Evaluation Task Four

Ancillary Task - Analysis Of Final Magazine Design

This is our final design for the magazine advert that will be featured in NME Magazine. By implementing a specific concept, this allowed us to expand our ideas and create an advert that fits well with our genre, the existing band and the song we have chosen to make a music video for.

The basic idea was developed from 'Two Door Cinema Clubs' album cover, which is the cat. We discussed how we were going to include a cat on the advert and came to the conclusion of having a cat flipped over and put next to the original image. By doing this, it almost looks as though there is a doorway in the middle of the cats paws. This co-insides with the artists name 'Two Door Cinema Club' - Two cats, with a door in the middle of the picture.

When choosing our text, we had to consider whether or not whether we wanted it to stand out from the picture, or fit around the picture. We decided to have the artists name as bold as possible in order to stand out and get the band name noticed when in a magazine such as NME. We agreed that black would be the best colour for the artists name and that white would be best for the other information. This will allow consumers to differentiate between band and song name. The songs title is also in block capitals. This allows consumers to recognise the song that the band is promoting easily. A quote was put into the design as a promotion technique. Consumers will look to see what other institutions rate their product as and this can form an opinion about the product, for the consumer. It makes the advert look more professional and adds a finishing touch to the design.

Finally, the logos we placed onto the advert make it look authentic. We put the bands record label onto the design in order to promote the label and the other artists associated with them. 'HMV' is there to show where the single can be purchased. The website is there to promote the band online. Consumers are able to visit the bands website in order to stay in contact with them, stay up to date with band news and find out where tickets are available to buy for their gigs.

Ancillary Task - Digipak Template

Here are some template ideas that we have decided on. All of them are different and fold up in different ways. The digipak template is really important because if its not the right style for our genre of music then the whole digipak design will be affected.

We will have to make the digipak appeal to our target audience. This will be achievable if we analyse other artists DigiPak's that fall under the same genre.

The first DigiPak template is a 6 Panel 1 CD design. By using this design we can have a variety of different panels, with different pictures; lyrics and any other information the fans want too see. We feel that this one is most suitable for our DigiPak and will base our design around this.

The middle DigiPak template is a 4 Panel 1 CD design. This is the most common DigiPak scene in the industry. As there is only 4 panels, this doesnt leave us with enough space to add any other relevant information we may need to give the fans.

The bottom DigiPak is a complicated 8 Panel 1 CD design, in which the panels can be opened out to form a long poster type image. All the information needed can be fitted onto this particular DigiPak leaving enough room for a front cover, back cover and lyrics.

Ancillary Task - What is a Digipak?

A definition of a DigiPak we found is - 'An innovative approach to packaging CD-Audio, CD-ROM and DVD discs, the patented Digipak is designed as the perfect replacement to the traditional plastic jewel box. Digipak is a self-contained package that protects the disc. It is shatter proof and allows for greater graphic display and market impact'.

Digipaks can be opened like a book, where one part opens to the right, one to the left and leaving the centre part holding the CD. The pack consists of 3 parts, front cover, middle section and the back cover. Many artists who publish their CD's into the public, will use a Digipak to help promote them, whether it be with exclusive pictures inside, or information about the artists themselves.

The front cover will display the Artists/Bands name. This will help consumers recognise that it is them and will help with promoting the CD. The Artists name is usually accompanied by a picture of the artist or a graphic design feature.

The Middle section is the part of the Digipak that encases the CD. This is generally plastic that is attached to the paper/card board, which is much like the more common 'Jewel Case'. Often, Digipaks display pictures of the artists and lyrics of their songs. If they decide to include this as 'bonus' features then they would also be found in the middle of the packs.

The back cover will generally display the artists or bands song. If its an album, it will display all of the songs on the CD. Also the barcode that shops scan for purchasing, will also be found on the back cover.

Day Two Of Filming

Day One Of Filming

We needed it to be sunny and luckily we had a whole week of sun so we decided to go out and try and get some filming done. Our main objective for the day was to try and have fun whilst being filmed because our music video needed to be fun and entertaining. We set out with the camera but because we didn't storyboard well we wasn't completely sure what we were going to film so we struggled.

After a bit of a discussion we eventually decided we were going to try and film some shots at Hutton Country Park because we knew that during school times it was empty however because we came straight from school to film we did not really have appropriate clothing on so it looked a bit cheap and silly.

We decided as a group that we wanted the main character Tom to lip sync throughout the video as we believed it would look a lot more effective.

After watching the footage back that we recorded we felt that it was not really good enough to use so we sat down as a group and fully storyboarded our music video so when we come to day two of filming it will be exactly how we want it.

Below are some pictures from the day of filming:

Social Networking

We decided to use social networking to try to create a buzz about the music video before it was released. A twitter account means that we can quickly communicate to fans and gain a fan base. When one person follows the twitter account, all of their followers see this which means that there is a good chance that we can quickly gain a decent fan base. Because we can communicate to fans, they feel involved with the process and hopefully they will share the music video with other potential fans.

Facebook is a great way to get our music video and band noticed in the industry and to the general public. With advancements in technology, we are able to post updates on the move, to stay as much in contact with our fans. These advancements include apps on smart phones and on computers. If we not only use Twitter, but Facebook aswell, this will help us maximise band coverage and gain the biggest fan base we can. With advancements in Facebooks abilities, when a person 'likes' our page, it automatically lets their friends know that they have done this. Allowing more exposure to the general public.

Storyboarding

These are our initial storyboard concepts. We decided that if we storyboarded what we were going to film, when it actually came down to filming, we would have a clear structure and could stick by that. By having this sctructure it allows a more simple approach to filming.

Brief/Pitch

Settings and Locations

When choosing our locations and settings we had to decide whether the target audience understood why we were choosing those particular shots and the settings they were in. For example at Liverpool Street Station we had a long shot of the main character Tom,walking off of the train meeting up with the other members of the group. This post will highlight the main places we filmed and why we specifically choose those locations.

The first shot was filmed at Liverpool Street Station. This shot proved successful as it was a long shot of the train, where all of the characters could be seen joining up from the different parts of the platform. This is a good location to use as many people use train stations in order to start their day. This shot is fitted with the style and the tempo of the music. Before we shot we went to the security office to ask for permission to film there. They had no hesitations to grant us this. A problem we faced was waiting for the platform to be empty in order for us to get a scene where it is only us in it.

This is a shot of where we filmed on a bridge. You are able to see many of the features which integrate well into our song, such as the River Thames below and off into the horizon. The shot was successful as it looked as if the main character was having fun with his friends on the bridge.

We also filmed a stationery shot of the characters in which you could see the background attractions of London, however we may not use this particular shot in our final edited version of the video. The actions filmed were of the three characters running on the bridge having a laugh, this works well with the lyric 'do you want it, do you want it, do you want it all?' This is due to the fact people in life want happiness and we feel that the shot matched well with what the artists are singing. In order for us to get the best shot possible, we had to wait for a gap in the crowd. This proved very difficult as it was a busy bridge and the tourists were always present.

This is the tunnel to a boat tour on the Thames. As a group we feel this was our most promising location, and we achieved many different shots here.

The lighting was perfect and there was not much to be seen surrounding the location. This was good for the sort of shots we wanted at this location because our goal was to make the main character the focus of some of the shots and not the setting around him.

The iconography in this clip would be the River outside of the Tunnel that we filmed in, the retro clothing that the characters in the video were wearing and finally the acting that was involved in the video, E.g. the main character singing into the camera. When we arrived at this location, we had a number of different ideas about where the camera would be placed, whether or not it was just going to be the main character shot here or the whole group.

 This location is Southbank Skatepark. This is a world renowned place in London, that many people have either heard of or been to. We were able to film many shots here as it is quite a retro area, that fits well with the theme of our music video and artists. This is one shot in particular that we used and as you can see, the BMX rider in the background was used to add extra effect. Later on in the video he also does a trick behind the characters in order to give the shot more of a interesting factor.

The stereotypical iconography expected to be seen in this location would be BMX riders and skateboarders, along with graffiti on the walls surrounding the area.  On arrival at this location it was reasonably busy with alot of BMX and skateboard equipment around the area. However, we overcome this problem by asking the people to move some of their stuff and also waiting for the crowds around to depart.

'Two Door Cinema Club' Song Lyrics

This is an analysis of the lyrics sung by the artist we have chosen to create a music video for. Our artist is 'Two Door Cinema Club'. We have analysed the Chourus, Verse and Bridge section of the song and explained what shots we will film in each of them.

Focus Group

Sampling Method

There are various ways in which we could choose to select candidates for our questionnaire. I have created a table below explaining the possible methods and the advantages and disadvantages of them:

After reviewing the possibilties of sampling methods when we distribute our questionnaire, we have decided that quota sampling will be the best method. This is because we need the answers to be accurate and will only try to ask people who fit into our target audience. This means that we will be able to see if the video we are making will be liked by the people we are targeting at. It will be harder than accidental sampling to find candidates to answer the questionnaire but should be worth it to ensure accuracy of answers.

Questionnaire - Results

Questionnaire - Target Audience

We have decided to create a questionnaire in order to gain the vital information we need. This questionnaire will be given to people in our chosen demographic, and we will use quota sampling to decide who gets the questionnaire. Here is a screenshot of the questionnaire we will be handing out.

Codes and Conventions of Genre

What is a Music Video?

A music video combines lyrics with imagery to promote the artists song. By adding imagery, this makes listening to the music, on sites such as YouTube or Vevo, more enjoyable for the viewers.

Music videos are primarily created as a marketing device, which is intended to promote the sales of the record and to help the artist become well known globally, depending on how successful the video is.

Different genres will depict what is involved in the music video. For example a 'Drum and Bass' song will have fast paced shots without a story to it. Whereas, a song sung buy an artist like 'Adele' will usually have a prevelant story.

Examples of genres within the music industry are:
- Alternative
- Rock
- Pop
- Garage
- Urban Trash Step
- House
- R&B
- Reggae
- Opera
- Dubstep
- Drum 'n' Bass

An example of a music video would be Ed Sheeran – ‘The A-Team’. This music video successfully integrates lyrics and images, whilst staying in sync to the theme of his song.

Throughout this music video, the narrative always matches the imagery shown. For example, at the start of the song it says "white lips, pale face" at this point there is a shot of the girls face out in the cold.