3: What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
4: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Evaluation
1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge the codes and conventions of real media products?
2: How effective is the combination of the main task and the ancillary tasks?
3: What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
4: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
3: What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
4: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Reflecting on the problems faced during our group work
From the very beginning of this project, we have experienced a number of difficulties (quite literally from the beginning - it took us longer than all the other groups to even decide on a song!) which have all delayed our progress, pushing it right up to the deadline.
To start with, we were let down by the first actor we cast for our artist (Archie Harris-Eva) several times before he eventually backed out of the project, which put us back to square one. We were also let down a few times by the replacement actor Sam Barnham, although this is understandable as we were asking him to put aside a lot of time to film all the performance scenes, and unfortunately other work/family commitments had to take priority. We experienced similar problems with availability of group members, as sometimes other engagements took precedence. Of course, we also faced organisational problems (such as the children, who do not live locally) and weather-related setbacks which all contributed in small part to the stressful delay in our progress.
We also experienced some delays with the Media Department at school, as at one point there was high demand for camera equiptment, as well as some limited access to iMacs to edit on. Finally, we also had some difficulties becoming accustomed with the new editing software, moving on to Final Cut Express from the simple user-friendly interface of iMovie. This dramatically slowed our editing process to start with, although in the end the increased functionality proved its usefulness.
To start with, we were let down by the first actor we cast for our artist (Archie Harris-Eva) several times before he eventually backed out of the project, which put us back to square one. We were also let down a few times by the replacement actor Sam Barnham, although this is understandable as we were asking him to put aside a lot of time to film all the performance scenes, and unfortunately other work/family commitments had to take priority. We experienced similar problems with availability of group members, as sometimes other engagements took precedence. Of course, we also faced organisational problems (such as the children, who do not live locally) and weather-related setbacks which all contributed in small part to the stressful delay in our progress.
We also experienced some delays with the Media Department at school, as at one point there was high demand for camera equiptment, as well as some limited access to iMacs to edit on. Finally, we also had some difficulties becoming accustomed with the new editing software, moving on to Final Cut Express from the simple user-friendly interface of iMovie. This dramatically slowed our editing process to start with, although in the end the increased functionality proved its usefulness.
Evaluating our Digipak
As I said in this post [link], the digipak must "advertise the contents", "stand out to attract suitable members of the target audience", as well as provide a resource for fans to indulge in by offering otherwise inaccessible material such as photographs or behind-the-scenes work from the album.
[Here is a link to my post containing the final images to be used the product]
Front: I have made a specific post evaluating and reflecting on the merits of our album artwork as a standalone image here [link], however it is also important to reinstate the extent to which the cover art fits in with the rest of the products created for our band, from the rest of the digipak, website designs and the promotional video too, creating a unifying identifiable brand image.
Inside Left:
This image was taken very early on in the project, and is one of few we actually had where the actor pulled an interesting facial expression during the photoshoots. This was important as we needed to give a rounded representation of the artist rather than a singularly sincere image in order to generate similar excitement in the fans. Although the canted angle creates eye-grabbing drama in what could have otherwise been a dull shot, I think that this could have been improved on if instead we were able to use an extreme close up of just the face, as the unassuming pose makes the artist easier to identify with, and I believe this effect would have been amplified with a close up.
We also created a separate lyric booklet, hypothetically to be contained in the sleeve of this inside page (link to booklet art here). We used lyrics from other songs to create a conventional content layout, using the same font style as on the album artwork to create a sense of a conjoined product. This unified brand identity is demonstrated clearly through the reflection of the album front art work in the cover image for the booklet, tying the two products together. The booklet continued the photographic themes of the digipak - as well as carrying its own typified image theme (ie the similar black pictures) - although has a much higher emphasis on star image, for example through the use of facial close ups and stage lighting, which signifies attention on the artist (as well as linking to the club scene of the video). This is because the type of fan who invests in a physical album just to consume these additional materials is usually the type of fan who engages in artist-worship behaviour. Therefore, I think it is suitable to have this additional material separate from the digipak, as it enables different levels of fan involvement with the texts. This way, we can provide such conventional materials, but also target the audience who will focus more on the musical content rather than additional materials, and as a debut album it gives depicts an approachable, unpretentious portrayal of the artist.
Inside Right:
As the front cover, this image uses a recognisable location from the music video, and by displaying our artist doing something as down-to-earth and relatable as walking while listening to an ipod through a long shot it again illustrates the normalcy of him as an artist rather than a distanced star. Also, the idea was to have his face in this photo be show directly through the hole in the middle of the CD while in the case, and taking the album out would 'reveal' the scene, including the location, his costume and what he was doing.
Back:
The rear cover of the album is interesting as it doesn't show the artist - the reason we used this photo was because the framing of the bin particularly suited its use for the tracklist to be placed on the side, as well as its appealing connotations of filth and chaos which seem appropriate to associate with his music (together with the more obvious reasons for including graffiti). The track names were imagined, created to reflect an overriding lifestyle theme to the album and using the same font as the 'letdowns' on the front cover. Finally, we also included some institutional information, such as the barcode, year, and printed band name and production company copyrights.
Ultimately, I am pleased with the professionalism of our final product, as after looking at examples of work done by previous yeargroups I was worried we would end up with an amateurish digipak that looked like it had been concocted in microsoft paint. Thankfully, through tasteful rather than brash editing (I only slightly adjusted the saturation, contrast, exposure and shadows) and withholding from abusing the visual effects photoshop offers resulted in a set of images that looked like we had spent time on them without looking dreadfully edited. I am also satisfied with how although each image is different, there is a unifying visual theme across the digipak, making it seem like a coherent product and not just a senseless collection of pictures. Finally, I also feel that the digipak is a successful representation of the independent genre, enabling it to effectively target the market niche.
[Here is a link to my post containing the final images to be used the product]
Front: I have made a specific post evaluating and reflecting on the merits of our album artwork as a standalone image here [link], however it is also important to reinstate the extent to which the cover art fits in with the rest of the products created for our band, from the rest of the digipak, website designs and the promotional video too, creating a unifying identifiable brand image.
Inside Left:
This image was taken very early on in the project, and is one of few we actually had where the actor pulled an interesting facial expression during the photoshoots. This was important as we needed to give a rounded representation of the artist rather than a singularly sincere image in order to generate similar excitement in the fans. Although the canted angle creates eye-grabbing drama in what could have otherwise been a dull shot, I think that this could have been improved on if instead we were able to use an extreme close up of just the face, as the unassuming pose makes the artist easier to identify with, and I believe this effect would have been amplified with a close up.
We also created a separate lyric booklet, hypothetically to be contained in the sleeve of this inside page (link to booklet art here). We used lyrics from other songs to create a conventional content layout, using the same font style as on the album artwork to create a sense of a conjoined product. This unified brand identity is demonstrated clearly through the reflection of the album front art work in the cover image for the booklet, tying the two products together. The booklet continued the photographic themes of the digipak - as well as carrying its own typified image theme (ie the similar black pictures) - although has a much higher emphasis on star image, for example through the use of facial close ups and stage lighting, which signifies attention on the artist (as well as linking to the club scene of the video). This is because the type of fan who invests in a physical album just to consume these additional materials is usually the type of fan who engages in artist-worship behaviour. Therefore, I think it is suitable to have this additional material separate from the digipak, as it enables different levels of fan involvement with the texts. This way, we can provide such conventional materials, but also target the audience who will focus more on the musical content rather than additional materials, and as a debut album it gives depicts an approachable, unpretentious portrayal of the artist.
Inside Right:
As the front cover, this image uses a recognisable location from the music video, and by displaying our artist doing something as down-to-earth and relatable as walking while listening to an ipod through a long shot it again illustrates the normalcy of him as an artist rather than a distanced star. Also, the idea was to have his face in this photo be show directly through the hole in the middle of the CD while in the case, and taking the album out would 'reveal' the scene, including the location, his costume and what he was doing.
Back:
The rear cover of the album is interesting as it doesn't show the artist - the reason we used this photo was because the framing of the bin particularly suited its use for the tracklist to be placed on the side, as well as its appealing connotations of filth and chaos which seem appropriate to associate with his music (together with the more obvious reasons for including graffiti). The track names were imagined, created to reflect an overriding lifestyle theme to the album and using the same font as the 'letdowns' on the front cover. Finally, we also included some institutional information, such as the barcode, year, and printed band name and production company copyrights.
Ultimately, I am pleased with the professionalism of our final product, as after looking at examples of work done by previous yeargroups I was worried we would end up with an amateurish digipak that looked like it had been concocted in microsoft paint. Thankfully, through tasteful rather than brash editing (I only slightly adjusted the saturation, contrast, exposure and shadows) and withholding from abusing the visual effects photoshop offers resulted in a set of images that looked like we had spent time on them without looking dreadfully edited. I am also satisfied with how although each image is different, there is a unifying visual theme across the digipak, making it seem like a coherent product and not just a senseless collection of pictures. Finally, I also feel that the digipak is a successful representation of the independent genre, enabling it to effectively target the market niche.
Lyric Booklet
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| Front cover of booklet |
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| Inside left, first page |
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| Right side of page |
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| Center spread on next double page |
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| Next page, left side |
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| Final page, right side |
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| Back of booklet |
Our Digipak
I created a four-panel Digipak using Photoshop software and editing website Picnik, to fit this template.
The photos were selected from our large pool of stills taken during test runs, artist photoshoots and filming production days with the actors, resulting in the choice of the following four shots:
The photos were selected from our large pool of stills taken during test runs, artist photoshoots and filming production days with the actors, resulting in the choice of the following four shots:
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| Front |
 | |
| Inside (Left, acting as a sleeve for additional lyric booklet) |
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| Inside (Right, behind plastic CD holder) |
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| Back |
Our Magazine Advertisment
I think that this magazine advert would be successful, as it incorporates many key features to help promote the album in the eyes of the audience. The image used is exactly the same as the album artwork (as well as a scene in the video) that fans will be able to see on shop shelves/in digital stores, creating a unifying brand immediately recognisable, even to the point of subconscious saturation if the campaign is spread wide enough. This is ensured through the use of a recognisable font/logo for the band name (and album title), associating the words with a visual style creating a sense of continuity across all forms of the marketing campaign.
It includes many conventional characteristics of an advert, such as a mention of positive critical approval as well as a general comment from the promoter ("unbelievable debut album"). Similarly, a mention of the lead single is used to allow the target audience to research and judge for themselves whether or not they will buy the album after listening to that song or watching the video. Also, the promise of a 'summer tour' acts as a baited hook for the audience, as it signifies a promise that the release of this album is not a conclusion of Freddy's work, but the launch of his career, encouraging people to buy the album now to be prepared for his activity in the future - essentially forcing the audience to become involved in the life and career of the artist. This is encapsulated by the central use of Freddy's face, encouraging market acceptance of the star image.
Finally, in bold print at the bottom of the poster is the release date. This will build up anticipation for the album, as well as inciting a large number of purchases the week of release (depending on the relative success of the promotional campaign), hopefully pushing the album into the album charts, resulting in higher commercial success.
Evaluating our Album Artwork
I think our final album artwork is successful at creating a representation of the music and the image of the band, using conventional iconography such as a derelict pub. The image is also featured in the poster and video, making it an semi-iconic, recognisable location for fans in the context of the band's image. Similarly, we used the familiar logo and reused the font for the album title in order to sustain the sense of continuity across the oeuvre of promotional tools we have created for the band.
We also used ideas of framing (eg the rule of thirds) to create emphasis on certain parts of the picture over others, such as through the use of contrasting shadows on the left and brightness on the star/right hand side.. For instance, Freddy is given pictorial priority over his backing band - much the same as in the logo - by occupying more space in the frame just off center. Similarly, the band name (in the guise of the logo) is nearer the top of the artwork compared to the smaller sized placement of the album title, again giving prevalence to the specifically marketable factors (ie the star).
In terms of genre, our artwork is extremely conventional and easily identifiable by the target audience, through features such as the urban street setting and the costumes of our actors, without becoming cliched through explicit alcohol/sex/drug references. However, it is also fairly unique in terms of the polar left/right divide, which will attract interest when viewed in the context of competing for attention on shop's shelf space.
Therefore, I think that it fulfills all my expectations for successful artwork: conforming to fan's expectations of conventions of the genre allowing the audience to distinguish the band, recognising the importance of exhibiting the star image as a marketing tool, brand image, and finally being simultaneously original and interesting enough to attract attention/curiosity from the target audience.
Reflecting on the process of making the artwork:
Drawing from the knowledge gleamed through research into the purpose and procedure of album artwork in general, as well as conventions of artwork from similar products of our genre, I actually found the process of creating our album cover relatively easy. By combining the user-friendly nature of online service Picnik with the incredible functionality of Photoshop, I was able to choose which was more appropriate for the tweaks that were needed to be made to the image.
We also used ideas of framing (eg the rule of thirds) to create emphasis on certain parts of the picture over others, such as through the use of contrasting shadows on the left and brightness on the star/right hand side.. For instance, Freddy is given pictorial priority over his backing band - much the same as in the logo - by occupying more space in the frame just off center. Similarly, the band name (in the guise of the logo) is nearer the top of the artwork compared to the smaller sized placement of the album title, again giving prevalence to the specifically marketable factors (ie the star).
In terms of genre, our artwork is extremely conventional and easily identifiable by the target audience, through features such as the urban street setting and the costumes of our actors, without becoming cliched through explicit alcohol/sex/drug references. However, it is also fairly unique in terms of the polar left/right divide, which will attract interest when viewed in the context of competing for attention on shop's shelf space.
Therefore, I think that it fulfills all my expectations for successful artwork: conforming to fan's expectations of conventions of the genre allowing the audience to distinguish the band, recognising the importance of exhibiting the star image as a marketing tool, brand image, and finally being simultaneously original and interesting enough to attract attention/curiosity from the target audience.
Reflecting on the process of making the artwork:
Drawing from the knowledge gleamed through research into the purpose and procedure of album artwork in general, as well as conventions of artwork from similar products of our genre, I actually found the process of creating our album cover relatively easy. By combining the user-friendly nature of online service Picnik with the incredible functionality of Photoshop, I was able to choose which was more appropriate for the tweaks that were needed to be made to the image.
Artwork Planning
Following our individual research into the purposes and conventions of album artwork and digipaks, we came up with the following sample sketch plans detailing the designs we would like to have for our final product:
We focused a lot on how the album art could best represent the personal nature of our artist, promote the image of the band as a star with a backing band, and appeal to the target audience.
Genre, Context and Audience Reflection
As the editing process draws to a close, we thought we should reflect upon how well our video fits in the with genre of the music, and how it meets the expectations of that audience. We first noted the similarities between our video and others from the genre, and after having avoided it during the planning phase (for feat of directly reproducing), we looked at Jamie T's actual videos [website link] to see if they are similar too:
We also considered how our video targets our primary audience demographic. The lifestyle we depict is clearly relatable for the young audience demographic, which creates a key link between the audience and the artist, which is highlighted through the fashionable costume styles. Through this, we determined that our product was indeed on the way to becoming successful in being accepted into the genre and the representation of our artist being accepted by the target audience.
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| Jamie T - Sticks and Stones Official Music Video |
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| Our Music Video (Jamie T - Ike and Tina) |
Audience Feedback Reflection
The comments we received were extremely useful in the finalising of the editing of our video, as the audience were able to comment on certain elements objectively. It was also a good experience as it allowed us to not only get comments for improvement from other Media Studies students, but also compliments or suggestions from our target audience.
Some of the comments we received:
"Entertaining and engaging narrative"
"Syncing is really good"
"The acting is believable"
"Really like [particular shot]"
"Funny and good narrative"
"I liked the lighting"
"Used a lot of people in it which was interesting"
"Good use of angles and shots"
"Editing goes well with the music"
"Concept was good"
We also got some useful suggestions:
"At the beginning there should be some background noise"
"[Certain scene] goes on too long"
Although I would have preferred more critical and detailed feedback, this excercise enabled us to make several improvements in response, such as the shortening and fragmentation of the particular scene mentioned in the last comment, reuse of a certain shot and keeping a wide variety of angles when we continued the editing.
Some of the comments we received:
"Entertaining and engaging narrative"
"Syncing is really good"
"The acting is believable"
"Really like [particular shot]"
"Funny and good narrative"
"I liked the lighting"
"Used a lot of people in it which was interesting"
"Good use of angles and shots"
"Editing goes well with the music"
"Concept was good"
We also got some useful suggestions:
"At the beginning there should be some background noise"
"[Certain scene] goes on too long"
Although I would have preferred more critical and detailed feedback, this excercise enabled us to make several improvements in response, such as the shortening and fragmentation of the particular scene mentioned in the last comment, reuse of a certain shot and keeping a wide variety of angles when we continued the editing.
Audience Feedback
As we neared the end of the editing process, we organised a showcase for our music videos. The following are a collection of the comments we received from our peers (as our target audience!) and fellow students on a number of issues including our camerawork, editing, narrative and interest:
See this post [link] on the group blog for a thorough explanation of the activity.
See this post [link] on the group blog for a thorough explanation of the activity.
Test Footage
This is an excerpt of some test footage we took before one of our filming sessions on location in Roehampton. This was to experiment with the framing of our artist and his band in the novel environment, looking at different lighting and levels. It is also nice to see the on-screen chemistry of the actors coming across.
Social Media
Although we chose not to do the full ancillary task of creating a band website (as I personally thought our skills were not up to the standards of creating a unique site without using dull, cliched or terrible looking templates, as it would end up either looking incredibly amateurish or would take exceeding long to construct to a high standard), we thought that it was crucial to demonstrate our recognition of the importance of social media in the marketing of an artist to a young target audience in the twenty-first century. We therefore created a band Facebook (link) and Twitter (link), uploading "behind the scenes" pictures from the video shoot for 'fans' as well as promotion photos of our artist to construct an online-image, as well as the unifying band logo.
Band Logo Reflection
Evaluating the evolution of my technological skills
The main way our work this year has developed from last year is through our use of the Final Cut Express editing software. A large step up from the incredibly user-friendly iMovie software from last year, it was difficult to manage at first, but once I had learnt the basics, soon into the editing process I was able to work at a familiar pace. Also, the increased functionality became not just apparent, but useful too. Not only were we able to manipulate the framing of one shot to cut off the edges and bring the shot closer to the star, but also in one shot able to cut out an actor entirely by overlaying half of the frame with a shot of the 'blank' background.
This year, I also used several new (to me at least) services such as Slideshare, Scribd and Prezi to access or upload documents onto this blog. I also used image editing software Photoshop for the first time, as well as online image editing service Picnik- although the former was more difficult to get accustomed to, it offered much more photo manipulation than the latter. These services all enabled me to create a more multimedia blog.
This year, I also used several new (to me at least) services such as Slideshare, Scribd and Prezi to access or upload documents onto this blog. I also used image editing software Photoshop for the first time, as well as online image editing service Picnik- although the former was more difficult to get accustomed to, it offered much more photo manipulation than the latter. These services all enabled me to create a more multimedia blog.
Album Art Analysis 5
The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
I chose this as the last album artwork to analyse because it demonstrates some of the key conventions of a 'band based' modern rock album, featuring a heavily edited photograph of the band - frontman pushed to the forefront - before a plain monochromatic background. It focuses heavily on selling the image of the band to the pre-existing fans of that genre, showing off tattoos, leather jackets, serious faces and "edgy" haircuts in an image so generic it is only a few degrees of seriousness from being a parody. However, the impact of the font and the colour-draining edit of the photo give the album a cohesive feel, promising a solid set of songs but not much excitement. From this, I learnt that although following genre conventions can produce a well grounded final artwork, it will lack the excitement of originality and therefore any eye-grabbing potential or interest from the audience.
Album Art Analysis 4
The Antlers - Hospice
Album Art Analysis 3
Madonna - Hard Candy
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