My Magazine Advert

Here is my Magazine Advert, advertising my Digipak

Here is my magazine advert, I have used one of the images from my photoshoot that I did with Sam and Les a while ago now. I wanted to create a simple but energetic page that will tie in with my Digipak and also that creates the happy & bright scheme that is all over my work with Sam. I wanted to interlink all the intertextual pieces that relate to the music video so therefore I used the 80's colour palette, concentrating on the blue to highlight items and also match his shirt. I like the white banner down the side, which I took from a magazine advert that I was inspired by, the white creates a crisp but contrast too. I am really pleased with the look of the magazine advert it captures exactly what I wanted to capture. The white against the dark, well lit photograph really is eye-catching which draws your attention to the page which then makes you read it!

Magazine Advert Research

I took some photographs of magazine adverts to get some ideas as to what I would like mine to look like, there are some elements of each magazine that would look good on my magazine advert.

I like the monochrome design used on this magazine advert with the highlighting colour in the main title, the way there is some text on the diagonal and some square also creates an appealing look, but it does create empty space which isn't filled in. I don't think the monochrome palette would work with Sam as I am borrowing the bright colour palette from the eighties.

On this magazine advert I like the picture which is very dominant of the whole page, I like this as you instantly make a connection with the artist, then you have a little bit of text with a small title but it's very eye catching so that you look at it first. I think this design is the best one to use as my music video is focused on Sam and this picture shows the artist and it is focused on him, i think it would tie in really well with the rest of my ancillary texts.

Here is a magazine advert that is featured on a band, I like the little pictures of all the individuals that compile the band, however it would work for Sam. The advert is very simple and bold with only a splash of colour catching your attention. I like the simpleness of the design, you've got a strong title and sub heading then photo's of the band and then the article.

Here is another advert featured on a band, unlike the one before it has one big picture of the band with a "Hello we are..." box stating who the band is. The picture focus' on gradient, it quite dark at the top the goes to a white in the middle and then back to dark, which has allowed the designer to then merge it into the black text box at the bottom. I think this works well as there is no define lines which makes the whole advert flow and your eyes work with the flow.

Here is another advert on a solo performer, even though it is based on a female I do like the plain white side panel which has all of the text on, the the title and subtitle all feed from that ontop of the picture. This does work really well, as the title is bold and in your face but you still see the big picture of the artist. The white background behind the text and the side panel at the front make all the text flow and the advert work.

What Elements Will I Take & Use In My Advert?

I will definately take the use of the big image of the artist - this is because when I see a photo of the artist I can instantly make a connection with them, a bigger photo just draws your attention to the artist even more and it will reflect the video and the star persona feel I've tried to create.

I will experiment and try out the use of the white side panel with the text on it and the text leading off of it, it doesn't distract from the main image but its there and it all flows due to the white background. I think it works so well, and I will see whether it fits in with my magazine advert.

I will also experiment with the small title, and all the text at the top of the page. I do think this works well, but it does draw your attention to the top of the page. I will see if it works with my artist and the magazine advert, but I'm not too sure it will.

I will also experiment with slanting text, it doesn't have to be kept straight it can be angled which just adds another dimension to the piece, therefore I will see if I can use it on my magazine advert.

My Music Video Audience Feedback

Here is a screen shot of a message that I sent to friend's via facebook so that they could complete the survey on my music video.

The link to my survey is: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2QCCTHP
The link to my video is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fESNW86kJEk





Here are the Pie Charts that I have created so that is easier to analyse the response from my audience about my music video. I created these charts using Excel.

This pie chart is looking at where people would expect the music video to be shown, from the chart you can see that Music channels were the popular choice, closely followed by social networking sites. These two were the one that I thought would be the highest, due to the clean cut of the video shoot, it looks very professional, just like the ones you see on MTV and YouTube was a popular choice as it is an easily accessible way of promoting a video.

This pie chart shows whether people think what Sam is wearing ties in with the look of the video, as you can see everyone that took the survey think it does. It was quite a casual outfit but it fitted in with the look of the video and Sam could move easily in this too, which helped us in the video as he was an energetic performer.

This pie chart shows whether people think that the overall look fits in with the genre of music, clearly everyone did think the video tied in. I hoped this would be the case as I did look at a couple of "Rap" video's and saw a strong correlation between them, which I then used in my video. I kept it just Sam on screen, and also had very energetic, quick cuts. This was influenced by the video's I had previously watched.


This pie chart shows whether people liked my video or not, I am extremely pleased with the outcome as everyone did like my video. I put alot of hard work and effort into it and it is nice to see that all my work has paid off as everyone likes it, even Sam and Les.

This pie chart shows what genre people think my music video will fit into, a majority of people got it right as I aimed my video at the Rap genre, it would also fit in with the Hip - Hop genre too, but the Rap genre has a stronger correlation with the effects in my video.

This pie chart shows what people would change if they could change something about my video, a majority of people said nothing, which is great to hear back. The only two things people would change is Location and Narrative. The location was supposed to be in both the tv studio and the hotel but due to problems with the hotel we then couldn't shoot in there again, so that is why we stuck to the Studio shoot. Narrative, I don't agree that it could be improved/changed because when you watch the video, Sam is miming in time with the lyrics and he also does little actions too.

This pie chart shows what people thought the best element of the music video was, Camera work was the clear winner closely followed by editing and lighting. The camera work was freehand because I could then get an energetic feel from Sam, not being restricted by the trolley camera's. Editing was the longest process but this created the whole look of the video, which is spot on for the look we were after, lighting as well was carefully planned so the end video that was excuted was as what we wanted it to be.

My Music Video on YouTube & My Own Evaluation

Arkaic - One Way Ticket

Here is my music video, I have posted in onto YouTube so that it is easily accessible to embed onto my work and onto Sam's website. I am really pleased with the way my music video has turned out. It has worked so well, and it is exactly what I was after and what Sam wanted too.

Here is my analysis using Goodwin's Terminolgy:

Throughout the whole video there is a strong relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, the video is Sam the main singer throughout, this is then adjusted by different backgrounds. It is an energetic studio shoot which fits in with the genre of the music video. With the artist he plays towards the camera, he is emphasising the energy of the song. Which relates the music with the visuals. The colours are very monochrome, so that you are drawn to the artist in the front so that you don’t get distracted by the background. The music and the visuals link, firstly because you see the artist lip syncing with the lyrics in the song. Also, the cuts are very short & snappy which fits with the beat of the song. For example at the start of the track there is a flashing light which flashes with the beat.

The lyrics are all about how in life you only get one ticket, the visuals don’t show a journey of life, they just focus on the main artist himself. We did this because for the “rap” genre he fits into, we thought a studio shoot would look better than having a narrative video. Most “rapping” video’s are the artist themselves and the main focus is on them. The busy and energetic movement also ties in with the quickness of the rhythm in the background, throughtout the whole of the video you see Sam bouncing around and it is all cut to the beat.
One of the strongest links between the lyrics and visuals is Sam lip syncing, however Sam does do actions to relate to the lyrics, in particular there is one part where the lyrics are ‘Louis V Baggage, Aviator Shades On…’ and on screen you see Sam hold to pretend he has baggage and you see him clasp his sunglasses.

"Aviator Shades on…"

‘’Louis V Baggage’’

Another is when on screen he lifts up his arm which corresponds to the lyrics ‘’’Raise ya glass up to the sky….’’ Also when the lyrics are ‘Don’t look back….’’ Sam then looks back. I think when the lyrics and the visuals tie in with each other it gives an involvement of the two together, it shows there is a direct relationship between the two. Visuals are used to amplify what is being said, it gets the message across by pictures as well as text, your not only hearing it, your seeing it too.

"Don’t look back…"

"Raise ya glass…"

In my video, there is a strong music rhythm that is present throughout the whole video, the visuals tie in with the whole of the video; it’s a constant beat, with Sam’s moving constantly it works really well together. The video has been composed of loads of individual slides cut down which creates the energetic cutting between shot to shot.

Sam is a rapping artist, commonly in most rapping video’s, 95%-100% of the time you will be seeing the rapper on camera. With my video we have followed suit. You see the rapper, Sam on screen all the way through the video. Most rapping video’s are about one main person singing the lyrics, but the lyrics are ‘hard’, using words like ‘mate, yo, bro’ and so on, also violence and swearing occurs a lot throughout the lyrics but that just fits the whole atmosphere of the song. Just like how Sam looks and is dressed, he looks like your typical ‘chav’ that lurks about on the street at night causing trouble, all of this all adds together to give the viewer the best feel of the whole atmosphere revolving around the music video.

All the way through the music video Sam is featured in every single shot, the reason for this is so that us as a viewer, can gain a relationship with the artist, the easiest and most efficient way to do this is by seeing him all the time, you concentrate on him and this is a relationship will form. The rapper is in sync with the song that is playing, in some video’s the lead singer comes in and out of sync, to sort of create the illusion of suspending reality, we have done this in some sections of the video. Close-up’s convey a passion from the main singer, you can get a real sense of emotion from them.

My Music Video Screen Shots From Adobe Premier

Here is a selection of screen shots from Adobe Premier which is the programme I used to create & edit my music video. The screenshots show the small cuts which I put together to create the music video. This was a very time consuming process but the overall look that I created by having so many small cuts. It made the music video very energetic and lively which is what I wanted as you see Sam as his bouncy and playful character in the shoot. I also used various layers to create different effects, I used 2 layers for one of the effects which was using a plain white background (the same colour as on the shoot) and I used another layer for Sam which I then made smaller so that he seems small in comparison to the screen but the white layer below creates the illusion that he is in a massive studio! For another one of the layered effects I created the multiple of Sam, on each layer I cut different sections of Sam, so they moved in different times which creates a really good movement effect. I do like this effect as it creates a big sense of movement but disjointment too, this really adds a good effect to the music video, other than just seeing Sam by himself on the screen you see three of him.


The whole video:

This screen shot of the whole video, shows the amount of cuts and layers that have gone into making my music video. I am pleased with the way my music video has worked and I think even though the cuts were very time consuming they make the video.

This is the starting section of the video, it shows the credits and then the flashing lights that I have synced with the music, so that it flashes on the beat.

This is the light again, but at the end which eventually fades out to the black screen. I think this works because it is repeating what happened at the start so it connotates the "journey" theme.

This section is on the white screen, this was very difficult to sync in with the music as the beat is so fast paced and it had to be spot on in time. I spent ages trying to get these synced in with the music.

On this screen shot you can see how Sam is alot smaller on the white screen compared to the other shots. I've used another layer of white below, behind the main shot so that Sam looks tiny! I think this works really well, as it creates a difference within the video.

This screen shot shows the white fading to black, I created this effect by using the looking through the various transitions which you can find in the bottom left hand box. I think this works really well because if it went straight from white to black I think it wouldn't suit the video, so this is why I've used this transition.

This effect is where I have got Sam and created this three figure, disjointed effect. I think it works really well as it shows movement and it creates a visually exciting effect. The time line shows how many layers there are that creates this whole effect.

This shows the three figure disjointed effect when it is fading as I needed to get the screen to black. I created this by accident to begin with, I was just playing around trying to get the whole screen to fall black all at once, but it came out like this and I really liked the effect that it creates, where it disappeared gradually.

This effect shows the transition that I have used a fair amount through the music video, which is where you can see the old screen fading out and the new one fading in. I think this effect works well, there is always something on the screen so you keep looking!

My Final Digipak

Here is the front of my Digipak:



Here is the middle of my Digipak:






Here is my final Digipak, I decided to go for a 6 sided piece due to the size of the banner that I had created, I wanted to feature it across the Digipak. I think it adds such a big impact to the Digipak as it is bright and energetic which catches a consumers eye. It is definately more appealing to the eye. I am pleased with the simple but creative design, it is clear what information is being given on the Digipak and its in an order so that you know where to look first, instead of it being too busy you don't know where to look. The middle of the digipak I kept fairly simple to be easy on the eye as it's more about giving information on Sam than to catch the audience's attention. The overall final look of the Digipak fits in with the rest of the literature & video I've created which I think is key. When you have a "look" if it is used throughout an artist's publicity, the public will get to know the style and will instantly recognise his/her's work.

Digipak Research

What is a DVD Digipak?

Digipak is a patented style of compact disc or DVD packaging, & is a registered trademark of AGI media, which licences the name and designs to manufactures around the world.

Digipaks typically consist of a gatefold – book style paperboard or card stock or outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding in CD – DVD attached to the inside.

Digipaks are usually CD size but the tall DVD digipak is used as a premium package for DVDs and DVD sets.


Key Elements:

Gatefold Style

FRONT
BACK
INSIDE
BOOKLET

Text
- Name of band/artist
- Name of album
- Price
- Track listings
- Bonus material
- Biography
- Producer
- Musicians
- Where and when recorded
- Record Info
- Song writers

Pictorial
- Picture of band/artist
- Logo Record Company - Name
- Barcode
- Pictures of the artist of Gigs/Video
- DVD logo
- CD logo if there’s just audio

Design
- Colour & style to fit artist genre
- Unfolds
- Pictures of the artist
- Cardboard sleeve
- DVD/CD
- Booklet


Why do people release a DVD Digipak?
Consumer: More product, more choice, makes it more value for money
Industry: exploiting the product, to make it more appealing to the consumers

Which Style to Choose?

Here are the different designs that I have contemplated when designing my CD cover for Sam. I have looked at a variety of design, both conventional and unconventional.

The Gatefold Card Case:

Here is the Arctic Monkeys 2007 album 'Favourite Worst Nightmare'. This design looks stylish, well made and I like how you open out the design to reveal the CD. Another advantage for this design is that more artwork can be shown in the design, showing images of the band or the house design. However, his design can be damaged easily due to the material used. I like this design and this is a main contender when making the final decision.

Molded Plastic CD Case:

This CD design is by Bloc Party for their 'Flux Remixes' CD single that was handed out with an issue of NME in 2007. I like how different this design is to all the other cases I have considered, making a simple thing interesting and cool. The downsides for this design is that it does not have much room for artwork to be displayed or a booklet to be included inside the design. Furthermore, this design would be difficult to use as the design is rare.

Super Jewel Plastic Case:

Here is the standard CD case for a brand new CD single or album. This case, the Super Jewel Box, is the successor to the conventional clear plastic case that sold in the millions. I like look and feel of the design, but is too run of the mill for my liking as i want my design to stand out. I would prefer something that allows me to be more creative and i beleive that this does not allow that.

Plastic Jewel Case with Clear Plastic Sleeve:

This unconventional CD design is by Bloc Party, when releasing their second album, 'Weekend In The City'. This version of the album is a special edition which includes a DVD. Unlike the normal version of this album, the band name and album title is printed onto a clear plastic sleeve. Another difference for the edition is the red plastic jewel case, which makes in distinctive for other designs. I like this design as it is striking and different from most other designs. Also, the clear plastic clear could be used for many ideas to create the front or back covers.

Card Boxset Case:

This design was used for the 2008 album by Maximo Park called 'Quicken The Heart'. I really like this design for the CD/DVD version of the album as it looks very professional and a different design from the normal. Inside the card sleeve are two seperate card gatefold designs that include the CD or DVD and a booklet to go with it. Along with that is a booklet of pictures from the bands 'journey' when producing the album. As well as the look, I think the feel of the design is excellent and this is my favourite design from the ones I have reviewed.

Arkaic's Banner

After how successful the photoshoot was, Me, Sam & Les were really happy with the photographs that we took. Therefore I designed this banner for his website, which is now being used on there. Using photoshop & different brushes I created this busy & colourful banner, which again like his photographs are playful & bright, which convey's energy. This was used on Arkaic's website, but it has now been changed to a different one, which keeps his audience looking. This is now used for the digipak as it was such a good, and bright piece of work which I was very proud of, and wanted to use it in my A Level Work.

Photograph's from The Photoshoot

Here are the photographs that I took whilst we were in the underground, we set all the lightening up & used a professional camera. This creates a really good effect, it highlights Sam & makes him the main focus. We changed the colours of his top and the paint he was standing next to and added accessories, so that it would create a bit of vibrancy & playfullness, which relates to Sam's playful nature! I really like the way these have come out, it creates a really good effect & I would love to use them in the digipak/magazine advert later on in the project.