visual mood-board of final selected albums
Rationale
The main reason behind why I’ve chosen this topic is because of the personal emotional impact and effect music has given me starting very fast throughout my childhood and continuing to surprise me even now. Basically listening to certain songs at the right moment in time is the only source of therapy I use, how well the contrast of art and music are put together in album covers sparked my interest really early at the beginning of the course or just before joining it either way knowing that one day I’d pursue attempting the idea at least as one of the final ends of year projects. I’m hoping to achieve more confidence in different methods of photography by experimenting with techniques I haven’t used in photoshop also it’ll take a lot of major directory skills too create very similar pieces of the album covers I shall choose.
Project concept
The concept of this final project is based around on how art and music have co-existed through the history of album covers. According to Martin Chilton, 2018, Since the beginning of music album covers, it was designed to attract more consumers to buy the music due to the art influence. Thus, showing a connection that has revolutionized throughout generations to what it is today. Without the art concept connected with the music industry, music would not have such a huge impact on the public’s eye. Furthermore, the art portrayed in the album cover gives a finer definition to what the album’s overall message from the artists perspective. It is almost that the artist is trying to influence you to think more into the topic and emotional response that he is trying to portray within the music and the way he perceives the message and the impact he personally feels.
The narrative and theme of my story are to recreate popular different album covers from my personal preference. Through these recreations, I plan to include parts of my personality as the settings and props will be centered around my beliefs, passions and my general day to day life. This will lead to my final image which will convey a new artistic creation with a message but no real music content, produced in the style of an album cover.
The album covers I have chosen to recreative are:
- Tom Waits – Closing time
- Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline
- David Bowie – Low
- Smiths – The Queen is dead
- Thundercat – Drunk
- Jamie T – PANIC PREVENTION
- Ten years after – A SPACE IN TIME
- Placebo – Placebo
- Childish Gambino – Because Of The Internet
- Shed Seven – Let It Ride
Lyric Transformation – Second Idea
This began as an alternative option, being suggested by a teacher in case my original ideas failed in difficulty but I have decided to do Lyric Transformation alongside the outcomes of the main project concept due to the simplicity of the practical work. The overall goal for the idea is taking lyrics from a song and interpret them into a scene I’ll create also I have already completed The Smith’s one. I’ve researched surrealism because of this idea and later took notice of how it relates to all three ideas.
1. Tom Waits – Tango Till They’re Sore Song Lyric: Let me fall out of the window with confetti in my hair.
2. The Smiths – Cemetry Gates Song Lyric: All those people, all those lives, Where are they now?
Evaluation
During the time I have been planning and creating my ideas for this final project I have consistently gained advice in methods and academic skills from different people. I constantly discuss my ideas with family, friends, peers in my course and other courses and staff teachers. For example during conversations with one of the lead tutors we discussed that I should make an additional blog on the history of album covers. I found this really useful for understanding the attraction to art and the music correlation of albums and
Action plan/Time plan
The first week back the teachers had been discussing how we as the students should begin practical work on our projects so I’ve decided to start shooting some of the ideas and recreations including, both lyric transformations, shed seven, Bob Dylans and the smith’s album covers also maybe a few more as I’m wanting to get all images done for editing.
On Friday I’m going to do two of the recreations as I am meeting a friend Finlay he will be the subject in The Smith’s album which I’ll do in my home. After that, I shall get in touch with three others for Shed Seven. This album shoot has changed in planning for Wednesday 15th tomorrow I’ve organized four people for the recreation and will be done sometime between 1:30 to 5 when I get back from college. I will do it by placing the models in the right composition facing the interior of a car continuing by me taking the photos from inside the car.
Saturday I’ll meet Finn again with his girlfriend Hannah two do Cemetery Gates and Tango Till They’re Sore lyric pictures. I will do this 2/3 pm when meeting them at a local cemetery to begin shooting all around the gate, graves also I shall listen to both songs majority of the day over and put my headphones on so I get more of an insight to how the scene should feel. Models will also listen to each song before acting out personas they think fits best into the artist’s storytelling.
Few of my original plans have changed as it has been harder to get hold of people for suitable times so I’ve made some new dates which I have checked with most subjects in question but will check with the rest taking the next day or two. On 6th May I going to attempt ten years after album A Space In Time with two female models holly and my mother, I’ll be in the picture also as I have long hair and one more person with long hair or I’m getting a wig just in case.
Shed Seven album cover will either be done 6th of may I’ve set up 9 male models that are easy to get in contact with or it’ll be done when I visit my dad in Ireland before returning on the 6th with two of my brothers, my father, and will find another person as models.
Bob Dylan will be on the 6th or whilst being Ireland again with my dad as B.D. or a friend called Benji when I get back to Tavistock after doing the ten years after one same day, I need a clear blue sky for this image so best bets are doing it in Ireland according to the weather app. I’ve organized to do this album cover either Thursday 9th or Friday 10th with the same subject as the model because of being too tired after returning from Ireland to do it on the 6th.
When traveling to Ireland I’ll check with people back in my local area too see if they are definitely free for the different recreations I’ve previously explained earlier and others once I am certain of ways to going about doing them.
Jamie T Panic Prevention is organized after I’ve returned from Ireland the location is the smallest room in my house to match the small environment of the original, I’ll move everything out of the room to then replace with musical instruments and materials to get a similar atmosphere also taking all my posters down from my bedroom to then put up in smaller room.
I have recently recognized thanks to discussions surrounding many aspects towards the final project with my stepdad that all albums are cropped 4.724 inches also must be perfectly square.
Bibliography of references
Websites
Berman, R. (2008) Alex Sweinweiss: CREATOR OF THE ALBUM COVER. [Online] Available from: http://www.alexsteinweiss.com/as_index.html [accessed 08 April 2019].
Chilton, M. (2018) Cover Story: A History Of Album Artwork. [Online] Available from: https://www.udiscovermusic.com/in-depth-features/history-album-artwork/ [accessed 08 April 2019].
Shah, D. (2016) The Importance of Album Artwork Considering the relationship between art and music in a digital age. [Online] Available from: https://humanhuman.com/articles/the-importance-of-album-artwork [accessed 12 April 2019].
UDiscover Team. (2015) The 100 Greatest Album Covers. [Online] Available from: https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/the-100-greatest-album-covers/ [accessed 14 April 2019].
Surrealism Movement Overview and Analysis. (2019) The Art Story. [Online] Available from: https://www.theartstory.org/movement-surrealism.htm [accessed 11 May 2019].
Lebowitz, R. (2018) 8 Surrealist Photographers You Should Know, from Dora Maar to Man Ray. [Online] Available from: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-8-surrealist-photographers-dora-maar-man-ray [accessed 12 May 2019].
uDiscover Team. (2018) The 25 Most Iconic Album Covers Of All Time. [Online] Available from: https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/25-iconic-album-covers/ [accessed 12 May 2019].
Huxley-Parlour, G. (2019) Brian Duffy. [Online] Available from: https://huxleyparlour.com/artists/brian-duffy/ [accessed 12 May 2019].
Archive, H. (2015) Image categories dali . [Online] Available from: http://philippehalsman.com/?image=dali [accessed 13 May 2019].
Palumbo, J. (2018) The Story behind the Surreal Photograph of Salvador Dalí and Three Flying Cats. [Online] Available from: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-story-surreal-photograph-salvador-dali-three-flying-cats [accessed 11 May 2019].
Walsh, J. (2016) Dali’s Moustache. [Online] Available from: https://www.magnumphotos.com/arts-culture/dalis-moustache-philippe-halsman/ [accessed 13 May 2019].
Cain, A. (2017) Surrealist Photographer Dora Maar Was More Than Picasso’s Muse. [Online] Available from: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-surrealist-photographer-picassos-muse [accessed 13 May 2019].
Carey, J. (2008) “Pere Ubu” by Dora Maar, 1936. [Online] Available from: https://germanmodernism.org/2008/07/03/pere-ubu-by-dora-maar-1936/ [accessed 14 May 2019].
Waddell, J. (2005) Père Ubu,1936. [Online] Available from: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/286239 [accessed 14 May 2019].
THE ART STORY FOUNDATION. (2019) IMPORTANT ART BY DORA MAAR. [Online] Available from: https://www.theartstory.org/artist-maar-dora.htm [accessed 14 May 2019].
Typography, P. (Date unknown) Fancy > Distorted. [Online] Available from: https://www.dafont.com/theme.php?cat=108 [accessed 28 May 2019].
Future ambitious
After completing this Extended diploma I am very keen on studying a film degree because of the interest and knowledge I have from watching and acknowledging the many different aspects of movies such as the storytelling, directing and behind the scenes.
I will definitely find a stable part-time job before or during the summer which I’ll intend to keep throughout my whole learning experience at PCA.
I have other interests apart from film and photograph I would like to immerse myself into: for example – music. I have enjoyed since I was very young learning and playing the guitar. This is a good step connected with my studies as music goes side by side with film and photography.
I would also like to improve my reading and writing skills by taking on an English course. In the early stages of secondary school, I found I enjoyed literacy, including poetry and story writing. I could picture myself with ambitions of becoming a storytelling/screenplay writer.
Doyles blog 