Group Promotional Poster

Group Digipak

Group Digipak.

In this post I will discuss the final digipak we opted to use as our group digipak, this is after analysing each member of our groups first and second digipak drafts. As a group we looked at the drafts each group member had created and decided to use Nicole's this is because we felt it was finished to a very high standard and looked of a professional quality, as well as this it included the conventions of the dance genre. It also helped reflect our artist in a positive way.

This is the back cover and it was created in Photoshop, the quality of this track list is really good as it includes the relevant information (e.g. the record label), gets across the purpose easily with the track list and continues the theme of the digipak too. The background image was a good choice by Nicole as it portrays a good atmosphere whilst watching the artist perform live, this will make them feel more involved by seeing this image with the artist and more inclined to see him live with the positive atmosphere the image oozes. The neccessary information is good as it helps get across the purpose and also makes it look slightly more professional too as this information is important and associated with artists taken seriously within the music industry.

The purpose of this image is purely to entertain the audience of the digipak, the images have been adjusted to not overwhelm the audience and conflict with eachother but still be noticeable against the background. In order to make the images of the actual artist stand out, Nicole applieda fade effect to both images this was also done to a good standard as the colour difference is not noticeable. Images of the artist are the majority of the time included in the digipak as the audience is buying into the artist and their lifestyle as well as their music. The lyrics to the song 'stay awake' which we're creating a music video for are positioned in the right hand corner, a fade affect has again been applied with the artists name positioned over it, this could represent the songs that come within the artists album and also makes the artist more familiar with the lyrics to a popular song, a image and the artists name.

The purpose of this image it to again entertain the audience, the colours included have been consistent throughout the digipak which is good as it can be familiar to the audience and make the artist more recognisable too. The image shows the artist looking directly at the camera giving the impression he's looking at the audience, this could make it seem more personal to the audience as though he's looking at them individually and also make them feel more involved especially as the thankyou note is included in the digipak alongside this image. Behind there is another image of the artist that is edited to look like a shadow, this could link to the dance music being played at night time where shadows are evident obviously.

This is where the actual cd will be positioned, this is what the underneath would look like for example; when the cd is being played this will be visible, The design of this is good as it shows the consistency throuhout the digipak and is quite minimal which is good because lots of detail isn't necessary here as it wont be something thats particularly relevant to the audience but by having a consistent theme it makes it seem more professional and helps link all of the digipak together.

Nicole created the album cover in Photoshop and also applied a sketched effect to the image which is good as it shows the artist in different ways to the audience, as well as this is could be similar to how people look when listening to dance music as its often in clubs/parties/raves where theres dance music and its difficult to see all of someones features so it could link the artist to familiar things in the dance music conventions. The artist's name and the album cover which is also the name of the popular song featured on the album which we're creating a music video for are both in bold white font which helps it to stand out against the dark background and the image of the artist. It also connotes innocence and purity which contradicts the connotations of the dark background helping cement the mysterious image this album cover  connotes with the sketched image and the dark colours.

This thank you note is good as the design is minimal, continuing the colour scheme used throughout the digipak making it seem more professional and having numerous colours conflicting and overwhelming the audience. The thank you note is good as it gives the artist the oppurtunity to reach out to the audience and involves them in the lifestle of the artist. It also makes him seem more grateful by recognising the fans and their commitement to him as an artist, the fanbase would be loyal and would enjoy reading someone they follow with interest recognise their dedication as fans and buying into the artist too.

Analysis of Digipak

In this post i will explain how we created our own digipak after looking into some that professional artists including David Guetta's to get an idea of what our digipak should include, I will also analyze the digipak i've created and why i've chose to apply certain aspects, for example the color scheme. Creating a digipak was important as it will help market our artist, the themes that have been applied to individual marketing such as the promotional poster can also be applied and seen as a whole package too. The digipak helps maintain the artists image as well as being a professional piece including important information such as track list, record labels etc. 

This is the cd disc for the artist, i've kept the design very minimal as i felt the design of the album packaging was detailed enough, as well as this the lyrics being put on the cd disc i've also put the album title on there this is so that the artist can associated the whole package and links/connects the digipak and all the things that come within. This is the second digipak disc i created, the differences on this disc from the first attempt is basically the lyrics included, i only made this small adjustment as i felt the disc could be quite basic because after  viewing the digipak the audience would play the artists disc almost immediately without acknowledging the disc so much, despite this i wanted to include the theme id used throughout my digipak to make it consistant and associated with our artist. The faded lyrics positioned behind the album title makes it obvious to the audience that the song is included within the album too as the album title is Stay Awake and positioned at the front, the lyrics to Stay Awake, one of the tracks featured on the album is positioned further back to show its included in the album. The lyrics to stay awake are on the disc despite there being many songs on the album is because after researching the album we discovered this song went on to be the most popular, after reaching number one in the charts and being downloaded and sold the most. Because of this we decided it would be the most recognised song and may be the reason for the audience purchasing the album, after hearing the song that may decide to purchase the artists album to listen to what other music they've created.

The track list on the back of the album is quite minimal, I created this on photoshop and used a gradient to add the midnight blue border i think this gives it a more mysterious look and actually resembles fog, the background is also similar to when dance music is actually played (usually in night time) and also helps the purpose of the track list stand out which is obviously the track list. The track list contrasts against the dark background with the bright red block capital font, this font color stands out against the dark background and is also a good color to use as it is a bright vibrant color that is associated with positive things similarly to dance music. The track list is the only text on the back of the album because the purpose is easily fulfilled and easy to understand for the reader, the straight forward list is good because it doesn't potentially bore the reader. The contrasting colors are conventional to the dance genre which helps make it familiar to the audience and is similar a night club with the dark atmosphere yet bright contrasting colors.  The record label logo is located in the right hand bottom corner which highlights the professional quality of the album as the record label is quite big in the music industry, it also helps associated where the artist originated from, and gives the audience the minimal contact information they may need, for example they could contact through the record label. The record label logo is quite big as its where the artist came from, I decided it would be important to highlight the record label and give it the credit it deserves, as well as this the logo looked better when positioned at this size as before it looked slightly squashed with it being made too small.

The album cover is quite colourful in contrast to the rest of the digipak, the picture was edited by me in iPhoto on the mac computer however this was easily done as the only adjustments i made was differences in the saturation levels on the actual image, i also adjusted the red eye on the original image to make it look like a higher quality picture for the album cover. I also cropped the picture to what i felt neccessary for the cover of the album, i felt the image should be slightly bigger for the album cover as not a lot of details needed to be included on the cover, only the album title, artists name and image to help establish the artist and make it easy for the audience to build a relationship with the artist and recognise the artist. This is the second album cover i created, and finished at a much higher quality than the previous album cover i created. I found the background image on a particular website that freely gave copyright permission meaning it was easy to use without seeking permission which could be a long process, the fireworks in the background were a good idea as fireworks are often associated with positive things like celebrating which is why i felt it relevant to the album cover as it could represent the celebrations of the album being completed, it also upholds the positive theme the album should connote the audience which is key as the album falls into the dance genre which is key to have a positive atmosphere that is neccessary for the places dance music is usually placed and used. I positioned the artist in front of the fireworks to make him more obvious on the album cover to the audience, as well as this the image being centered on the album cover helps establish that everything is about the artist the fireworks surround the artist showing the centre of the party is the artist, the name of the artist Mike Smith is positioned at the top of the album cover to make it easily evident who the artist is and also introduces the artist to the audience who aren't already familiar with the artist or fans. The name of the album is positioned in the bottom right hand corner of the album cover, as after establishing the artist and the image of the artist this will be the next thing the audience are interested in learning. The colour of the fonts are both the same and in gold to not clash with the other colours used particularly in the firework background, gold also connotes winning and luxury as its associated with winning things first place which could also represent the songs on the album that reached the number one spot in the charts. I also edited a small glow around the artist to help differentiate between the image and the background as its obviously not the real background of the image, as well as this the small glow connotes an angelic and innocent image of the artist that is key for the role model image which will appeal to the younger audience and parents. Similar colours are used throughout to help keep the purpose of the album cover which is to promote the artist and the work produced on the album, it also makes the album easily understood by the audience rather than overwhelming the audience with too many colours that may make the album cover confusing and difficult to understand which would also make it difficult to get the purpose across to the audience of the album.

This is the second draft of the thankyou note for the digipak that i created, and this draft is slightly more complex than the first one however the only difference is more text that i included to make it more proffesional and likeable to the audience of the album. The colour again is similar to the other colours used on the digipak to make it easy to associate with the artist almost giving the artist a trademark image recognisable to the audience. The colours included are familiar to night time with black and dark blue which is often the time when dance music is played, usually in clubs or parties which is good to make it easy to establish where the dance music should be played. The writing is in bright orange to contribute the fun feel that dance music should have, the organge also makes it easier for the audience to read as it stands out and contrasts against the dark background. All of the text is in lower case except the last sentence which reads "DEDICATED TO THE BEST FANS IN THE WORLD." this is good as it makes it more urgent than the rest of the text and as the purpose of the thankyou note is to thank the audience, the last line is something that the audience would be pleased to read as the recognition of what a fanbase does for an artist is evident, its also the last line and the capitals almost gives the impression of shouting so it should cemente the idea in the audiences mind that they're the best fans in the world. The other text is equally as important however after getting the purpose across the last line will leave the audience with the feeling that they're the best fans and that their dedication to the artist is recognised and appreciated, it also creates the impression the artist is talking directly to each individual fan making it seem more personal.

digipak trial

A welcome note is extremely important in a Digipak, the welcome note can help introduce the target audience to the album which is good especially if it's the artists first album. It can also help the target audience engage with the artist making them feel more involved as if the artist is thanking each individual purchaser of the album. This is important as it makes it obvious the artist appreciates the loyalty of fans, the personal aspect also comes from the welcome/thankyou note being something the artist has thought up and wrote themselves as opposed to their promotional team, it could also give the audience a insight into the artists music too for example if they're thanking them for the lifestyle they've provided the artist with through their career the music may make more sense or even seem more relevant.

This is my first attempt at a welcome note for the digipak I created, the background colour merges quite well together as the black fades into blue, the colour blue connotes sophistication and trust which is good for the image of an artist as it could represent the high quality work within the album and the trust the audience should have in the artist with the welcome note. The thankyou note is quite simple and to the point in the first draft here in the digipak, it simply thanks the audience for buying into the artists work, thanking the audience simply was a good idea as it easily got the purpose across and helped cement the purpose into the audiences mind too. By keepign the thank you note short, it doesnt bore the audience and makes it obvious the artist acknowledges the fanbase who creates and fuels their career altogether. The orange font connotes positivity which is key as it keeps up the overall image of the actual album im creating a digipak for, the positivity thats represented in the colour also keeps up the theme of dance music, the bright colours that are in keeping with the image and its also similar to strobe lights that are usually evident in enviroments playing dance music. E.g. clubs, raves, parties etc. I also thought blacking fading into blue gave the impression of music that can be listened to all the time, raves and parties often go on from night time to early hours daytime and as  this music is played at these places the colours could represent the music going from night time onto day time too.

This is my first attempt at the design of the actual disc in the digipak, the design ive created here is very simple, the black background connotes night time and also bad a more sinister things while this isn't a good thing for an artist it could however represent the sinister things that come with parties such as drugs, alcohol etc. The dark background also makes the text 'Stay Awake' stand out which is the purpose of the disc, the disc isn't something the audience particularly focus on as after looking at the digipak and what it includes the audience will play the music almost immediately, because of this i thought designing the disc wasn't as important however i then thought it should be in keeping with the theme portrayed throughout the digipak and be of the same standard which is why my second design is slightly more complex. I thought including the bold 'Stay Awake' title was important after deciding on a basic design on the disc to reassure fans the disc was part of the artists work and digipak because obviously the design is very basic in comparison to the album cover. One thing that was similar to the digipak theme is the colour, the bright font is similar to the other bright colours used throughout.

This is the track list of the digipak, the black background is consistent throughout the digipak, making it all in keeping with the theme and the focus on the actual purpose. The dack background helped the blue/grey colour the merges around the edges of the track list, the blue/grey creates a mysterious impression which could represnt that theres things the audience dont know about the artist yet, it also looks similar to a cloud of smoke which is usually evident at parties so this theme is consistent too. The track list is in a red font which is again a colour that is used frequently on my digipak, the colour is bright and vibrant and connotes love as well as positivity which is a good thing as it creates a good image for the artist.  The font is in bold making it extremely easy to understand and also stands out against the basic background, the font is similar to coded font usually used on computers which could again connote the proffessional standard of the album the artist has produced as though its being typed alongside other important documentation. The track list's purpose is easily fufilled with the very basic background helping show the track list easily especially with no other unnecessary information included.

This is the album cover i created for the digipak on my first attempt, the back background has been painted around an image we took making the image of the artist really stand out and gives the impression of introducing the artist to the audience, especially with the name positioned above in text. The album title is positioned underneath the artist as it makes it easier for the audience to establish who the artist is first before going on the read the name of the album, the aritists name is in a gold font which could highlight the standard of the artists and talent as gold if often associated with winning it could also connote the number one singles included in the album, that previously won the number one spot in the charts. The name of the album is also in gold but the font differs this is to help distinguish the artists name and album name on the cover, i created this font in a gold colour too to make it easier to read and not overwhelm the audience. This album cover is not created to an extremely high quality as you can see where the paint and picture merge together making it seem unrealistic, however these factors were took into my consideration and contributed to the differences on the second draft of the album cover of my digipak.

History of the music video.

Music videos have changed dramatically with time, with software developing it has made a lot of oppurtunities for artists where they can experiment with music videos as opposed to before when music videos would be considered straight forward performance videos in contrast to today's music videos where narratives and concept based videos have become extremely popular to both artists and audiences.

The late 1970's

In the late 1970's british music artists would make an appearance on the hit show 'Top Of The Pops' this show could be considered a stepping stone for music videos as it helped artists establish themselves in the music industry, the artists would appear on the show and perform their song which would obviously be broadcasted on television. This show also featured popular current tracks which made it essential that artists were on that show if they wanted to make their song a success as it would be recognised to a big audience alongside other big artists in the industry. Before the late 1970's the only music video that was really made was performance based of the artist or performer on the song, the music video was usually just live footage of the live concert where the artists were performing this was sometimes a good thing as it helped the target audience see how good the artist was live as the music video was them performing live. Music videos in this time period however still included the same shot types that they do now such as long shots, close-up's and mid shots too.

Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody was one of the first music videos to step away from the performance based music videos that every music video to date had conformed too, they produced a music video that was different which is a big factor in it being so successful however due to all of the editing of the music video being done on a videotape its evident how far software and technology has come in the quality overall. Although performance based videos were still popular amongst artists, some artists did begin to create different music videos with a concept base, the majority of these music videos were both successful and popular probably because of how different they was it was something fresh for the audience and ingtriguing as it was still considered new. Videos who began to brand out and differ from performance based videos such as Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody effected massively to music videos, as other artists began to experiment with music videos which interested the audience who were used to plain performance based videos this may have been the reason why certain videos became more successful and profitable as it was an oppurtunity to experiment and even have an advantage on other artists.

1980's- 1991.

Top Of The Pops was a big contributor to the music industry as music videos went on to become just as popular the song and artist whereas before the audience was only interested in the song and artist, music videos were also a chance for the artists to distinguish between themselves and highlight their genre and even develop more of a personality than before. MTV is a extremely successful US network that was created in 1981 and is still around today, it began to air music videos by Madonna which simultaneously made music videos a neccessity, the music videos were becoming more unique as the artist devloped a personality that was now avaliable for the target audience, music videos were also popular because it gave the target audience the chance to be more involved with the artist theywere interested in, it helped build a connection as they felt the artist was producing a music video specifically for them. Music videos soon became vital to market an artist and as music videos were still current and new this was good because a lof of publicity came with the videos and how they interested the audience. Despite this being the making of music videos they're still no where nearly as advanced as they are today with the videos that are produced will all kind of effects and edited work, music videos were helpful as they really got across an image for the artist depending on how they wanted to be portrayed to the music video. An example of this would be Kylie Minogue and Madonna while Madonna was portrayed as a sex symbol that appealed to men with her rebellious image and fiesty attitude, Kylie Minogue was the opposite as the was displayed as a sweet girl who was aimed at the whole family as she could be considered more of a role model as opposed to Madonna who pushed boundaries with her videos. A more current example of this in the music industry today could be Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, while Taylor Swift creates family friendly music and has a good girl role model image that makes her fanbase wider as parents approve of her, her music videos are usually narrative but all very similar as she doesnt push boundaries or risk the image shes created for a fanbase. Differing from Taylor Swift is Miley Cyrus, however Miley Cyrus is a diverse artist as she was previously considered a good girl role model too before changing her image this was a risky decision as it could have meant parents werent as fond of her however it was easily done as Miley Cyrus was a teenager at the time, rebellion was something other teenagers could relate too as well as this it made her more interesting to the target audience as it was unexpected, Miley Cyrus' image could be considered quite fiesty and a sex symbol too which is where she opposes Taylor Swift who is more sweet than sexy with her image.

Higher quality coloured cameras were easier to access by artists as recording studios began to invest in this equipment, despite these being considered revolutionary equipment in this time period today the work that would be produced on them compared to the software avaliable would be mediocre. One of the most famous music videos to date was Michael Jackson -Thriller which was actually shot in this time era, this is surpising considered how successful the music video is on the budget equipment that was avaliable, the Thriller music video was released in 1983 and cost a staggering $500,000 to film with it being nearly 14 minutes long too it was the most intriguing video to be released, the narrative was actually obvious to the target audience in the music video that was easy to follow for the target audience while other music videos were slightly more difficult to follow. It could be said that this was the making of the lyrics matching the visuals and despite this music video being risky with a such high budget it is still one of the most successful music videos ever made.  This music video really set standards for other music videos to try and reach with its high quality and easy narrative.

1992-2004

Before technology became more advanced it was basically impossible for artists to record themselves and try and establish themselves, creating a track of a reasonably high standard without a producer or director was difficult and to hire a recording studio for long enough to produce some high quality work was so expensive that most artists couldn't manage to find the money. the late 90's and early 2000 years was actually when directors became more familar to the music industry, they slowly got recognised more and more for the work they was producing which is were the credits in music videos happened with the directors being credited on the videos they made, this really helped connect the music industry and the target audience. Slowly technology started being produced a reasonable affordable price for artists to start creating music videos, as well as this aspiring music directors starting applying their skills to artists starting out in the industry for a cheap price than allowed the produced work to be to a good enough level to approach record labels with more of a chance as artists were able to showcase their work and what they were able to do.

Hype Williams is the most obvious example of a director who established himself through this method and is not extremely succesful and has become recognised in the music industry, Hype Williams worked alongside Ke$ha on 'We R Who We Are', TLC 'No Scubz' and 2Pac 'California Love' which are just examples in how this music director is succesful through having to work for it and establish himself in the industry, directors like this are the reason we apply some techniques to music videos today such as concept based videos some people are suggested however some diagreee.

2005- present.

Music Videos are vital when a artist produces a song in more recent years, this is because the music videos artist produce help build a connection with the target audience and a relationship between the lyrics making them overall more personal. The media is also a reason for this as publicity creates a certain image for artists that the target audience will go on to buy in too through interest in their personal life and who the artist actually is, in more recent years the target audience has become interested in the artist not just the work they're releasing, because of this a music video is what makes the work more popular as the audience wants to see the artist. Some of the most viewed artists on YouTube include Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, who's videos are uploaded to their youtube channel also owned by the certified business Vevo, this is a free way for the audience to access the music videos, many artists can now actually establish themselves thanks to Youtube a way where anyone can upload a music video and get noticed. Music videos before being released sometimes release trailers because it creates suspense as to what the music video may include. The target audiences usually follow certain artists and are intrigued by the music video,an example of this couldbe Justin Bieber - beauty and a beat, to build publicity for when the song was released Justin Bieber pretended his camera was stolen the the footage was leaked when really it was just his new song because of this stunt his video reached a record breaking amount of views in one day through the anticipation in the target audience.  In recent years the music video's are now created with top of the range technology which enables the artist to create diverse music video and also get across the image they want through music videos. It also helps build recognition of the artist especially when the include the conventions that apply to their music genre and make it obvious what genre music they create music for.

Justin Bieber realeased a short trailer of his song Boyfriend before releasing the official song music video to promote it and create suspense, because most of his fanbase is teenage girls they were anticipating the full release of music video after seeing the trailer which ensured the Youtune Hits weren't dissapointing to Justin Bieber.

Through looking into the history of music videos and how they've changed over time its enabled me to understand how the music videos have been created along with how the technology as changed which as helped to create music videos of a higher standard. It's also helped me to consider how my music video will look for example if we created just a performance based music video it could look old fashioned or data even as this type of music video if from a certain genre. Its also helped me understand how music videos are vital and what images can be creates in a music video of the artist, for example you can create what image you like through a music video. Music videos will always change or develop overtime partly because equipment that actually creates the music video is improving as well as experience and ideas with time.

Diversity of music videos.

In the post i will explain what the divesrity in music video means, the advanatages and disadvantages of creating a diverse music video as well as this i will also give some examples of artists who have previously used in music videos and then going on to explain if we plan to create a diverse music video.

 

A diverse music video is basically a music video that unconventional and doesn't include the common stereotypes associated to the music genre the artist produces music within, an example of a diverse music video firstly could be Window Licker - Aphex Twin. The music video is diverse for many reasons, one of the more noticeable reasons could be that the artist is not present throughout the whole music video, this is a risky decision as it makes it difficult to build a relationship between the artist and the target audience making them less familar and harder to again build a fan base. The music video is concept based and is actually based on society which is a odd thing to base a music video on especially for this music genre as its nothing something the target audience would be familiar too and may even confuse people as to what genre music it is based entirely on the image of the song, the music video goes against the majority of Goodinws Theories and makes it difficult to build recognition for the artist without including him in the music video.

Another diverse music video is Madonna- Frozen who is an artist of the hip hop genre however Frozen differs from any music she has made before, Hip hop usually about creating a fun atmosphere and positivity whereas in the music video Madonna is wearing black throughout in a remote location which is another difference from the usually exotic location. The happiness and positivity that is usually evident throughout hip hop music videos is replaced by colours and an atmopshere that connotes negativity, the artist connotes loneliness and isolation in the music video which isn't common for a hip hop music video.

 

One disadvantage to diverse music videos to is that they're considered boring by many people as well as this they also can leave the viewers confused which isn't good after creating a music video usually to get across a specific purpose or message, by confusing the viewers it could potentially have a negative effect on the artist reputation and damage it by confusing the fanbase or target audience it would be hard to build a connection if they didnt understand the video. By ruining the artist reputation is may contribute to the video not neccessarily being successful which is another disadvantage, lastly diverse music videos usually only appeal to a smaller niche market which is a big factor to being considered when creating a diverse music video as it could waste time and money by risking the artists already fanbase for a niche audience and risking the fanbase already built.

Diverse music videos also have their advantages including the fact that it could reach out and increase the artists fanbase by creating a music video that appeals to somebody it would usually, it could also highlightt the artist in another light as opposed to always producing extremely similar music. A diverse music video will also draw attention to the music video which could potentially become free publicity with the song basically promoting itself, it could also increase recognition of the artist and increase the success of the song and be a big contributing factor in the artist rising in both fame and the music industry.

 

After looking into music videos i decided that certain examples could work and work to the artists advantage however this seems to be rare and a risky decision that isn't always worthwhile, the risks seem to outweigh the beneficial factors. If a diverse music video is create right it has the potential to be extremely successful and considerably cheaper if the diversity is too an extreme level where it attracts free publicity despite taking these factors into consideration overall i think diverse music videos are risky and aren't worth the risk especially until the artist is well established in the industry. We wont be creating a diverse music video as it would limit us as a group with what conventions we could apply and may even result in being both boring and difficult for people to understand, as well as this it may have been even harder for our group to decide on what to apply to our music video, the typical conventions of a dance music video are fun and positive which is something we wanted to display in our music video as a group therefore we wont be creating a diverse music video.