeling they want to demonstrate as apposed to the product themselves. Figure 8 not only adds a cuteness factor by including a small child but shows that Heinz does produce small packets of their product although that is probably the after thought when people think how creatively they included someone younger. This shot also helps include a younger audience member by allowing them to see a child in a group of adults so they know that the product is not just something that their parents may use.
Figure 9
The creators strategically continue to appeal to different types of audience members through the next few frames. Again, Figure 9 focuses more on the emotional connection that the creators want the audience to feel when they think of Heinz and their cute and loving dog commercial. And very metaphorically but also visually, the line of their Heinz products is lingering in the background so that the audience sees it and subconciously will know that there are more products but in that moment it is not the main focus.
Figure 10
Figure 10 finally provides a more clear shot to the product line but it is still at some what distance of a distance which indicates that the focus remains on the emotional connection of all these dogs running as fast as they can to the people. The audience members see the most likey a family between the two adults and child holding hands. There are also several people with wide open arms and then a few stand alone people, specifically the brown bottle on the far left. The brown bottle is spereated not only by color but also by proximity suggesting he is an outcast but still in the group.
Figure 11
Over the next few shots, anticipation builds up as the camera cuts back anf fourth between the pups that are still running and the people awaiting their arrival. Figure 11 keeps up the emotional connection that is being established. Figure 12 gives the audience a narrow-wide shot and provides location/ proximity of the pups and a way for the audience to gage the timing as they can see the pups getting closer bur they aren't quiet there yet allowing anticipation to build in the series of back and fourth shots seen in Figures 11-16.
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 13 which is in the face-off series of shots provides the opportunity for the audience to read the labels on the bottle to show that they are not the traditional ketchup product yet it is masked as showing the excitement of the pups getting closer to the people. This again is a way to focus on feelings but it is much clearer that they are displaying the products because the information is well in frame and focus as opposed to the previous shots. It also provides another type of audience member which is the "buddies or dudes" typically associated with this kind of physical interaction seen in the younger male roles.
Figure 14
Besides the face-off Figure 14 shows a frame where they come back to focusing on the pups and get the attention of the products for a minute. However, this shot is different because for the first time since the first shot of the commercial the pups are running directly towards the camera, directly towards the audience. The direction and proximity of the pups allows the audience to be included in not only anticipating the pups but now they are included in the Heinz group.
Figure 15
Figure 15 is a snapshot that captures the wheat-straw falling from the man's mouth as he stares at the impending pups. Two connotations can come from this action. The first is that there are so many pups and its impressive. The second aligns more with the emotional sense that this big, tough man who is alone is even softend by these adorable pups because he isn't meant to be alone.
Figure 16
In Figure 15 we come back to a close up frame of the brown bottle. This person has already been established as the "outcast" or the on the outskirts of the group. More of a "loner-tough guy" persona is established by the wheat-straw you put in his mouth typically seen in a western which seems to match his mustache style which is mixed between biker and cowboy.
The frame shown in figure 16 is really important because it shows the lead pup breaking the forth wall and looking directly at the audience. This speaks to the audience and reenforces their participation by this simple act of acknowledgement.
Figure 17
Figure 17 is interesting because there is a time gap between these two side-by-side frames that were grabbed in real time. So in Figure 17 the lead pup is jumping up into a person's arms, however, Figure 18 which is the actual next frame, all of the bottles are recieving dogs. This demonstrates that there is no preference for a hotdog and a condiment nor is one condiment better that the other.
Figure 18
Figure 19
Figure 20
The commercial wraps up with one senitmental feeling demonstrated by a pup and the innocent, loving child as seen in Figure 19. The frame brings a sense of peace and simplicity as a reminder of the good-old, young days for the adult audience members.
Finally, the last shot of the commercial formally and literally introduces the products to the audience by inviting them to "Meet the Ketchups". By now it can be equated as an extend family who has the mom, dad, baby, estranged uncle, the cousins, etc. There is a character for almost anyone to relate to either as that character or maybe having their own in their family.
My name is Kirstin, I am 24 years old although I am a big kid at
heart who enjoys Disney and coloring. I also LOVE to hike, travel, read, and shoot photography! Please feel free to check out some of my photos on Instagram (@mktaylorphoto) to see what types of things catch my eye. I do enjoy and regularly shoot portraits and creative shoots but my heart falls on the Earth and its beautiful creatures! My goal is to one day work for an organization that promotes and educates the general population on Earth (specifical ocean) conservation with the use of graphic media.
Snorkeling in Mexico-Summer 2018
The video posted below is of my cousin singing an original song he wrote a few years ago. He is one of my closest cousins and we enjoy creating things together. We are a big musical family and this is one of my favorite songs that he's written. The song just makes me feel happy and proud to be part of a loving and supportive family.
heart who enjoys Disney and coloring. I also LOVE to hike, travel, read, and shoot photography!
