Question 2- How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Personally I feel that both my main product and ancillary texts are soul conventional and effective, appropriately appealing to fans through use of genre conventions such as mes-en-scene elements of colours and cinematography as well as out of balance of relatable yet desirable characteristics of the artist to create a motif around 'Sophie Mae'. However in support and combination of each other they are very effective as they both display the same visual imagery and theme throughout making a polished and professional artist image which is reinforced through several forms of media. This is as the scenes and locations of the artist with the video are also images from on the digipak and advert. However as they are interpreted in different ways they form a subtle interlink to viewing alternative perspectives and make each media form fresh and new ensuring they are engaging to the audience throughout.

My research into the soul genre developed through my research into existing ancillary texts such as magazine adverts and digipaks. I analysed a wide range and to identify the use of conventional aspects and what contributed towards the individual success of each product. Through analysing Lana Del Ray's digipak I found the conventional use of the theme of love. This was indicated by the use of iconography of a rose which connotes to the audience ideas of romance and love however through the roses thorns it too subtly indicates the negative aspects of love suggesting although it may seem beautiful you can get hurt sending a message to her target audience. This was too enhanced by the conventional use of the colour red which is directly correlated with passion, love and romance ensuring the audience that the musical content is based upon the theme of love and relationships. This therefore inspired me too to utilise the use of roses by incorporating them into my CD image which too matches the coral colour and theme used through out as my choice of colour does not directly insinuate ideas of relationships the use of the roses supports the subtle theme throughout my own digipak. As the concept of relationships is relatable to both digipak wider audiences, as soul artists tend to have a more diverse target audience, I decided to therefore use colloquial language of "Smash Hit" which is less intimidating to the audience as it can be read at ease by all ages and educations. This too helps with making the artist seem more approachable which helps build a relationship with the audience and artist as she appears ordinary which enhances her relatable attributes which too links to the relatable narrative and lyrics. This is therefore conventional to the soul genre as a soul artist tends to be more open and honest with their audiences displaying them as a person and not just an artist within their products as their music tends to link closely to them and their lives. This follows Dyer's Star Theory which states an artist should be both ordinary and extraordinary which is portrayed by her personal stories yet the extraordinary element is included through the video and stars lifestyle. 

After analysing digpaks I then went on to research the market for soul magazine adverts to find artist representations and conventional aspects that were included within the advert.  For instance, I looked at Paloma Faiths recent magazine advert to gain an understanding of what currently appeals to the market. I found too that she was presented as relateable as well as quirky both conventional to the soul genre which tends to be more expressive and open to interpretation which is what makes is relatable to most audiences. For instance within the centre of the advert is multiple images of Paloma Faith displaying many ulter egos which sees her presented through many different personalities and emotions which shows her as happy, distressed, timid and ect making both her and her music appeal to all characters and audiences suggesting that there is an element for everyone. This too makes the audience feel ok that they may be different from other people as it suggests individuality which intern inspired my own digipak. As my artists target audience is of 15-40 year olds it was necessary to be relateable yet current which inspired my mise-en-scene element of hair, make-up and costume and to subvert the classic and simple 60's flare often adopted and opt for current in style clothing such as the statement pink coat and hat encouraging audiences to be different and express themselves as people are often reserved with their clothing choices. As well as this through showing her in high street affordable clothes makes the artist seem more down to earth and makes her look more attainable creating a relationship between the artist and audience through mutual tastes and shopping habits as well as being comforting to the audience as the star appears normal which is necessary as the narrative within the video too aims to be relateable. I too enhaunced this through the use of cinematography where the artist is shown through a long shot, which enables the audience to see her clothes, yet also shows her at a distance which makes her appear closed off and distance. Through not making eye contact with the audience she comes across shy and mysterious which is appealing to an audience as it seems both the artist and song are not promotionally forced they are real and display true emotions. This would act as a comfort to the audience as they can see that despite their lavish lifestyle the artist too has these feelings making the artist less intimidating and relatable which again is conventional to the soul genre as it aims to connect the audience and artist. 

Within the planning stage of my ancillary texts I decided on which element and sections of the video I felt connoted the right themes and attitudes I wanted as a running theme within the digipak and magazine advert. This included images which seemed distance and shut off as even though the video demonstrates the artist as both happy and sad the overall theme of the song is heartbreak so it is essential to portray this theme appropriately to the audience so they have an accurate idea of the song. For the magazine advert as this included one image I selected an image which was general and didn't give much away and therefore I chose the image of the artist leaning against a brick wall. To enhance this, I used the photoshop programme and in particular the crop tool to cut the artist out of the image and turning the wall and back ground black and white using the filters. I then reimported the artist keeping her in colour to promote her and bring the attention on her whilst the drained of colour background connotes her upset emotions felt within the song. I then used the blur tool to merge the images together and give the advert a professional well rounded look to foreshadow the professionalism of the album itself. With the digipak however in order to continue the theme I reimported Sophie onto a brick wall however this time using a slightly different image where she is staring off. By making her seem disconnected and lost in thought intrigues the audience as they want to know her thoughts which would encourage them to buy the song and album to find out and understand more about the artist and why she is portrayed this way which inevitably allows the audience and artist to build a relationship. 

The digipak is beneficial to the music video as it incorporates different elements of the song and video as different images so helps to promote the final product of the video. As well as this through the numerous shots used it promotes the artist in a more effective way and allows the artist the opportunity to connect to the audience through the message to fans which allows a brief, intimate moment where they can build a relationship as the audience feels the message is directly to them putting the artist on a more personal level. However, the magazine advert is beneficial to the music video as it directly aims to persuade people to buy the song and therefore watch the video. Its general aspect appeals to the masses whilst the digipak only appeals to the target audience and existing fans who would appreciate the in depth look at the artist. Considering this I would therefore state that the magazine advert is most beneficial to my music video as it is accessible by all and so can promote the artist, the song and video further as the digipak is only a bonus when purchasing the CD.  

The main connection for the ancillary texts and the video are the use of images from within the music which makes the advert and digipak direct promotional tools for the video. For instance one example of this on the magazine advert cover is the featured image of  artist Sophie leaning on a wall alone which is also used on the digipak as the message to fans. However this location is used within the video as a flashback and shows her happy, content and in love a parallel to the advert connotations where she is shown as alone and seems cold and closed off with her body language shut off and her head facing the other way not showing facial expressions. This helps the audience build a relationship with the audience with the artist as they can understand how the memories of her happy times have made her feel more depressed and as heartbreak and relationships can occur at any age it is an appropriate theme and portrayl for the artists diverse target audience of 15-40 year olds. The theme of relationships is therefore conventional as it is relateable which is the purpose of most soul music as well as this the use of the image on the brick wall is conventional as it shows the artist as relateable as she is shown just within the town whilst many adverts have grand use of locations and settings. The emotions displayed too make it conventional as soul music utilises sad emotions and life scenarios and expresses them through the song and lyrics however the use of the photoshop and the black and white filter whilst the artist is in colour helps draw extra attention and focus onto the artist whilst the dull background connotes her sad and emotional state as she is not over shadowed by we expect she is overwhelmed by emotions.  

This is also through the use of the image within the final digipak where Sophie is featured within the video with her love interest and he has just brought her flowers. Using an image from here where her face is distracted and un-content within the video has a direct parrallel and suggests that the relationship wasnt as perfect as she interpreted which makes the audience feel empathy for her and have a better understanding of her life and emotions. This would therefore help build a relationship with the target audience of 15-40 years olds who would of have felt at some point heartbreak as well as being comforting that the stars life isnt perfect making her more relateable.

Question 3- What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Audience feedback is crucial with the final developing stages of creating a media product as it allowed me to gain vital insight as to the effectiveness of my video from a different, fresh perspective. This is as when having heavy creative, personal involvement with a product certain mistakes such as layout flaws within the narrative can be easily overlooked as through understanding the ideas and influenced from the video I understand the video in greater detail so this stage is helpful in ensuring the same message came across to the audience. 

Through finding out errors within our work such as this we can take on board the opinions of the target audience in order to make changes and improve our work catering to their tastes further. This will help us to therefore make a more conventional music video which abides to the tastes of current soul music lovers. 

We therefore screened a rough copy of the video to our target audience through youtube. This allowed the viewers to withstand a normal viewing scenario as youtube is one of the main global media sites in which music videos are watched. This meant the class received an accurate impact and viewing scenario close to that of our fans. My target audience consisted of music lovers rather than specifically soul music enthusiasts which we found helpful as it allowed us the opinions to make the video more generically conventional and appealing making the video a greater success through attracting a wider audience scope. As well as this through uploading to youtube made it easier to monitor and determine the success and popularity of the video through the hits, likes and comments section offered within the site. As well as this as youtube does not have strict boundaries as too what is censored unlike the television as our video demonstrated creative influences such as the 'bath scenes', youtube would allow the video to be accessed and watched at ease.

We achieved this feedback through allowing the groups viewing the video to fill out an anonymous feedback sheet so that groups felt liable to give a more honest opinion. The sheets prompted them to give exampled of the strengths and weaknesses with some of the positive comments being in reference to good location and good narrative as they liked the conventional choice of a house and the breakdown of a love story supported through the flashbacks of happy memories. On the other hand the constructive criticism received suggested more camera angles needed to be used and that there was too many repetitive camera shots as although mid shots are conventional as they show both the body language and the face of the artist a lot of the feedback requested more close ups. 

As a producer I was not surprised by some of the comments put forth. Reviewing them I knew that I needed to refilm some new shots but as the foundation of the video such as the narrative was well received the purpose of the video was branded successful and the concept pulled off meaning no drastic changed had to be made. Therefore with the refilling of scenes I knew as a producer my research and conventional choice of  locations suited the general tastes that the audiences want to see. The video therefore needed to be enhanced which with the new suggestions gave me a new creative vibe as what to now include within the video to make it even more effective. Upon reflection of my video and through viewing other groups productions I realised that our narrative was dulled down by the use of long intervals of footage which made it boring and dated. 

Upon receiving these comments we went back and reviewed the video and unused footage to try and determine an appropriate course of action to resolve the issues bought to light. For instance to solve the repetitive footage we decided to shoot new scenes and so went back to the creative ideas that we previously dismissed in order to portray a new scenario or emotional response of the artist as the repetitive nature made the video boring and monotonous. We then made the conscious decision to re-film some of the scenes and footage within the original video at different angles to make shots and perspectives. This was achieved through the use of the two camera positioned at different heights which allowed the audience to view the artist in many different ways helping them feel they understand and have a better understanding of the artist helping to build a relationship between the artist and audience. For instance the use of a high angle could interpret ideas of being defeated and low yet a close up could be used to show crying or frown lines conveying feelings of deep sadness and hurt. Finally we updated our video through re-editing the lip syncing within the video as slight time delays resulted in the unprofessional quality of work and makes the words seem less connected to the artist and therefore the audience detracting from the emotional connection which is relied upon and conventional to the soul genre.

The music industry is constantly changing and adapting with new tastes and genres being explored and favoured. Therefore the information revived would be very beneficial for me if working in the industry as it would keep me current and make sure I release something that will be well received by adhering to the conventional tastes of my target audience of soul music audiences. However through viewing my rough copy to a wider audience allows my artist more creative freedom so they can adapt to changing tastes and styles as their music is synoptic to stay as current to the industry as possible. As well as this the feedback and changes has enhanced my video and narrative clarifying it for the audience. This overall if effective should benefit our music video making it more interesting and have a more professional, densely packed video. 

Question 1- In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

A music video is a short film integrating the combined elements of visuals, lyrics and music and is generally concept, narrative or performance based or in some cases an assortment of all three. It adds a visual element to a song which helps reinforce themes and ideas within a song and allows the artist to be creative and appeal to their intended audiences. Through researching into the indented purpose of a music video I discovered that the use of a music video varies but the main intention is to help promote an artist or a song. The production brief for my advanced media production was to create a 3-5 music video for the song of my choice and the supporting music genre. Once our basic music video research was collected my group could begin to planning and creating our music video. I decided on the Paloma Faith song "Only Love Can Hurt Like This" and chose Sophie to portray the artist which we name 'Sophie Mae'. The reason for the song choice was as it was categorised under the soul genre which we felt would be easiest to portray as it allowed us more creative freedom in terms of narrative and conventions. 

Before creating my music video I watch and analysed existing media products to identify the generic codes and conventions of my chosen music genre; soul. Through watching the video for Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep' I identified the conventional use of the cinematography element of a close up when Adele is singing in the chair. This inspired me to therefore use a closeup of the artists face within my own video towards the end of the video when the artist is too shown hunched over in a chair crying. Therefore the use of the close-up in connection with the smudged mascara intensifies and expresses the emotions her deep upset to the audience. This represents my artist as upset and vulnerable as she seems weak and in an emotional state and so the audience would feel empathy towards due to her broken relationship and want to be her friend in order to comfort her. As the soul genre tends to be more relatable to the audience, the cinematography use is conventional as it can help the audience relate to their own experiences when experiencing similar emotions. Another conventional use of cinematography is the use of shots such as over the shoulder when the artist is getting ready in the mirror. This is conventional to the soul genre as it shows the audience a view from the perspective of the artist which helps the audience build a relationship with the artist as they have a better understanding of the artist making them feel closer. This is opposed to other genres which main purpose is to promote the artist to allow the audience to buy into the artists lifestyle where the more personal angel connects more to the personal lyrics of the song. 

Another convention found within Adele's video of the soul genre is the simple and classic use of the miss-en-scene element of hair, make-up and costume. This is evident when Adele is shown in a black dress with a simple undo and make-up however within my video I decided to represent my artist as more current and quirky. This is unconventional as the simple look keeps the concentration on the artist and her emotions. To therefore subvert this I therefore dressed the artist is confident in trend clothes such as a pink coat and large floppy hat. This updates the artist image and helps her appeal to her younger generation of her target audience. The use of the long shot to show the clothes and through dressing the artist in high street clothes makes her look seem attainable as well as making the artist seem more approachable and as though the girl next door. This is conventional to the soul genre as artists often seem more ordinary and approachable an element of Dyers theory which states the artist should be both ordinary and extraordinary. 

My research further developed into the soul genre through analysing Amy Winehouse 'Rehab' and identifying how the artist was represented through the narrative and micro elements. Through analysing the video the artist came across as relatable due to her personal exposure of her life and drug struggles and experiences. The audience were therefore able to build a relationship with the artist as she came across as honest which makes them feel trusted. I therefore too chose to use the relatable setting of a house as the audience feel they have insight into the artists personal life. As they are too able to see the artist within the house with limited makeup and without her signature style of the red lipstick made the audience feel they could see the real artist which is conventional as the lyrics too tend to be in personal connection to the artist. Through another conventional use of low key lighting within the house I was too able to heighten the emotions of the artist within the narrative. For instance within the dressing room at the beginning of the song Sophie is shown getting ready where foreshadowed by the music is upbeat and shows her happy and willing to get out of the house and make the most of her day. This is then contrasted later with the end of the song where she is shown within a different location on the floor hunched over and crying. Shown to be inverted within her self she seems parallel to her earlier representation which makes the audience feel empathy for the artist as they can relate to days when they were deeply upset or felt alone and therefore didn't want to face the world. This therefore follows the convention of soul music being more personal as the artist is willing to portray themselves within negative and upsetting scenarios allowing the audience a better insight into themselves and their life. As well as this the use of the house is conventional as it adds a personal element to the video. 

The soul genre too although conventionally portrays a relatable narrative they popularly show the portrayal of a love and relationship and the narratives base. For instance my video is showcases a heartbreak which can be felt at any age which suits the large target audience of the artist Sophie of 16-40 year olds enabling them to build a relationship through mutual scenarios. More specifically my video shows the breakdown of a relationship between the artist and her boyfriend. The layout and narrative idea of the video is that the video works as a flashback looking at previous happier times where they are in town spending time with each other and the romance between them indicated by him buying Sophie flowers. The end of the video however the artist is alone so the audience build a relationship with the artist through understanding her upset and by directly being able to see her change in state. This narrative style is conventional to the soul genre as it gives the audience a storyline and perspective to compare the emotions to. This is as it is important to portray and conform to the musical style of a video through the use of emotions and locations as when in support of each other they can project an emotion or feeling as intended onto the audience to provoke certain reactions whilst creating the audience a connection to the song. The audience as result therefore feels that the artist is sharing apart of them allowing them to build their relationship through a better understanding of the artist as well as being in similar or relatable situations. 

 My research into the soul genre allowed me identify the use of slow paced editing in particular in the analysis of Adele's 'Chasing Pavements' when she is rolling down the pavement at a half normal speed. This effect made her seem as though life was passing her by and she was no longer in the moment suggesting that she as a person is now disconnected and has lost her purpose and urgency. I therefore decided to use a slow motion effect within my own video with the use of photoshop and the retime effect. I slowed the shot down by 25% when the artist is ripping up a photo of her and her ex. This is as it is a dramatic symbol to the audience that the relationship is definitely over and she has decided to move on with her life as it is irreversible. The slow effect connotes her slight reluctance and her thought process as to whether the chapter of her life is closed. This would appeal to the audience as they too would understand and refer to a point within their lives when they were that upset and inverted that they were disconnected to the world helping them create a mutual bond and relationship. This is conventional to the soul genre as the songs are often slow paced as the lyrics and the message of the song are more serious and thought provoking. 

My final music video therefore adhere to the forms and conventions of real media products. This is due to our extensive research of codes and conventions which has allowed us to create products that mimic existing work to appeal correctly to our target audience. 

Question 4- How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

In the research stage of my production I used a lot of familar media outlets and programmes such as google, youtube and blogger to find appropriate examples and basic information on the generic foundations of a music video. This is as I was analysing the existing soul genre and market including current artists and videos to determine what the foundations of a successful music video and noted my findings on blogger. To gain an immediate and current understanding of the music tastes of peope I then looked at iTunes and the top download list to highlight popular artists as well as the correlating music videos to understand cinematography and styles currently favoured. After this the final stage of my research was to chose an artist and song I wanted to create a video for and after deciding on the soul genre I picked 'Only Love Can Hurt Like This' a popular song on the artist homepage, as I felt the lyrics and beat allowed me greater creativity as it could be interpreted in many different ways. 

As the programmes used within the research stage were used throughout with blogger being a constant resource to display information gained through exploring the industry. Other than these, two of the main tools used within the planning stage were the two digital cameras and equipment for photo shoots. I used two cameras for the production as conventionally soul music tends to have a deeper connection to the artist. This is as the intended purpose of a soul music video is to connect to the audience through a relateable scenario or emotion making the artist seem approachable and ordinary yet their emotional expression through a music video makes her seem extraordinary. This compromising balance can therefore be expressed through two cameras as angles such as close ups; to show the artist through her emotions and expressions and long shots; to include locations and filming sets with the artist which shows her two sides to the audience so they feel they have a greater access to the artist as a person allowing them to create a relationship. On the other hand other tools used for the filming and photo shoot included the trip to hold the camera steady, a contrast to the emotions felt within the song. 

I therefore feel that the digital technology shows my development from consumer to producer as with a more creative flare I was often put in charge to come up with scenarios and filming ideas and locations. However at times, due to the filming schedule I often took charge of the camera and so now feel I can sufficiently match appropriate cinematography angles and scenes together to covey a particular emotion. I also managed to overcome difficulties such as the shaking camera due to my shivering, filming in the cold weather. As the artist walked the panning shot reflected this looking jerky. I therefore expanded my knowledge overcoming this through putting a hairband on the camera and pulling the camera so that it had limited body contact making it more consistent. 

In terms of the construction stage of my production one programme used was Final Cut Pro X. Using this, I was then able to merge and edit the clips to synchronize that of the music. Through my research into exisiting songs such as Adele' s Set Fire To The Rain I identified editing styles such as jump cuts from Adele on the chair to the dance which conventionally shows the hurt and betrayl within the song as instant and unexpected which helps the audience empathise with the urt and they understand the raw emotion felt by the artist. This inspired me to use transitions such as dissolve and fade to show how the break down of the relationship felt like a blur from happiness to distress determining her confused attitude. As well as this, I decided to use a filter over the memories images called 'Aged Film' to connote how happy times seem so long ago suggesting she hasn't been happy in a long time. 

On the other hand to develop and edit my ancillary texts I used the photoshop tool. Overall my chosen theme was black and white to connote the two contrasting emotions within the song and hints of romantic colours such as pink and red to show passion and romance. To do this I layered over the black and white filter on the backgrounds to make the artist stand out instead using filters such as Veranda and altering settings such as the saturation by 20% to draw attention to her for promotional aspects as well as making the colours more vibrant making the theme of love more obvious to people viewing the advert or digipak. 

This is therefore one programme I would say appropriately demonstrates my development as I used to rely heavily on assistance as I could only use basic filters and text types. However I now have the ability to work independently to adapt minor issues such as font shades and saturation and contrast, which I would previously overlook, making a well rounded high standard image. 

Overall I feel my understanding and ability within different media forms has progressed from basic to proficient as I now feel I can carry out tasks independently to a relatively high quality. Therefore I would say that I have benefitted through my productions as I have been taught how to use certain programmes I would not necessarily be exposed to which has broadened my overall knowledge of different media forms as a consequence. 

Final Music Video (Miss Georgiou)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfvSzNG67I4

Final Group Digipak (Miss Miller)

Final Magazine Advert (Miss Miller)

Rough Cut (Miss Georgiou)

1. Why is audience feedback is important to a production and why a rough cut is essential to carry out?
Audience feedback is crucial when creating a production as it allows you to gain vital insight as to what within the video is working effectively and what is not coming across from a different perspective. When heavily creatively involved within a production it can be naive to overlook slight issues such as the clarity of the narrative as my group and I was viewing from a perspective of understanding so it was important the same message came across to the audience. Through finding out errors within our work such as this we can take on board the opinions of the target audience in order to make changes and improve our work catering to their tastes further. This will help us to therefore make a more conventional music video which abides to the tastes of current soul music lovers.

2. How did you receive audience feedback from your target audience?
We achieved this feedback by screening a rough copy of our production to our class. We uploaded our edited version of the video and allowed the class to view it from you tube, a typical viewing scenario for our released video. This meant the class received an accurate impact and viewing scenario close to that of our fans. Sheets were handed out and feedback was given anonymously so that groups felt liable to give a more honest opinion. The sheets prompted them to give exampled of the strengths and weaknesses within the video to improve the good and give us the opportunity to adapt that which wasn't liked within the videos context.

3. How would this feedback benefit your production and the music industry?
This is beneficial to my production as through seeking views of pressure groups both interested and not interested in soul music we received general feedback which with improvements would too help our video be generally appealing to a wider audience scope by appealing to the tastes of typical music fans. Therefore even though not an exclusive lover to soul music through tweaking our video to suit the needs and tastes of the masses would ensure the most successful and popular video possible and therefore that of the artist and song.

This wider audience would then expand the diversity of the artists music and therefore other artist breaking the musical barriers of songs. This would allow people of which appreciate music more of a diverse range and selection to listen. As well as this through adapting to genres it allows the artists more creative freedom allowing the music industry to become even more visually artistic. Therefore artists can adapt to changing tastes and styles as their music is synoptic to stay as current to the industry as possible.

4. What were the positive comments received?
Generally the positive comments received were that in reference to the good location, good narrative and conventional approach to the soul genre.

Collectively these were successful in relation to the intended purpose and the functioning of our video as it showed that our overall concept was pulled off. We therefore when thinking of the scenes to re-film knew that we already had adequate locations and within new scenes knew the general tastes that the audiences want to see. With a good narrative we then just had to build upon this sticking to the original storyline within the video as it was effective just enhancing it with new material. 

5. What were the constructive comments received?
Three negative or constructive criticisms we received were that; more angles needed to be used, the accuracy of the lip singing sections needed improvement and that there was too many repetitive camera shots.

In relation to the comments given the criticisms were universally agreed. Upon reflection of the video and through viewing other groups productions we too felt that our videos narrative was dulled by the use of long intervals of footage. This as the footage we had accumulated through filming once cut was not sufficient enough to feel the 3 minute time of the song. As a result of this the same scenes were often repeated on numerous occasions and although at the time of editing we believed this linked the song as a whole through the viewers we understood how through the course of the video the footage became almost boring and dated.  

6. What changed you will make to your music video based on the comments that you received?
As a result of this feedback, as a group we have made the conscious decision to re-film some of the scenes and footage within the original video. This is as the material we have was all taken within the same cinematography ideas which made the scene boring when editing the footage. As well as this, we now want to film more footage with new scenes to enhance our narrative clarifying it even more towards the audience, whilst the new clips will work well interchanging the existing clips. This overall if effective should benefit our music video making it more interesting and have a more professional, densely packed video. 

Group Digipak (Miss Miller)

1. How did you agreed on one digipak and then worked together to create/develop your group’s digipak?

When creating our group digipak in order to get a basis of what we wanted our work to look like we first looked individually at each group members digipak and selected individual elements we liked from their work to include and incorporate into our future digipak. This included specific images used, use of filters and effects and themes of how we desire the artist to be represented. 

2. Why have you have decided to use/change/keep the same, certain elements within your digipak and how it has made it appeal to your target audience as well as promote your artist effectively?

Colours

For colours we choose to use an underlying theme of pink often using tones of peach and red to compliment it. We did this as in a lot of our video and chosen images our featured artist wears accents of these tones whether in the mine-en-scene form of her coat and lipstick or where the location of the video is filmed. This meant the whole digipak complimented each other and could clearly be seen as a whole joined concept reflecting the idea to fans that the album is just as fluid and linked. The connotation of these colours however support the underlying theme of love within the album allowing the audience a idea of what the album is based upon and as love is universal whether in love or coping with heartbreak the theme appeals to all audience members allowing them to create a relationship with the artist through a mutual heartbreak or scenario. And as red and pink are warm tones is gives a friendly association with the artist as well as suggesting they are passionate whether in terms of love or music. 

Images used 
We decided to use the roses on the CD cover as it added a romantic effect to our otherwise urban theme. They then souly connect our album to the theme of love and pick out and compliment the subtle romantic themes featured within the other images. We decided to use coral roses as opposed to the stereotypical red roses in order to both compliment both our other images and also to suggest that the artist is not just a stereotypical soul artist and possess a quality more rare than other recording artists. This would be refreshing to many fans who may feel different to surrounding people as well as making them want to explore the artist and her music more to determine how she differentiates from alternative artists. 

For the albums front cover we decided to use a close up image of the artist. This is as it appeals to the target audience as they can clearly see the artist however it manages to simultaneously brand and promote the artist to those who may not be familiar with her as an artist. As well as this the expression on her face shows her deep in though looking off to the distance, this would be intriguing to audience members as they are unaware, through the cropped shot, as to what she's looking at so they can only assume. This in turn may prompt them to buy the album as they want to gain a better understanding of the artist and the story behind the picture and therefore Sophie herself helping them to gain a relationship with the artist through an understanding and realisation of the artists life as she appeals to them through a more personal level allowing her the quality to appear both ordinary and extraordinary. This is an important quality for artists to possess especially for soul artists who seek to connect to their audience through finding a mutual scenario and relying on empathy, making this image stereotypical to the soul genre. 

We chose the image of Sophie standing against the wall as our message to fans background as it had the deepest connection to the song as an image and so effectively joined both the fans, artist, advert, song and video together. As well as this the image is not overly focus grabbing with the artists head coward away to the side so the recognition of the artist supports the intense personal message from the artist making the audience and herself closer and as though she is directly speaking to each fan. This is important as it makes everyone feel special and as though they have a relationship with the artist making their friendship help her appear as relate able and not intimidating. In contrast to this through the lack of eye connect with the image the artist still seems closed off making her seem somewhat unapproachable reconfirming her star status whilst suggesting she is still closed off and hurt from her heartbreak drawing empathy from the audience. As well as this the reflection of the wall appropriately reinforces the title of the album 'A True Reflection'. 

Our decision to use the mirror picture of Sophie as an added image would appeal to her target audience as it shows the artists face in a view of herself. The clever iconography use of the mirror gives the audience an insight and view shot only the artist would see suggesting she is allowing them to see a true reflection of herself making the album seem more personal and in deeper emotional connection with the artist. Fans would then feel although through finding a personal connection with the album they in turn gain a personal relationship with the artist as they are connecting with a part of her. As well as this the use of the mirror and writing 'A True Reflection' promotes the album whilst the iconography element of the red lipstick refers to the artists trademark image within the song as well as outer referencing love and passion as lipstick is in semantic association with kissing. 

Our back cover and therefore song list image choice was of the wall the artist portrays the lyrics 'Only Love Can Hurt Like This' within the video. Therefore we felt it made sense to use the image as it tied the video, song and other lyrics together enforcing the connection within the album which is stereotypical to the soul genre. As well as this the wall suggests urban more edgy underlying tones to the music, a contrast to the floral CD covering. The strong, stern stare from the artist directly connects her to the fans and people reading the album making her and the songs seem connected to the person reading the backlist.

Finally as another image choice we decided to use the contents of the table shown briefly within the beginning of the music video. The main reason in this being that it connects the digipak to the video helping to promote it further and also allows fans a deeper insight into the artists tastes. For instance by showing the MAC lipstick and Chanel perfume suggests to the audience that the artist, leading a lavish lifestyle prefers luxury brands of cosmetics. However the product pricing of that included aren't too extreme allowing the audience a chance to smell and look like the artist by using the products she uses. They therefore are getting a deeper insight into her tastes and opportunity to find a mutual taste which again will help the target audience create a relationship with the artist. By doing this the artist seems more approachable and attainable to the audience making her songs seem more relatable as a result. This is important within the soul genre as stereotypically the artist is deliberately approachable for the basis of his or her music.

Layout/design
Within all the images the artist is positioned off centre. This could be shown to symbolise how she needs someone by her side in order to feel complete and is not strong or independent enough a person to take charge and be front and centre. The gaps left to the side show how someone has just left her and she hasn't come to terms with them not being there yet which makes the album seem full of raw instant emotion. This is stereotypical of the soul genre as the songs often utilise intense emotional time to appeal and portray their life to fans. In contrast to this in many of the images the writing is therefore located central to the screen and image suggesting that her words and lyrics are whats most important within her album rather than her self promotion enhancing the importance and passion she shares for her music. For instance as both the message to fans and song list are located central to the screen it suggests that with the help of them both she can channel her energy and return to her strong self again making the audience seem like a friend to cry on and important within her life. 

Typography
The font styles used within the digipak are all bold fonts which grab the readers attention and add heightened importance onto the artists name and songs in order to promote them further. The use of bold, capital letters reflect the use of graffiti and brick walls within the digipak suggesting strength and artistic flare, which ideally reflects the style of the album. However in contrast to this on the message to fans a different font is used in the form of a small case italic font which help mimic the idea of hand writing making the message seem even more personal and unrefined as it seems the artist has just written it herself to them allowing them a moment of connection not separated by anything. This is stereotypical to the soul genre who often choose to be more personal with their fans and music and in turn will then help the audience connect to the artist and the music creating a strong relationship between the pair. 

Language

The languaged used within the album is all colloquial in order to appeal to the mass of fans and make them all understand Sophie. This will make her seem more real and approachable and she appears to be one of them whilst by limiting the extensive vocabulary used and making Sophie more understood her opinion and views can be expressed more freely whilst everyone can interpret her message with ease and correctly suggesting her music too is relateable and can connect to all making everyone seem equal and united. 

Devon's individual digipak 

Shaun's individual digipak

Sophie's individual digipak 

3. What elements have you taken from each group member and why you have incorporated them?
With Devons image we felt it was the closest to what we wanted to produce overall. Her images and effects used correctly portrayed the artist and the message we wanted to portray to fans so we decided to include her message to fans image and message as well as her cosmetics picture as it promoted the artist and her tastes in a more subtle way that didn't force more pictures of her onto the audience as it may have been an overkill of her appearance.

From Shaun's we all really liked his use of the theme love and particularly liked the use of the roses on the CD and it incorportated the theme but in a more subtle way as the other images better promoted the artist. We therefore decided to utilise this theme including more hints of the colour red and pink and sticking with the roses on the CD cover allowing our digipak to have a more romantic theme overall but interpreted in a more soulful, subtle way. 

From Sophies we really liked her choice of main image as it was an image that all three of the other members overlooked and in reflection it interpreted the artist in the connected yet mysterious manner that we wanted. We also liked her use of the mirror image as a bonus image as opposed to a central image as it was impactful enough on its own correctly promoting the album and artist as when it was used with other fonts over the top the image was lost and seem disconnected to the message portrayed on it. 

4. What were the weaknesses and strengths of each group member’s digipak and why? 
In terms of Devon's digipak I feel her biggest strength was her use of consistency within her theme chosen for the digipak. For instance a lot of her pictures involve intense filters and bold block lettering which compliments the setting of brick walls and iconography such as the leather jacket to compliment and bring emphasis to the stylistic approach of the artist as edgy, urban and current which would help identify and appeal clearly to her chosen target audience. On the other hand a weakness of Devon's digipak would be her basic use of photoshop in many of the image only choosing to overlay a simple filter instead of choosing to layer and enhance the image. Although the simplistic approach could be seen to compliment the artists musical style and therefore appeal appropriately to the target audience who listen the soul genre for a easy and instant connection to the music and lyrics, in spite of this this could too represent the artists work and emotional content of the song as basic and 'filtered' suggesting the lack of raw emotion behind the songs is not substantial.

With Shaun's digipak his main strength, despite his song list page, too is his strong theme and consistency within his images and choice of colour theme. For instance Shaun utilised a strong love theme with the use of iconography such as roses and kisses which is intensified by the passionate colours of red and pink often connoted with love. This is then supported by the contrasting use of green which helps create semantic fields of nature suggesting the natural course of love. All of this which then helps express to the audience that the music too is also connected and fluid in terms of their connection to each other which makes the songs seem more personal, thought out and as though to form a story. This in turn should then allow the audience to create a relationship with the artist as they then feel the artist has given them an accurate representation of their life which then in turn helps them to create a bond as they feel they understand the artist at greater length and if through going through similar life scenarios can then form the basis of a friendship. This is also stereotypical of the soul music genre as they are often more personal with the album often being described as a 'diary'. His weakness however was his lack of original images of the artist. Instead choosing to use romantic images Shaun promotes strong themes of love which would help promote the album in terms of attracting peoples music narrative style whilst the artist remains unprompted which would be displeasing to existing and potential fans. 

With Sophie's digipak her main strength was her colour theme and conventional approach to the soul genre. She utalised the colour or black and white within certain images which gave the digipak a classical and bold appearance. The colours contrasted with each other suggesting the two sides of love within the album as the white reflects the light in love stage whilst the black connotes darker times. We also liked the accent of a certain colour. For instance Sophie's work had an overall accent colour of red which suggests ideas of passion, love and blood again reflecting the mood and theme within the narrative which we adapted and utilised within our final digipak. Her weakness though in contrast to this was her overuse of the black and white effect with it draining out the colour of the artist. The audience cannot then fully see what the artist looks like not showing an accurate representation of her and therefore not allowing her to be promoted correctly. 

5. Do you feel your digipak conforms or adheres to your genre’s conventions? Why?
Overall I feel that our final digipak correctly conforms to the soul music genre. This is as a result of our images used as I feel we have appropriately stuck to the stereotypical micro elements. For instance, the body language element within our advert shows the artist not looking directly at the camera and either hunched over or positioned to the side. All of these traits reflects the conventional themes of songs which reflect pain and hurting and she is shown as timid and cowardly as well as alone. The facial expressions within the digipak are all bleed which helps to support this idea whilst the use of the colours pink and red connotes themes of love as a contrasting element. This is conventional to the soul genre also as the music written and perform by soul artist is usually more personal and relateable so the concept of relationships appeals to the mass of the artists target audience. 

6. How did you find working as a group to create one final digipak for your artist?

As a group I feel we worked well but we had issues. As we had to decide on six images it made it more difficult because everyone had they're own collection of images they felt worked best. With all interpreting our own ideas the digipak began too look not whole with a different theme occupying each image. This gave an unprofessional look to our work and therefore the artists work as it seemed unfinished and unseemlike. Therefore our close relationship and comfortability around one another meant each spoke up causing delays with the work however it made each member feel valued and important which then benefitted the group as the more imput meant the best of our abilities were combined leaving us with an advert which represents us, the artist and one I feel would appeal to the target audience. This is as it has themes of both love, urban street and heavily promotes the artist which I feel therefore offers everyone something to connect to.