Evaluation 4

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Blogger- I used blogger to present all of my research, planning, the final product and evaluation stages all in one media. It was useful for presenting all my research especially as I could insert images, prezis, slideshares and links to websites I was looking at.

Google- I used Google a lot throughout the research stages of my work to find sites with information to help me with parts of my work, for example when researching the history of music videos to help further my understanding of why we have them and there purpose.

ITunes- I used ITunes to upload the song for my music video on to IMovie for when I edited my music video.

IMovie- I used IMovie to edit the song and footage I had together to make the music video as it was the editing software I had available and know how to use it.

Social media- I used social media such as Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat to advertise the music video and show some behind the scenes extras for the audience to see so they could follow the making of the video and then here when the final product is done for them to see.

Prezi- I used prezi to make presentations for presenting some of my research and ideas in a different way to make my blog more interesting and media rich.

Wordle- I used wordle to highlight the key words that came up the most in the lyrics of the song to work out what I should try to emphasize in the music video for my chosen song.

Bubbl- I used Bubbl to make mind maps to present my initial ideas and feedback in a clear way, also to show some of my work in a different format, making my blog posts more media rich.

PowerPoint- I used PowerPoint to make a presentation about my intended audience, create my digipak and to make moodboards for parts of my planning.

Slideshare- I used slideshare to put my PowerPoint presentation onto so it could be presented in an easy way on my blog.

Survey Monkey- I used survey monkey to make the questionnaire for my target audience to find out more information about what my music video should be like and using survey monkey made it easier to send out the questionnaire and analyse the results.

Wix- I used wix to make my website home page for my artiste/ music video as it is an easy thing to use for beginners to make a professional looking, fully functioning website which I wanted to do as I was making to as a very big music artistes so wanted it to look convincing.

Bazaart- I used the app Bazaart to edit the photos of examples on the type of merchandise that could be sold for the artiste as it is a photo editing application that I am familiar with using so it enabled me to be able to make realistic looking merchandise to use.

YouTube- I used YouTube to find examples of music videos to help me with my research into conventions of music videos and finding examples of what students in the past did for their videos which was very helpful in giving me inspiration and an idea of what I needed to do.

Vimeo- I used Vimeo to upload my preliminary video, rough cut and final music video to for me to share what I have created and make it available to be watched through a link on my blog so it can be easily found and played.

Evaluation 3

The majority of the feedback that I got throughout process of making my music video and ancillary tasks was fairly positive which may be partly due to the fact that the feedback I received may be biased as I showed the products to family, friends and other students in my class.

Rough cut feedback:

Based on my rough cut feedback if helped me see what the stronger areas of my music video were so far and what areas still need some improvement. The feedback showed some positives which were that the narrative I was trying to show in the video related to the song which is what I was wanting to do, the few parts that included lip syncing seemed to be in time with the singing and the costumes and video overall showed the artiste in a good light. However there were still quite a few negatives that I needed to consider when refilming and making the final version. This feedback was pointing out that there were a few conventions of a pop music video that I hadn't done such as not enough performance, no costume changes, shots are too long between cuts, not all cuts go in time with the music and there could have been another location or two used.

Final products feedback:

My digipak feedback was fairly positive with only a couple minor negatives that were pointed out. The feedback I received pointed out the main positives of my digipak being that the font and colours used across the product linked together and with my other products, I had used many of the main conventions of a digipak such as the songs list of the back, and it shows the artistes looking good which would be good for his brand/ image. However, I did have a couple bits of negative feedback where people said that I could have included an image in the panel where the CD goes so it blends more with the rest of the digipak, and not all of the conventions for the back panel of a digipak were included, for example the production company logos.

The feedback for the website that I received had positive feedback saying that I had included the main conventions that should be on a music artistes website such as the navigation bar, the artistes name written largely at the top of the page and social media links. There was all positive feedback about the coordinating colour scheme used which is the same colours as I included in the other products and the large image of the artiste to make it clear that it is his website and as many music artistes have this on their websites. However, there were some improvements pointed out that I could have made like maybe adding a bit more text or some advertisements for the artiste to the page to make it more interesting and make the buttons in the navigation bar stand out a little bit more.

The feedback that I received for the final music video was mainly positive with comments from the audience saying that they liked how the narrative and lip syncing within the video went with the song along with the locations used. Also, that the costumes used are suitable for the pop genre of the song as they are stylish and current looks, and the whole message portrayed with how the artiste is represented gives off a good brand image. However, there were a couple of negative bits of feedback given which were that some parts of the lip syncing were a bit out of time, due to this happening when the video was export from imovie, and there could have been another location or costume changed used as many pop music videos include lots of locations and lots of different costumes used for each location.

Evaluation 2

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary task?

Evaluation 1

In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

1- Link between lyrics and visuals:
This is a shot of Hadleigh Castle which is shown as the lyrics "over the castle on the hill" is sun to show a link between the lyrics and visuals, this is done for a few different parts of the lyrics as well to keep it all related.

2- Typifies the way a record company would want their artist to be represented:
This is a shot of the artiste running through a field with his friends as the record company want him to look friendly and like a normal boy as Ed Sheeran's is know and presented as a normal down to earth person that fans can relate to and feel like they could be friends.

3- Illustrates how the video uses music genre:
The video uses music genre as the artiste and other actors are all wearing current, fashionable clothing, with bright colours which are both conventions that would feature in a pop music video.

4- Intertextual reference:
I didn't include any intertextual references in the music video as I feel that Ed Sheeran is an original artiste that likes to be quite unique with his music videos, not referencing any other forms of media in them.

5- Use of camera:
I tried to use the camera to get a mix of shots so the video is interesting to watch. The photos shows one of the pan shots I did to show the setting as a good way to transition before the next verse of the song.

6- Use of lighting:
I used natural sunlight for the whole music video so I could make use of the shadows and light on the artiste to make him stand out and so it was well lit enough for everything to be seen.

7- Use of mise-en-scene:
I tried to use a number of different locations that linked to the song, for example in the road for the part of the song about driving down country lanes and having shots and Hadleigh castle as the song is called castle on the hill.

8- Shows that I've watched other videos:
Nearly all of the music videos I have watched have had narrative in them that relate to what the lyrics of the song are, so I made sure that I did this in my music video to keep it conventional and interesting to watch.

9- Shows that I've watched other videos:
When I watched other music videos almost all of them had the artist lip syncing to the song which is a main convention of music videos that I featured in my own using ideas that I had got from seeing other videos using it.

Analysis of My Website

For my website I have first used the colour scheme that had been used for artistes most recent album with the song I have made the music video for so I thought it would be suitable to use those colours for the website. On the first page of the website the main thing on the screen is a large image of the artiste with colours that match the theme and this is a conventional thing I found on a lot of pop music artistes websites so felt it would look effective to do the same. At the top of the website it includes a navigation bar with all the conventional pages a music artistes website would have; home, bio, music, photos, videos, tour, store and connect. These are the things that are expected and would usually be on a music artistes website with everything that the people looking on the site would want to find. Then there are social media icons just below the navigation bar which have links to all of the artistes social media accounts to encourage people looking on the website to follow him. I also made it so everything I wanted on the home page fits on the screen without having to scroll and I feel that it looks better/ more professional and everything people looking on the page would need to see is there on the screen with no scrolling needed.

Original Website Design

Website Analysis- Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber Official Website

Home:
When you first go onto the website, on the home page, it has the artistes name at the top of the page, with the navigation bar below it. This makes it clear that people are on his website and it is easy to find the page they are looking for, this along with the artistes name is at the top of all of the pages on the website. There is also the artistes social media links in the top corner of the page for fans to be able to keep up to date with everything the artiste is up to. Then cover the rest of the page is images of Justin Bieber making it clear it is his website, and this is a convention that many music artistes have on their websites, then the photo alternates with advertisements for his latest songs, album and tour/merchandise.

Shows:

When you go on the 'shows' page this is where any tour dates would be for fans to find when he will be performing at different locations and how they can find tickets, however the page is showing at the moment instead a message explaining that the artiste has cancelled the remainder of the show, so this page is still showing information that people looking on the page would want to know. There is also a photo of the artiste as the whole website is advertising him so it wants to have him looking good throughout on it.

News:

When you go on the 'news' page it shows you the latest updates about the artiste and things he has been up to with a short description of what each one is about and then a 'read more' button to be taken to the whole story. This keeps fans up to date with the artiste and what he is up to, which is the sort of thing that some people going on the website will want to see.

Shop:

When you go on the 'shop' page it opens a new tab taking you to a website that sells all of the official merchandise from the artistes stadium tour showing what's available for fans to buy. This is good advertisement for the artiste's products showing whats available for him to sell more. 

Music:

When you go on the 'music' page it shows all the recent music that the artiste has released which when you click on one takes you to a new page showing the different platforms it can be purchased on for the artistes fans to buy and listen to. This gives the artistes music more advertisement encouraging more people to buy the songs.

Videos:

When you go on the 'videos' page it opens up a new tab and takes you two Justin Bieber's YouTube account which has all of his music videos and other videos about him on it. This is good further advertisement for his social media, encouraging people to follow him YouTube account to keep up to date with his new videos.

Website Analysis- Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran Official Website

When you first open Ed Sheeran's website it takes you straight to the tour dates for his current tour before you can go to the actual website home page. This has been done as the people that would go on his website are fans who like the artiste so would be interested in seeing him on tour, therefore this strategy should get more sales.

Once you go through to the actual website the main thing you notice first on the page is an image of Ed Sheeran from his most recent music video, advertising and encouraging people to go watch it. There is also then a navigation bar, below the artistes name, showing all the different pages to go on the website to be seen straight away so people can find what they were looking for on the website fast.

News:

The 'news' page is for fans to keep up to date with what Ed Sheeran is up to, any new videos he's released and upcoming tour information etc. It is set out with a large image for each news item, with a brief summary of what it is about, the date it was posted and a 'read more' button to find out more about the news items you are interested in. When you click the'read more' button it takes you to the news you wanted to see and then has easy navigation with a 'back to news' button to take you back to the other stories.

Tour:

When you go on the 'tour' page it takes you to a list of all the tour locations and the dates he will be performing at them. Also, next to each date it either says 'sold out' or it has a button saying 'tickets' which if you click on it, links you to a webpage where you can buy the tickets. This is advertising his tour even more and encouraging people to go to his concerts having this on his website.

Music + videos:

When you go on the 'music + videos' you first see his 'top tracks' that you can click the play button over them to play a demo of the song or you can click the 'full track' button under which takes you to the full version of the song on Spotify. Then when you scroll down the page it shows all of his albums and when you click on one of them it takes you to links to download/ play the album, all of the tracks on the album with links to the lyrics, the music videos for songs from it and merchandise from that album.

Photos:

When you go on the 'photos' you see the most recent photos from Ed Sheeran's Instagram and when you go over the photos it shows you the captions for them. This is good for fans as they get to see more of the artiste and can get to know him a bit better through his social media.

Links:

When you go on the 'links' it shows all of Ed Sheerans social media links at the top and a box to sign up to with email to get updates about what he is up to and any news about him, which would appeal to most people visiting the website as they are fans of the artiste. Then when you scroll down it has the logos and links to all of the charities that Ed Sheeran supports to raise more awareness for them, this also makes the artiste look good as it shows he is a good person supporting all of these charities, using his large success to do something good.

Store:

When you go on 'store' page it shows Ed Sheeran's merchandise that is available for fan to buy from the links on the page. It shows the product, product title, price and a button for more details about it. This is good advertisement for the artiste's products showing whats available for him to sell more. 

Follow:

When you go over the 'follow' button, a drop down menu comes up with all of the artistes social media links that take you to his pages so fans can find his social media and follow him to keep up to date with what he's up to and sharing.

Website Moodboard

What is a Website

Websites are used by music artistes to advertise themselves and their music. They are for the audience to find out more about the artiste and keep with any news about them, for example upcoming tour dates, new music being released and new music videos.

Analysis of My Digipak

For the cover of my digipak I decided to use an image from the music video of the four boys, including the artiste, sat in a line with their backs to the camera. I did this as from looking as other digipaks from Ed Sheeran's albums he doesn't have photos of himself on them too much, compared to the conventional digipak and I felt this photo worked with space on the grass to put the title of the album and the artistes name underneath. I decided the use the same font on the album cover as I did in the music video to keep everything consistent and as I felt it is a nice relaxed, basic font that goes with the sort of style the artiste would usually go for.

For the back of the digipak I used a photo of the artiste from the back for the same reasons as the cover and as it is quite a scenic photo around the artiste it was a good photo to use with space to put all of the song names without covering the artiste as all. I made the song titles the same font as the cover for continuity and I made them the same blue colour used in the music video and on the website as that is the colour this album is going to me linked to since this is something that Ed Sheeran likes to do with each of his albums and the colour stands out against the background so it is all readable.

For the rest of the digipak I just used some photos of the artiste as that is something very conventional for a music artistes digipak and lets the fans see a bit more of the artiste as a bonus to go with the album. I used photos that go with the theme of the album, with a couple of them featuring a guitar as Ed Sheeran is known for playing the guitar in all of his music and at concerts; it is basically his trademark.

Original Digipak Design

Digipak Analysis- One Direction

The cover of the CD is two photos of the band as their image is one of the main things they are known for and their fan base like to see them, this is also the sort of cover that is used for all of their other albums. Their band name is larger than the album name on the cover as they will be recognised more by their name as they are so well-known globally. Also, the name of the album is called 'Four' as it is the bands fourth studio album.

The back of the CD is on the same background as the photo of the bands on the cover and uses the same colours with the text to keep consistency throughout the design. It has all of the songs in the album listed in order and then has the production companies involved with making it across the bottom to give them credit.

The inside is a different design to the outside but still links together with the simple design on the CD being the same as background of the image next to it. Again there is a photo of the band as that is what they do for all merchandise from then, having photos of themselves making them look good and so the audience gets to see a bit more of them as a bonus with the album.

The inside of the book in the digipak is quite unconventional in the fact that it doesn't have the lyrics inside, which many digipaks do have, and instead it just has lots if photos of all of the band members as their image is something they are very well-known from and their fan base like merchandise from them that allows them to see more of the artistes. Then on final pages it has credits which shows everyone involved with the production of each of the songs on the album and then a thank you from the band, making it personal and to give something extra to the audience.

Digipak Analysis- Ed Sheeran

The cover of the CD is very simple, just with a large as the name of the album is 'multiply'. The simple design is what the artiste has for his most recent albums, following a theme so it is something that the artiste is identified by, also as he has the simple on his guitar. It also has the only colours used on the album as green and black as the artiste likes to have a constant theme with his albums, so the one before this one was all orange and now it is green, then the following one was blue, and this is done so the artiste is recognised by those colours at the time using them as one of the main parts of his branding.

The back of the CD has an image of the artiste as that is a convention of most digipaks and the audience would like to see some of the artiste on the album, however it still keeps with the colours and theme of the whole digipak and is still quite a simple design. Then the titles of the songs are along the side in a font that goes with the style of the cover where it is not solidly written and looks more edgy. The fact that this is the only image of the artiste in the album, along with a drawing in the digipak book, it suggests that he wants more of the focus of the album to be on the music instead of him as many music albums you see will be covered in photos of the artiste making them look good and putting a lot of the focus on them over the music.

The inside of the CD has the same colour scheme being followed but now black is the more dominant colour. The image inside is of blood cells which, paired with the darker colours, may be indicating that the artiste has a dark inside, something that could also be suggest by the darker themes of many of his songs, including things such as break ups, drugs and death. The image of the blood cells may also be a link with one of the songs in the album which is called 'bloodstream' and there is the X shaped cell that stands out in the image still linking it to the cover and name of the album. Then the CD is a simple black disk with small green writing around the edge to keep it all simplistic, without too much going on as the whole design of the digipak is very plain to make it more effective.

The inside of the digipak book is very simple again, still following the colour scheme with the black and green. It simply has the lyrics for each song across the pages, with details about who was involved with the making of each song underneath to acknowledge everyone that was a part of the making of it all. Then to keep it interesting on alternating pages, the ones with the green background, there are drawing like images to do with the artiste or of things that somehow relate to some of the songs in the album. Also, on the final page of the book it has a thank you message from the artiste making it more personal and as a way to end it.

Digipak Moodboard

This moodboard shows a few digipaks that have inspired me with mine. They are all from the pop genre which is the same as the artiste I am making my digipak for. I like these ones as they haven't got a lot of writing on and are mainly just photos of the artiste which I think looks appealing and the audience would prefer to have as they are getting to see more of them.

What is a Digipak

A digipak is the paper book you find in the CD case of an album to show more of the artist, have the lyrics of the song or things about the album.

Conventions:

• Lyrics
• Photos of the artiste
• Message from the artiste
• Credits
• Track list
• Barcode
• Copyright information
• Social media

Merchandise

Merchandise is a good way for a music artistes to market and advertise themselves and new music they bring out, whilst also bringing in more revenue. With this in mind, making some merchandise to go with the music video I'm making could be a good idea to get more people finding out about it and listening to the song, along with watching the video. The merchandise could include mugs and tops that the artistes could wear himself and share photos of him with it on social media, making fans want it too so they can be like their favourite music artiste.

Here are a couple of examples of the sort of merchandise that could be sold: