Evaluation Task 4

In order to create our artist through the cohesive package of a music video, website and digipak, I used a range of digital technologies during the planning and research as well as the creation of the promotional products.

THE MUSIC VIDEO
     During my initial research into music videos, I used YouTube to watch music videos for different artists, looking at several different artists such as Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Enrique Iglesias and Neon Trees. This allowed me to see the different conventions of music videos as well as understand how music videos conformed to conventions and theories set out by Goodwin, Stewart and Mulvey. It was clear from this that when I came to creating my own music video, I would need to consider all of these conventions and use them. It was also clear that each music videos have differing structures, some solely narrative, some only performance and some with a mix of the two. From this, we decided that in the video we would create, we wanted there to be a mix of performance and narrative. From looking at a range of different videos, we concluded that we wanted to create an indie music video.
  

    Using my mobile phone, I was able to conduct audience research by recording interviews with different people. I asked these people about their music and music video consumption, asking questions like what music do you liked and why, what artists you listen to, what makes a good music video. This allowed us to tailor our idea to the interests of a specific audience to create an artist who would appeal to them. The interviews revealed that this audience liked videos with love stories and as a result of this, we decided that we would include a relationship within our music video. The audience also stated that they listened to artists like Hozier and James Bay and because of this, we went on to conduct further, more genre specific research using similar artists as a source of inspiration.

     I used the internet to research into how the star image of artists like George Ezra, Tom Odell and Hozier had been constructed against Dyer and Negus's theories because by looking at indie artist who our target audience liked, we would hopefully be able to construct an artist who would also appeal to them. I used Google to look at pictures of these artist to see how they dressed and saw that they dressed in a very casual manner which connoted that they were just average people and nothing special. As a group, we decided that we would therefore dress our artist, Jay Harper, in a casual shirt, black jeans and brogues, similar to the pictures we had found of Hozier. To further my understanding of the way in which that organic artists construct a natural and organic image, I watch some music videos for artists like Ben Howard, Paolo Nutini and George Ezra who are two organic, indie artists. These videos showed the use of instruments which the artist played in order
to connote that they are organic musicians who use their musical talents in their music production. This was something that we felt would be very important in signifying that Jay is an organic artist, so we chose to feature the use of a guitar in the music video as it highlighted that he has multi-talented and has spent the time learning to play the guitar and then uses this skill in his music, furthering the idea that he is an organic artist.

     From watching YouTube videos for indie artists, I realised that the use of locations was key in creating an organic, indie star image. Some of Ben Howard and Tom Odell's videos featured the use of outdoors locations which we found were very effective in creating their organic image. For this reason, we decided that we would use a forest as while by simply surrounding him with nature, we were making Jay seem like more of an organic artist, we were also constructing an indie image by demonstrating that he doesn't do things that other artists, such as pop artists would do. This makes him seem more natural and intriguing by showing that he has an interest in nature. We then went out on a location scout, using a digital camera to take pictures of different open spaces that we could use in the video. This was important because it allowed us to see if the location was practical as well as have pictures to use to help us visualise what would happen in each location.
     The YouTube videos also highlighted the importance of the performance space in the connotation of an indie star image. In his 'Someone New' video, Hozier uses an actual stage to perform in front of a small audience while in Paolo Nutini's video for 'Let Me Down Easy' uses a rehearsal space. Both of these locations were very effective, however, because our artist is new, we felt it would be more appropriate to place him in a rehearsal studio as it is unlikely he will have done any proper performances yet. In order to ensure that our choice of location would be suitable, we used a camera to record a shot practise performance. This allowed us to see how the footage would look in our chosen location and gave us an idea of the kind of shots that we could take here.

     We sent out a survey through the website Survey Monkey which asked audiences their opinions on our preliminary ideas and from this we were able to conclude that they would like the narrative concept we had chosen and would definitely be interested in watching the video. Further to this, I used the UK Tribes website to find out which tribe our artist's fans would belong to, discovering they would be indie scensters and creatives so adding a performance element, with Jay rehearsing with the guitar would appeal to these groups. I also used Google to research teen psychographics from which I concluded that our target audience would be innovators and therefore interested in making their mark, so we should make Jay appeal to them and show through this authentic star image how he wants to make his mark in music.



     Following this, we finalised our ideas and drew out a storyboard. We then took photos of each frame and used iMovie to edit this to the music using our timeline as a guide to the length of each shot in order to construct and animatic. This was very useful in helping us see if were were going to be able to cut to the beat, if we needed to take more shots, make shots longer or even make them shorter as well as helping us to see if our narrative concept flowed. This was something that we did not do at AS and was very helpful in aiding our ability to visualise out music video. Once we had done this we were then able to make the necessary changes to the storyboard so that we would be prepared when filming.

      We were now ready to film and decided that we would use 2 cameras as opposed using one at AS, during our shoot days.This allowed us to make more efficient use of our time at each location as we were able to take shots from 2 different angles at one time instead of having to set up one camera in every single angle. We therefore had a wider range of shots to choose from during our editing and so we had the ability to be more creative. We also decided to document our shoot days by using our phone to make vlogs in which we showed where we were and spoke about what we were doing. This was very helpful when it came to our evaluation of the shoot days. It also helped us when we needed to refilm as we could see where we went wrong easily and therefore what we needed to do differently.
   After we had filmed, we needed to edit the footage using Adobe Premiere Pro. We started by editing in line with our storyboard, and used non-linear editing through the use of cross-cutting. We very quickly realised that the narrative concept we wanted to use was not going work, so we developed a new one, filming more footage in the same way as before. Once we had finished editing, we took a rough cut to an AS class and recorded feedback they gave us. From this, we were able to see that our narrative confused the audience and so we decided to create yet another narrative concept, however, this time instead of filming more, we decided that we would use the footage we already had and simply remove the part of the narrative that was confusing the audience.
     When editing, we noticed that some clips were too bright and some were too grainy. As a result we used the colour correction tools and the curves tool on Photoshop to make the footage darker and remove the grain. We also put a vignette on in order to try to remove the grain but this did not work and actually enhanced the grain already there.
Furthermore, we used the colour correction tools to change the colours to give a more organic, vintage appearance to the footage in order to emphasise Jay's organic image and make him appeal to our target audience. To do this, we first looked at some videos on YouTube in which this effect was used as inspiration and then we looked for some tutorials on blogs and YouTube to show us how to do this. In his video for the song 'Photograph', Ed Sheeran uses old footage which already has a vintage look to it, however, this does make him seem more organic and natural. Another example of a music video which uses the vintage effect is Ben Howard's 'Old Pine'. This makes the video look older and makes Howard seem like a more organic artist as it highlights the natural colours and therefore makes him seem natural.

We decided that the sepia look didn't look quite right as the memories we were trying to represent were in the past but not that far into the past so we removed it and then used the colour correction tools to experiment ourselves and find the right colour as well as give it a cinematic effect.

     Following this, the final thing we did was add a postbox to our video. This was done to make it look more like a professional video. We did this by finding a picture (PNG) of a postbox on google before inserting this PNG onto our footage and the using the framing tools on the editing software to make it an appropriate size and ensure it fitted our video. When we did this, we had to drag our footage down a bit to ensure that Jay's head was not cut off. 

THE DIGIPAK
Our research into digipaks using Google was very important in helping our understanding of how images can be manipulate and to help us create our own digipak creatively and make it genre specific. We looked at the digipaks for Tom Odell, Hozier, Paolo Nutini and George Ezra. From Paolo Nutini and George Ezra's covers, we noticed that the feature of the guitar contributed to the connotation that they were musicians rather than just singers and so enhanced their organic star image. We too were taking an organic approach to Jay Harper and so we decided that on the digipak, we would include an image of Jay with the guitar. Tom Odell and Hozier's album covers gave us inspiration for the type of and location of the shot we should use on the cover as both of which were unconventional. Tom Odell's was outside on a cobbled street, highlighting his organic nature by placing him outside, while Hozier's looks like a painting of the inside of a house. The image of Hozier in the centre of the album cover does not show his face which signifies that as an organic, indie artist, he doesn't want his success to be based upon his looks, but rather his music. All of this influenced us to use a shot which demonstrated our artist's organic qualities.
      We held a photoshoot so that we could take photos of Jay that could be used on the digipak, taking the photos on a digital camera that had an anti-motion blur setting to enable us to take clear, blur-free pictures as well as professional lighting so that the photos were bright. We decided to use a profile shot of Jay in the studio for the front cover of our digipak, to connote that like Hozier whose face was hidden, looks should not be the basis for an indie artists success. The use of the studio further added to the construction of an organic image as it appeared that Jay was rehearsing for a performance. The images on the inside and back covers show Jay with the guitar to connote that he has organic, natural talents and the ability to play the guitar.

    We also looked at the types of font used on these album covers, using the internet to help us find one that was similar to these. These album covers all had simple, but bold fonts, and due to the fact that we wanted to appeal to a similar audience, we wanted to find one that was similar. Once we had found one which was basic but had a vintage aspect to it in order to further the idea that Jay is organic, we used Photoshop to place this onto the images of the digipak, placing it in the top left corner, just like George Ezra as we found that this did not distract from the image of Jay on the front.


     We then used Photoshop to edit the picture we had chosen of the front and added a layer so that we could insert the text onto the image. Using the clone tool, we copied the background colouring for this image and used this on all of the other sides of the digipak. Using Photoshop, we then faded another picture onto the back and inside covers of the digipak which featured the guitar to further Jay's organic appeal. We wanted the image and effect of this to be similar to that of the background for the website, but we wanted the colours to be different. To change the colour, we used the curves tool and the temperature tool to make the backdrop have a more red colour for the digipak as opposed to purple for the website. We also used the liquify tool so that we could slim down our artist and make him easier to sell.



     Once we had sorted the images that we were going to use, we used the internet to find a digipak template. From this, we were able to see the dimensions needed for each cover as well as what image should appear on which side and corner.

   
THE WEBSITE

To go on the social media pages shown on the wesbite, I also used Photoshop to create a magazine cover as a form of promotion. Firstly, I looked at a series of different magazine covers for indie artists using Google images and then analysed the way in which they presented the artist. 

Following this, I went onto Photoshop and created a red rectangle for the background. On a different window, I used Photoshop and the colur range selector tool to remove the green screen on the image around the artist and then the crop tool to make the edges neater and cleaner. Following this, I used the temperature tools and curves to make the image darker and more cinematic. I then added this as a separate layer to the background and then merged the two. After this, I added a vignette to make the edges of the cover darker and make the cover frame Jay. I then inserted different layers to add all of the text and barcode.  

FACEBOOK PAGE AND INSTAGRAM

Mike Masnic speaks about the importance of an artist connecting with fans. Social media is a good way to connect with like-minded people as well as spread the word, so, I created a Facebook page for Jay Harper. Through this, Jay Harper can post updates and other Facebook users can share his page to help build his fanbase, because, as Henry Jenkins states 'if it doesn't spread it's dead' signifying the importance of creating something which can easily spread.
     The cover photo for the page is the image from the front of the digipak as this will re-enforce the image and therefore encourage people to buy the album. It is also something that the target audience may recognise. Additionally, to create the profile picture, I edited a picture of Jay with his guitar to put it onto a wooden background. This was important because the guitar connotes that he is an organic indie artist as well as the use of the wood in the background.
     On the page, there is an 'about' tab which has a biography for Jay, details of his management and bookings as well as a link to the official website. The link to the website is very important because it encourages the audience to connect and interact with Jay using a different site which they can use to explore what he does in more detail as well as sign up for newsletters.

     We then linked this FaceBook and the instagram account to the website through the use of a blog page as well as by featuring small icons for each of these social media sites at the bottom of every page.


GROUP COMMUNICATION

Although we discussed our project as a group at school, we needed to find a way to communicate outside of school and chose to do this using Facebook and in some cases iMessage. This was done so that we could carry on conversations that we had been having in person as well as talk about any concerns we had, changes we wanted to make and to arrange and confirm when to meet and where. We found that this was a successful way of communicating as it was very quick and easy.

    Further to this, we also used Facebook chat to organise our cast, making sure they knew where to be and when to be there as well as what to wear or bring with. This helped us to maximise our time as everyone came prepared and knew exactly what they were doing. Using this method of communication, we were also able to share pictures of what they needed to bring as well as send links which was helpful in avoiding confusion about what we meant.

GROUP TASK

Online research into target audience, narrative and star image:

To determine who the target audience for our artist, Jay Harper, would be we created survey using the online service Survey Monkey. On the survey, we asked questions to determine which demographic the respondent would fall into as well as more psychographic questions to find out their interests and their opinions on our narrative. From this, we found that Jay’s target audience was both men and women aged 15-30 as indie music appeals to a wider range of ages than other genre might. As a result of asking about their interests, we were then able to tailor our narrative to something that they would want to see and so it would appeal to them.

     We wanted to be able to sell Jay to his audience through more than just the music video. To achieve this, we used the internet to research into similar indie artists to Jay such as George Ezra, Tom Odell and Hozier and looking at their star images. From this, it was clear that the use of the guitar or other musical instrument and its presence in all of their products was key to the connotation that they are organic and authentic artists. From looking at YouTube videos and photos, we saw that these artists wear very casual clothing which signifies that they want to be seen as an average person who keeping up with the latest fashion isn’t vital to. The music videos for these artists have simple performances almost always relying on only their musical talents in order to connote their authenticity as an artist. When creating Jay’s star image, we conformed to the conventions we had found from conducting this research in order to present him as an organic, authentic, indie musician.

Filming your animatic – what you learnt from this:

Firstly, the storyboard was drawn out carefully using our initial ideas from our group discussions. From this, we used a digital camera to take photos of each frame of the storyboard and then edited this with the song in order to create our animatic. This helped us to see how the music video would potentially pan out and look after we had filmed and edited the real thing.

     After having completed the animatic, we saw that we would need to cut to the beat more and in order to do this, we would need more shots. The animatic consisted of about 40 shots and we realised that this was not enough because some were too long and we didn’t have enough to fill the whole song. We concluded that we would need to take at least triple this amount when we were filming in order to edit successfully and create an entertaining video which would prevent people from getting bored.

     The animatic helped us to visualise our video by illustrating how we would cut between locations and different strands of the video. This gave us a much clearer idea of what our video would look like before we had even filmed.

Filming your music video – how you used the camera more creatively than at AS:

At A2, we used 2 cameras while filming as opposed to one at AS. This was more creative as it allowed us to take a wider range of angles and therefore more shots which could be used when editing.

    At A2, we needed to take a wider range of shots than at AS. This is because at AS, we had to conform to Hollywood style continuity editing while at A2, we had the creative freedom use non-linear editing. The shots that we took therefore could look less alike and show very different locations to connote that they were all of separate memories in the video. We also took a wider range of shots to help us sell our artist as being organic. This was done through the use of close-ups of the guitar and of Jay playing it and wide angle shots showing the forest behind him.

Editing – how you edited more creatively than AS:

Our editing at A2 was more creative than at AS because we were no longer restricted by Hollywood style continuity editing. When editing the music video, we used non-linear editing which allowed us to jump between locations and speed up time, showing several days in the space of about 3 minutes. Further to this, we cut to the beat of the song so that the audience would not become disorientated when watching the video. As well as this, we also had to pay close attention to Jay’s mouth in order to match the lip-syncing to the audio. This was much more advanced than at AS because we were reliant on the music for the placing of shots and cutting between then while at AS, we only had to make sure that our shots followed in a coherent order.

     Our editing was also more professional as we inserted a post box around the frame by inserting a PNG image. We then readjusted this to ensure that none of our footage was cropped off. This was done to make our video seem like a professional music video rather than simply an A2 project.

     Another way in which our editing was more advanced and creative than AS was due to the fact that we used the colour correction tools on Adobe Premiere Pro to give a more cinematic effect to the footage and give it a more vintage and retro image to enhance the representation of Jay as an organic and authentic artist. This also made it clearer that the relationship was in the past though the slightly vintage appearance. We also changed the colour of the studio shots as they were too bright. To do this, we decreased the brightness using Photoshop and playing around with curves to make Jay stand out against the black backdrop.

Digipak and Website – how you created a cohesive package that ran along 3 different technologies:

We created a cohesive package by using a similar background on the digipak and website. The colouring on the digipak is red while the colouring of the website is a blue-purple both of which have a similar blob effect. This choice in colour and effect help to bring together the 2 products and make them easily identifiable as Jay Harper products.

     The star image is created via these products through the clothing that Jay wears. In these 2 products, Jay wears similar clothing to that seen in the music video which helps to make him recognisable. Harpers guitar is also key in these products to help present Jay’s authentic image. Jay is seen with the guitar in pictures for both of these products to enforce this idea and therefore make him appeal to his audience. On the digipak, we used Photoshop to fade an image with Jay and a guitar so that it blended in with the background, while on the website that we created using Wix, we added a gallery page where we uploaded images of Jay with his guitar.

     Social media was also shown on the website where we linked Spotify, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. These social media sites give additional attention to the product and to Jay by helping him connect with his fans and reach a wider audience. These sites allow Jay to connect with fans on a personal level by sending messages directly to them, a key aspect of the way in which he connects with the fans and keeps them interested in what he is doing.