Evaluation By Sarine Baz

From the briefs that we were given my group choice to create a promotional package for the release of an music album which is to include a music promo video together with a cover for its release onto a CD, and a magazine advertisement for the release of the album.

After much discussion we come up with the idea to create a promotion for a clubhouse, funky, bassline song. This will appeal to people aged eighteen and above and therefore reflects a very niche target audience. This was because many of these types of tracks would be played in a club were you must be eighteen or above to enter. Also many of these people are going to be interested in having a good time dancing and drinking along to the track, this consequently shows the lifestyle choices they make.

The style of our music video will therefore represent a new post-modern era as we plan to take elements from the past, present and future mixing them all together resulting in the creation of a eye catching promotion of the latest artist to hit the bassline music industry.

• Finally the institution that we plan to be signed to is Birmingham bassline, this label reflects the bassline industry and is the epitome of what is out there today. It is the label which our artist is also currently signed to which interlinks the whole project together. The usage of the label creates a authentic feel and made the project feel genuine as a target audience has already been set.

• When carrying out the work it was divided into three one person within the group did the advertisement, the other the music video and I was left to the CD. Even though roles were allocated we discussed decisions and helped it other out . We had to as a result work close together in order to create work that matched and went well together. Because of this we talked about costumes and so forth so our end products looked like a collective piece that interlinked. I therefore was present at all the photo shoots and whilst filming on several different occasions. Not only as another helper but as a director that would voice my opinion were ever I felt necessary. I also helped and gave some in put towards the song as me and Alina sat down with the artist and helped edit it.

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

• There are many generic conventions of a CD cover this includes:-

- Have little amounts of text

- Large Imagery that pushes social boundaries

- Typography that is bold

- An array of colours used

• Examples of real media products that follow these conventions include:-

Variety of coloursArtist name

Layers of different images

Here all these elements combined together create meaning, which results in the understanding of the narrative. For example here the images used illustrate a fun, enjoyable time this is shown through the matinee glass, palm trees and underwear. Therefore a narrative of playfulness and flirtatious behaviour is produced.

• When looking at these two examples they are very different in the techniques used to entice the same target audience. This is shown as one does not use models but relies heavily on text and patterns and the other is a layered look of large amounts of imagery. I therefore shows to create my CD cover using these as inspiration and a starting point.

Prime colours used

Age

Funky patterns

No image

Our CD cover

Here you can see a build up of layers of both of images and text.

Again the typography used is build and fairly large so it stands out. This again is consistent with the music video as the lyric “focus on the night” are shown in the same typography as the artists name and the song name.

A range of colours are used that go well together but at the same time stand out and can be noticed.

The images used are of the artist in costume that is revealing especially for the female artist Syron. Here this would be frowned upon by the older members of society but for our target audience is suitable as their expectations are not only meet but exceeded.

The amount of text on the covers are fairly limited with the song name and artist, this as a result frees up a lot of space for the addition of imagery.

• When creating the CD cover I choose to use specific imagery that I felt broke away from the norms of society as this reflects upon the music. As bassline is only appreciated by a niche market of people.

• The front of the CD cover has three old music tapes which are in bright funky colors which connote fun and link to music. In the for front of this there is an image of both the featured artists Syron and Vishant which have been cropped around and placed on top.

• I cropped around all of both the artist as I wanted to remove the background completely. This was done through the use of a green screen and Photoshop elements. I had selected the desired parts of the image and used the crop button in order to remove the unwanted parts.

• The images used show an innocent side of the female artist and a rougher look of the male artist. Syron in the image is looking as though she is gazed upon something and has a clear connection with that someone.

• Syron's costume consists of high heels, a short jumpsuit, leopard print scarf and mini jacket. Her costume creates a subtle but sexy look that fits our genre perfectly and links to the rest of our work through the accessories such as the scarf, bangles and make up.

• Vishant on the other hand has been positioned so he is holding onto the tip of his hat and is leaning against a wall. Vishants costume consists of jeans, a printed blue t-shirt, chain and trainers. This reflects upon his character which is laid back therefore illustrates a "cooler" look.

All the images when creating the CD have the back ground removed as the backgrounds used are fairly strong therefore with a background already present they may clash and there would be too much going on. Another reason for the removal of the background was to create a project that meshed well together, we had planned to create a music video that was mainly green screened with layered effects on top therefore kept this consistent and did the same for the CD as well.

• The inside of the CD Digipack consists of a funky leopard print background which is pink, black and purple. This again creates a collective look that links the different sides of the CD together. I have then cropped on top an image of Hannah and Vishant together. Here they are positioned so they are fairly close and interment , this is to illustrate the connection of music they have hence the props of the IPod and headphones. No text is needed to be applied on top of the image as a result.

• The spine of the CD Digipack consists of the name of the artist, song and a code. This is in the same typography used on the cover again to create consistency. This text was created through the use of photoshop, here I entered the text then selected the thickest part of the lettering by using the wand tool and filled it with leopard print. I then selected the color saturation, however this time I selected each letter singly and changed the color. Here a mini rainbow was created in essence.

• The back of the CD has the same consistent print as the inside cover, however I have altered the color scheme so it doesn't become boring. I did this by selecting different parts of the print and using the filter bucket to change them in photshop. I have then added some lined pattern in the centre above an below the text. The text consists of three song names and below this is the name of the name of the producers and so forth. I have also placed a barcode to the corner to make it look official. Overall, the cover is fairly simple however the very few elements I have used create a strong, bold outline.

Here is another example of the back and spine of a CD. Here you can see a similar generic structure. With the texts being in the middle of the cover and bar code and fine print at the bottom. The spine of the CD has the text aligned to the left and the CD number on the other side.

Postmodernism - Challenging

• Postmodernism is a term that describes a wide range of techniques used in order to create a piece of media that moves away from the "norms" of society. When creating and planning my CD digipack I hoped to have used postmodern elements, so the end product is desirable for our target audience. This is due to people in the twenty first century expecting the unexpected, this shows how we what something different, something that challenges us mentally as a result our end product will not be seen as weird or out of the ordinary but now more accepted. The creative elements within our project include the colours, background and editing used in the music video.

• Some theory that helps to support what we are creating and why include Laura Mulvey's hugely influential theory that is fairy simple when looking at. She states “men look at women and the media reinforce this by filming or photographing women from a male point of view” this shows that the norm for the media representation is that the camera is male. From this we can that a male gaze is enforced thus their attraction to the CD digipack, advertisement and music video must be strong in order for our target audience to want to purchase it. This theory illustrates how women are passive and men are active as a result illustrating the generic identifications of gender. Therefore when I was creating my part of the project I must consider specific elements that will entice our target audience which is largely male to purchase the CD, this includes what model we use, the costume which she is wearing, the make up she is wearing and how she is positioned. The costume in which she wears attract attention as the lack of it draws the readers eye, the make up creates a sense of a natural women that has a "real" body with curves. Finally her positioning is key in getting a connection between our audience and them.

• Overall, the CD cover I feel challenges expectation and allows the target audience to gather their own perspective of what is happening. This shows how the project is open to interpretation and can be viewed as pushing societies boundaries as it does contain quite a lot of sex appeal therefore may be frowned open by the older generation. But at the same time is seen as normal as it is fairly playful and flirtatious this therefore illustrates modern young society nowadays.

• I feel I have also developed and challenged the conventions of real media products as the examples I had shown are both very different. One contained a lot of imagery were as the other one did not. I therefore drew ideas from them as they began as my inspiration, however I added my own twist through the use of the imagery and the effects used on the background. This as a result created something that I feel would lie in the middle.

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

• There are various elements that interlink our three products together this includes:-

- Typography (Leopard print and bold)

- Leopard print theme (Scarf, make up)

- The costumes worn by the artist ( Syron – sexy, Vishant –reserved)

- Background (Patterned with various

elements of leopard print)

- Colour scheme (Pink, yellow, purple)

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CD

• I feel these are very effective as they make the three end products look coherent, the elements are easy to identify and make associations with therefore serve their purpose.

Music video

Text Costume

Background Theme

Colour scheme

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

• Audience feedback is key in order to identify strengths and weaknesses of our project.

• I felt the feedback we have received shows the success of our work not only individually but as a collection also.

• The reaction we received from our target audience help us to provide an authentic view of how people would react to our work.

• There were some elements that our audience did say could be improved further in order to create a more desirable end project.

• Here some quotes: “ I liked the playfulness that the artist share, its quite funny”, “ Its funky, young and fits in with what out there but at the same time stands out” and “ Its upbeat tempo and the acting of the artists as they tease one another is amusing to watch.”

• Improvements that were stated for the three pieces of work included the typography used in the music video. Many people felt it looked a bit cheap therefore we added something that we felt would match the other two pieces of work but at the same time looked more classic.

• Another improvement that was stated was for the advertisement, was to change the color used for the background as it did not stand out much and looked baby like.

• Finally an improvement that was made to the background of the cover also.

Here I have cropped the bottom of the image out so the 3D effect at the bottom is removed. This was after feedback was received were someone viewing it, felt that the images added on top didn’t aesthetically pleasing

• There were many strengths that were also mentioned about the project, this included how well the three elements link together. Through little elements such as the leopard print ect. This was used on the costume, makeup and backgrounds.

• Many people also stated how they liked how we had added a funky modern twist to what was already out there. They stated that these elements are what made our project stand out and made it remember able.

• The narrative of the project also relatable as it is of two artists collaborating together and having a good time as they are doing so. This is shown through the playfulness of both the music video towards the end as they are play fighting and nearly kiss at the end. But is reinforced through the CD cover as shown by the inside cover as the two artists are fairly close and intimate together. Here a lot of the project is left to the target audience filling in the gaps through their own interpretation this is known as ellipsis.

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

• Media technologies were vital in all three stages as they were sources of reference, inspiration and creation.

• When researching the project I used the internet and various different sites in order to see real examples of what my work should like . From this I gathered up my ideas by looking at the front, back and spine of several CD cover not only for my genre but for others also. From this I was able to begin planning out the structure and placement of different elements. that must be on the CD. I drew this up on paper then documented all my work on a blog. I also used CD’s which I had purchased of my own to see the finer detail such as the texts and so forth.

• Other pieces of vital technology that was used when creating my CD cover was the use of a camera to capture the desired imagery as without this there would be nothing original to build upon. This meant finding a green screen in out case creating one and then one the images was taken breaking it down into those which are undesired. This would include if they are blurred in any way, the wrong positioning and facial expression. This leaves you with a few that then can be used to begin working on.

For example here the lighting is fairly dark, it could be lightened up using Photoshop however, when looking at other elements such Vishants facial expression it isn’t good. Also his costume wasn't very flattering and did not match Syrons.

Here again the image seem fairly good to use the narrative is clearly demonstrated as the artists are having a good time. However when looking at it more closely the image is blurred and therefore can be used as if I was to add any effects to it the pixelated picture would become.

• Photoshop Elements was another piece of technology that was used in order to create the final product. Without this piece of software their would be no editing of the images or effects added to enhance what we had captured as a result the end product would rely heavily on capturing a good image, with good lighting, expression on the models faces, body language ect. To achieve something that would be useful would be by chance.

Here I used the magic wand tool to select the back ground as it was not required. This was because I have already created one before hand. I then went to select inverse and then deleted the background. Once I had done this I zoomed in so the I could see the edging of the image more clearly, then I used the eraser tool and reduced the size of the brush and transparency to remove any other smaller undesired elements.