Draft 2 Feedback

Draft 2 Feedback
https://soundcloud.com/user-333478892/final-draft-screening-feedback

Ancillary Texts Feedback

Ancillary Texts Feedback

Similarly to the feedback  gathered for my music video, I fistly asked my audience if they enjoyed the texts, as this is a clear indicator of how well my audience will respond to further drafts. Thankfully, the majority of my audiece said they did like the texts in general, meaning my initial concepts for the texts are well received so far.

Here I developed my previous question by asking my audience thought the texts suported and synergised with each other. Given that this was a convention I identified in my textual analyses, I thought I should make it a priority when constructing my own texts.
 


I asked this in order to ensure my texts completed their overall objective of attracting a potential consumer/listener. I am extremely pleased with these results as the majority of my audience said they would be attracted by texts, thereby increasing the likelihood of them purchasing the album, or at least investigation.

Similarly to the previous question, here I also aimed to idetify whether my audience could picture my texts being used commerically, and how effective they would be if that were to happen. The majority of the audience said that they would regard the texts as proffesional looking, if only with varying levels of certainty. This still pleases me as my texts would need to look proffessional in order to attract and engage a potential mainstream audience.

First Draft Audience Feedback

Shortly after uploading the first draft of my music video for 'Nightcall', I asked several questions using an online survey, which I distributed via email in order to gain a large number of responses. At the time of posting, I have had 15 responses which I believe is enough to draw valid and accurate conclusions.

Firstly, I asked my viewers if they actually enjoyed the video as this is a clear indicator of the overall quality of my music video. Eighty percent of my respondees enjoyed the video, which I would personally define as an overall success. This has showed me that the overall style and feel of the video is responded well by the audience, meaning I should be able to construct my video as planned.

 

I then asked my viewers if they felt the main dynamic of the video, the split between day and night scenes, was effective for the video. I asked this as I believed it to be crucial for my video to be 'succesful', given I had planned to include this dynamic since I began planning my video.

Similarly to the previous question, I believed the protagonist of the video was highly important, as if the audience felt the character was 'weak' or miscast then I would likely have to reshoot the video. As you can see however, this will not be necessary as each of my viewers thought the character suited the video, with no one responding with the character being incorrect for the video.

 
The main objective of music videos is to overall sell the artist's music/promoted album. I asked this question in order to ensure my video actually enticed and provoked the viewer(s) to discover more about the artist. As you can see, the majority of my viewers were intriuged enought to look into the artist further, meaning so far I am pleased that my video is completing its actual objective.
 

First Draft Thoughts and Summary

First Draft Thoughts and Summary
Below are two soundcloud audio clips featuring myself discussing the strengths and weaknesses of my first draft for 'Nightcall', also expressing how I will attempt to improve on my first draft in order to make a complete, competent music video which fits within the Synthwave genre. I will soon be conducting some research with my target audience in order to gain external feedback regarding my first draft.

https://soundcloud.com/user-333478892/first-draft-summary-strengths-and-weaknesses 

https://soundcloud.com/user-333478892/first-draft-thou 

Font Research

Font Research
Below is a list of several fonts I thought may be appropriate for the title of the video, 'Nightcall'. Including the songs title is highly conventional of music videos, as it conveys a cinematic feel to the audience, while obviously clearly showing which song the video will be based around. Towards the end of this post, I have also included the results of a short questionnaire I conducted after my font reasearch to discover which font would be most preffered by my audience.

I researched my various fonts through the use of online websites such as http://www.1001fonts.com/ as well as software such as Microsoft Word, as this allowed me to easily browse and select fonts -  visualising how effective they would appear on the word 'Nightcall'.

Chapparal Pro - This serif font is highly simplistic in appearance, which could make this font ideal for my video, as it would not be overly distracting for the audience. However, given that this video will (hopefully) appear film-like in appearance, I believe a slightly more intruiging font could be chosen - although I will still include Chapparal Pro in a short questionnaire I will be conducting to decide on what font shall be used.

Agency FB - Secondly, I chose this sans-serif font, Agency FB, as I thought its straight, almost uniform appearance would suit the concrete, sterile scenes that would feature in the opening of the video. Personally, I think this font would be highly effective for the video, however I will wait until I have conducted my questionnaire before deciding on which font to use.

Mistral - I chose this font as it was highly reminiscent of the font used for the film 'Drive', in which Nightcall is used. I thought this would make a subtle reference to the film, without being explicit or derivative. Unlike, the previous two fonts, Mistral is very much like handwritting, meaning the audience could possibly interpret it as written by the protagonist, creating a personal connection to the audience. I persoanlly like this font the most, however I will still await my results before choosing a definitive font.

Franklin Gothic Heavy - This font is more similar in appearance to the first two, however it is more 'bold', making it stand out more. Whilst this font is highly simplistic, I believe that if it were to be used with a suitable background image, it could be highly effective and eye-catching for the audience.

After deciding on these four fonts, I created and conducted a small questionnaire which allowed me to see which font would be preferred by my target audience. Before asking my participants, I gave a brief description of the purpose of the fonts, as well as my reasons for including each font.

As you can see from my data, the most popular font was Mistral, with Agency FB being the second most popular amongst my target audience. Personally, I believe this is a very positive outcome for me, as I had already considered using Mistral for my video, however, with this support from my potential audience, it has been solidified that I should definitely use Mistral. As mentioned previously, Mistral was used for the titles present in the film Drive, in which Nightcall is also featured. I think that by using Mistral, I would create a subtle reference to the film, a feature common in other music videos (e.g. Blur mimmicking 'A Clockwork Orange' for 'The Universal'). 

Overall, I believe that this research has been highly beneficial to me, as it has given me a greater understanding of how my music video should appear aesthetically. This will thereby allow me to produce a video widely enjoyed by my target audience, as well as fufilling the criteria for my video to be given a good overall grade. 

Record Label Research

Record Label Research
Below is a Prezi document detailing the foundation of 'Record Makers', the label Kavinsky is currently signed to. I have embeded the presentation into this post, however if it does not work please try this hyperlink - http://prezi.com/t_r1vdjiv1ud/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

 

Target Audience Research - 11

Target Audience Research
Before conducting research, I feel I should give a depiction of what I think my target audience will resemble. I believe that due to the 'Synthwave' genre having deep connections to the pop culture of the 1980s, the primary listeners of Synthwave likely grew up in this era, meaning they are most likely between the ages of 30-40, as this would explain their (likely nostalgic) connection to this style of music. However, with the popularity of modern televsion shows such as 'Stranger Things', Synthwave could also attract a much younger audience. Therefore, in order to gain a definitive understanding of the Synthwave audience, I will conduct research which will further help me in the creation of my music video.

In order to make an initial, if slightly broad, understanding of my target audience I asked 20 individuals if they were already familiar with the genre of Synthwave. Below are the results.
(It should be noted that the first table contains the feeback given by those under the age of 20, with the second table containing the feedback from individuals above the age of 20)

Feedback from under 20s:

Feedback from 20+s:





It can be seen that more people under the age of 20 were familiar with Synthwave than those above the age of 20, thereby suggesting that Synthwave as a genre draws in a younger audience. This will allow me to create my video with this age group in mind, as I will be able to make my video in compliance with pragmatic ideas and themes that people would expect or enjoy in a music video. Therefore, I will also conduct a short questionnaire to uncover how I can tailor my video to be enjoyed (and repeatedly viewed) by this age group.

Inspirations/Directors - 10

Inspirations/Directors

Below is a Slideshare presentation containing some of the influential figures I will be inspired by when creating my own music video.
https://www.slideshare.net/EDMedia17/mood-board-80151465

Digipak Analyses - 9

CD Digipak Analyses

Example of a standard Digipak

Definition and Purpose: A digipak is the typical form of packaging for content related discs such as DVDs or CDs. Digipaks fulfil several functions for both the content producer and their audience. These functions include; protecting the actual disc(s), making the content storable/presentable and most importantly (to the customer) encourage a purchase of the CD or DVD. This can be through the image present on the front cover, the content itself, or the reputation of the artist/creator them self.

Example of a Jewel Case

For CDs, there are two main types of packaging - Jewel Cases and Digipaks. The main difference between the two is the overall size of each case. Where Jewel Cases can only usually hold the CD itself, Digipaks can often hold additional content, such as short 'zines, artbooks or additional CDs. In this post I will be discussing five separate digipaks and jewel cases from various artists. I will be primarily focusing on the Synthwave genre, however I will also feature additional genres such as Alternative or Electropop (as mentioned in my 'genre research' post).

The XX - Coexist

The Front Cover (Top Left), The Inside Sleeve (Top Right), The CD 'Holder' (Bottom Left), The Back Cover/Tracklist (Bottom Right).

Above is the digipak for The XX's second album 'Coexist', which was released in 2012 to generally positive reviews. In the sections below I will be discussing each section of the digipak, while giving reason as to why some features of the digipak may have been deliberately chosen to make the CD more eye-catching to potential listeners/customers.

Front Cover 
The minimal use of colour throughout the digipak is, I believe, highly effective at making the CD eye-catching and interesting. This is most evident in the front cover of the CD, as the way in which colour is limited to inside the large 'X' quickly draws the viewer's attention as it heavily contrasts with the unchanging white of the rest of the cover. The use of colours within the 'X' is also very bright and, to me, is almost reflective of stained glass windows, most often seen in churches and other religious buildings.

This in turn presents the album and it's cover in an almost religious manner, with the large 'X' perhaps being chosen to be symbolic of the crucifix. This thereby adds to the effectiveness of the cover, as the deliberate simplicity triggers many questions for the viewer, prolonging interest in the album, while likely increasing the chances of someone purchasing the album. 

Inside Sleeve
The minimalist style of the cover is replicated in the sleeve of the digipak, helping to create a sense of uniform throughout the packaging. The position of the 'X' also lines up perfectly with the front cover, developing the sense of coordination in the digipak. This also helps to give the impression of the 'X' being an actual 'gap' in the sleeve, perhaps being chosen to give a glimpse of the band's style of creative attitudes.

CD Holder
Here, the continuing theme of the large 'X' appears on the CD itself, with no other details present on the disc. The use of vibrant colours also appears again, however it does not directly replicate the other Xs, giving a different array of colours each time. The 'holder' of the CD also continues the all white theme of the rest of the digipak, making the colourful 'X' stand out even more.

Back Cover/Tracklist
Like the other three aspects of the digipak, the back cover is kept highly minimalistic, making the actual content highly eye-catching to the viewer. As well as the tracklist of the album, the back cover also conventionally features a barcode, included to make the actual purchase of the album possible. Despite the inclusion of the barcode, the customer's attention would still likely be drawn to the tracklist, due to its highly sterile, unchanging font and position.

Summary
Overall, I believe that this digipak is very effective in gaining interest from a potential listener, due to the very simplistic but eye-catching cover and theme of the digipak. This is something I would bare in mind if I were to design my own digipak or CD cover, as 'Coexist' has shown me the effectiveness of minimal colour.

The 1975 - The 1975

The Front Cover (Top Left), The CD (Top Right), The Inside Sleeve (Bottom Left), The Back Cover/Tracklist (Bottom Right)

Front Cover
Similarly to 'Coexist', this digipak deliberately minimises the use of colour in order to make the album more eye-catching to potential customers/listeners. The contrast of white and black is highly effective in drawing the viewer's attention to the title of the album, as well as the artists behind it. The decision for the album to be self-titled is also effective, as it represents the album as a definitive part of 'The 1975', and that the album is essentially a summary of the band up until that point. This keeps the cover very simple, with only the title and it's neon border being present upon the black background. The monochromatic style throughout the digipak also gives suggestion to the potentially dark style of the music, acting to portray an aspect of the band before the customer even listens to the album's content.

The CD

The CD itself is also kept highly minimal in design, with only the album/band (conventionally) written on the disc, perfectly mimicking the font and scale of the title on the front cover. The font itself is of a sans-serif style, making the title highly uniform in appearance. This gives the album a sense of informality to the viewer, as no emotion or style is evoked through the title, making the actual genre of the album unknown to an uninformed customer. The title is in fact written in black, making it difficult to see on the disc. This may have been chosen deliberately in order to make the disk non-distracting for the customer, ensuring they spend little time admiring the CD and instead play the content on it.

Back Cover/Tracklist
Like the previous two panels of the digipak, the tracklist of the album utilises the black and white aesthetic to full effect. With the song titles being the main sources of light on the image, the reader's attention would likely be quickly drawn to them, the titles themselves likely provoking questions for the reader, as they try to decipher what each song could be about.

The tracklist for the album is kept almost completely parallel with the front cover of the album, the list of songs being the only thing different about the two images. The positioning of the white frame in the centre of both images acts as a focal point, ensuring the viewer is drawn to the most important features of each image.

Inside Sleeve

The real Inside Sleeve - The one shown previously is
taken from another release from the band.

Here, the short magazine included within the digipak can be seen. The booklet continues the two-tone aesthetic established by the cover of the album, however the images shown on the booklet appear more 'sepia' toned in appearance. This gives the album a vintage style, as this form of photography is typically associated with older cameras. On the front page of the booklet, the viewer can also notice some lyrics printed on top of an image of the well known musician Johnny Cash. This could thereby allow the reader to interpret this as one of the band's inspirations for their own musical style. This would also attract fans of Johnny Cash, as they would likely want to know more about his inclusion on the digipak. 

Summary
I think that similarly to 'Coexist', 'The 1975' has shown me how a minimal use of colour can actually make a digipak more eye-catching to potential listeners. By keeping the more visible aspects of the digipak highly subtle and straighfoward, I believe that the digipak for 'The 1975' is a excellent example of how a digipak is used to encourage the purchase of the content it is encasing. Therefore, when designing my own digipak, I would bare in mind how effective simplistic digipaks can be in order to remain appealing to audiences and customers.

Kavinsky - Outrun

Above is the cover for the album 'Outrun' by Kavinsky, a well known Synthwave artist. The cover features many of the Synthwave tropes I discussed in my previous 'Genre Research' post. The image present of the cover is actually set to a 'cinematic' format, making the image appear as if it has been taken from a film or television programme. This cinematic imagery is highly conventional of Synthwave artisrts, as they often feature or mimic films from the 1980s. The font used for 'Kavinsky' also resembles the title for the film 'Drive', a film I have discussed before for its Synthwave tones and imagery.

Shura - Nothing's Real

In order to source the necessary images for this analysis I viewed and screenshotted an 'unboxing' video which can be viewed above.

The Front Cover: Personally I believe that the front cover for Shura's 'Nothing's Real' is extremely eye-catching and bold, with the mixture of real life and illustrated images being blended together. 

Back Cover: The reverse cover, shown to the right, is kept extremely simple in appearance, with the tracklist and copyright information being the only visible features. This is highly similar to the previously analysed 'Coexist' by The XX, and allows the consumer to be drawn to the tracklist itself without distraction.



Inside Sleeve and Disk Holder: Here, the inside sleeve and CD holder continue the front cover's theme of blending illustrations with real images. I believe this is highly effective as it suggests an 'otherworldly' tone to the digipak, and thereby the album itself. With the illustrated aspect of the digipak even continuing onto the disk, I believe that this album would be highly appealing to consumers, as they would be intrigued to uncover what the 'image split' represents about the album and the artist herself.

New Order - Music Complete

Front Cover: Similar to The 1975's album and The XX's album, the cover for New Order's 'Music Complete' is highly minimalist, with no indication given to the actual members of the band. This is uncommon with such forms of promotion and packaging, as the star of the product is typically displayed frequently in order to create a sense of a personality to the consumer.

Back Cover: Similar to some of the other digipaks I have analysed, the tracklist of the album is the only main feature of the album, with the juxtaposition of the black font against the white background helping to make the tracklist highly eye-catching to the consumer.

The Disk: The CD of the album is also kept relatively similar to the tracklist in terms of its simplicity. I personally think that the continued minimalist aesthetic of the digipak actually works in its favor, as the consumer would likely be intrigued by the lack of typical digipak conventions. 

Inside Sleeve/Booklet: Other than the sleeve of the digipak, the booklet shown here is the only place on the album that the title and band are actually shown. Again, I think this would be highly effective in interesting a potential consumer, as the lack of information presents a detached, almost creditless album.

Music Video Analyses - 8

Music Video Analyses


http://prezi.com/0tjfung-cet6/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Photography Task - 7

I was given the code of 'Togetherness vs. Loneliness', which I was glad to receive as it allowed me to explore how a viewer differentiates between the two in images. I thought of using a pen in conjunction with several pencils as this would create a clear focal point for the audience, while still allowing me to angle the pen as being together with the pencils rather than alone (and vice versa).

Manual Focus - CA Mode

I took this photo using the Canon's manual focus ring in order to become more confident with physically focusing shits, rather than relying on the camera's automatic focus sensor.

I used this in conjunction with the 'CA' (Creative Auto) mode on the camera, which detected the need for a flash to be used.

The high angle used for this photograph also places the camera in the centre of the shot, meaning the audience is immediately drawn there. The audience can thereby distinguish the pen from the pencils, which could therefore adhere to the 'Loneliness' aspect of the code, as the pen is external and alien in comparison to the pencils.

Auto - Tv (Time Value) Mode - ISO 250

This image was taken using the Canon's 'Tv' or Time value mode, which allowed me to alter the camera's shutter speed while the camera still controlled other aspects of photographs, such as ISO.

The comparatively lower angle used for this shot represents the pen as more 'together' with the pencils, as it is placed at similar level, meaning the audience is less drawn to the pen in particular.

Auto - Sport Mode - Through Viewfinder

This photo was taken using the Sport Mode available on the camera, which greatly reduces the camera's shutter speed, meaning the image is taken quicker in addition to the camera's ISO (the camera's sensitivity to light).

Similar to the first photo, here the pen is very much 'lonely' in comparison to the pencils, as its larger size and mix of two colours makes it easily identifiable from the pencils.

Auto - Night Mode - Through Viewfinder

This photograph was taken using the camera's Night Mode, which brightens the image drastically in order to expose it fully. By changing the angle to a less conventional position, here I believe I have again represented the pen as together with the pencils, as the use of white (or blank) space draws the viewer to the objects as a whole, rather than individual elements.