Multimedia Digital Storytelling Project
Final Deliverables
JPEGMAFIA Music Video
Project Overview
This individual project was completed in the Fall 2024 semester as the final project for the course Digital Storytelling. For this project, I was tasked with creating a multimedia experience over the span of three weeks. The project consisted of creating a Figma website and a Video component created in Adobe Premiere Pro. Provided with this unrestricted prompt, I decided to take the opportunity to create a music Video and website for one of my favorite music artists, JPEGMAFIA(JPEG), with the primary goal of developing my video editing skills.
Goals
I was determined to create a 5 to 10-minute music video and a Figma website that reflects JPEGMAFIA's art style and personal branding. I wanted the video to feature content from JPEG's first three albums, and the video editing style should be influenced by JPEG's earlier music videos. I determined that the target demographic of my multimedia experience would be individuals unaware of the artist. My goal was to introduce viewers to JPEG, his background, and his early discography. I aimed to learn how to rotoscope, mask, transition effectively between video clips, and create and apply custom filters. Additionally, I sought to master seamless sound blending, transitioning, and distortion using Premiere Pro.
1. JPEGMAFIA Video
2. JPEGMAFIA Site
The secondary goal of this project was to create a JPEGMAFIA website that reflected his personal branding while complementing the video component of the project. The site serves as a primary outlet for JPEG’s content, allowing users to seek additional information regarding the artist. I based my design on JPEG's existing website, as I felt that doing so would pay homage to the artist while creating an intimate experience for site visitors, given that the site mimics the appearance of a desktop home screen.
JPEGMAFIA Existing Website (2024)
This design could be capitalized on as the site could be restructured to give users the impression that they are snooping through the artist's personal laptop. Furthermore, wanted to expand upon the existing site design. I decided to iterate on the concept by adding a "file explorer" menu and additional navigation options for users. The site also needed to provide appropriate accreditation to the copyrighted content used throughout the project.
Design Process
Getting Familiar
I knew that to appropriately represent JPEGMAFIA’s branding, I needed to research the artist by referencing his prior interviews, albums, music videos, and obscure projects. I found that the Internet Archive would be my appendix to the artist as well as my primary source of video footage. Furthermore, I analyze and interpret each album's primary messaging to ensure that my video complements the music tone, attitude, and messaging. From this preliminary research, I created a brand manual that implemented a color palette that mirrors JPEG's Bandcamp Page. I also sourced from Bandcamp JPEG's notes on the creative process for each of his albums and included them on the site.
Learning video wizardry
At the start of this project, I had zero experience with video editing. I therefore had to take the initiative to educate myself on how to achieve the desired effects that I wanted to incorporate into my project. I did this by completing Adobe and YouTube tutorials. I learned how to rotoscope and then realized that I wouldn’t be able to use the skill because of the tight time frame of the project. This led me to use the video editing tool Runaway AI to expedite the rotoscoping process.
Results
The final deliverables for the project achieved the goals I set at the beginning of this project: learning how to use Adobe Premiere Pro to edit video footage with competent rotoscoping, masking, and transitions. I received an A for my work and greatly expanded my understanding and proficiency in video editing. If allotted more time, I would like to create music videos for each album front to back. Furthermore, I would finish the JPEGMAFIA website by expanding on its archival features and adding hidden user interactions that reward them for exploring the site.