Creating my magazine advert

For creating my magazine advert was a fairly similar process to designing my digipak. I once again used Microsoft publisher however with a portrait template this time to appropriate the common advert size. I then designed my cover by placing in a number of images I screenshotted from my music video. I changed the sizes to ensure the images fitted beside each other appropriately than played around with different colours and saturation options to give the imagery an extra pop. I easily adjusted font sizes and changed the typing colouration in order for the words to stand out as bolder and more vigilant. I could easily place text boxes wherever necessary I had to write, as well placed in smaller images i.e. the logos by cropping them to fit a smaller size. I also had the option to change my background colour, which I changed numerous times, to test out which colours helped the text stand out more.

Creating my digipak

For creating my own digipak, I chose to use the software Microsoft publisher. I chose Microsoft publisher as I felt it offered a good value of fonts, headings, and colour styles which would fit perfectly within my own digipak. I first of all created each individual cover the digipak separately, this including the front, back as well as the insides. Once I had completed the individual covers I would then finally place them all together in a separate Microsoft publisher file, in a digipak style. Here are a few random snippets I captured whilst in the development of designing my own digipak in order for myself to keep record of my progress and find out which covers needed improvements or changing. 

Individual interviews from class showcase

Audience feedback from class showcase

Digipak questionnaire bar chart

To receive audience feedback on the two versions of the digipaks which I produced, I decided to carry out a questionnaire. To receive useful, reliable feedback I decided to questionnaire my family and close friends, in hope that they would give their most honest opinions. To type up my results I decided to use excel in order to create a graph, I done this to make the results appear more visual and clear for myself when it came to deciding which digipak I should choose for my final version. From the results I received it is fair to see that the people who completed questionnaire preferred the second version to the first. The most common response in relation to both digipaks I received, was for the font and headings appropriated, this tells me that the font I used in both versions we're adequate and clear to the audience members. I also gave the option to people answering the questionnaires to select 'both' just in case they felt undecided and tied between both versions. Conclusively from these results I have chosen to use the second version I made for my digipak for the final version.

Digipak questionnaire poll

First version of Digipak

For the first version of my digipack I used a rather pale colour palette, with neutral toned blues and pinks. My front cover displays images of both me and my partner with additional cartoon imagery in order to strike as more eye catching for the audience. As well as symbolize the youthfulness being portrayed in the music video. I wrote visibly the artists name by using intended messy hand writing,  in order to emphasise the EDM's genre common forms and conventions. Beside this I also wrote boldly the album's name. The back of the CD cover contains a list of the songs featured on the album as well as a barcode, production company logo, as well as copyright information. I almost featured a pink border at both the top and bottom of the page featuring the artists name 'KP&IZ' to add to the vintage theme of the album. For the inside cover I chose to use imagery I took whilst filming the music video. Finally, for the actual CD itself I chose to use a neutral blue background with the addition of pink lightning strike shapes to emphasise the album's title 'Electric disco' as well using the same fonts as used on the back and front covers of my digipak to represent continuity.

Planned script for evaluation question 3

Evaluation question 3: What have you learned from your audience feedback

SHORT FILM + AUDIENCE FEEDBACK CLIPS

SCRIPT

Receiving good audience feedback was imperative during the process of developing our music video as well as ancillary tasks. By receiving audience feedback helped myself and my partner better develop our projects, as well as skills by receiving advice and perspectives beyond our own. The first stage in which we required the use of audience feedback was for our music video pitch. By receiving audience feedback helped us better analyse what we were trying to achieve for our video furthermore changing it in order to set more realistic expectations. As originally we planned our video to be much more storyline based with a more challenging choice of locations and sets, (EXPLAIN INITIAL IDEA FOR MUSIC VIDEO) however after the feedback we received, we understood by not having a storyline would also be appropriate for our chosen genre and would also be much more approachable for the tools and equipment in which we had available. After planning a new concept for our music video, we likewise presented this idea to the class as  second pitch, discussing our plans for themes and imagery which would be included, from the overwhelming support was received and extremely positively feedback we decided to go with our second idea.

However both ideas contained themes of love and happiness in order to represent symbolism for youth, we intended for our first version initially to have some montage clips placed in between the narrative to create contrast and furthermore give it more of an EDM genre feel to it, however for our second version we decided to be brave and go forth to have all of our video as a montage.

Throughout the process of storyboarding and planning we also organised questionnaires for other people to fill in, asking their opinion towards which locations and settings they would most likely want to see in a music video, in which we mostly received the result of central london e.g. for locations piccadilly circus, oxford street, and for settings a mixture of party/ arcade scenery. We learnt from this audience feedback that audiences most enjoy seeing popular and recognisable destinations opposed to locations which may be unfamiliar and distant. As well, throughout the process of editing our product we ensured to ask for our other classmates opinions and ideas for anything they think could be improved, and whether they understood our intentions for having an all montage video.

When we finally completed our music video, we presented it to our class for a showcase in order to receive audience feedback. Afterwards we asked for a more individual based interview with some fellow classmates in order to gather up further feedback and analyse which parts of our video required improvements - THE VIDEO OF CLASSMATES FEEDBACK

From the audience feedback which we received, we conclusively decided to alter our last chorus of the video, and by audience recommendation fade the video as well as the music out in order for a more cleaner, less sudden ending. For my ancillary tasks I also required audience feedback in order to better evaluate my projects and decide upon which designs I constructed we’re more belonging and fitting for my chosen genre. As well having other people’s opinions pointed out mistakes and errors which I had yet to notice. As our target audience were young people are main focus was for them to understand and relate towards our video, which was ideal considering most of our class was within the ages of our chosen target group.

EXPLAIN AUDIENCE THEORY

A theory we took under consideration whilst producing all of our products was Audience Theory - David morley. We wanted to correctly interpret our encoding message (to represent happiness and spread love upon youth) however the decoding process was completely up to the audience. However we mostly received dominant (understood) feedback therefore meaning our music video reached all its purposes and goals.

Planned script for evaluation question 2

Evaluation question 2: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?

For our advanced portfolio we had to complete a number of projects in order to finalize our main product. These tasks included, creating a magazine cover, Digipak, as well in addition to our music video. By creating a number of different products in relation to our music video, helped us to create synergy in terms of good promoting and create an overall better understanding of cross-media convergence. For each individual project required a lot of planning and research in order to give the most realistic approach to my chosen genre (EDM) codes and conventions.  

For designing my magazine cover, I decided to produce it through microsoft publisher, this way designing the cover was fairly easy and allowed me the use of adequate tools such as fonts and headings, which were required for continuity purposes. I pulled a lot of my inspiration from other magazine adverts such as Calvin Harris ‘I created disco’ album promotion as well, The Chainsmokers ‘do not open’ tour advert. Both included intriguing imagery and a wide range colour palette which I aspired from. I decided reasonably early on that I wanted my magazine advert to have a vintage theme to it, and contain a wide range of colours to represent continuity between both the music video and the advert. I used similar font to which I presented in the beginning of my music video, as the font I used in the magazine advert in order to show that both products are heavily associated to each other, therefore being bolder and clearer to the audience. I also promoted a wide range of logos where the product would be available from such as spotify, itunes and HMV. I done this in order to promote synergy and allow my product to have a future number of platforms with the convergence of both traditional and new media methods. Traditionally music used to be bought as a CD from a local store, however with the recent new age of technological advancements, there is a wider range of digitalisation for media content nowadays. Therefore can be more easily/ simply available through a person’s mobile phone or laptop rather than having to approach a store. This recent theory is known as Henry Jenkins ‘Convergence Culture’. I also promoted the link to the new music video which additionally adds to my use of synergy by promoting the music video also through my advert as well as the artists website and new albums release date.

My Digipak product, was another important addition in terms of cross-media convergence for my overall project. It was essential for my digipak to have a common relation with both my music video and magazine advert. Through research for my digipak, I found the products I most aspired to were the artists Sigma ‘life’ album cover, as well as David Guetta’s ‘Nothing but the beat’ cover album. Both covers included bright imagery and asstounding symbolism in relation to the album itself, therefore essentially wanting my own digipak to contain a key connection between all its synergy. I completed this by ensuring I had a wide range colour palette and similar fonts and formats as used in my previous products. For my Digipak I chose it to have a mostly pink colour palette as I thought It stood out broadly as an happy, fun colour relating to the EDM genre, as well is the same colour used as the background in the magazine advert I produced. For the front cover of the Digipak I included imagery of both the main artists from the music video in order for audiences to easily recognise and become familiar with quickly. Both images of the artists are close up shots, which I also edited via ‘paint’ to include cartoon drawing and colouration. This additionally adds towards the playfulness intended for the music video, as well a representation of youth and childlikeness behaviour as both characters are shown to be having an enjoyable adventure. Therefore allowing audiences to feel a sense of freedom, and a reminder of innocence and youngness which is upon them.  As well to contain fluidity using the same fonts and styles used in my magazine advert. I also included a ‘lightning’ shape object in certain areas of my Digipak, in relation to my album being called ‘Electric Disco’. I thought by producing a similarity between the name and the imagery would create a better distinct product for my chosen genre.

In conclusion both my ancillary products were highly influenced by my music video, and stood out broadly in relation to the EDM genre. Following a list of key conventions including bright colouration and symbolism within the imagery included. I believe that conclusively my music video mise-en-scene and theme of my chosen genre overall fits suitably well with all my additional tasks, having all three projects supporting greatly towards one another.

Magazine advert feedback poll

Magazine advert 2

I decided to go into fairly similar into depth of the presentation of colour in my 2nd magazine advert attempt as my first. I similarly used a vibrant pink background in order to stand out as eye-catching, and once again fit in with my digipak colour design. I decided to use less imagery in this poster and instead focus on the colours used, I wanted the poster to stand out as artistic and happy, using a bright colour palette I believed would represent enthusiasm and mystery towards what the music video and the new album entailed and the type of genre the songs which would follow. I wrote boldly in the centre of page the name of the duo in order for audiences to instantly recognise and be intrigued by since new tracks have been released. I purposely put the text in between the imagery to make the text more vigilant and of importance. At the bottom of the advert I stated the name of the new track and that it is featured on the "brand new" album. I emphasized "brand new" in order for audiences to create buzz and affirm its current originality therefore influencing more people to purchase the album. As well, making the title of the album "electric disco" in bold to pop more and create more attention. Highlighted which outlets the track/ new album is available on, including a mixture of both online streaming apps as well as real-life stores to fit a variety of audience preferences. Also adding a barcode to make it quicker and more efficient for consumers to find the tracks. I lastly stated the website of the band for people to gain further knowledge in the ins and outs of the new album details and possible tour dates. In conclusion I was overall quite pleased with my second product and therefore was slightly torn between which magazine advert to use for my final choice.