Here is our music video.

Here is the outside panel of my digipak album cover.

Here is the inside panel of my digipak album cover.

Here is the inside panel of my digipak album cover.

Here is a link to my artist's website. Please click on the image below to enter the website.

Wednesday 3 January 2018

Evaluation Q1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our main product was our music video, and our two ancillary products were our album cover and website. Our three products are mostly conventional, using a lot of the conventions of the indie pop genre, and the distinctive form of the music video. However, the three products do also develop and challenge some of the form and genre conventions, particularly in regards to challenging the sexualisation of female artists. Overall, I believe we have created a professional standard promotional package for our artist that will appeal to our target audience. 

GENRE


Our band, The Acrylics, produces music of the indie pop genre.


Indie pop is a genre that originated from alternative rock in the UK during the 1980s. It is a more melodic and less abrasive than indie rock, and does not contain the angst that is so iconic of the iconic music of indie rock. This extends to the look of the band, which too demonstrates a more acceptable, 'pretty' appearance in areas like colour scheme and fashion. Indie pop is also much more commercially viable, as the values and lyrical content in the music is a lot more marketable for a general audience. However, indie pop still has a low reach; due to its distinguishably smaller budget, many indie pop artists often cannot afford the same advertising privileges as pop musicians, such as billboards and televisual advertisements.



Andrew Goodwin states that 'music videos demonstrate genre characteristics'. In the presentation below, I will demonstrate how we understood the characteristics of the indie pop genre and attributed them to our three media texts.

Please read my presentation below to find out more. Navigate the presentation using the scrollers seen on the right and bottom of the screen.

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FORM


MUSIC VIDEO

The form of the music video is very distinct. Few other media art forms are able to have such a wide disjuncture between the music and the visuals, or have such a fragmented editing style where extreme jumps in time and space, and juxtaposition between frames are completely accepted and expected by an audience member. We used many of the conventions in music video form in our own music video. In the presentation below, I will describe these conventions and how we used, developed and challenged them in our own music video. 

Please watch my presentation below to find out more. Use the arrows on either side of the presentation to navigate between slides, and the icon in the bottom right corner to make the presentation full screen. 






Simon Frith's theory states that most music videos can be split into three forms: narrative, performance and concept. Our music video had a hybrid form, which is a music video using a combination of narration, performance and conceptual. In the presentation below, I will describe how we used the three distinct forms in our music video, and compare our product to other existing music videos we took inspiration from. 




Please watch my presentation below to find out more. Use the arrows on either side of the presentation to navigate between slides and scroll to zoom in. 


ALBUM COVER

The conventional form of the album cover has a few distinctive characteristics. One album cover that we took great inspiration from is the album cover for New Young Pony Club's 'Fantastic Playroom'. In the slideshow below, I will break down the conventional album cover form with this example, and describe how we used, developed and challenged these conventions. 

Please watch my slideshow below to find out more. Use the arrow keys to navigate between the slides.


WEBSITE

The conventional form of music artist's websites has its own set of characteristics.




Andrew Dubber stated that a music website in the Web 2.0 era should act as a place where the users can meet and connect with both the artist and each other. It is not just a place for people to discover the artist's music - although that is the primary function - it is also a place where the should be opportunities for socialising, purchasing and contribution.





Henry Jenkins stated that we are now living in a participatory culture. This involves a culture where everyone participates in the creation of media; it is influenced, shared and sometimes produced by the  public. Our website works in favour of this kind of culture, as it facilitates many opportunities for users to get involved with the band.


The website must work as 'the hub' for an audience; whether they have come from watching the music video or buying the album, people will converge on the website as a source of information and interaction. The website must respond to any needs the audience may have, from finding out more about the band, to purchasing their music or merchandise. In the mind map below, I will illustrate the conventional form of an artist's website and how we used these conventions.

Please read my mind map below to find out more. Click and drag to navigate the mind map, and right click on the mind map to bring up an option to zoom in or out.


Conclusion

We created three media artefacts that are largely conventional in form and genre. Although for the most part we have used these forms and conventions, in some occasions we have chosen to develop or challenge them in order for our product to stand out in the dense media landscape we live in today. Overall, I believe that we have successfully created three authentic and effective media products. 

Evaulation Q2: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

As a record label, our aim was to create a promotional package with consistent and recognisable branding for our up and coming artist to generate interest within our audience to buy into the brand. Although our main text - the music video for the artist's single - and our ancillary texts - the digipak album cover and the artist's website - all have their own identity and specific functions, the combination of the three has the effect of creating a clear brand for the artist, promoting the brand and selling the product - the music - to the audience.

In this answer, I will be using a case study to demonstrate how we've researched an existing marketing strategy and how that has influenced our decisions when marketing The Acrylics. The band I will be studying closely will be Echosmith, an indie pop band.

Overview of our three products

The music video, album cover and website each have their own independent functions. Some of these functions are shared with another product or across all three, as can be observed in the Venn diagram below.


The way these functions are carried out are also independent to each product. For example, the brand of the artist will be covered through the music video in performances and CU's of the artist's facial expressions. The same information will be conveyed on our album cover and website through colour scheme and the style of font used.

Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications Theory outlines the audience's needs when consuming media products. These include escapism into an entertaining media landscape that the artist creates through the branding, information about the music artist, and help in the construction of personal identity (e.g. fashion and personal values). The functions of each product appeals to the demands of the audience.

Marketing - Key Points and Theories

Before we made any decisions on how we would market our band, we researched marketing ideas and the many theories surrounding marketing and star construction. Here are some the first questions we answered when thinking about the marketing of our three products.



Marketing Theories outline four things that need to be considered when marketing a product. These things are key to understanding the audience: how they will locate and respond to the product, and which circumstances are the best for them to spend their money. In the presentation below, I will outline what these four considerations (or '4 P's') are.

Please watch my presentation below to find out more. Use the arrows on either side of the presentation to navigate between slides and scroll to zoom in.



To help us understand the choices we should make when marketing our band, we examined the marketing campaign of the indie pop band Echosmith. In the presentation below, I will analyse the key aspects of the band's star identity, their marketing campaign and how I believe it was effective.

Please read my presentation below to find out more. Navigate the presentation using the scrollers seen on the right and bottom of the screen.

Made with Padlet

In the presentation below, I will outline how marketing theory and research into our case study have influenced the marketing of our own band.

Please read my presentation below to find out more. Navigate the presentation using the scrollers seen on the right and bottom of the screen.

Made with Padlet

Richard Dyer was a theorist who was interested in the construction of the 'pop star'. He stated that the identity and persona of a pop star is part of the product a record label will sell the audience. He also stated that a star's identity also exists outside of their music; their identity must be repeated with the look of their other products, such as their merchandise, their website and their album cover, In the video I have created below, I will go into more detail about Richard Dyer's star theory and outline how a pop performer's identity is constructed into that of a pop star.

Please watch my animated video below to learn more. Simply press play on the video to start the presentation, and click the pause button if you need more time to read the information provided.


In the presentation below, I will analyse how our case study, Echosmith, incorporates star theory into their branding, how we produced our own star identity for our band, and how I believe we were effective.


Conclusion

Overall, I believe that the combination of our products throughout our marketing campaign for very effective in reaching and appealing to our audience with our artist's brand. The music video, album cover and website had successful connectivity to generate interest in our band and convince our target audience to buy our artist's music and various other branded products.

Evaluation Q3: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Throughout the production process, we made constant reference to our target audience groups to feedback on our work. Understanding our audience was vitally important to us; if our audience are not satisfied by our products, then they will not be convinced to buy into The Acrylic's brand. We aimed to tailor our main and ancillary products to the needs and suggestions of our audience. In this answer, I hope to analyse how we have responded to our audience feedback and gratified their needs using my knowledge of Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications Theory.

OUR AUDIENCE

Our target audience group is indie pop fans, skewed towards girls aged between 12-25. In the table below, I have broken down our primary and secondary audiences.

Please click on the image to enlarge.


PRE-PRODUCTION

With this understanding of our target audience, we started developing our ideas for our band and the type of image they would portray. This theory suggests that audiences have wants and needs when consuming media texts, and that different audience members consumed media for different reasons. We used Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications Theory to help understand the needs of musical audiences and ways in which we could gratify their needs through our decision making. In the mind map below, I have illustrated how Uses and Gratifications Theory have influenced our decision making. 

Please read my mind map below to find out more. Click and drag to navigate the mind map, and right click on the mind map to bring up an option to zoom in or out.


We thus came up with our initial ideas for the band: 
  • Potential names for our band included 'Pickaxe Party' and 'Pillow Fight'.
  • Our band would be an indie pop group.
  • Include a female lead singer and a group of three boys to play guitar, keyboard and drums.
  • Album cover, website and music video have a bright, pastel colour scheme.
  • Our single would be 'Sweet Dream' (a song by the band 'Black Cat Zoot').
We tested these ideas on our target audience to receive their feedback. We received feedback from Survey Monkey and from talking directly to our audience. We asked a main focus group of female indie pop fans aged between 12-25, who we sourced from people we knew from our school and relatives. In the table below I have illustrated how our feedback informed and developed our ideas during pre-production. 

Please watch my slideshow below to find out more. Use the arrow keys to navigate between the slides.


The main thing we learned from audience feedback in the pre-production stages was that it is vitally important not to confuse the audience. We discovered that even just the name of the band is a big part of understanding the type of music the artist produces and the image of the artist, and if this does not correlate with the rest of the image the band is trying to communicate, this can severely limit the audience's willingness to engage with the band and purchase their music. 

A real world example of this is with Echosmith. When the band signed on to Warner Bros. Records in 2012, the record label changed their name from 'Ready, Set, Go!' to 'Echosmith'. 


'Ready Set Go!' ---> 'Echosmith'
Although it is not documented why the name was changed, I interpret this to mean that the record label did not think that the original name would have as much consumer potential, and does not speak volumes about the type of music the band creates, or the identity the band wants to convey. The new name communicates a lot more about the ethos of the band and what sort of music they make- similar to a 'blacksmith', Echosmith's aim is craft good music. It summons more light hearted imagery, such as bright colours and soft sounds. 

At the end of the pre-production process, we felt that we had successfully tailored our planning for our music video, website and album cover to the feedback of our audience. 

PRODUCTION


During production, we put our audience's feedback into practice. We employed their corrections and suggestions into how we constructed our music video, website and album cover. During production, we also received feedback from our target audience via word of mouth; we would ask members of our audience to see a screening of our working edit for our music video, or to have a look around the website and album cover. We noted down what they liked and improvements they would like to see.

In the presentation below, I will analyse how we translated our initial audience feedback from the pre-production phase into our construction of our three products, describe the feedback we received and show how we tailored our construction to their advice.  

Please read my presentation below to find out more. Navigate the presentation using the scrollers seen on the right and bottom of the screen.


Made with Padlet

At the end of the construction phase, I think we successfully tailored our decisions to appeal to, and suit the needs of, our target audience. 

EVALUATION


After we completed construction on our three products, we screened our products in front of members of our target audience. From their feedback, we evaluated whether our products successfully communicated the branding of our band, and whether the band's products directly appealed to them as our target audience. 

Music Video

We screened our music video in front of members of our target audience, who viewed the product in groups so as to instigate conversation between them about the music video whilst it was playing. We also collated feedback through a structured interview which we carried out immediately after the screening, so the video was fresh in their heads. We recorded this evidence on a smartphone. 

I have used VideoAnt to analyse the feedback given to us. To access my analysis of the feedback, please click on the link below the image - the link will open in a separate tab. To use VideoAnt, simply click play on the video on the left and read my analysis on the right - each piece of analysis is time coded and will flash when relevant. Feel free to pause the video to have more time to read the text. 
Click here to access our audience feedback on VideoAnt 
Overall, although there were some small things that we could've improved - for example, communicating the image of the band more effectively so it does not appear 'girly' - we learned from our feedback for our music video that we were mostly successful in communicating our brand to the audience, and we were unanimously successful in creating a product that entertained and appealed to our target audience. 

Album Cover

We showed our album cover digipak to a member of our target audience, Sian Richefond, and carried out a structured interview to gather their feedback and immediate responses to the album cover. We recorded the audio for the feedback on our smartphones and uploaded it to SoundCloud.

To hear our audience feedback, please click the play button below. 

  


Overall, we learned from our feedback for our album cover that we were successful in selling the band's music, and the band identity, to our audience with our digipak, and appealed to them with the way we chose to construct our final product.

Website 

We showed our artist's website to members of our target audience, and recorded them navigating our website. We then carried out a structured interview with them to receive feedback to see if we were successful in appealing to our audience.

To see our audience feedback, please observe the slideshow below by clicking on the arrow icons to navigate the slides.


Overall, we learned from our feedback for our artist's website that we were successful in appealing to the audience, and satisfied their needs for information, entertainment and interaction.

CONCLUSION


In conclusion, I learned from our audience feedback that we were very successful in creating three products that appealed to our target audience. The feedback showed me that our audience were entertained by our products, and they could correctly decipher our band's genre, identity, star qualities, and aesthetics from all of our products. This showed me the effect of our products synergising well together to communicate the same information and not confuse our audience, which will positively influence their decision to buy into the band. Furthermore, not one of our audience said that there was anything they would improve, and although their were minor points that I have analysed from their feedback where our communication of our band identity could have been clearer, I do not believe these were major negative factors that would cause damage to the band's appeal. Overall, the feedback was very positive and demonstrated that we were successful in appealing to our audience. 

Evaluation Q4: How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?

Throughout the entirety of our project - research, planning, construction and evaluation - I have used a wide range of new media technologies in order to fulfill our needs. Across all three stages of the project, I became aware that the choice behind using newer technologies said a lot about how technology has developed in the last few decades, and that the best tools are ones that I could converge alongside others. During this project, my education on how to operate media technologies has flourished. In this post, I shall illustrate how I used these technologies, what I learned, and demonstrate my understanding of the impact of new technologies on the media landscape.

RESEARCH AND PLANNING

In the presentation below, I will describe the technologies we used during the research and planning stage, reflect on their importance and comment on their pros and cons.

Please watch my presentation below to find out more. Use the arrows on either side of the presentation to navigate between slides and scroll to zoom in.



CONSTRUCTION

We constructed our music video in our school's Seward Studio. We benefitted from the new media technologies we had access to having technological convergence. 

Please observe my diagram below to find out more. Click the image to enlarge.


In the presentation below, I will describe the technologies we used during the construction stage, reflect on their importance and comment on their pros and cons.

Please watch my presentation below to find out more. Use the arrows on either side of the presentation to navigate between slides and scroll to zoom in.



Another important feature in our construction was the prevalence of social media


We created three social media accounts to synergise with our website. We created and maintained these because social media is where most members of our target audience. Due to the proliferation of smartphones, most young people have social media downloaded as apps on their phones, and so can receive updates whenever there is an update from someone they are following. We intended to create a following on these social media accounts, and keep them updated with promotional opportunities, as we believed this was a good way of keeping our audience informed of our products. We also used social media to build upon the authentic image of the band - for example, by tweeting personal messages to the public. This will keep the audience engaged in the personal dynamics of the band and make them more willing to consume advertisements from them. 


  • Facebook - here we placed updates for our audience on where the band were, i.e. whether they were on tour, and promote upcoming purchasing opportunities. Updates on here are more formal and less frequent - a typical band page updates once or twice a day.
  • Twitter - here we tweeted promotional opportunities and personal messages to engage our audience. We tweeted frequently, i.e. four or five times a day.
The first tweet is a personal message showing Casey and Hugh's quirky relationship as siblings - this allows audiences to build an interest into their relationship.
The second tweet is a promotional message, that takes the user to the music video - this keeps the audience updated on the 
  • Instagram - here we published promo shots of The Acrylics, fronting their band image as the main way of selling them to the audience. 
EVALUATION

In the presentation below, I will describe the technologies we used during the evaluation stage, reflect on their importance and comment on their pros and cons.

Please watch my presentation below to find out more. Use the arrows on either side of the presentation to navigate between slides and scroll to zoom in.



CONCLUSION

Throughout this project, I have used new media technologies that have enabled me the granted as many of our aims as possible, made our tasks quicker and easier to manage, and produced the best results. In the process, I have improved my skills using some of these technologies, most notably on Adobe Photoshop, and have learned entirely new skills, such as using website developing software on Wix.com and creating lighting states using the Zero88 Leap Frog Lighting Console.