James Bolton - CD Development

We have evaluated and reviewed our CD and digipack design against the mark scheme. We feel we can meet all of the requirements for Level 4 which requires "excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills":

• Awareness of conventions of layout and page design - we will stick to conventions by having the name of the artist and song on the front, with the track lists on the reverse.
• Awareness of the need for variety in fonts and text size - we will have a block font for the mug shot board, but slightly thinner than your standard block font. The track list, band name and song name on the front and back will be various font sizes, which from my digipack research is something typical of CD covers.
• Accurate use of language and register - The use of language and register won't massively important. Unlike other texts, such as newspaper articles, the register is very important and is often altered depending on the target audience, but as there won't be much in the way of text on our digipack (just the band name, song names and possibly the lyrics), register cant really be changed. The only thing we can do is make sure that the lyrics are 100% accurate and correct.
• The appropriate use of ICT for the task set - To create our CD cover obviously we will be using the Photoshop program on the Macs. This will allow us to use the various effects to create a black and white photo for the mug shot on the front cover. If necessary we will be able to use tools like the lasso tool to cut photos or sections of photos accurately to provide a clean and professional look to our CD cover and digipack.
• Appropriate integration of illustration and text - In order to effortlessly integrate the text and images, I came up with the idea of including the name of the band and name of the song on the board, rather than what you'd usually see, which is the criminals name (see example shots below). Again, we will integrate the track listing in the same way, having the list on the board. This will be on the back cover of the CD, fitting conventions, but instead we will have a close up that will just feature the hands rather than the head and shoulders. Coupled with the shot of him sat at his desk, these images are appropriate for the CD and digipack as they are both featured in our actual video. They therefore can be intertextual references to one another.
• Framing a shot and using a variety of shot distances as appropriate - The conventional shot distance of a mug shot is a medium/close up, so we see the criminals head, but there is also enough room for the board, which is likely to cover the chest area. To frame the shot correctly, we will make sure there is head room and none of the head is cut off, as well as making sure there is enough room for the height scale over the criminals shoulder. The shot at the desk will be the same length as the mug shot so will be a medium/long shot. While it does not give us a range of shot distances, it is appropriate and juxtaposes the double life of the character that is a core theme of our song and video. As previously mentioned, the shot which includes the track listing will be a close up.
• Shooting material appropriate to the task set; selecting mise-en-scene including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting - In order to keep all of these consistent with out video, the CD cover and digipack stills will be take while we are shooting and will be taken on set in order to keep continuity, which is important for the shot at the desk and the mug shot in front of the height chart. In terms of object, the main things are the board (which we will make ourselves and add the appropriate lettering) and the stacks of paper on the desk, which will be available at the office where we plan to shoot. We will also make the height chart ourselves and pin it to the wall for when we take the photos.
• Manipulating photographs as appropriate, including cropping and resizing - The layout and dimensions of the CD is 124mm x 124mm (12.4 cm) and the spine of the CD is 6mm x 124 mm, so it is important that our image fits this restriction. If photos are distorted or poorly shaped, it won't promote the clean and professional CD cover we are aiming to achieve. 

An example mug shot. This is the look we are aiming to achieve with the black and white image and holding up the board.

Above are three test photos of the mug shot. The two side profile shots will be included in the video with the portrait photo, whereas just the second photo will be included on the CD cover. 

A test photo for the back of the CD. This includes track names and the hands holding up the board.