Tuesday, 19 May 2015
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Evaluation Question 4- How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
We used the internet for both research & planning and to create part of our product.
http://www.wix.com/
We used the website 'wix.com' to create our drafts and final website for our band. This was a very useful website because it was easy to use and it included all the features needed to create a successful website. This website taught me how to create a band website, which included different pages such as news, tour dates and merchandise. When I first started creating the website, I had very little knowledge of what I was doing but by the end of making one, after creating several drafts, I believe I managed to create a website which looks realistic and does what a website should be able to do.
https://www.bitstrips.com/
Bitstrips helped us with our research and planning. We used it to create a comic strip which showed our chosen genres hobbies and interests. By doing this we gained more knowledge of our chosen genre, meaning that when it came to creating our products it was easier for us to make sure they would fit into the genre so that our target audience would like them.
https://www.youtube.com/
We used YouTube to help us with research and also to help with making our actual music video. We used YouTube to look at music videos of other bands who fit into our genre. By doing this we were able to see what other bands had used in their music videos (e.g narrative, costumes, models) so that would we include similar in our music video. I also used it to take screen shots from for when I was doing research and planning. I took screenshots from videos by bands such as You Me At Six. I then analysed these screen shots and discussed what was used in these music videos to help them fit into the genre and was then able to incorporate this research into the music video which we created.
To have group discussions outside of lessons me, Molly and Christian created a group chat on Facebook. We used this chat to discuss work which we had done with each other but also to give advise and help each other on anything we were unsure of. We also made a group chat, which included the models we used in our music video. We used this chat to discuss when and were we would be filming, what each model would need to wear and also what each model was going to be doing in the video. I'd say these chats were fairly successful as they helped us to organise things and also meant it was easier to contact each other and discuss things.
When filming we used a video camera and tripod. We used a tripod to make sure our shots were steady and looked more professional. To get images for our website and digipak we used a stills camera. We did this so that our images would come out at a better quality. The locations we used to take these photos were places we felt would fit into our genre and were places that would actually appear on real Alternative Rock products. We edited some of the photos we took on Photoshop. For example we took a photo of our lead singer in a photography studio and then edited it into a different background and then put onto our digipak. We did this as we felt it would make the digipak stand out more as it was quite alternative but also because we felt it was an edit which would again fit into our chosen genre.
After finishing our music video we exported it onto YouTube and onto our website. By putting it onto YouTube it made the video more accessible and easier for fans to view. It also meant that we would be able to increase our fan base as it meant that more people could view it and also it meant that it would come up as a suggested video for songs like it. We put it onto our website because after doing research into real band websites we found that all of them feature the bands music videos on their homepage.
We used Wix to create our website. We used the website because it is easy to use and can produce good products. We started of by selecting which format we thought would look best and would fit into our genre best. We then uploaded photos, merch which we had designed on Photoshop and a tour dates poster, which we had again made on Photoshop onto different pages. We chose how many pages we should have and what they should include by looking at real websites and seeing what they had on theirs.
http://www.wix.com/
We used the website 'wix.com' to create our drafts and final website for our band. This was a very useful website because it was easy to use and it included all the features needed to create a successful website. This website taught me how to create a band website, which included different pages such as news, tour dates and merchandise. When I first started creating the website, I had very little knowledge of what I was doing but by the end of making one, after creating several drafts, I believe I managed to create a website which looks realistic and does what a website should be able to do.
https://www.bitstrips.com/
Bitstrips helped us with our research and planning. We used it to create a comic strip which showed our chosen genres hobbies and interests. By doing this we gained more knowledge of our chosen genre, meaning that when it came to creating our products it was easier for us to make sure they would fit into the genre so that our target audience would like them.
https://www.youtube.com/
We used YouTube to help us with research and also to help with making our actual music video. We used YouTube to look at music videos of other bands who fit into our genre. By doing this we were able to see what other bands had used in their music videos (e.g narrative, costumes, models) so that would we include similar in our music video. I also used it to take screen shots from for when I was doing research and planning. I took screenshots from videos by bands such as You Me At Six. I then analysed these screen shots and discussed what was used in these music videos to help them fit into the genre and was then able to incorporate this research into the music video which we created.
To have group discussions outside of lessons me, Molly and Christian created a group chat on Facebook. We used this chat to discuss work which we had done with each other but also to give advise and help each other on anything we were unsure of. We also made a group chat, which included the models we used in our music video. We used this chat to discuss when and were we would be filming, what each model would need to wear and also what each model was going to be doing in the video. I'd say these chats were fairly successful as they helped us to organise things and also meant it was easier to contact each other and discuss things.
When filming we used a video camera and tripod. We used a tripod to make sure our shots were steady and looked more professional. To get images for our website and digipak we used a stills camera. We did this so that our images would come out at a better quality. The locations we used to take these photos were places we felt would fit into our genre and were places that would actually appear on real Alternative Rock products. We edited some of the photos we took on Photoshop. For example we took a photo of our lead singer in a photography studio and then edited it into a different background and then put onto our digipak. We did this as we felt it would make the digipak stand out more as it was quite alternative but also because we felt it was an edit which would again fit into our chosen genre.
After finishing our music video we exported it onto YouTube and onto our website. By putting it onto YouTube it made the video more accessible and easier for fans to view. It also meant that we would be able to increase our fan base as it meant that more people could view it and also it meant that it would come up as a suggested video for songs like it. We put it onto our website because after doing research into real band websites we found that all of them feature the bands music videos on their homepage.
We used Wix to create our website. We used the website because it is easy to use and can produce good products. We started of by selecting which format we thought would look best and would fit into our genre best. We then uploaded photos, merch which we had designed on Photoshop and a tour dates poster, which we had again made on Photoshop onto different pages. We chose how many pages we should have and what they should include by looking at real websites and seeing what they had on theirs.
Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Evaluation Question 2- How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
Album Digipak
One of the bands we researched the most to help with our work was Paramore. We got a lot of inspiration for our music video from their video for 'decode'. Things we got from this video were the idea of using an outside area to film in. Some of the shots which we used throughout our music video also came from this video. Other music videos which we got inspiration from were Florence And The Machines 'Rabbit Heart' and Bat For Lashes 'Whats A Girl To Do'.
Throughout Paramores work there is a strong brand created. Similar things run throughout their music videos, website and albums. On their website and albums their name is always largely printed so that is is easily recognised. They have a specific font which they use, mainly for their name, on their website and on their most recent album. By doing this it has the potential to make the band more recognisable as it could make people relate the font to the band. After finding this we did it on our work. We displayed our band name at the top of every page on our website and used the same couple of fonts throughout most of our work. At the beginning of some of Paramores music videos such as 'Anklebiters' they display their name and the name of the song. This could make people want to research the band and listen to more of them after they've listened to the song. The band don't really have a specific colour scheme although it is generally darker colours. However in their videos or when doing live shows the two male members of the band tend to wear black clothes where as Hayley, the lead singer, is often seen wearing brighter colours. She is also known for having brightly coloured hair. By doing this they help to make an image for themselves as it makes it more obvious for audiences that Hayley is the lead of the band. The are also often seen wearing quite alternative clothing, which again helps them fit into the genre of alternative rock and pop-punk and helps support their image.
This is a slide show showing the different Pages of the Paramore website. The Paramore website is a very well made website and we got a lot of inspiration from it for our own website. The theme, colours and images used throughout the website are very effective and they stick to the generic conventions of the genre of the band. The website is effective because it allows fans to listen and download music. You are also able to view photos and recent news of the band as well as purchasing the bands merchandise. The 'about' page allows fans to be able to find out more about the band members and the record company, allowing them to be able to get closer to the band and its members. The website also features links to the bands different social media sites, meaning the fans can view the bands on different platforms as well as being able to find out news about the band and seeing what the band is doing. The bands logo of the three bars is also featured widely not only on the website but also on merchandise and music, meaning that the audience now associates the band with this logo more easily.
During research we learnt that it would be important for us to create a recognisable band name and logo. We decided on 'Animal Silence' because we felt it was an easy name for fans to remember and it also fit into our genre of Alternative Rock. We made our logo the bands name on top of a lighting bolt. We again did this because it fits into our target genre but it is also an easily recognisable logo and is also something which hasn't been used before. The name appears on the cover of our album in a bold font. We did this so that the album would stand out and also because it would mean that the album would easily be associated with the band. We decided to make our album self-titled after researching into other bands albums and finding out that it is something which is done quite often. We also decided to print the bands name on some of our merchandise because that would mean the with fans wearing it more people would see the name, giving the potential for our audience to spread further.
Synergy: The interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements.
Synergy is important because it helps a band/artist to create a brand for itself. It also makes them more recognisable to their audience. Throughout our work we have used synergy- we have used the same colours throughout our work (Red, Black and White). Our website also allows fans to purchase merchandise such as T-shirts, Phone Cases and Jumpers. It also has links to tickets so that fans can buy tickets to the bands live shows. The homepage also features our music video so that people have the opportunity to view it as soon as they click onto the website.
Monday, 12 January 2015
Monday, 3 November 2014
Friday, 3 October 2014
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