Ancillary Task- Final Print Poster

Ancillary Task- Final Digipak Cover

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

In order to plan, research, film, edit and exhibit my media music video I had to use a huge variation of different technologies, ranging from websites to tripods. By creating a Wix site I was able to illustrate the process in which I used each of these technologies in detail. I tried to keep up with the idea of branding and synergy throughout the site and my promotional package by using the same grey, black and white scale colour scheme, images from my digipak and the most similar font I could find considering Wix didn't offer the 'Digital' style. I feel this has been a success as it really reflects the Digipak, Ad and music video, almost making it seem like the band's official website as it displays the idea of branding. Please take a look to get a more in depth view on the different technologies that were employed during the making of 'Daylight'.
Free website - Powered By Wix.com

3. What Have You Learnt From Your Audience Feedback?

After finishing off my media music video, I obviously got several people to view it and tell me what they thought about the complete product. In combination with this I uploaded it to websites such as youtube and facebook in order to get feedback from a whole range of people. I entered the stats section of youtube to get a good look at who viewed my video, where they were from, from what device they were viewing it and whether they were male or female. This is what I found:

Age & Gender Stats

 Here is becomes evident that I achieved my goal of appealing to both boys and girls despite the song being more feminine due to it's joyful and upbeat melody. I think this comes down to my variation in actors and choice of costume, as I was very aware of keeping the entire mise en scene very down to earth in order to relate to the carefree attitude of the track. This also shows that the most views came from 13-24 year olds which once again satisfies my intentions in relation to my target audience as the rebellious and playful aspect of the song combined with the teenage actors messing around in the video appeals to a more youthful audience.

Device Stats

 Here we can see from where the audience have accessed the video. Although I had no specific preference or target in terms of how people actually came across the video, I thought this little section of info was still quite interesting. Most views were clocked up through the video being embedded on other websites such as Facebook and Blogger. This is a positive as it means that the chances of people liking my video and as a result re-posting it are likely.

Country Stats

Here's an overview on where most views have taken place. With 112 views, the most viewers are from the UK. This is not incredibly surprising as it is logical that most people who watch my video are in the UK considering this is where it was created and posted. I'm also pleased with the variation of other European countries such as Austria, Belgium and Spain seeing as these places do not consider English as a main language, meaning I have targeted a wide range of audience in terms of nationality.

In addition to the stats collected through youtube, I also constructed a short video documenting feedback. I chose to ask a range of different people in the same age group as myself and my target audience in order to get a good summary of what I have done well and what I could improve upon. I was pleased to hear a lot of positive feedback on my editing and the conveying of a joyful mood throughout the video, as these were my biggest priorities.

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

I feel the combination of my main product and ancillary task has worked very well. This is due to my awareness of synergy throughout the package as I was able to create an idea of branding of the actual track and the band with my use of fonts, layout and colours. I am very pleased with the result as I feel that it reflects an actual media product that could be seen today, as the digipak, video and print poster compliment each other so well. Please watch my director's commentary style video to get more info on the links between each product.

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Here is my Prezi illustrating how my video relates to the conventions of other real media products. Please watch for a detailed analysis of each section 'Daylight' by Matt and Kim and how it links to actual music videos of similar genres, utilizing the Art of the Title 9 Shot Grid.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? on Prezi

5. Final Print Advertisement

After spending time investigating the different aspects, advantages and disadvantages of print advertisement, I finally came up with a mock up of a release poster for my track's digipak. 

During the editing&decision process

During the editing process, I began to realize that in terms of this particular type of advertisement, less is actually more. The less the content on the poster the more the information is eye catching, merely conveying the vital info that the target audience needs to know in order to purchase the album or download that particular single.

Final Poster

Here is the final mock up of my poster. I am actually very happy with it, despite the initial changes I made to it's layout and composition. Differing from the flat plan that I previously made illustrating the cover of the digipak to appear in small size on top of an image of the band (my actors), I decided to use a large scale version of the cover art and to cut out the picture entirely. By doing this I have stripped down the complexities of the poster, conveying only the vital info and allowing a stronger sense of branding and synergy as the font and colour scheme of the announcement reflects the title situated on the cover art. I also included a QR code and the URL to the website of the band, which appeals to the modern aspect of advertisement as it allows information to branch out on the internet. All in all, I feel it is a success, as although it is not incredibly detailed or complicated, I feel it's simplicity is more eye catching as it develops this feel of branding from the music video, to the digipak to the final poster.

4. Plan of Print Advert

Here is a flat plan of my print advert, indicating where things will be placed in terms of composition, font and style. I will be using the same editing effects, fonts and colours than the one in my digipak to ensure synergy as this way it will be easily recognizable to fans and the general public alike.

Plan of composition&layout

3. Importance of Print Advertisement

Here is a prezi exploring the importance of print advertisements in the promotion of the upcoming release of an album.

Importance of Print Advert in Promotion on Prezi

2. Photoshop

As I have been investigating the aspect of print in the advertisment of upcoming releases of artist's, I took a particular ad to copy on photoshop, much like I did with the Faithless album. This has changed my mind about my previous claim that these little ads were so simple, as I have now experienced that their simplicity actually complicates their process of development quite a bit, as it requires the colours, fonts and placements to be incredibly precise in order to convey the full effect to attract attention.

Original

Copy

I decided to copy Passion Pit's ad for their 2009 release, 'Manners'. I felt their alternative genre and style linked nicely with my chosen track and digipak. This ad also caught my eye as it combines two very different techniques of advertising; the old fashioned and physical 'print' advert which can be plastered on buses, billboards and noticeboards and the modern QR code, an image of which you can take on your phone which will lead you to the band's website. These were distributed on posters, flyers, billboards and even coasters !

1. Conventions of CD Advertising

In order to finish my Ancillary Task I must now research the conventions of CD and Album advertising before I create a mock up of one for my single 'Daylight'.

Whilst flicking through 'mixmag' and 'KERRANG!' magazines I was surprised by the subtlety and simplistic nature that these advertisements actually appear in, as I really had to search to spot one.

Generally taking up either a page or half a page of a magazine, these advertisements feature a photograph of the band or artist, the name of the album or single and a smaller image of the actual CD. It is often in correlation with a label such as HMV in which it will be distributed and the price is often mentioned underneath it's release date.

Example of Advertisement

 Here is a good example of the simplicity of a normal album advertisement. The font and colours reflect the genre of the album, whilst information is easily read and clear. The image of the artist adds a good touch as it is a personal view of who has created and released the song.

For my advertisement I will need to ensure I remain continuous with the vintage effect and digital font throughout the promotional package, as this will make it all the more strong as it will easily be recognized if stylized. In addition, I will also need a good picture of my actors to represent the band as they will need to reflect the same joyful attitude emitted in the video. This is when synergy begins to play a huge role in the creation of my advertisments in order to develop a certain branding to reflect collective unity throughout all products in order for them to be easily recognized and affiliated with each other.

8. Final Digipak Mock Up

Final Digipak Mock Up

As you can see all my planning has now come together to form the final mock up for my music video's digipak. Although relatively simple and subtle, I feel this is all the more effective and eye catching as it conveys the most important info. I used the same editing techniques in all the photographs and incoroporated images taken from the actual music video to establish a sense of branding and style in order for the product to be easily recognizable. This has ensured synergy throughout my promotional package.

7. Digipak plan

Flat Plan&Layout

Here is an illustrated plan of my digipak, planning the images I will be needing to take to finish it. I am quite happy with this as it has given me a very clear and straightforward idea on how to put it together now. One important thing I will have to ensure is synergy throughout the editing and fonts placed on the package, as they will have to correlate to creatre a certain style and develop an idea of branding.

Digipak Samples

I am now at the stage where I will begin mocking up my digipak. This is very exciting as I've had great fun experimenting with fonts, images and effects for my package. However, first here are a few samples. Any feedback is always appreciated !

Cover Sample

I really like the placement of the shoes as the placement of shoes adds negative space that reflects the stripped down aspect and simplicity of my video. In addition, it also provides a lovely contrast in shadow and light which links to the track name 'Daylight'. I've chosen the digital font as it reflects the theme of time and links into the stop motion section of clocks.

Back Sample

An image of the beach fits in nicely with the video, as many of the scenes have been shot here. I've stuck with the same washed out editing technique featured in the cover sample to really assume the idea of collective unity and synergy throughout the package. It also emits a vintage and indie feel, whilst keeping it light and saturated to reflect a peaceful and joyful style. However, I'm a bit torn with the placing of the track names, as they look great scattered around the image, yet this is not a conventional way of placing them judging from already established digipaks. However, this might just be the key to an interesting cover as my music genre is more alternative than conventional.

6. CD Sales Investigation

During this period of time in an ever developing world, the budding internet is offering a huge variety of ways to view, listen to and download music and videos for free. Although this is incredibly convenient for many, it does mean that CD and Album sales have begun to plummet during the last 5 years.

Death of the physical Album & CD?

For the week ending May 30, the U.S. music industry sold a total of 4,984,000 albums, according to Nielsen Soundscan. This figure, which includes new and catalog releases, represents the fewest number of albums sold in one week since Soundscan began compiling this data in 1994. Taking this into account when comparing to the album sales for the week ending May 31, 2009, totaled 5.76 million. The highest one-week tally recorded during the Soundscan era is 45.4 million albums, in late December, 2000. This is a considerably large drop in sales, and one can't help but wonder, is it the beginning of the decline and death of physical album and CDs? According to Billboard's estimation, that weekly album sales volume could, in fact, be at its lowest point since the early 1970s.

Whatever the benchmark for album sales in the past few years, industry executives agree that this week's album sales total of 4.98 million units is "pretty scary," in the words of Bruce Ogilvie, CEO of leading music wholesaler Super D. However, digital track sales for the week totaled 21.7 million, and are distinct from the album sales tally, which links to my previous point emphasizing the growth of power of the internet in aspects such as programme's like iTunes where music is paid for prior to being downloaded. UMGD's Urie cites this week's album total as "all the more reason why everyone in the industry should be focused on getting the U.S. Congress to introduce legislation that makes the Internet service providers our allies in fighting piracy. Piracy is getting worse and worse and the government needs to focus on that."

Piracy

Following the death of notorious filesharing and piracy program, Limewire, killed by the US courts after a four-year battle with the Recording Industry Association of America, its legal rivals are beginning to voice hope.
"It's a huge positive for the music industry that LimeWire has been shut down," Steve Purdham the outspoken chief executive of UK music streaming site We7 said. Although this has been incredibly beneficial to the sales of albums as people were unable to share files as easily as before Purdham still voices his conern;
"But what we don't want is for the site's users to simply move on to the next illegal peer-to-peer sharing site that grabs their attention."

Artists these days have now resulted in making money and cultivating success in several different ways. One which has been incrasingly popular is music festivals, as demands for live music are now rising. Examples of music festivals are Coachella and Lollapalooza in the USA and Glastonbury in the UK, just to name a few.

Coachella Music Festival

Appearing on TV shows and attending live interviews are also a great source of publicity as it shows stars active in society voicing an opinion or merely just making an appearance. A great example of this is Lana Del Rey's appearance on Saturday Night Live, which has promoted her image and her upcoming album release 'Born to Die'.

Lana Del Rey- Saturday Night Live

5. Photoshop

To practice my photoshop skills and grow accustomed to the layout and style of digipaks I have created an exact copy (or as much as a copy as my resources have allowed  me to) of the Faithless album, To All New Arrivals. I feel this task has helped immensely with familiarizing myself to the workings of photoshop and the layout of a Digipak to maximize it's capacity to transmit information and promote the style and visuals of the band.

Cover Art Copy

Back Cover Copy

Although the cover art doesn't emply the exact same image and therefore the editing is not identical, I still think it is effective as I was able to transmit the same style and atmosphere of the original. This is really a very valuable skill to me, as my video is all about emitting a certain attitude, state of mind and genre through the layout and style of the digipak. Therefore, I actually think it is better as appearing to not be a carbon copy but something that employs the same image as the original.

Original- Back

Original- Cover Art

I wasn't able to find very good quality images of the original discography for Faithless' 'To All New Arrivals', however I feel that these pictures are good enough to catch a gist of what I was actually copying. Synergy is used throughout the discography to create a certain look and style, which I feel has worked very subtley and nicely.

4. Star Image & My Digipak

Star image is incredibly important in the cover art for any release of an album, as it is what essentially sells the product. If you have an enigmatic and visually appealing figure pinned to the front of you CD Case or Digipak it is much more likely to attract the attention of potential buyers than if you don't.

Lana del Rey- Star Quality

A fantastic example of this is the cover art for Lana Del Rey's new album 'Video Games', as she is exquisitely beautiful and possesses a star quality right from the word go, immeditately attracting attention. I find this use of photographing the artist for the initial cover art a fantastic technique for album promotion as it provides it with a personalized touch as you get a really good view of the person who has actually produced the music you are about to purchase. In addition, she is incredibly visually appealing and anybody would be happy to own a photograph of this woman or any attractive star that has created the music you listen to.

Vampire Weekend- Cover Art essentially reflects style and genre of product.

However, due to my song being produced by a band an not a single artist, I will not be photographing a 'star' for my cover art. Instead I will be using images that reflect and link to the content and style of my video, as I am essentially releasing a promotional package of a single and video, not just a mere song. Taking this into consideration I will be producing something a bit like Vampire Weekend's 2007 album, Vampire Weekend, as they are a similar genre and style to 'Daylight' by Matt&Kim.

'Rule of Thirds'

Mock Up of my Cover Art

When photographing my cover art, which at the moment will be the pair of converse shoes, I will have to be incredibly aware of aspects such as light and mise en scene in terms of the placement of subject in the frame. To do this I will be using the rule of thirds. In terms of photography this means that the image is cut up into nine sections allowing me to place my subject in an area that allows the photograph to possess the same amount of interest in all sections. 
Therefore, I have placed the shoes to the centre of the right side of the album. That way, it adds a great deal of space on either side for the rays of sunlight to be viewed, and adds a simplistic essence that appeals to the 'less is more' aspect of my video.

Lighting is key in this photography domain, especially as my single is actually called 'Daylight'. To display an extreme since of light in my cover art I have photographed the shoes against the sun to cast a stong and elongated shadow on the sandy beach. I feel this contrast adds interest to the intial image and ups the quality of it.

Editing is absolutely vital, as a vintage tone in the video calls for a vintage tone throughout my promotion package, as continuity is essential in the advertisement of my product. Although each image will be different, I must make sure the editing process is the exact same to attain an identical shade and tone on every image.

All photographs are and will be taken on my SLR camera to ensure quality and clarity in every single image.
                                                       

3. CD Case .vs. Digipak

Digipaks are initially cases which hold in CDs consisting 6 panel cardboard sides that fold into themselves in a book style fashion. They are among the first alternatives to 'Jewel Cases' which is the two sided plastic CD case that we see today. They are more commonly used to hold special edition versions of CD's and DVD's as a premium package due to their capacity of transmitting much more information as they consist of the six panels as opposed to just two. Although Jewel Cases allow a section for a pamphlet of paper displaying additional information on the Artist and their release, it is not as accessible as it is not on visual display like the Digipak. However, Digipaks have remained less popular due to their tendency for wear and tear due to their more destructable cardboard casing, despite their being considered the 'environmentally friendly' version of Jewel Cases. In addition, they are also more expensive to manufacture.

Digipak

Jewel Cases consist of a two sided plastic case that holds and protects the CD. Differing from the information directly displayed on the cardboard panelling of a Digipak, Jewel Cases have section in which information pamphlets are pinned onto the front and back to display the cover art of the album. Although the info is essentially the same, it is much less accessible in a Jewel Case and therefore not as visually appealing as a Digipak.

CD Case

In My Opinion... there is more value to a Digipak, and I have several reasonings for this. First and foremost I feel they are much more visually appealing as they do not only contain the product, but come as an actual package that promotes the image and style of the band as the casing allows for more images and information about the actual CD. Taking this into consideration, the Digipak to me is more of a collectable item as opposed to just as casing that holds the product I wish to purchase. By owning one I feel much more inclined to keep it as it is essentially artist memrobelia. Therefore, they have a much stronger opportunity for success as they attract fans of the band or artist that wish to purchase and keep an item that acts as a artist artifact. The 6 sided panelling allows for much more area to promote information and the image of the product, as it is easily displayed and visually appealing. The idea that these cases are rarer is also a great attribute, as people these days like the idea of having a 'special edition' as opposed to something generic. The environmentally friendly aspect of digipaks is also a plus, as it serves as reassurance as although people are essentially consuming whilst purchasing the item, they are actually helping the environment in addition.

What I Will Have To Include In My Digipaks...

* Artist Name
* Song Names
* Album Name
* Image of Band
* Series of images that reflect the style and content of my video
* Copyright label
* Credits
* Record Company
* Lyrics
* Barcode
* Disc Holder
* Cover Art
* And of course synergy in all my editing, fonts and style throughout the entire package to create a sense of 'branding' for my product.

2. Font Experimentation

Font is a vital element for the presentation of the marketing package I will be developing as it is the aesthetic aspect of the information we are initially conveying. Without an eye catching font it becomes close to impossible to attract attention to the digipak or advertisement that will be displaying my single. In addition, I'll also have to make sure the style reflects the indie pop genre of the song and it's quirky style in order to appeal to my target audience.

Potential Fonts

Potential Fonts

My favourite font so far is definitely the 'digital', as it is relatively unique in the sense that I haven't seen many indie pop albums using it in their presentation. It also relates to the clocks stop motion section of my video as well as reflecting the theme of time in the lyrics about the 'Daylight'.

However, I also quite like the handwritten options as they insert a personal element into the design, appealing to it's quirkier aspects.

Algerian and Rosewood STD are good options for my font as they possess a certain vintage element that is already explored throughout the editing in my video during the beach scenes. Similarly, to the handwritten fonts, these are quite stylized, thus linking to the independent style.

Taking all of these fonts into consideration, there is one crucial step that I will have to remember and that is continuity throughout the entire marketing project, as this will strengthen my product and what I am trying to sell. Much like The White Stripes and their black, red and white colour scheme featured in all their advertisements, promotion packages and advertisements, I'd like to develop a distinct look for instant recognition. 

1. Investigate how musicians promote themselves

After finishing my final edit of Daylight I now need to come up with a marketing package in order to distribute it accordingly in relation to it's genre, style and target audience. In order to get the know how, I will now investigate how a similar band, The White Stripes, promoted and exhibited their latest album release; Icky Thump.

The White Stripes- Icky Thump on Prezi