Digipak Questionnaire

I decided that to begin creating my digipak for the ancillary task, it would be a suitable idea to compose a questionnaire in order to gain answers from my target audience as to what they would find most appealing for a rock/pop band’s album cover. I am intending on asking around twenty people for their answers for my questionnaire because it would be too time consuming to gather answers from a higher number of candidates. I am hoping to post my questionnaire on social networking website such as ‘Facebook’ and ‘Myspace’ in order to gain immediate communication and responses from the questionnaire candidates. The questions in which I have put across will in result effect the outcome of my digipak such as the main colour scheme and what I should actually have featuring on the front cover that would be most pleasing for a specific age and gender. Furthermore, I have included in my questionnaire four album covers which are from a range of solo artists as well as bands from a similar music genre, this may also effect what I decided will be in the front cover of my digipak for inspiration as this will help to gain various images from different album covers which can result in my album cover being relatively diverse.

Digipak Questionnaire

I decided that to begin creating my digipak for the ancillary task, it would be a suitable idea to compose a questionnaire in order to gain answers from my target audience as to what they would find most appealing for a rock/pop band’s album cover. I am intending on asking around twenty people for their answers for my questionnaire because it would be too time consuming to gather answers from a higher number of candidates. I am hoping to post my questionnaire on social networking website such as ‘Facebook’ and ‘Myspace’ in order to gain immediate communication and responses from the questionnaire candidates. The questions in which I have put across will in result effect the outcome of my digipak such as the main colour scheme and what I should actually have featuring on the front cover that would be most pleasing for a specific age and gender. Furthermore, I have included in my questionnaire four album covers which are from a range of solo artists as well as bands from a similar music genre, this may also effect what I decided will be in the front cover of my digipak for inspiration as this will help to gain various images from different album covers which can result in my album cover being relatively diverse.

Editing Cont...(Part 4)

In yesterday's media lesson, the group and I had the opportunity to resume our editing of our promotional music video, so consequently, we made the effort to replace the twenty seconds we lost and to make it of a higher standard as required by the rest of the production team. The replacement of the work we lost was much easier to replace and produce due to the fact we already had some experience with this area of work, also our storyboards were a great help as this is what we originally followed, even though we have decided to add in extra pieces in certain areas which are noticable in our work so far.

Special Effects

We agreed that using special effects will add to the atmosphere which is created throughout the song in our music video. We all consented to using the 'dream effect' which iMovie produced on the clip which had the sign that said 'saucy singles speed dating' and on the clips which had all three characters walking down the road to the speed dating venue. This produced the audience with a clear understanding as to whats happening within the narrative in the music video. Also, the dream effect could help relate back to comic books.

Here is an example of the 'dream effect' we used on the 'saucy singles speed dating' sign.

And here is another example of the same effect being used on one of our characters walking down the road.

Transitions

We also applied transitions in areas we thought would be effective such as when the female character was on her dates with the three characters. We applied the 'wipe' transition as it maintained the chronology as to who the female character dated first, second and third. This also maintained the discrepancy between the different archetypal characters.

Another transition in which the production team and I gathered to be very useful was the 'jump cut'. We thought this would be quite compelling when applying the beat of the song to this as it produced an upbeat and fun appeal to our target audience. This can also again when viewing remind us of comic books generally, because comic books usually have a fast moving storyline which is always able to attract our attention, so by adding this particular transition, it should successfully attract the attention of our audiences and keep them engaged in the fun and yet musical beat accompanying the action.

Analysis of a Digipak

It is most commonly known that the majority of digipaks have six panels, and it is rarely seen that digipaks have any less than that, however I have possession of a digipak which happens to have only two panels consisting of the front cover and the back. I would have originally chosen to have made a thorough analysis of a digipak consisting of more however I am unable to access one at this moment in time. Evanescence is a Pop/Rock band which is the same genre to our chosen song despite the fact that this particular band has more of a Rock vibe to their music compared to mine.


Front Cover

- The image of the woman on this front cover is the most eye catching point of the digipak cover because it appears that everything in this image is evolving around her even though she is not situated directly in the centre of the composition of the album cover. Her image could possibly give away connotations as to the band members identities, such as the long white/cream dress suggesting connotations of innocence and maybe purity. This could be symbolic of the bands main female singer. Also her pose appears relatively vulnerable with the way in which she looks back over her shoulder. This could be to connotate, again, the lead female singer of the band and how she might possibly be in a vulnerable position as she is in the spotlight compared to the rest of the band because of her status. ( This could be classified as main convention on a CD front cover: an eye catching image that is representative of a band/band member.)

- The colour-scheme of the front cover is literally half black and half gold. The image of the female is of her looking over her shoulder into the darkness of the black side. Some people could perceive this as having some meaning behind it, or maybe even some kind of narrative. Nonetheless, linking this to genre of music, this could be symbolising the two faces of music this band has for example, the softer rock songs that this band sometimes produces compared to the heavier rock songs. Moreover, this black could depict the sense of mystery the band still wishes to hold from their audience.

- The female in the picture is very pale with dark eyes and is not smiling which could be seen as a somewhat ghoulist, dead feel towards this certain character. It could possibly go against the conventions of which the band is wishing to perceive, if this image of the woman was to smile? The image is definitely not stereotypical in terms of sex appeal in some peoples opinions which attracts a predominantly female audience.

- The font is very noticably printed in the colour of gold against the black background of the right side of the album cover. The font type is not stereotypically gothic, but in some ways considered to be because of the elongated ends of specific letters which are clear to see once viewed. The font type contradicts the colour it is printed in which could again, symbolise the two phases of rock the band goes through: soft to heavy. However, the pattern around the name of the band is "swirly", this could just be the bands logo as a way of helping to promote the name of their band by presenting it in a more eye catching way, instead of just having the band name written with nothing to compliment it.

- The low angle shot helps to make the long door look even more elongated than what it already is, this might help the audience relate to all the images in which this shot appears to emphasize and then it will help them again, relate this back to the gothic theme in which this band alot of the time in their music videos portray.

Inside Panels

- The left panel could be seen as proceeding on with the narrative. The image is of a moon, which could symbolise the other side of the door from the image of the front cover. By opening the front cover you could be classified as opening the door. The font is still consistent as on the front cover, again with the swirly pattern placed around the font. The colour-scheme is also similar however more gold is used to show that the inside is more angelic - again relating the bands dull image on the outside and how it is different to what it is on the inside. Moreover, the swirly pattern here is more dominant, this could be to show the bands individuality as it could be looked upon as something they created and generated into print - showing their unique style towards the audience.

CD Compartment

- The CD compartment is somewhat different as it consists of only a goldish colour-scheme which could represent that the CD is 'sacred' and the most important part of the digipak, which in fact it is. However the compartment which holds the CD is in jewel packaging which is very common in all digipaks as it is still lightweight and convenient for the environment. There is a pattern of swirls again underneath where the CD is placed which leaves remaining to the eye only the background of gold. This almost brings the main attention to the CD itself.

Back

- Again, the perspective of the back of the digipak is interesting as it reveals the bands creative point of views. The gold writing is superimposed on the black/brown background which tries to put across the fact that the song names are very important, however your eye view always seems to end up facing that of the picturesque view of the night sky on the right. This is a way of just trying to emphasize the narrative which goes throughout the digipak. Some may not even consider this to be a narrative but just simply different ways of viewing this particular scene which is taking place from different angles, which could relate back to the different audiences having different views towards this band.

- As it is the back of the digipak, it will obviously consist of the generic conventions of the back of an album cover for example: the bands website, the record producers, the record label, copywrite details and of course the bar code which is a main generic convention of the back of an album cover.

Overall, I do have a liking to this digipak, however I am not too fond which the amount of panels this consists of, therefore I would not necessarily choose to product a digipak consisting of only two panels. Generally, the colour-scheme of this digipak would not be something I would particularly choose use when in the creation of my own, however to gain some initial ideas as to what would be most suitable to include for my specific target audience, I would have to create a questionnaire and gain audience feedback before making any vast decisions.

Editing Cont...(Part 3)

As week by week continues, the deadline for our promotional music video is nearing, therefore we have to spend more time in the media room editing. At times, some of the production team is not free the time other members are which can result in a few complications but we usually work around these.

Today, a member of the production team (Reena Chadee) used her time wisely to go and edit so that we were able to have at least half of the music video complete as time was rapidly running out. However, she came to realise that the work which we had managed to do efficiently at the City Learning Centre was not saved which resulted in us having only eight seconds of editing footage instead of up to twenty eight which we were able to complete. This took us a great amount of time to produce due to everything being so precise and sharply matched so that the clip moved precisely to the rhythm of our song. When we discussed what had happened, we tried to think of ways in which we could improve what we had already managed to do so that when we reproduce the twenty seconds we had lost again, it would be of a higher standard and with more inspirational ideas so that we will result in having a more successful production of our promotional music video.

What is a Digipak?

Digipaks typically consist of a gatefold (book-style) paperboard or card stock outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside. Since Digipaks were among the first alternatives to jewel cases to be used by major record companies, and because there is no other common name for Digipak-style packaging made by other companies, the term digipak or Digi-Pakis often used generically, even when the media holder is a hub or "Soft Spot" rather than a full plastic tray.

Made mostly from thick card, the digipak is virtually shatterproof and allows great graphic display. Originally used for the album packaging of leading musicians, the digipak and digipak family are now priced reasonably enough to be used for any CD or DVD project. The digipak is an extremely versatile packaging. It can be made to accommodate a booklet either by placing in a die-cut slot or gluing onto one of the panels. In addition, the panels can be increased from 4 to 6, 8 or more. The DVD digipak is a popular alternative to the DVD box which is now widely used for feature film DVD releases which are special editions because it increases the value and creates a premium product.

CD and DVD digipaks make a big statement, they represent the ultimate custom packaging for your CD or DVD replication project. A digipak is also a more environmentally friendly option when compared with traditional plastic jewel cases or DVD cases.

Material: 300gsm card with matt or gloss varnish. Printed 4 colours (CMYK) or Pantone colours. Spot varnish, lamination and embossing available.

Dimensions (Based on standard 4pp digipak): finished size of 139.5mm x 6mm x 125.5mm. This will obviously vary depending on the amount of panels, however this is the most common size.

Band or Solo Artist?

Whilst editing our music video, the production team and I were starting to think about the artist/s of our song due to the fact that this issue is relatively essential when designing an album cover. We are taking into consideration the image of the artist/s as we have specific target audience criteria to work in collaboration with for example the age group and gender we are trying to attract.

Ke$ha

Kesha is a contemporary American pop artist who began her solo career in early 2009. She was originally a backing singer for bands such as ‘The Veronicas’ and solo artists such as Britney Spears. Her fame mainly began when she appeared to be featuring in the debut song ‘Right Round’ with Flo Rida, then in late 2009 became even more popular amongst the youth when she released her single ‘Tik Tok’. In my opinion Kesha has the typical image of a pop/rock star. Her image would relate me back to the song to our music video ‘Superman’ as her individual style relates to our music genre. Also, she attracts the target audience which we are aiming to grab attention from as well.

Paramore

Paramore is an American rock band that is well known in many countries. The members consist of 3 boys and a girl who is the lead singer. This particular band had caught my attention when looking for rock bands which could have a similar genre to that of our production team due to their multi-coloured outfits and the lead singer. This is because in the song we are promoting, we also have a lead female vocalist. However, in the majority of their songs they have dominant beating of drums, this again reminded me of our song as we also have dominant beating of drums at the beginning and throughout the song. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that if the group and I decide that our song would be promoting a band, they would have a similar image to that of Paramore.

Even though the majority of my artist research is based on solo artists, for example Avril Lavigne, I feel that a band would be a more suitable way of promoting our song ‘Superman’ as bands are more adaptable to peoples personal taste compared to solo artists. Additionally, due to our song having many instruments being played that are immediately distinct, a band would get more acknowledgement and recognition from the audience for playing their own music instead of using the help of Garageband.