Friday 27 April 2018
Friday 16 March 2018
Inside CD Booklet
These are the first two drafts of my inside booklet for my CD cover. I used both Adobe Fireworks and Photoshop to create these, but I found Adobe Fireworks easier to use so I continued to use this.
These were all created using images I found from Google so I decided to go away to create my own. After a week away in Tenerife, I had taken photos from all over the Island to use in my CD pack. Using these, along with previous photos taken in Disneyland I could create my inside booklet.
After getting some audience feedback on the inside booklet I realised that it was lacking something. I decided to use the lyrics from the songs and create 'notes' on each of the Polaroids.
Wednesday 7 March 2018
First Draft Music Video
Tuesday 30 January 2018
Emailing the Band
Thursday 25 January 2018
CD covers and booklets
This is my first draft front cover for my CD case. After using different software such as Photoshop, or websites such as Canva I decided to use adobe Fireworks to create this CD cover. The photo was taken at home and then the text and filter were put on afterwards.
Tuesday 23 January 2018
Website
When it came to creating my website there was many different platforms in which I could have used. The first website I went to was Wix. This is a free and simple website which allows you to create your own site. I started to use this but it wouldn't give you much control over the site. It was very template heavy and tried to control what you created. I then started looking at other online website creators such as wordpress and create.net. However, after searching for a while I came across XPRS which had everything I wanted. It had a simple UI which could make me create a quick template, but then it would also allow me to add any pop ups, or change the HTML script for any element I wanted to.This is the link to the website creator
This is the link to my website
This is the first thing that appears on my website. It is a pop up which appears 3 seconds after the website is loaded. This shows the latest album cover, and tries to get the user to sign up to hear about the latest updates. The white contrasts with the black background and makes it look important. And the album cover will make sure that the user knows they are on the right website, as they should recognise the cover. If they don't, and they haven't listen to or brought the album, this makes it easier for them to find it. This pop up only appears on the home screen.
Once you have either filled in your email, or clicked the cross on the pop up screen, this page will appear. I wanted to keep this website simple but effective so the user knows what they are here for, and how to navigate around it. This is why this page is a still image which shows the band logo along with the name. It also has links to the social media pages when you scroll down, along with the production company and the adress.
The next page on the drop down menu in the top right is the about page. This page just has a short paragraph on who the band contains and their top songs. It also tells the user that the song for their latest music video was a top 10 hit.
This is the next show page. Like the others, it is pretty simple but the date is linked to an external page where you can buy tickets for the show. The page shows the date and location of the upcoming show. The bright red text is the first thing the eye is attracted to as it contrasts with the background as this is the most important piece of information on this page.
This is the contact page.This allows you to send a direct email to the band which allows the user to feel closer with the band. This uses star theory which means that people will more likely purchase something if they feel personally connected to the band. Once the message is sent, a message appears saying 'thank you'.
Thursday 18 January 2018
Storyboard
Monday 15 January 2018
Why should you make a storyboard?
Never overlook the story boarding process when creating a music video. Many people think that this isn't important as they have a rough idea of how it is going to look and just start filming. This is a big mistake. Planning is effective as it allows you to know how to film on the day. You don't want to spend too long shooting one scene, and not give yourself enough time to shoot the rest of the video.
It also makes it easier as you know what you need to shoot. You don't need to waste any time when shooting trying to decide which shot will look best. After all, when you film you're often paying to use the equipment or the actors so you need to be as time effective as possible. It also allows you to send out the storyboard to everyone else before filming. This means that everyone knows what they have to do on the day, and if anyone has any problems with their requirements, they can contact you and sort it out beforehand.
Creating storyboards is all about saving time and getting things right on the day of filming.
Websites
Why you need a band website
With all the social media about, who needs a band website?
1. You have to have somewhere where people can find everything of yours in one place.
Despite the fact that social media can keep people updated on tours, and there's apps such as Spotify to keep people updated on music. However, you need somewhere to put everything in one place. This is what the website will be used for. It can have links to Spotify, social media and can have a store built in to sell merch or concert tickets.
2. You get to be in control
When using social media or YouTube you don't get to be in complete control. You can post whatever you want but you can't change the view of the website itself as you're using a third party website. This means that your website can be as personal as you want. At the end of the day it is YOUR website.
3. You can create an image
By being in control of your own website, you can create an image which will continue along social media. This image will reflect you as an artist/band and will allow you to be easily recognised. This image will be reflected in everything from your album covers to your outfits, and will reflect your personality.
4. You look more professional
Having a website creates an initial impression when people are looking for you online. It makes it look like time and effort has been put in to yourself as an artist or a band. Once this has created the first impression, let the music do the talking
5. Social media isn't reliable.
Although you may rack up 10 million followers over a couple of years, this can easily change as you account can get suspended or the platform you're using may stop being used. Look at MySpace, many people used to use that, and some artists who built their profiles up on it will have lost everything when its user count started decreasing rapidly.
6. SEO
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) makes it easier to get new fans. It allows you to appear more when people search for similar artists and it is often overlooked. For example, you can change it so that if people search 'pop music' your band appears first.
7. Sell what you like
Although you can use third party websites to sell products, they usually take a percentage of what is sold. However, the pro's of selling on your own website is that you can choose how much to sell it for, and you get all the profits.
8. Audience feedback
You can create an area for the audience to give their own feedback on your products. And you can also choose which reviews will appear first. You can select positive reviews and broadcast them on your website.
9. Subscription
You can allow the audience to subscribe to emails giving them information other people can't access. This makes people feel connected to you as an artist which means that they are more likely to buy your product. You can also send out exclusive member only offers.
10. It's yours
Although we have already spoken about this, it's the most important point. The website is, and will always be yours.
What makes a good band website:
-Interactive multimedia
-Take a lot of photos
-Good opening splash page
-Band info
-Don't be too text heavy
-Have a clear house style which links with everything
-Link with points of sale
-Easy navigation (3 click rule)
Wednesday 10 January 2018
Production Schedule
When thinking about creating my music video I realised that I need to make a production schedule so that I finish my video in time.As I've already chosen my song, I now need to create a storyboard for my music video. Obviously this may change, but i intend to make my first draft by the 20th January, giving me 10 days to create, and change my storyboard.
Throughout story boarding I will also need to scout locations to see where is suitable. While evaluating these different locations I need to take images so I can see the proxemics before filming, giving me chance to plan. I also need to find out when these places are suitable to film, thinking about times of day, weather, and how busy the place is.
Also throughout story boarding I need to discover the talent (see who will take part in my music video). I will need to find out what times will be suitable for both of us to film, and try and see if these correlate with when the locations are available.
After story boarding I will need to create a shooting schedule and book out any equipment needed. This is important as the actors will need to know when they will be needed for filming.
Once all equipment is booked it's time to start filming. Throughout the filming process I will also edit my video. This saves time, and also allows me to change any footage if needed while I still have access to the equipment.
After filming I need to finish off any post production as this is where the magic happens. This is also when I need to start on my ancillary tasks (the website and the album cover) as these will need to link with my music video.
Monday 8 January 2018
Changing my song choice
After hours of trying to storyboard my ideas, I realised that it wouldn't be possible to 'jump and shake' by Timeflies. I then spent the next coupe of weeks listening to different songs over and over again while trying to find the right one. I finally came along 'Right here right now' by American Authors and decided that this is the song I will be using for my music video.
Friday 5 January 2018
Target Audience
After thinking for a while about my target audience I decided to go for teenagers.This is a pretty mass audience. The main reason for this is because I am a teenager myself. I know how they think, and feel and I can empathise with them. Now I know that all teens are different, but most of them have some things in common. For example, we are all in, or have been to some sort of education. Most of us have experienced some point in our life where we wish we could just run away and live on a beach in a hot deserted island.
Also, teenagers are the best to target for many other reasons. Teenagers hear better than older people. I know this doesn't seem very important, but when it comes to music this is surely the best thing out there. You can include different layers of sound which fits in with the visuals on screen. This gives another dimension to the video which some people won't understand. Teenagers are also more impressionable. This means that they can easily be swayed and changed. They don't have one specific type of music they listen to. They're also more willing to try new things. And with this, they believe that the music is new. Older people have already had years of listening to music, and seeing videos so they think that it is being copied. They don't see the originality as they only see or hear older 'recycled' music. Teenagers also often don't have to work for their money, or if they do, they often don't have priorities. This means that they can spend money going to concerts, or buying the latest CD's if they like the music and the video. This gives the artist more revenue.