Evaluation

The above video is the evaluation of my project.

Final Website

This is the link to my now finished band website http://www.wix.com/luke_ah/a2media

Final Digipak

This is my final digipak design. I addressed the audience feedback from my focus group by making it slightly brighter, as well as reducing the contrast between the different panels and therefore addressing the audience feedback, as the panels blend together better.

Focus Group - Website Feedback

 



Above are all of the completed questionnaires from my focus group participants on my website.

Every single respondent said that they liked the simplicity of the layout and that it was easy to navigate. The music toolbar, the fact that the video is displayed on the home screen, and the general information available were also identified as positives.

The only significant criticism amongst the responses was that the website needed to be more lively. 43% of the respondents said that, actually, nothing was missing from the website. However, of the people that did, the main thing they identified was the lack of pictures. This could also make the website more lively, addressing another concern raised.



Focus Group - Digipak Feedback

 

Above are all of the completed questionnaires from my focus group participants on my digipak.

A positive I can take from the responses is that 57% of the respondents said they liked the way the photographs were different, but still worked well with each other. Additionally, 57% of the respondents said there was nothing they disliked about the dfigipak.

Contrary to the general consensus that the photographs worked well together, 29% of respondents deemed the different panels to be too contrasting, so I may adjust the panels slightly so that they blend together better. Furthermore, one respondent said they thought the digipak was too dark. However, as that one respondent represents a low percentage of the target audience members who participated, I'm not going to consider making drastic changes to the brightness; but, I may make it slightly brighter if it addresses the problem of the different panels being too highly contrasting.

Focus Group - Music Video Feedback



Above are all of the completed questionnaires from my focus group participants on my music video.

A clear positive I can take from my focus group is that my target audience liked the black and white effect and thought it was fitting -  the average score came back as 4.22 out of 5 for how appropriate they found the black and white effect. Aditionally, all of the participants agreed that the editing matched well with the music.

However, a few people complained about the jittering and said that, perhaps, I should use more static camera shots. Although this may prove difficult, given where and the way in which I am filming, I will try to address this problem. so my final cut looks better.



The North and South Divide

Within the indie genre, there is somewhat of a divide between bands and artists from the north and bands and artists from the south.

Bands from the north tend to still adhere to early conventions of the genre; they have a clearly confident manner and often embody the working-class.

In this picture of Oasis, the assured masculine poses convey confidence, almost 'swagger'. The sunglasses, traditionally fitting jeans, and the thumbs inserted into the front pockets of the jeans accentuate their masculinity.

In this picture, the working-class roots of the band are signified by the setting; large, monolithic buildings tower over them in the background and the sky is a murky grey. Additionally, the fact it is black and white adds to the murky working-class feel.

In this picture, black and white is again used to accentuate the tall buildings and crowded city area behind them as part of their working-class surroundings. Ian Brown's pose displays his confidence and 'swagger' - he is leaning towards the camera and looking directly into it, suggesting he is confrontational, again conveying the working-class roots of the band.

However, bands from the south tend to be considerably less masculine; characterised, instead, by fragility and artistry.

In this picture of The Horrors, the setting and colours are very natural and romantic, conveying a sense of artistry. Furthermore, although most of the band members are looking towards the camera, their gazes and body language signify awkwardness.

This picture of Bombay Bicycle Club is in black and white. But, instead of signifying working-class roots, it signifies melancholia. This is because the gazes of the band members are rather pensive, slightly glum, and aimed away from the camera. This again helps to establish an awkwardness, as well the stereotype of 'indie' people as 'outsiders'.

Music Video - Final Cut

This is the final cut of my music video

Call Sheets 2

This is the call sheet for the extra filming I did to improve my music video from the first cut.

Feedback on Digipak Designs

In order to decide on which digipak to use as my final design, I asked members of my target audience what they thought was the best digipak design. I did this through handing them sheets displaying each of my three designs, asking them to comment on aspects they liked and disliked, and then putting a tick next to the design they liked the most.

This person picked the second design on the page. They said they liked the image of the concrete as the background for the top left panel. They also said they liked the colours used.

This person also picked the second design on the page. They commented on the font as a key feature of its appeal, confirming my own opinion, perhaps, that it was the most appropriate font to use, given the genre. Additionally, they said the font on the third deign on the page, most notably on the top middle panel was too bright, and not particularly aesthetically appealing. They also said they disliked the first design on the page as they considered it too bleak, and boring, also.

This person was another who chose the second design on the page. Their main reason for their choice was that they liked the fact that every panel was a different colour.

Another person who chose the second design on the page as their favourite did so because they liked the editing of the pictures more, as well as the way the image used as the background for the top left panel was reflective of the band's name.

This person said the first design on the page was their favourite. They said, in the first design, the colours - or, indeed, absence of 'colour' - blend a lot better with the concrete image.

This person, also, liked the first design the most. They liked the off-white font colour - a colour which seems to be prevalent in the indie genre, at current, something I learnt when I researched band websites and digipaks. They also said they liked how the black and white colour scheme gave it a 'vintage look'.

Another person who liked the first design most said this was because they thought the others were too bright, and, in fact, the darkness of the first design was more appropriate for the genre.





This person, however, liked the brightness of the third design, claiming that the text was also clearer. They said they preferred both of the coloured designs to the black and white one, as, on the front cover, the picture and text contrast greater against the background, creating greater clarity.



This person liked the second design on the page the most. They said they preferred the title font, and that the bottom middle panel offered the best compromise, in terms of brightness. They said they liked the first design on the page, however, they thought it might be slightly too 'dark'. They also thought the third design on the page was too bright, and that the font colour on the top middle panel stood out too much from the background

This graph I compiled, based on my results, shows that the second design is the most popular amongst my target audience. Therefore, it is my final design. However, depending on additional feedback I receive at my focus group, I may still alter it slightly.



Music Video - First Cut

This is the first cut of my music video.

Call Sheets

Below are my call sheets for all of the filming I did for my first cut; I intend to film some more footage soon, as I have identified parts of my video which could be improved.

Final Three Digipak Designs

Below are my three digipak designs.

Design 1

I used a plain and bold font on my digipak, as this is common amongst almost all artists within my genre. I used images of concrete as, not only do they tie in with the name of my band, they also look unclean, raw, and natural, and therefore tie in with the conventions of the genre. I highlighted the importance of the instruments, and, therefore, the music in my genre, through the CD panels. The gazes of the band members on the front cover are all away from the camera, suggesting they are pensive, as well as being 'outsiders'. Their slightly hunched backs and general body language convey an awkwardness that has come to be associated with the indie genre, particularly southern English indie bands.

Design 2

I changed the font for this design; however, I still kept to the plain and bold style. I changed the concrete background on one of the panels to plain black, and some of the font colours from light grey to white. I also brightened up the colour of the CD holding panel. In summary, it is more eye-catching than the first design, being slightly more bright and vivid; however, it could be perceived as compromising the melancholic feel slightly.

Design 3

The third design again features a plain font, this time in an off-white colour, so it blends in well with the black and white panels. The black and white accentuates the melancholic feel of the music; however, it could potentially be construed as too 'dark'.

Risk Assessment and Location Shots

Below are my risk assessment sheets and location shots