My research for my album cover begins with evaluating 5 other album covers from the same genre.
1.Lil Wayne
light background (front), dark distorted image on back, skin showing on back, Red and White text, Explicit content logo.
This album is the 4th in a series as the IV on the cover shows, the front cover of this album shows a young child in a graduation uniform and he looks innocent but he has tattoos on his face so it shows a dark side to him.
The reverse show the song list, labels and a barcode. The album art of the backside shows lil wayne in a red light with a distorted haze.
There is a colour scheme that sticks with the album; red, white and black.
2. 50 Cent
poor lighting, effects linking to album name, cityscape on back White text, Explicit content logo
3. Snoop Dogg
Black and white image, car, prison sort of image on back cover, white and gold text, Explicit content logo
4. Ludacris
Light image, angry shouting on back White and Beige text, explicit content logo
Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa
I'm waking up to ash and dust
I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust
I'm breathing in the chemicals
I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse
Whoa
I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive
I raise my flags, dye my clothes
It's a revolution, I suppose
We paint it red to fit right in
Whoa
I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse
Whoa
I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive
All systems go, the sun hasn't died
Deep in my bones, straight from inside
I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive
There are some symbolic props used in this video for example the use of the key
symbolising the freedom being kept by a dictator, some lyrics used at certain
points in the video explain what is happening in the story for example in the
beginning of the songs the lyrics say “This is it, the apocalypse”, this shows
that the video is set in a post-apocalyptic future. Another set of lyrics that
set the story are “welcome to the new age” this shows that there is a new world
order in the video.
In the opening of the music video
there is a long shot, this helps setting the scene of the video.
There is a
girl walking through some woods, carrying something, down a path covered with
fallen leaves. This is then followed by a series of long, mid and close up
shots which helps set the scene, mood and seriousness of the video, it also
introduces us to a character.
These shots are broken up by some shots of the
band members of Imagine Dragons in a sort of prison cell, it is dank, dark and
dirty this shows that the members are in some sort of trouble setting the story
of the video.
This music video has long shots broken up by
short close up shots using transitions that fit in with the tempo of the song.
This draws the attention of the audience by keeping them interested and not
making them bored by only using long drawn out shots.
This video has a lot
of special effects including making the teddies alive as well and the use of
visual special effects such as giving the small teddy laser vision.
