Evaluation Question 4

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

Research and Planning

When researching and planning our video, website and digipak we used various different technologies to aid us.

Evaluation Question 4 - Research & Planning from gracecc80

Construction of Website

To create our website we used 'Wix.com' - this site allows you to construct your own website, with hundreds of different templates to choose from, which can be edited and customised to suit the style you want.
When we were creating our website we considered various new technologies that our target audience would be interested in such as social media websites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and incorporated these into the bands website. To do this we created a live 'feed' of the posts the band were making which included Twitter and Instagram so that the website would be interactive for fans. As well as having links to social networking sites we also provided links to iTunes and Google Play so that fans would have easy access to buy the music.
Overall WIX was a very easy and simple platform to use and enabled us to create a full function and professionally looking website for our band.

Construction of the Digipak

 To create our digipak we gathered inspiration from google images to find previous album covers that we found interesting and found aesthetically pleasing. This was a very effective tool to use as it enabled us to look at a large variety of different album covers from a variety of different genres, such as; Rock/Alternative, Pop, Hip Hop and Metal.

Once we had an idea for our digipak we used Adobe Photoshop CS6 to create the 6 panels of our digipak. This enabled us to use a variety of different methods and tools to create our album covers - including a band logo, and background.

Construction of the Video

When creating the video we used a large variety of different technologies.
When filming we used a Cannon EOS 600D camera, so that the footage we shot would be in HD and look professional once we had edited it together, along with this we used a Tripod and Stedicam so that we could collect both stationary shots and shots with smooth, fluid movement.
When it came to editing the video we used Final Cut Express, which is an industry standard software used for video editing. This program allowed us to cut our shots to how we wanted them and easily sync them up with the music track. We were also able to add effects onto some of our footage, such as changing the brightness/contrast so that the lighting would look more low key. Additionally we also used slow motion on some of our footage to make the shots look more dramatic.

When editing we also used the software Adobe After Effects in order to create the 'frozen water' effect that features in the video. This was a rather complicated software to use, however through watching YouTube tutorials i was able to learn how to reproduce the effect to be put into our own film
Overall these new technologies helped the editing process greatly making it quick and simple to complete, through using these programs we were able to create the video that we desired and had storyboarded.

Evaluation

During the evaluation process I have used various new technologies to present my answers, these have included:
- PowerPoint - Able to present ideas in a clear and organised way on different 'slides' also allows an abundance of information to be displayed in one place - able to add images
- Slide Share - to upload and embed my powerpoint onto my blog - this is a free website to use
- Prezi - a presentation/slideshow tool in which you can add text, images, video and links - very useful for presenting something which requires different forms of media all in one.
- Gifs (makeagif.com) - able to create a slideshow of images that you select, which can be shown on a loop at various different speeds
- Photosnack - another presentation/slideshow type tool which can be used to display images.

These different tools all helped me to present my ideas and findings in a variety of different ways and overall improve the presentation of my blog, making it more interesting to read/view.

Evaluation Question 3

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Our Target Audience:
When researching into the alternative rock genre we also looked into who our primary and secondary audeinces would be. We found that our primary target audeince would be; males aged 16-30 who generally enjoy listening to the rock genre, but may listen to other genres such as pop and heavy. Our secondary audience would be similar to this however females 16-30, again with similar music tastes. We also felt that our audience would be in the sub-culture of Alternative Rock, therefore all three of our products would have to cater towards and be aimed at these target audiences.
Below is a 'Bitstrip' that we made during our initial research of a typical audience member, for which we aimed our music video towards:

Audience Feedback:

• Audience feedback is an important element in creating a product. As you may research into your audiences wants and needs but ultimately the product that you create may not communicate it; therefore it is important to gain feedback and constructive criticisms throughout the production process in order to ensure that your product is something that the audience will enjoy. 

• Audience feedback within the media industry is particularly used in order to find out if the product that is being created will be popular within both its target audience and wider audiences and ultimately its profitability.

 There are numerous way in which feedback can be collected, some of these include:
- YouTube Comments
- Questionnaires
- Surveys
- Facebook Comments
- Forums
- Focus Groups
- 'Likes'
Some of these methods of collecting feedback are more effective than others - for example 'likes' or short comments on YouTube etc. may offer you sone feedback in terms of whether your target audience likes your product(s) or not. However this may not necessarily give you feedback on what to improve - this is one of the benefits of focus groups/detailed surveys as you are getting the information you want and in detail. In focus groups you also have the potential to expand on a point that is brought up further and ask questions that you may not have thought of earlier.

Evaluation Question 3 - Feedback from gracecc80

Final Feedback

For our final audience feedback we held a focus group of members of our target audience and screened our three products, showing them our music video, website and digipak. We then gave a few participants questionnaires to be filled out by this focus group and our results were as follows:

From this feedback we have found the response to all three of our prosucts to be very positive. All of our audience members said that the three products worked well together and that it was obvious that they were suited to the rock genre.
From discussing with the feedback group further they said they enjoyed the cutaways within our music video and felt that it was tied in with the song/band performance very well; we also received very positive feedback on the special water effect that we used within the cutaways.
The group also felt that our digipak looked 'very professional' and 'couldn't have been done better' we were extremely proud of this feedback as we also felt that our digipak appeared sleek and professional.
Finally we received feedback on our website in which we allowed the focus group to browse the pages and click on the various links. The feedback again for this was very positive and the group again said the product appeared to be very professional and 'easy to use'. They also complimented the layout and simplicity of the website as they said that often the find some band websites can be over crowded.

What Improvements could we make?
When discussing with our focus group we also received some small points for improvement:
- The Bassist within the video should have had more enthusiasm and played a larger role within the band performance.
- More social media posts on the website

Overall the feedback that we have received throughout the production process has been very positive and has only included minor improvements as we went along, which were made accordingly.
 

Evaluation Question 2

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

For our band 'Loyal Blood' we created a three part promotion package, consisting of; a Music Video, Digipak and Website.
When creating our promotion package we found that ensuring we had a recurring theme throughout the three products was very important, in order for them to tie together and create a strong identity for our band 'Loyal Blood'.
In reference to this Synergy was very important (Synergy - 'The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.')
When researching into existing bands and their use of synergy we looked specifically at the alternative/rock genre as this is the genre of song that we chose and we would therefore have to take into consideration the conventions of that genre when creating our three products.  

A band that particularly interested us in terms of the synergy was Coldplay, with each new album they re-design their website to compliment their new digipak, this conformity is also evident in their videos, which tend to follow a similar theme:

The album sets a very colourful and graffiti style colour scheme for the band. This clear theme runs throughout their different products including the Website, Music Videos, Styling and Merchandise. By creating such a strong brand identity through this consistent theme/colour scheme the bands products can be easily recognised.

The website continues this bright/neon theme as in the Digipak, also continuing the bands font style/logo. The icons at the top are also in a doodle style, much like the graffiti that can be seen on the album cover. The website itself has numerous links to social media, such as Twitter, Facebook and Spotify. This again is an example of the band using synergy to promote themselves and spread to a wider audience - which is also complimented through a link to their 'Shop' in which numerous items of merchandise can be bought by fans. Links can also be seen on the homepage to buy different versions of the album (Vinyl, CD, Digital) and the concert DVD; as well as there being a separate tab 'Recordings' which takes users directly to a page in which they can buy all of these products. 
Additionally on the website there is a tab that will take them to the tour page - in which all of the dates/locations that the band will be playing are listed, as well as links which will take users to other websites where they can purchase tickets. 
Their website is therefore very strong in terms of synergy as it links all of their products together in one place, making it very accessible and easy to navigate for fans.

The video for 'Charlie Brown' also follows the theme that is so evident in the Digipak and the website. Bright/neon colours are used as well as the fun/party style that is presented. A matching font is also used for the bands logo at the beginning of the video meaning that the bands identify is established clearly, the fact that this appears at the very beginning of the video also means that it is immediately known that this is a Coldplay album, the font and colour of the text also means that the album which the song is from can also be quickly identified.

 

Overall all of Coldplay's band persona ties into this colourful and pop like theme for the 'Mylo Xyloto' era - all of its products can be easily identified as to be belonging to this album and it is this strong synergy that we aimed to recreate when creating our own band 'Loyal Blood.

Another band that we looked into was 'Royal Blood':

For our research we also looked at the band 'Royal Blood' because we really liked their style and their music and it was very similar to the style of band we wanted to create. Royal Blood are very successful in the way they create a 'brand' image and the links between their music videos, website and album are very strong. 

There is a strong common theme running throughout all of the bands media texts. This is evident in their use of Typography. With the use of the unique and interesting type face, which is like an old 'Times New Roman' but decaying and eroding away. We felt that this is an extremely interesting style which makes their logo instantly recognisable. As it is prominent throughout all of their products it makes it a lot easier for the fans to recognise the band but it also helps communicate to a new audience. This is a characteristic we wanted to follow throughout our products. 
We also found that the use of dark and desaturated colours was a common theme in Royal Blood's products. This is another key characteristic we found that helped to identify the band and create their 'brand'. All of these are factors and conventions of a typical rock band and we used them as influence for our own work. 

Website

When looking on professional websites such as Royal Blood's we found that their website was a very good example of successful branding. With their use of a simple, black and white colour scheme and a consistent type face throughout, it creates an effective and successful 'brand' for the band. As the website is a simple black and white it allows the user to easily navigate around the site. Also, with the bands logo situated at the top throughout the site it reinforces their identity and image. The use of Social Media is also very prominent and also important. With the use of social media it allows commercial fans but also new fans to stay up to date with the band and feel part of them. This was definitely a feature we wanted to incorporate into our work as we felt that it encourages interactivity within our own website but also in our social media pages. 

 

Apart from the use of social media the website also uses Synergy to promote the band's products. This is evident in the bands 'Store' page in which fan can purchase their music and merchandise.

'Loyal Blood'

When creating the three products for our band Loyal Blood we understood that it was very important for them to work together and compliment each other in order to create a successful promotional package. To do this we set our with a clear colour scheme and stylistic approach to ensure that all three products followed this shared theme. We first established a dark/low key lighting colour scheme as this fit in with the conventions of the Alternative/Rock genre and set a font, which would be shared throughout the digipak and Website (Perpetua Titling MT). By setting this common theme it was easy for us to be able to tie all of our products together - and make them all aesthetically similar.

When  attempting to establish clear synergy throughout our three products we felt that the most important feature would be the bands logo/font, as this would be something that would be included in both the website and digipak. We therefore create a clear logo for our band, which would also feature on our merchandise available on our website.

On our website itself there are multiple marketing techniques to promote the other media products. There is a music page which allows you to buy the whole album or individual songs, we also incorporated a merchandise store which allows you to buy clothing and accessories associated with the band. On the 'Home' page we also had the music video in a large banner to make it stand out and eye catching to the fans/viewer. These are all effective marketing techniques to help promote and advertise the band. 

Our website also ties in with our video as it, like all three of the products follows the dark colour scheme, and additionally has low key lighting. The website also features numerous 'on-set' images of the band recording the video. Some of the images which feature in our digipak were also taken when we shot the music video, meaning there is a clear link between the three products.

Social Media

We also found the use of social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to be very prominently used by bands nowadays. We therefore created 'pages' and accounts for some of these sites, so that our band could interact with their fans easily. These were then linked on our website so that users could find the bands social media pages easily. Once we had set up these sites we were able to make posts about what the band were doing - which then linked into the production of our music video for 'Out of the Black' fans were able to see exclusive behind the scenes images of the band filming their video and read updates on when it would be released.

Overall I believe that our three products work well together to create a well rounded promotional package for our band 'Loyal Blood'. Through these products we have created a strong brand identity which can be clearly identified in each individual product. This can be seen in the:
- Colour scheme (all share a similar dark/low key lighting scheme, which also helps to represent the genre of Alternative/Rock)
- Typography - by having the font Perpetua Titling MT running throughout our website and digipak and also being the font for the bands logo, a clear link can be made to the products.
- Consistent instruments - band members often have a 'signature instrument' when playing - we therefore followed this convention by having the guitarist/lead singer play with a recognisable instrument (the white guitar) this then also featured in one of the images on our digipak and on pictures of the band playing on the website - which again created a link between the products.

Evaluation Question 1

In what ways do your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

For our promotional package we created the band 'Loyal Blood' for the song 'Out Of The Black'. 

Video:

Within our Music video we used conventions from the Alternative Rock genre for both the performance portion of the video and the narrative cutaways. We took reference and inspiration from a variety of different professional products, such as:

- Coldplay – ‘In My Place 
- Royal Blood – ‘Out Of The Black’

We developed our main idea for the performance portion of our video from the video ‘Out Of The Black’ this was because we liked the simple style and the overall aesthetics of it – in particular the dark colour scheme and low key lighting to create shadows (we also found that this was a typical convention within the alternative rock genre). Therefore we based our primary idea around this theme. 

For the narrative part of our video we took ideas from the lyrics of the song we had selected – deciding on challenging typical gender roles in having a female protagonist to be the main character. For visual inspiration we looked at the video for ‘Addicted to You’ by Avicii and ‘Not the Only One’ by Sam Smith.

Above shows a side by side analysis of our video compared to professional products, the clips shown are from the following videos: 

• 'Addicted to you' by Avicii
• 'Out of the black' by Royal Blood
• 'Not the only one' by Sam Smith
• 'Speed of sound' by Coldplay
• 'In my place' by Coldplay
• 'Broken strings' by James Morrison

It doing this it is clearly evident how our music video was influenced by professional practice, encompassing a variety of different conventions as well as subverting them. In particular you can see how we replicated a number of shot types used in music videos for our own as we wanted to present our audience with familiar pleasures from that genre. This can be seen in our shot types when filming the band, such as close ups of the singers face and medium shots of the drum kit/cymbals. Additionally for our narrative we also replicated and took inspiration from the shot types used in the 'Addicted to you' video, for example:

We particularly liked this shot as we felt it was very aesthetically pleasing for the viewer and empowered our female lead. This however relates to Steve Neale's theory in genre of repetition and difference. He says that all products replicate a certain amount of elements/conventions within that genre in order to be classified within it. However there must also be some aspects of difference for it to stand out amongst the others and be successful. Although we replicated many aspects of of music videos (especially performance based ones) we also challenged conventions by having a strong female protagonist (something which is rarely seen in music videos) this meant that our final product was therefore unique, in challenging some conventions it had a unique selling point, which will mean it will stand out from other products.

Digipak:

When we were researching into possible ideas for our album cover/digipak we looked at numerous existing professional products. When looking at these we notes the typical conventions of covers within the Alternative/Rock genre:
- A dark colour scheme
- Simple and easy to read font
- Band names in bold - to stand out
- A central image - often graphically produced (as opposed to be photography)
Below is a mood board of album covers that we found inspiring when researching graphically designed covers:

We liked the simple style of the graphically created images and felt that if done right the covers looked very professional and tended to be successful within the genre. We therefore chose to develop an idea from this.
While we wanted to follow the typical conventions of this style of album cover we also wanted to challenge it in some ways in order to create something that was unique and interesting for our band 'Loyal Blood'.
We did this by designing/making an original background to be used for both the front and back of the album. We also decided to create a logo for the band - as we found that many bands, no just within the alternative/rock genre have a logo that is used consistently throughout their albums, website, merchandise etc.
Throughout the Digipak we wanted to have a recurring theme that appeared to be distorted, dark and edgy. We did this through our use of the distorted paper effect on three of the panels. We also felt that the font we selected was very important as it would be used within our website also, we found that typically within this genre the typography was very simple so that it was easy to read and recognisable.

When researching into bands within the genre we found that there was often a strong link/synergy between the website and Digipak. Therefore we aimed to conform to this convention by having a similar colour scheme/style for our website as in our Digipak:

Website:

When creating the website we had to carefully consider the typical conventions of a band website and ensure that we incorporated them well. We also felt that it was very important that the website was easy to use/navigate, so that fans could easily find what they were looking for when browsing the website. We took inspiration and learnt of the conventions by looking at various professional products (existing band websites) such as; Royal Blood, Coldplay, The Script and Muse. From looking at these websites we came up with a list of typical conventions/features that we wanted to include on our website:

• A simplistic 'Home Page' which liked up and summarised the rest of the website.
• Simple, navigable layout.
• A clear colour scheme - that matched the band/current album
• Merchandise page/links
• News page
• Tour page
• Gallery
• Links to social networking were also very important - all the websites we looked at heavily featured links to pages such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - this would allow fans to be interactive and have an active part in the band.

When creating the site as a whole we also attempted to incorporate synergy, so that all three of our products would have a clear style and brand.