Music Video History

In the modern age, music video are available from a variety of sources as a result of the development of technology over the years, such as YouTube, music channels, phone download and internet; sources that were not available to such high extent/quality in earlier years in comparison to today. Therefore, music videos have grown in popularity as they can be easily accessed by any individual through the mentioned sources above. Below is a timeline regarding the history of music videos, the development of technological and how this has influenced the success of current music videos today:

The Origin of Music Videos

Before the invention of what is now known as a music video, artists would play/perform their song which would be accompanied by short footage or pictures. Blues singer Bessie Smith appeared in a two-reel short film called St. Louis Blues (1929) featuring a dramatized performance of the hit song. Numerous other musicians appeared in short musical subjects during this period. Later, in the mid-1940s, musician Louis Jordan made short films for his songs, some of which were spliced together into a feature film Lookout Sister. These films were, according to music historian Donald Clarke, the "ancestors" of music video. Although the first recognised 'music video' was in the early 1930's, According to the Internet Accuracy Project, disk jockey-singer J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson was the first to coin the phrase "music video", in 1959 and therefore this shows the progression in which 'music videos' had during this time. The first one by Bessie Smith, consisted of a performance by the artist which was accompanied by a dramatized performance of the song, whereas music videos today are much more progressed because of the technology available today. Two key innovations in the development of the modern music video were the development of relatively inexpensive and easy-to-use video recording and editing equipment, and the development of visual effects created with techniques such as image compositing. The advent of high-quality colour videotape recorders and portable video cameras coincided with the DIY ethos of the New Wave era, enabling many pop acts to produce promotional videos quickly and cheaply, in comparison to the relatively high costs of using film. Music videos today have many purposes regarding their creation, whether it be marketing tool, displaying generic conventions etc. They are considered vitally important in portraying an artist's image because they are so easily accessed through the many distributors available i.e. internet or music channel and therefore the audience become more familiar with the artist and are able to engage with them. Technology such as green screen, editing software and better quality cameras mean that the average quality of a music video has increased since their origin and therefore more realistic in order for the audience to engage in them more.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video#History_and_development

When Was the First Music Channel Invented?

The first music channel to be invented was MTV, in 1981. The first music video shown on MTV was The Buggles 'Video Killed the Radio Star' in which this song was a reference to the context of the time. The increase in music videos meant that radio stations were becoming decreasingly popular amongst people, because they were now able to both listen and watch the artists they were interested in; it provided them with a connection to the artist, in which radio failed to do. It was this quality that encouraged the success of music videos because people's demand was finally being met, they were introduced to another form of distribution that provided them with a relationship with their idols. MTV is still a very popular music channel, typically associated with the younger generation from teens to young adults. However, MTV now own many channels in which the content is tailored to a specific genre. For example, they have MTV Dance in which they specifically play dance tracks in order for the target audience to know that their demand regarding them being able to listen to dance music will be fulfilled, and therefore they are more likely to watch the channel because they can ensure such thing from the name of the channel alone.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV

What Impact has Music Channels has on the Music Videos?

A list of current music channels available 

Above is list of current music channels from around the world; and therefore, not only are music channels available in countries that are considered Western, or well developed, they are also available in other countries. The concept of a music channel is universal which conveys its importance as it provides people all over the world with a chance to relate and see their favourite artists and idols; and without such thing, would only be able to see them on the internet, a source in which not everyone has. Music channels have many different strategies in order to increase promotion of music videos, one being dedicating a programme to a specific artist. For example, a music channel such as MTV may dedicate 2 hours of air time showing only music videos by Rihanna and therefore, the target audience of the programme is clear; fans of Rihanna. This encourage a specific audience to watch the programme and therefore the channel's viewers will increase for they are sure they will like the content during this time period, rather than watching random music videos that may not appeal to them and therefore not watch the channel. Also, this allows the viewers to feel closer to Rihanna as they are able to build a relationship with her, in turn increasing her popularity. Therefore, the artist wants to continue being on the music channel as their association with it increases their popularity and therefore their success overall. Another method in which music channels chose to undertake in order to promote music videos, is to schedule a specific time in which the audience are aware of that will show a new and exclusive music video. By having the audience aware of the time regarding the premier of a new music video, encourages the audience to watch the music channel at that time in order to see the music video and therefore increases the viewers at this time, as well as the channels popularity amongst such viewers as they will associate new and exclusive with such channels. Not only does this promote the awareness of the music video, but also promotes the music channel as being dependable in previewing the latest music videos. From such methodology, it is clear to assume that music channels are as much dependent on music videos as music videos are dependent of music channels as they promote each other in order to remain popular amongst the target audience.

When Was the Internet Invented and How Has it Impacted Music Videos?

The internet was developed from the 1950's way into the 1970's, still being progressively worked on today. However, the advances of the technology has much developed from such time in comparison to today and therefore it is able to provide users with much more information. For this reason, the internet has had an influence on the success of music videos for many reasons; one being social networking sites such as Twitter. Twitter is a social networking site in which allows you to 'follow' celebrities and artists who can, and do provide their follows and fans with information as to what they are up to in order to maintain the interest their fans have with them. For example, Rihanna is a prime artist who frequently provides her fans with information in regards to what she is doing, including when she is making and releasing a new music video.

Rihanna personally tweeting a link to her new and exclusive music video.

By personally providing her fans and followers with her new music video, this appeals to the audience as they feel they are exclusively watching the video, for Rihanna 'herself' has encouraged them to watch it through her twitter. Because sites like Twitter allow the target audience to engage with the artist themselves, they are more likely to maintain an interest in them because they can easily build a relationship as a result of twitter. Not only does this encourage the audience to maintain an interest in the artist, but also in their music videos, because these are an extension of their image. Therefore, the invention and progression of the internet has influenced the success of music videos because they allow the target audience to be closer to their desired artist and therefore their music videos too.

Furthermore, the internet allows people to openly share their opinion on the music video itself and therefore it is common for people to write blogs and articles online in terms of their own perception on the video.

http://www.celebuzz.com/2013-10-02/rihannas-pour-it-up-musicvideo-is-basically-a-trip-to-the-worlds-weirdest-strip-club/

Here, is an article referring to Rihanna's 'Pour it Up' music video. Because the internet allows such people to write their opinion on music videos, it also allows people to read it too. Therefore artists are always exposed to both compliments and criticism, however either way has exposure. This effect that the internet has, has influenced artists to push the boundaries and make more controversial videos so that the exposure they get in terms of critics increases, as they become a topic of conversation and therefore increases awareness of both the artist and the music video. Therefore, the internet has impacted music videos as it has influenced them into becoming controversial as this way increases awareness in the target audience.

When was YouTube Invented? and What Impact Has It Had On Music Videos?

YouTube was invented in 2005 and is still today one of the most popular websites on the internet. Since being invented, here are a few statistics of the site in terms of its popularity and usage amongst people:

• More than 1 billion unique users visit YouTube each month, that is 33,333,333 users everyday!
• Over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube—that's almost an hour for every person on Earth, and 50% more than last year
• Millions of subscriptions happen each day, and the number of people subscribing has more than doubled since last year

These statistics not only show how popular the site is now, but how much it has increased since previous years and therefore it is easy to assume that this will only increase further. YouTube is a site in which anyone can upload a video in order for other to watch and therefore a logical distributor for music videos. Therefore, the site has efficiently increased the success of music videos as it is easy to access and therefore many choose to watch music videos on YouTube. However, YouTube has increased the success of music videos in many other ways, one being Vevo; a limited liability company that has been in place on YouTube one main reason; to limit people from downloading music videos from YouTube so that they have to buy the music video on other sites such as iTunes, and therefore make more money. However, Vevo has influenced competition between artists, in terms of who has the must certified videos by Vevo,who has the most views on a music video etc, and therefore this encourages fans to support their admired artists and watch their music videos in order for them to be high in the 'competition'. 

Here an example of the competition state Vevo has created

In relevancy to the 1st September 2013, Rihanna was the most viewed artist on YouTube with over 4 billions views, with Justin Bieber coming second. It is sites such as Twitter and Insatgram that encourage such competition too, because artists are personally asking their fans to watch their videos in order to have such title, which appeal to the audience as they feel they are helping their idol's success, creating a unified relationship between the two.

In conclusion to such point, YouTube is an easily accessed distributor in terms of music videos and therefore many choose to watch music videos on the site. However, Vevo is effective in encouraging the target audience to watch the music videos over and over, for this influences the success of each artist, for the more views they get, the more likely they are to hold a Vevo record, a title in which n audience feel a part of and therefore builds a relationship between the two. This causes the cycle to repeat itself.

YouTube also has other factors in which have encouraged the progression of music videos. Not only is the official music video provided for the target audience, but sometimes so is the behind the scenes making of it, in the form of a video on YouTube. This allows the target audience to know more of the music video and therefore feel more involved in it.

Here is an example of a behind the scenes video, taken from Jessie J in regards to her single 'Wild'. In the video, it depicts to process in which needs to be undertaken in order to make the video a success in terms of her own opinion and others. Therefore the audience are provided with an insight as to what Jessie J likes and how she creates her videos, giving them a short representation of the artist herself for them to feel as if they know her more. A behind the scenes video not only encourages the audience to watch the video after as they have now seen the making, but also allows them to feel closer to the artist as a result of them knowing more about them. In turn, an interest in the artist is either stimulated or maintained. Either way, this encourages the success and continuation of music videos because the target audience are now interested in the artist and therefore they are also interested in their music videos.

Sources: http://www.youtube.com/yt/press/statistics.html                         
                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XJAq9Ta3As     

When Was The First Smart Phone Invented and How Have They Influenced The Success of Music Videos?

First smartphone to be invented, 1997

Ericsson was the first brand to actually coin the phrase “smartphone”, with the release of its GS88 in 1997. However, from the picture above in comparison to a smartphone today, it is fair to assume that the progression of technology differs in terms of what the smartphone is now capable of. In today's age, smartphones are vitally influential in the success of music videos as they are now capable of downloading. Being able to download a music video onto your phone epitomises how accessible they are to each individual. They become easy to share amongst friends and peers as they are only on your phone and therefore this increases the awareness of the original  music video. 

Also, smart phones now have what are identified as 'apps'; YouTube having one also.

Here is an example of what the YouTube App looks like on a smart phone. Similar to the online version, the App is just as easy to comprehend and use on your smartphone and therefore many choose to have it in order to watch music videos easily on their smartphones. In conclusion, smartphones are a portable source in which music videos can be easily streamed directly for the individual to watch and therefore emphasises the accessibility in which music videos are easily available. 

The Influence Apple Has Had on Music Videos

Previous to this section, the impact that Vevo has had on music videos has been discussed in the YouTube section, in which the discussion of limitation of downloading music videos is evident. This effect has caused an increase in purchasing music videos on iTunes; an Apple device. iTunes allows individuals to but music, films, music videos etc and put them on other Apple devices such as an iPhone. iTunes is also available as an app and therefore it is also a portable source for music videos, just as easily accessed but costs money instead. Therefore, such route in not preferred amongst people however is still heavily used. 

A comparison of Michael Jackson's 'Scream' video to Passenger's 'Let Her Go in order to identify how music videos have changed in terms of content over the years.

This video has been identified as the most expensive music video ever to have been created to date, costing $7,000,000. The video was originally made in 1995 and therefore is an example of an older music video as it was made around 18 years ago.In such period music videos were not constructed in order to display and conform to generic conventions, but rather a new way of directly connecting to their target audience in order to remain relevant and appealing. This video is an excellent example of such theory, for it's bizarre content does not conform to its typical genre conventions, however does relate to and display a representation on Michael Jackson in regards to what was going on in his life around about the same time as this video was made.

The artists constructed a spaceship 

The iconography used in the music video plays a particularly important role in the purpose of this video. The artists had a real spaceship built for the purpose of their music video, in which the majority of the overall cost for the video consisted of. Notably, their choice of such iconography is significant in representing their personal lives rather than being used to conform to the genre's conventions; "Scream" is cited primarily as an aggressive, retaliatory song directed at the tabloid media and their coverage of the child sexual abuse accusations made against Michael Jackson in 1993*, and therefore the music video provided the audience with a deeper understanding of the song, as they began to realise that the song itself was about the personal life of Michael Jackson. Going back on the previous point, the use of the spaceship is vitally key in this representation, as it isolates them away from the world, in which this is suggestive of their emotions. A combination of both fame and accusations of wrong-doings may have lead Michael Jackson in feeling alone and isolated in terms of the lack of fan admiration and family support. Therefore, the iconography is effective in giving the audience a short representation of the artist as they engage in his thoughts and emotions, a way to directly connect with the artist in order to build a relationship; an effect which is found appealing in maintaining an interest in artists.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream/Childhood

The song featured Jackson's sister, Janet Jackson

This particular scene in the music video is also significant in the building of the artist's representation, as it opposes the previous perception of the artist and therefore the audience are provided with more then one representation. This could be symbolic of the artist's real life, in that people will either chose to believe that he is isolated in that he has lost their support, or rather the artist still remains unified with his friends and family, shown in this shot above. The narrative shows both Michael and Janet playing a game together; a typical activity in which brothers and sisters engage in together conveying their close relationship. This representation conforms the Richard Dyer's theory, in which he proposed that artist's must appear both ordinary and extraordinary in order to be found appealing. The activity in which the artists are engaging in, is deemed ordinary as their target audience are familiar with such, as they have possibly engaged in a similar situation, giving the artists a quality in which the audience can relate to. However, the artists have also spent $7,000,000 on a music video that consists of a real spaceship, appearing extraordinary to the audience as it is unlikely that they have done such thing too; this gives them a quality in which the audience are unfamiliar with and therefore find interesting as it is something new. Holistically, this gives the target audience a combination of representations and therefore encourages them to identify which they find more plausible as the artist becomes a topic of conversation. This scene also conforms to Goodwin's theory, as there is a clear visual relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. The lyrics in this scene are: 'You Keep changin' the rules
While I keep playin' the game' in which this refers to both the visual, as they are evidently playing a game, or may be referring to their on social lives being game in which they cannot win; in which such referral represents the artist as unified with his family or fighting a losing game.

Colour is significant in any context when building a artist representation, for their connotations are suggestive of the mood and personality of the artist themselves. This video is entirely black and white, a typical convention found in thrillers as it creates an eerie atmosphere; an atmosphere present in moments of the video. With the song being called 'Scream', the artist conforms to the expectancy in that there is evidence on screaming; a method in which typically conveys distress or being scared. The video starts and ends with the artists screaming, which shows the continuous emotion of distress in his life, relevant to the accusations he was facing at the time. This therefore represents the artists as distressed and eerie to the target audience, found appealing as they know more about the artist through the short representation of him. As a result, they know more of him and therefore can build a relationship with him to maintain their interest. Furthermore, the colours black and white reinforce the eerie atmosphere throughout the entire video and therefore emphasises the artists' emotions such as distress, scared, isolation etc.

the progression in music has influenced new genres as well as the conventions of pre-exsiting genres.
i.e pop is mainstream, indie is a reaction to this
they oppose in conventions to suit target auidience demand etc etc

Things to consider:

• Youtube (Most watch video)
• Budgets
• Technology/special effects
• Target audience and the number of views a music video/channel receives
• How have music genres developed over the years?

Photoshoot (changes made)

Why is it important to carry out a photoshoot, especially when creating a digipak and magazine advert?

A photo shoot is a vital process when creating a digipak and magazine as this provides the target audience with relevant pictures of the artist in which they can connect with, maintaining their interest of the artist as they are in the public eye for audience to see. Lack of images when creating such ancillaries could arguably effect their ability to appeal to the target audience, as they become uninterested with the artist for they have nothing to relate to; in order to first listen to the CD within the digipak, or read the magazine, the target audience are initially drawn by its visual appeal and therefore, a photo shoot is vital during production in order for consumption. Furthermore, if we were to use pre-existing photographs of the artist rather than doing a photo shoot, this increases the risk of not capturing the current image of the artist as to what their current style is etc, thus disinteresting the audience as the artist becomes too familiar; they are bombarded with the same photographs of the artist and therefore have nothing to maintain their interest.

For Example:

Here a photograph taken from a photoshoot that Rihanna did in 2005. Her image appears very natural, minimalistic and conventional for a young female pop artist; characteristics that suggest what she is like as a person and therefore provides her target audience with a representation that they can connect with in order to build a relationship. This in turn encourages them to maintain such interest.








However, this photograph was taken from a photoshoot of Rihanna in 2013, a much contrasting photoshoot when compared to her previous one in 2005. Her head is shaven, she has several tattoos and she appears to be smoking; a much more rebellious representation. However, the target audience are still provided with the indication of what she is like as a person and therefore by doing photoshoots throughout her career, she is keeping her fans up to date as to what she is like, rather than continuing to release the same picture from 2005 and appear boring. This is an example of how photoshoots provide an effective representation of what the artist is like, and when and how they are changing.






What images did you take and why? 

We conducted the photoshoot in the forest for we felt this was effective in creating the representation of the artist as being natural and down to earth; conventional to the genre and therefore appealing to our target audience. Furthermore, it is a relevant location to our music video and therefore the audience can associate the photoshoot with the music video, reinforcing the coherence of her image. Below are some of the pictures taken for the photoshoot.

Where will your images be used and why? 

These pictures taken from the photoshoot we carried out will be used in the making of both our digipak and the magazine advert. Digipaks typically provide informations on the artist and therefore photos are effective in representing the artist, as the visual encourages the audience to interpret them. For example, each photograph is taken in a forest and therefore the nature in the photograph is an addition to the representation of the artist as it signifies her natural image. Therefore not only will the written aspect of the digipak provide information but so will the pictures. Furthermore, the pictures will also be used in the creation of out magazine advert. Magazines are a mass method of advertisement and therefore provides the ideal solution of creating awareness of the artist. In which case, the photo must be effective in portraying the representation of the artist, identical to who she actually is in order to increase genuine appeal. 

How are your images conventional to your genre?

Here are two examples of magazine adverts based on indie artists; both holding a guitar. Previous to carrying out the photoshoot we decided that we must include some pictures of the artist holding a guitar as this is a convention of the indie genre for it represents them as talented rather than an artist who is deceitful in their talent and are rather constructed for consumption. Therefore when doing the photoshoot we took several of the artist holding the guitar in order to create such representation and increasing the appeal in which our target audience were to feel. It also allows the target audience to recognise such talent in order to be able to relate to it through similar talents and interests of their own which encourages them to relate to the artist, feeling closer to them and building a relationship.

Furthermore, her is an example of another magazine advert for Florence and the Machine, another Indie artist. Similarly to our own photoshoot, this advert has incorporated the theme of nature to represent the artist. The suggested qualities of being natural and down to earth are often signified through nature and therefore conventional to the genre; for these are the qualities deemed appealing to the target audience.Therefore, when creating our ancillary products, such theme will be portrayed in order to conform to convention.








Include one example of how you photoshop to create a conventional product

When editing the photographs from the photoshoot in order to be used for the digipak, we used photoshop in order to soften the colours as we felt the brightness of the picture connoted the pop genre. By softening the photo, we felt it conformed to the indie genre increasingly as it became more subtle and natural. Furthermore, we edited the nature around the artist to stand out and therefore reinforce the representation of her being natural, as well as ensuring her lipstick remained prominent as this is also a convention of the indie genre.

Magazine Advert Reflection (changes made)

In order for our target audience to be aware of our artist and her music, the promotion of both are vital in making her successful, for without it there will be lack of awareness. Therefore, we shall first design our initial ideas in terms of the content and effect our magazine advert will consist of so that we can progressively create out final idea on Photoshop. Below, are the stages of design and research we have done in order to create our final magazine advert.

An idea of our magazine advert

The first stage carried out, was the group meeting in which we all designed and drew our own interpretation of what our magazine advert would look like in order to fairly compromise as to what we liked and disliked of each others. Here, is my first initial drawing of our magazine advert.

What are your ideas and inspirations behind your paper design?

As our artist is particularly unknown, I felt that it was vital in establishing an effective and accurate artist representation, so that the appeal of the advert was tailored according to our target audience. Therefore, the setting of the advert was designed to be in a field, typically for 2 main reasons; the first being the role that nature plays in the indie genre, as it typically represents the artist as down to earth and therefore, the target audience are able to effectively relate to the artist, a quality in which they find appealing. The second being, the a field itself is symbolic of liberation, for there are no obstacles or interruptions. This is further symbolic of the indie genre, for it subverts the mainstream conventions, an example of liberation in terms of taste, what people like and find appealing. Additionally, the artists' name is Daisy, also a flower commonly found in a field and therefore this reinforces the idea that the artist is natural, rather than falsely constructed in order for consumption and therefore the field is drawn as evidently filled with daisies.Therefore, I felt a field was successful in representing the artist as a down to earth, conventional indie artist, a clear coherent representation the audience can relate to. Furthermore, an image of the artist in the field will be present. Although originally designed as if walking with her back toward to audience, I later felt that this was isolating the audience and therefore decided to change this and have it so that the artist was facing forward, resulting in the engagement between both artist and audience in order for them to become familiar with her. This will also convey her playing the guitar more effectively and therefore, will provide the audience with a short representation of the artist in which they can relate to through a similar interest or talent in terms of instrument playing. This is a typical convention of the indie genre too, so this reinforces that the artist is in fact indie. Moreover, I decided to put minimal but informative information on the advert so that the audience were engaged but not overpowered with information. I included the artist's name in order to make the advert clear as to who it was about; a selection of her singles so that they were encouraged to listen to them in order to stimulate interest in the artist; and finally, I also included the statement 'out now', to inform the target audience that such music is available for them now, creating a sense of immediacy as well as exclusiveness. Each piece of information was designed to be in it's own box to draw attention to it, rather than having it merged with the background and therefore prone to being overlooked.

How did you use your research into magazine adverts to start planning your own?

Previous to designing my own magazine advert, I research into pre-existing adverts that consisted of other Indie artists; however I found that not many Indie artists had magazine adverts available to analysis, which could arguably be a result of the typical indie artist representation in that they are not interested in promotion of image rather just focused on their music. When I did find relevant magazine adverts, there was minimal information, conveying their humbleness in that they are not 'showy' of what they have achieved nor does their target audience find such representation appealing, and therefore, they subvert this. However, when searching for magazine adverts for artists such as Beyonce or Rihanna, many were available because this gives their target audience an opportunity to relate to the artists in which otherwise, they would not be able to, as such artists are deemed 'extraordinary' rather than 'ordinary' and therefore hard to relate to. I decided to incorporate such method in my own magazine advert, in that additional information about the artist was not included in order for the representation to remain intended; the artist is natural, easy to relate to and not over the top. Furthermore, the adverts that I did come across were heavily focused on nature, evident in the post 'Magazine Advert Analysis', in which I found effective in representing the artist as nature has connotations that are easy for our target audience to relate to; simplicity, down to earth, liberation etc. As a result I decided to incorporate such motif in my own magazine advert to convey representation of the artist as being all these qualities.


How will this help you with creating it on Photoshop?

First of all, when going to create my magazine advert on Photoshop, I will need to take some pictures on the artist in order to have this evident in my advert, so that the audience can identify who she is and hopefully go on to relate to her. My previous research will assist me in the final design of my magazine advert as it has established the conventions of an indie representation which the target audience will find appealing. These include, a natural setting, image of the artist, evidence of additional instruments that can be played and the artist name.

Here is my individual attempt of a magazine advert for the promotion of the album release of our artist. However, the effectiveness of the advert is very weak for many reasons; the first being its lack of convention according to the indie genre. The artist herself appears very indie through her image as she is wearing eye liner, red lipstick and denim and therefore such image will be incorporated  in the final making of our magazine. However her surroundings are only black and white, colours often associated with rock and goth as they connote an eerie atmosphere and therefore will not appeal to the target audience. Therefore when creating our final magazine advert, we will incorporate more colour so that it is less dull and engages the target audience to look at it and become aware of the artist herself; ensuring that such increase of colour will conform to indie convention rather than pop. Contrastingly, the font used on the advert is very conventional as it is slightly playful and relevant to the song; for example, the word 'shoestrings' is written in a font that connotes the visual of a shoestring and therefore visually interprets the song. However, to increase the effect of the artist's image, a good idea would be to use the same font throughout the digipak so that the audience can relate such font with the artist, reinforcing the coherence of her image and therefore establishing a clear representation.

Conclusively, the changes need to be made are:

1. The advert needs more colour so that is stands out. However, the source of colour must remain indie as this could confuse our target audience. For example, if we were to put florescent lights on the advert this would connote the dance genre and therefore our target audience will not find it appealing.
2. The font must be coherent in style and therefore be the same throughout to establish a clear image in which the artist will be associated with.
3. The album name was not included and therefore must be in the final advert as this promotes the rest of her tracks as well as the song of our music video. This encourages the audience to maintain an interest as they have several songs to listen to, not just one.

Final Group Magazine Advert:

Go to: Group Magazine Advert for the making of this advert

Digipak Analysis

1)    What is the purpose of a digipak?

A digipak is a type of packaging for CDs or DVDs, typically made from cardboard with an internal

plastic holder for one or more discs; often used for CD singles or special editions of CD albums.

Digipaks typically consist of 4 or 6 panels; front cover, back cover, CD holder and the remaining

panels being subjective to information on either the artist or the songs included.

2)    How is a digipak different to a CD album?

The top image is an example of a digipak whereas the bottom
example demonstrates what a typical CD album looks like.

Digipaks and CD albums differ in terms of how they are made, what they are made of and how they look in appearance. Digipaks are normally made from cardboard like material, giving it a much more rural effect and are arguably more environmentally than typical CD cases. However CD albums have been argues to be less vulnerable to wear and tear as they are made of plastic and therefore are less easily damaged. Aesthetically, both differ. Digipaks typically have more amount of panels ranging from 4 to a possible 8. In turn, they supply the consumer with much more information on the artist or the songs whereas a CD album normally has 4 panels when supplying one CD; a front cover, a back cover, a CD holder and the back of the front cover. CD albums are effective for protecting the CD effectively but digipaks supply more than just a CD as it provides background information too.

Task 1:

Analyse the following digipak. Ensure that your analysis is detailed and that you have included excellent examples to support the points that you have made. Also relate back to the music conventions and the target audience.

·                     Representation of music artist

The representation of the music artist 'Jack Johnson' conforms to the conventions of a typical Indie artist. On the front cover of his able, there is a silohette of a figure assumed to be him holding a guitar, as well as another panel conveying himself with a guitar again; central to the photograph to emphasise. By evidently displaying that the artist can play guitar suggests that he is pure in his talent, also providing the target audience with a short representation of him as it tells the target audience of his talent and therefore they have something in which they can relate to. Playing guitar is deemed conventional to an indie artist as presents to artist as down to earth, it is a quality in which others can relate to as many people have an interest/talent in guitar playing. In turn, this digipak will appeal to his target audience as they will be able to recognise and identify that the artist has similar interests to themselves and therefore they will feel closer to him.

Within the digipak, there is only one photograph of the artist himself, an image which does not appear clear in revealing his identity as the audience can only see a partial view of his face and some of his hand. This represents to artist as not being focused on his image and rather focused on his music as he makes this the main focus through lack of images of himself. This representation is highly typical of the indie genre as artists within such genre are presented subverting mainstream images by focusing on their music as a opposed to the brand of clothing they are wearing. Arguably, the lack of visual exposure regarding the artist's appearance may cause the target audience to become uninterested as they have little to relate to; however, because Jack Johnson is an indie artist, this follows generic conventions so therefore the target audience are prone to not viewing such aspect as unappealing and in turn, find such representation attractive rather than boring.

·                     Colours

The digipak appears to have a yellow motif as well as areas in both black and white. However it is mainly yellow, with this particular colour having very positive connotations such as sunlight, optimism, and happiness and therefore sub-consciously the target audience are prone to feeling positive as well. The connotations of the general motif of this digipak is arguably ambiguous in its intended effect on others, whether it be to indicate the personal qualities of the artist and therefore the target audience are given a short representation to relate to. Or maybe suggestive of the type of songs the digipak includes and therefore the target audience get a feel as to what the album will consist of? Conclusively, the motif provides the audience with a suggested representation of the album as a whole and therefore will appeal to them according to whether such representation is what they are looking for.

The contrast of black and white have been used against the yellow motif in order to achieve simplicity as well as effectiveness. If the artist would have chosen another 2 bright colours the digipak may have been mistaken for a pop artist as such appearance would conform to the pop generic conventions. However, by choosing two simple colours, the artist has effectively created a successful indie digipak in which the target audience can easily recognise and therefore find appealing. Such colours fit in with the artist representation as well as they fit in with the nature motif. Black and white could connote night an day, light and shade etc and therefore are suitable to the digipak's appearance.

·                     Design/layout

The design of each panel has an evident reference to nature in which this portrays the artist as very down to earth and simplistic, rather than over edited in construction of both digipak and image. Therefore the target audience are able to easily relate to the artist through his representation as he appears very ordinary. Regarding proportions, the allusion to nature is very large compared to the other content in each panel which emphasises that artist's simplicity and down to earth qualities. In particular, the allusion to nature is often portrayed by a tree or leaf, in which such figures are symbolic of liberation and independence, relating to the generic conventions. Indie is a genre is which manifested as a reaction to the mainstream genres such as pop as individuals felt that such genres lacked opportunity to relate to the artist or material they were creating because it lack relevancy to their own lives. Therefore, the trees seen on the digipak could be representative of the artist 'branching out' away from such mainstream conventions and rather remaining 'natural' according to his own image.

Furthermore, the design of the digipak appears very 2D as it lacks variation in terms of the colours used and therefore the use of block colours reinforces the artist being simplistic in his image. Although simple, the use of block colours also indicate statement for the target audience have limited colour to focus on and therefore the colour that is used appears as a statement, reinforcing the connotations of each colours as discussed previous.

·                     Typography

Much like the majority of each of the panels, the typography conforms to the simple style evident. The font itself is clear so that it is easy for the target audience to read and recognise who the artist is. This is conventional to the indie genre as it is simple rather than an unfamiliar font that correlates with an unfamiliar lifestyle that an artist such as Beyonce has. It represents the artist according to who he is and therefore the audience can relate to him as he appears ordinary through his use of simple font. The colour of the font is also clear to read, for it is opposing to the yellow background and therefore easily readable; such quality allows the target audience to know which artist this digipak contains and therefore is more likely to appeal to them as it lacks confusion as a result of its bold visual. However, the size is very small which may cause many to question which artist it is, as they cannot clearly see through a lack of big font and image of the artist. On the other hand, indie artists are recognised as being understated rather than over the top so this particular choice in terms of design and layout conforms to the generic conventions which will appeal to the target audience.

·                     How does the digipak promote the music genre?

The clear motif of nature represents the artist as down to earth as this subverts the mainstream conventions. This gives the artist and digipak qualities that the target audience can relate to as they are familiar with such content and their connotations as a result of associative connections. As discussed before, the indie genre formed as a reaction to mainstream genres and therefore such allusion to nature emphasises to the target audience that such artist conforms to indie conventions as being down to earth and simplistic. In turn, this promotes the genre as the generic conventions are easily recognised and therefore the target audience can clearly identify the digipak is indie. This will appeal to the target audience for the representation of the artist and indie genre are consistent and coherent and therefore will specifically meet their demand.

Include a summary at the end of your blog to show how you will use your research to inform your planning and creating your own digipak for your own artist. 

From analysing the previous digipak, the content of each panel typically conforms to the indie conventions in which we also plan on including. This is because it makes the appearance of the digipak clearly indie so that the target audience can easily identify the digipak as being Indie related, encouraging them to look and listen to it. Here are the following attributes in which we plan to include in the creation of own digipak for our own artist, as well as the aspects that we feel we will change:

• The motif of nature is effective in representing the artist as being easy to relate to, as the location is one that the target audience are familiar with. Furthermore, it's suggestive of their personality as being down to earth and simple, typical of the indie genre. As the genre is a reaction of mainstream genres, we wish to stay away from such conventions because this will not appeal to our target audience. Therefore it would be illogical to have the location of our digipak at a club, as this is not what our target audience find appealing and would more likely to be found in the hip hop genre. In which case, there will be evidence in our digipak of nature; possibly a daisy flower to reinforce the representation of innocence and natural through playing on the artist's name so not only do the audience understand her personality but also her name. This encourages them to remember her and therefore are more likely to maintain an interest in her.

The colours used in this digipak are simplistic, as there are only three main colours; yellow, black and white. They are all block colours as well which highlight the contrast as each one, further emphasising their connotations. This effectively suggests to the target audience the style in which both the music and artist adhere and therefore is successful in attracting the target audience for they know what to expect. Our research has influenced us to create a digipak that is consistent throughout each panel in regards to colours as this creates a theme in which can be representative of the artist and her track. To do this, we aim to focus on certain colours throughout our nature motif so that their connotations are highlighted to the target audience; green, which will be typically evident through fields and grass etc, to convey the artist's down to earth approach; yellow, typically conveyed by sunlight as light is a motif throughout our music video and therefore this creates a link; and floral pattern, shown on the artist's costume as this will reinforce her indie style in which her target audience can relate to and copy in order to feel increasingly similar to her.

In terms of the layout of our digipak, we plan to subvert the design of the analysed digipak above, as there is lack of images of the artist, which we plan to include. By including images of the artist, the target audience become more aware of her being and therefore are encourages to listen to her music as they become more familiar with her. Also, through familiarity, they will gain an interest in her image in regards to what she is wearing, her hairstyle etc, so that the audience can adopt such style as well in order to feel closer to the artist in terms of image. Indie artists have a typical image that promotes uniqueness and therefore images of the artist will promote such thing and create the effect that the artist is different to the others and therefore more exclusive as she is less known. This appeals to the target audience as Indie is a genre that purposely subverts mainstream conventions in order to appear different, in which this effect is created by her style.

The typography on the digipak above is very simplistic in regards to the style of font, so that it can be easily read by the target audience. It also isn't overpowering, in which may be evident on the digipak of other genres such as Pop. However, we feel the writing is slightly too small and therefore when creating our own digipak, the font size will be bigger on the front panel in order to encourage the target audience to read it. Also, the font of the artist's name will be specifically different to the other information on the panel, so that this draws attention to the artist, encouraging the target audience to remember who she is. As her name is Daisy, we plan to incorporate a daisy flower into the font so that again, this reinforces the artist's representation as being innocent and encourages the audience to remember.