#Evaluation 4 - How I used media technologies in the construction, planning and evaluation stages.

#Evaluation 3 - Audience Feedback and view count data.

In the time between the 3rd of February 2015 and youtube's latest date figure (7th March 2015 - analytics don't get updated every day!), here is some of the data shown on the analytics page, with graphs showing the amount of views, minutes watched, likes, dislikes, comments, shares, and the different countries where the video has been watched.

We can see that the video has been particularly popular in the United Kingdom, possibly because that is the country where the majority of my friends and family would be watching from.

The above shows where the views have been coming from. The majority from an external website, most probably Facebook, where both Kaisey and I have shared the video multiple times.

All the following is feedback received from several posts on facebook.

Below is some audience feedback from my classmates!

So what have I learnt from my audience feedback?

I have learnt from my feedback that my video is good, as pretty much all of the comments are positive and praising certain aspects of the video, like the lighting, lip synching, and storyline. I had one comment about the lip synching being out a bit, and this is because I matched the audio track to the lip synching of David in shots where both David and Victor are 'singing' together, as David knew the song better, so emphasised the words more, and was more correct with the rhythm than Victor. Another reason the lip sync may have gone out of time on certain internet connections, i.e. on slower connections it may not work as well as on a faster, more reliable connection.

#Evaluation 2 - How effective is the combination of my main product and ancillary texts?

#Evaluation 1 - How does my media product use/develop/challenge forms & conventions of real media products?

Here are 9 key shots which I think use/develop/challenge forms and conventions of a real media product (a boy band pop music video)...

1. This shot uses the typical start of a pop video shot, with the introduction of the band. It shows a mid shot of them all walking through a door, so we get to see each of them individually. The shot then pans, following them around, to where they sit, so we are again introduced to all of them, but as a group rather than individuals. 
2. This is also a typical shot found in a pop video - the close up (of the face) lip syncing of band members. We felt it necessary to use this form of a real media convention, as we thought it would add to the effect of stereotypical boy band-ness, and aid us in getting to know the two vocalists better. We used two different vocalists, which are introduced in individual close ups in the first verse, then all 3 band members have close up lip syncing shots in the bridge section of the song.
3. The stereotypical band shot. We have developed this from the usual band shot by adding a sepia wash and using a wide angle lens. We used this as we wanted to give them a dream (to be rockstars), and this is a shot of them in a band practice, to the lyrics 'I just wanna be a rockstar.' Normally in a boy-bands' music video, there are shots of every member singing/playing at the same time, so this is our equivalent.
4. This is when the video changes, the cue for the scene to change. This is a long shot, that comes a quarter of the way through the video. It's a paper fight, with the boys creating mischief, another common theme in boy band videos.
5. Scene change - the boys walking in a new location. This keeps the action going. In a typical pop video this scene change would happen too, maybe between different streets etc.. This scene is a long, low angled shot. This makes the boys look big and powerful, and gives a sense of achievement.
6. Two of the boys teasing the other boy - showing the cheeky side of the band. This is again a mischievous shot, normally found in pop videos. They tease Michael about his love interest and wind him up, resulting in a brief chase scene.
7. The typical instrument shots. This shot in particular is a high angled mid shot, of Michael playing the guitar. The majority of the instrument shots (piano, drums and guitar) are high angle, except the jokey shots as the video progresses. These are not so typical to a boy band video, but we felt that the instrumentation is a huge part of this song, so we wanted to show the importance, and make it seem more band like. 
8. A shot of the two 'lovers' sharing a common interest, and being together alone and having a laugh, a common shot of a common, cheesy pop video. This shows that one dream (of Michaels) has come true, now we just have to wait for...
9. The rock band finally achieves their dream and perform in a star studded show! Not so common in pop videos, but we thought it would be cool to show the boys living their dream and performing on stage during a MASSIVE guitar solo. Contains bright lights and a crowd loving it.The dream is complete and the video ends.

#Advert 6/7 - Real / Finished Advert

Here is the finished advert to go with my music video and digipak...

#Advert 5 - Audience feedback for advert

I put a copy of my advert on facebook to gain some audience feedback from my friends, and received 39 'likes', and two positive comments.

I also got some verbal feedback, saying that I should maybe put a QR code on the advert to give people a preview of the music features on the album.

People said they liked the colour wash, because it made it look edgy, and others said that the smudged effect makes the band stand out more from the background, and draws them into the advert.

I have since changed the 'top of the pops' rating to q magazine, as top of the pops no longer exists.

#Advert 4 - Mock up of advert.

So here's the mock up of my advert, next up, audience feedback!

#Advert 3 - First plan of Advert

Here is my first plan of my advert. I will use the same photo for the advert that was on the front cover of my digipak, although I will make it taller so it will fit on an A4 page. At the bottom will be the information required, dates, names, where to buy etc..

#Advert 2 - Importance of printed advert

Printed adverts are hugely important as they draw attention to a product, whether it is music or not. However they are not as important as they were.

Album/artist adverts used to be found in magazines, but now, the sales of magazines have decreased (within the last few years) as shown in the graph below.

Many of the A4 paper ads (similar to what we have to recreate) would be found in magazines, and since the general sales of magazines have decreased, these are less common.

The sort of adverts that might be found in magazines are similar to the ones below, found in a fairly old issue of 'Q'...

Now though, however, even though magazines are still sold, musicians invest less in magazine advertising, as there are less people to see the advert, therefore not as much revenue would be generated from placing an advert (which isn't cheap) into a magazine.

#Advert 1 - Conventions of CD advertising

An advert for a musical album/single can really boost the sales if it's done well. A typical advert for a CD/Digipak would contain similar things to the album/digipak itself, like the font, and images.

For example, here is Ellie Goulding's advert for her album 'Lights', along with the album cover for the same album.

It is important that there are these similarities because it makes the album identifiable to the advert, and easier to spot if shopping in a store like HMV where there are many different albums, so it is important that your album cover stands out, along with the advert/poster.

You can match an album to the advert through use of colour, font, and image - all simple but effect when done well.

So how has Ellie Goulding effectively used advertising to sell her album?

• The image is very striking. She has used a simple image of herself (a close up shot), and added some little golden lights, to a) fit with the title, which works well, and to b) draw attention and brighten up the cover/advert. The way she has matched the little lights to strands of hair works very well and gives it a magical sort of effect.
• The text stands out, being golden in colour and surrounded by a gold glow. It immediately gives off a good vibe about the album, as gold is seen as a warm, positive colour. The text is also used across all of the releases related to this album, with all the single and EP releases, so makes it recognisable in the sense that it all links together.
• The reviews give positive feedback, and therefore persuade more people to buy the album, as it is apparently good!

#Ancillary 10 and 11 - Real Digipak / Finished Product

Here is the finished digipak, with as much done in response to the audience feedback as possible.

#Ancillary 9 - Audience feedback for mock digipak

Here is some audience feedback from a facebook post earlier today with some suggestions. I take the likes as positive feedback!

Some verbal feedback was received also:

• From a member of staff: 'I really like how indie it is, I would buy that!'
• From a fellow media student: 'You should make the colours of the front cover more like the ones of the back cover, then it will match more, and give it a slightly more "indie pop" feel, other than that, it's awesome.'

#Ancillary 8. Mock Up of Digipak

Here is my digipak mock up!! I still want to change the colours of the front title cover slightly before completion.

#Ancillary 7 - Digipak plan

The plan for my digipak...

I aim to use 6 of my own images, all taken while filming. The outside slots will all be filled with pictures taken outdoors, with the main front (title) and back (song list) covers with the boys on, and the extra panel with Lizzie featuring, with a blurred effect to make her look more dreamy.

The inside will be mainly black and white, apart from the disc tray which will be black and white with a different colour wash on 3 separate images, to distinguish a difference between each of the band members.

#Ancillary 6. Recent CD sales

As you may have guessed, in the last decade or two, CD sales have taken a decline, as the digital age takes over.

Here is a graph of projected CD sales for the USA, beginning in 2005 up until 2022

Sales of physical copies of CD's have since been overthrown by the digital album from companies like Apple with their famous music store 'iTunes'. The below graph shows how the digital downloads on iTunes seem to be always increasing, where in the same years on the graph above, physical CD sales are on the decrease. 

Many artists have realised this, and started releasing albums and singles which are only available for digital download. For example, Beyonce recently released her 5th album 'Beyonce' (2013) originally only on iTunes release, and it featured hit songs such as 'Drunk In Love'.

Some artists are also releasing free albums on iTunes, and a popular example is U2, with their album 'Songs Of Innocence'. Many people woke up to find this album downloaded on there apple devices, wondering why, but it was a gift from U2!

Vinyl Rebirth?

Within the last year and a bit, vinyl record sales have been on the rise, along with record players. This is because of young people (like teenagers) wanting to be retro by owning a record player, along with vinyls - some classic ones, like the Beetles, or Fleetwood Mac, and some modern, like Beyonce and Lana Del Ray.

Some of these so called 'Retro' teenagers have also discovered the great sound quality and collectability of records, and don't just listen to say they do and sound cool.

#Ancillary 5. Re-make of a digipak.

I chose to re-make Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida | Prospekts March' digipak, with help from the digital downloads book which came with the pack on iTunes...

#Ancillary 4. Star Image and Rules for the Main photo.

One rule is to make the star(s) prominent on the cover. This not only helps make the visual link between the music and the band, but also advertises the musicians as people, rather than just for their music.

Another is to make the image on the front link with the video, if they aren't link people might not make the visual link, for example, if they've seen the music video on youtube, they'll recognise the cover if it looks similar to parts of the video, and therefore possibly draw people in to buy the product.

For example, Ellie Goulding's 'Lights' album cover is linkable to the video because of the use of little lights around her face. And as she is featuring prominently on the cover, we recognise her face too, and it also promotes her and everything she does.

One Direction always feature on their album covers, as it is mainly their apparently 'beautiful' faces people recognise. This 'charm' may help album sales, and promotes the band, as well as selling the album/single. Also their covers are always linked into a video from the album with the theme.

#Ancillary 3. Digipak vs. CD case

So, what is the different between a digipak and a CD case?

The most obvious different between the two, is that a CD case is made of plastic, and has 4 sides (excluding spines - including inside), where a digipak has 6 (also excluding spines - and including all inside surfaces), but is made of card.
Although cheaper to make, due to the 'exclusivity' and 'collectability' of the digipak, it often costs more to buy, as fans see them as a collectable item, and it is more aesthetically pleasing.

Below is the typical design of a cd case, with 4 main areas, then the spine on the outside also.

Below here is the typical layout of a digipak, as you can see it has 6 printable surfaces and all are made of card.

Along with both, there will usually be a booklet, filled with pictures within the theme, or lyrics and production information.

#Ancillary 2. Font tests

For the fonts for our promotion, we wish to keep the original 'A Great Big World' font/logo, but find a font that is different that goes with the current one.

I am looking for simple - yet effective fonts for the song title 'Rockstar', and below are some examples.

(Microsoft sans serif)

I will probably mess around with colour and size, and some extra things around the text.

(Tipo de letra del sistema fina)

(Sinhala Sangem MN)

#Ancillary 1. How musicians promote themselves.

For this task, I am looking at One Republic and the way they market themselves. They recently released a new album - an extended version of 2013's 'Native' (2014) which has a very distinctive cover.

The name of the band it written boldly in a distinctive font, in a bright colour in contrast to the background. The cover itself is a sepia sort of colour, and maybe this is because the band wanted an aged look, to go with the title 'Native', making it seem like it's been there a long time and it belongs.

The original 'Native' cover was bright, and colourful. 

This grabbed attention through the colour wash, and the bold white text in the centre. 

On the band's website, the theme of animals is continued. This is to keep continuity with their releases, and most recent singles, including 'Love Runs Out', with a bison head on the cover.

A way One Republic sold their new album to the public, was with exclusive performances of singles taken from the album, like the below performance from the O2 Academy in Shepherds Bush, London.

#29 Final Film

#27 Rough Edit

Here is our rough edit, there's a few shots missing, but we aim to perfect the video within the next week.