Here is my final design:
Thursday, 20 December 2012
My Updated Digipak
I've refined my original digipak design to incorporate all 4 covers (2 interior and 2 exterior). I've revamped the amount of content and attempted to retain a similar theme and style on all 4 sides to make it a coherently constructed piece of work. As you will notice the colours and fonts used are also present on my website as I felt it was important to keep a consistent structure to all the products related to the music video. Simply, the colours reflect disco/techno lights and stand out against a dark background - much like on a night out.
Here is my final design:
Here is my final design:
Social Networking
Aside from the podcast I included on my website, another modern tool used to encourage interaction from fans is social networking. The majority of bands in 2012/2013 have a team of dedicated media experts who ensure their presence is known on sites such as Facebook and Twitter where millions of people actively post on a daily basis. To put it in to further perspective there are thought to be around 1 billion Facebook users registered in total today, whilst Twitter boasts around 100 million. That is a massive audience that can be targeted and allows any individual group to communicate with them.
I have therefore decided it would be beneficial to Digitized to follow suit and exploit the fact we can reach out to a wider audience that we may not have been able to communicate with otherwise. I created a public Facebook account and invited a few peers to 'like' the page and become involved with whatever we decide to share on there. Whilst we are unable to advertise any of our music on iTunes like other professional bands do we can still interact with our fans and point them in the direction of our music video. Of course, we don't have our own dedicated media/PR team to control our account so it is manned by ourselves. I prefer the fact we have the freedom to decide what gets published on there and it does create the impression that we are involved with everything that endorses the band. Hard-Fi, one of my musical inspirations, control their own Facebook account as they are a band that have enjoyed success predominantly in Britain, whereas global stars such as Rihanna don't necessarily control their account themselves. We are not worldwide music icons just yet so we are more similar to Hard-Fi in the sense we don't have the resources to employ a media team!
I've also created a Twitter account that will post almost identical information but obviously on a smaller scale because there is a precise word count on the tweets you can send. On there we rely on our followers to retweet our posts and spread the message to other users - thus hopefully encouraging them to follow us themselves. On the Digitized website the Twitter link is not real because at school we are prevented from accessing such sites, so I had to create a made up address for aesthetic purposes.
SoundCloud accounts are also popular among professional bands but I opted against opening an account on there because it is mainly a place to upload remixes and any other DJ-influenced music you've created. We don't have any tunes like that so we felt it wasn't worthwhile creating an account on there although I do recognise it's usefulness.
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Digitized Pogo Official Video
In case you missed the link to our video in my 'YouTube Channel' post (where it said that our upload of the video had been blocked by EMI), here is an updated link that should now work.
I searched around on YouTube and found that other people in the same position as myself were not experiencing copyright problems when uploading their videos. Therefore I've re-uploaded ours this evening on the following link:
Digitized - Pogo (Official Video) - YouTube
It should now work.
There is a specific page on my website (within the 'Pogo' section) where the video is also accessible but QuickTime (with which it was uploaded) is sometimes very slow to work. As a result I have not posted the link directly to that part of my website in this section because it is unreliable!
I searched around on YouTube and found that other people in the same position as myself were not experiencing copyright problems when uploading their videos. Therefore I've re-uploaded ours this evening on the following link:
Digitized - Pogo (Official Video) - YouTube
It should now work.
There is a specific page on my website (within the 'Pogo' section) where the video is also accessible but QuickTime (with which it was uploaded) is sometimes very slow to work. As a result I have not posted the link directly to that part of my website in this section because it is unreliable!
Digitized Website Link
Having uploaded a selection of screenshots earlier on of my completed Digitized website, I'm now able to present the site's link. I'm delighted to have finished it after a lot of hard work and the reaction I've received from it has been tremendous. I'd like to thank Dan Coyne who was prepared to be filmed giving his opinions on it earlier on today.
Digitized Official Website
Note: As you will see by clicking on the link, certain fonts don't match with the ones displayed in the screenshots article I posted recently. This is because the server that is hosting my website doesn't recognise the fonts I'd taken from the internet and as result they've modified them to a more basic style. So, the website is meant to look like the screenshot images and not how it appears when clicking on the link.
As an evaluative point, I'd have to seriously consider using internet fonts again in the future because of the problems that have arisen on this occasion. It is too late for me to re-publish the website now with alternative fonts to the ones I'd previously chosen so I'll have to persevere with what I've got. I'm disappointed but not too frustrated and as long as I learn from this and use my knowledge in the future I'll be happy.
Digitized Official Website
Note: As you will see by clicking on the link, certain fonts don't match with the ones displayed in the screenshots article I posted recently. This is because the server that is hosting my website doesn't recognise the fonts I'd taken from the internet and as result they've modified them to a more basic style. So, the website is meant to look like the screenshot images and not how it appears when clicking on the link.
As an evaluative point, I'd have to seriously consider using internet fonts again in the future because of the problems that have arisen on this occasion. It is too late for me to re-publish the website now with alternative fonts to the ones I'd previously chosen so I'll have to persevere with what I've got. I'm disappointed but not too frustrated and as long as I learn from this and use my knowledge in the future I'll be happy.
Digitized YouTube Channel + Video
We created our Digitized YouTube channel in order to gauge opinion of our target audience. Having considered David Gauntlett’s theory that audiences and producers ‘blur together’ in the 21st century, we felt it was important to show our band had exploited the technology and networking available to us in order to create our video and interact with people. As pioneers of the digital age, its easy to neglect the fact that technology is enhancing our music sharing experience beyond what was originally deemed possible, so we thought we’d demonstrate our recognition of this by using a YouTube channel to share videos.
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| Our YouTube channel for Digitized (with proof of video upload!) |
Half way through the editing process we uploaded a mini edit version of our video to show what we had done so far. We posted the video link on our individual FaceBook and Twitter sites to encourage people to take a look and leave feedback, which we received openly. We acknowledged that there would be a range of views on whether the video itself was coherent or looked professional, so we were prepared to garner criticism.
We had our own ideas of what needed to be improved before making it public online, but we felt it was just as important for our demographic to voice their opinion as it’s a video that reflects them and their way of life.
We were pleased that when feedback was first received a lot of it was positive. We were told it ‘had good camera shots to portray being drunk’, ‘effective locations’ and ‘good story-lines’ and that gave us confidence that we were heading in the right direction in terms of delivering a relatable video to our audience. We weren’t completely immune from constructive criticism though, which was good because this was the point of this process anyway, and a number of comments focussed on how it fit together alongside the song.
A few people felt that although the video showed a drunken night out, it didn’t necessarily tie in perfectly with the song itself. One particular comment explained ‘the video could have accompanied any number of different songs, it maybe needs to relate more to ‘Pogo”. When watching the video back through again afterwards, we could see where they were coming from and realised we needed to experiment with it to ensure that in future it does fit with the song. I proposed that we add shots of someone miming to certain words to link the audio and visuals together, something Scott and Cathy agreed would help. When we next went out to film other elements of the video that we hadn’t already put together, we went and re-filmed one part of the video so the shots included miming. We knew that just one sequence of miming wouldn’t improve the coherency of the video, so we found a location where another mime could be filmed with another character. By having at least two mimes it didn’t look like we panicked and at the last minute added one in, it looks deliberate and part of the video.
I still felt it was lacking in something and after consulting with Scott in particular, we decided we would try and implement some text at certain points of the video. We felt the stand out lyrics in the song are ‘yeah’, ‘wah-ohh’ – they are memorable words and really capture the spirit of a ‘drunken Friday night out’ – so we tried to put them in to text when they are sung over the video. We decided to use a font that I had used in my ‘Digitized’ website, as it maintained a coherency between the entire media package I was creating (music video, website, CD cover). We decided to use the text at two separate points in the video and added the lyrics ‘there’s something in the air’ before it, to emphasise our understanding of it’s effect.
Other than that a sound issue was brought to our attention, which was easily rectified as we just needed to cut all audio from our recordings – something we thought we’d already done. Aside from these particular highlighted improvements, nothing else major was needed, except to carry on the final part of the editing process in the same vain. We continued to do so and were finally in a position to upload our finished video. Barring any obvious deficiencies that our audience may inform us of, no further editing is required and it is available to access on our YouTube page.
[UPDATE (22/12/12): Unfortunately we have encountered problems in that EMI have blocked both videos from being accessed on 'copyright grounds', even though we wrote disclaimers in the video descriptions. They were available online for around a week before they were taken down. The links above are the web addresses for the videos but as you will discover they will take you to YouTube where it will say they have been blocked.]
Blog + Podcast
As part of my website I decided to include a blog + podcast page as I've noticed that this is the most popular mode of communication between band and fan in 2012. I filmed the podcast with Scott and it features at the top of this particular website page.
We generally talk loosely about life in a band, answer fan questions that have been sent to us on Twitter and give our opinions on the other members of the band. It is quite a colloquial piece of footage but I felt it would help to break down any barriers between the audience and ourselves and allow them to see us as real people. There is a real problem in the music industry that although fans are able to live vicariously through their idols, they are unable to relate to them. Whilst this can be a good thing I feel that audiences crave genuine interaction with these people and therefore I initiated the idea of being relaxed and down to earth on camera.
I'm happy with how it looks but recognise that it is not the most professionally edited piece of footage. Really I just wanted to show that I had recognised this technological advancement in band-fan communication and offer our own attempt - I didn't have the time to edit it as thoroughly as the music video itself because it isn't as important, but I think the idea of it is great and well worth presenting.
We generally talk loosely about life in a band, answer fan questions that have been sent to us on Twitter and give our opinions on the other members of the band. It is quite a colloquial piece of footage but I felt it would help to break down any barriers between the audience and ourselves and allow them to see us as real people. There is a real problem in the music industry that although fans are able to live vicariously through their idols, they are unable to relate to them. Whilst this can be a good thing I feel that audiences crave genuine interaction with these people and therefore I initiated the idea of being relaxed and down to earth on camera.
I'm happy with how it looks but recognise that it is not the most professionally edited piece of footage. Really I just wanted to show that I had recognised this technological advancement in band-fan communication and offer our own attempt - I didn't have the time to edit it as thoroughly as the music video itself because it isn't as important, but I think the idea of it is great and well worth presenting.
Digitized Website Screenshots & Opinions
I've today completed my Digitized website and before anything else I attempted to gauge the opinions of the band's demographic - late teens. I filmed the thoughts of one particular Sixth Former who was happy to be identified. His name is Daniel Coyne, he's 19 years old and his views are in the video below:
Here are a selection of screenshots of the website. They go in order ('Digitized' to 'DIGITAge' to 'Lyrics' to 'Podcast' to 'On the road with Digitized' to 'Digitshots' to our 'Tour Dates'):
Here are a selection of screenshots of the website. They go in order ('Digitized' to 'DIGITAge' to 'Lyrics' to 'Podcast' to 'On the road with Digitized' to 'Digitshots' to our 'Tour Dates'):
Website Evaluation
Having analysed the research I undertook in to a number of bandsʼ official
websites, I was in a much more knowledgeable position in regards to designing and
creating my own.
The band weʼve created - Digitized - and the music video for Pogo that weʼve developed is heavily influenced by original song creators Digitalism and weʼve been keen to show this in our work. Having looked at their website I found that they remain relatively secretive about themselves and possess very few links or pieces of information on the work theyʼve done and how they interact with their fans. However Jens Moelle and Ismail Tufekci, who consider themselves to be artists, continue the creative theme that surrounds their band with their choices of colour and pattern on the website homepage.
In complete contrast to Digitalismʼs website, our other musical influence Hard-Fi boast an extensive range of content on their website and maximise aesthetics with their combinations of colours and images. As a band they are renowned for being ʻout thereʼ and this is reflected in their choice of design and layout. As we are trying to combine the ʻBritishʼ nature of Hard-Fi and the musical style of Digitalism, I felt that adopting the key qualities of both their websites would accentuate the portrayal of Digitizedʼs own unique, hybrid character.
The music produced by Digitized is explained to be experimental electro-dance and immediately I felt it was important to create the right ambience, beginning with the siteʼs homepage. Typical colours associated with a dance-floor and disco lights, the scene most likely to feature our type of music, are fluorescent pinks, yellows, greens and blues, so I used all of them throughout each page I have created. In tandem with the lively, vibrant colours on show is digitalised, techno-styled text as it really enforces the suburban party atmosphere we wanted to promote. The bandʼs name is written in this particular futuristic style and is featured prominently. Each time ʻDigitizedʼ is written on the website it appears in the same font so that it can be perceived to be somewhat of a band trademark.
Aside from the obvious features of aesthetics, the website contains many pages where fans can interact with the band, something I discovered to be particularly important in the social-networking society we find ourselves embracing in 2012, including a written blog and a podcast page. I felt it was important Digitized were available on more than just the mundane written platform, so there is a designated space for videos to be uploaded from the band in order to allow fans the opportunity to see each member in a day-to-day environment away from music. We created a podcast that tackled how the band formed and we requested site users to send in questions for us to answer via our official Twitter and Facebook accounts.
The band weʼve created - Digitized - and the music video for Pogo that weʼve developed is heavily influenced by original song creators Digitalism and weʼve been keen to show this in our work. Having looked at their website I found that they remain relatively secretive about themselves and possess very few links or pieces of information on the work theyʼve done and how they interact with their fans. However Jens Moelle and Ismail Tufekci, who consider themselves to be artists, continue the creative theme that surrounds their band with their choices of colour and pattern on the website homepage.
In complete contrast to Digitalismʼs website, our other musical influence Hard-Fi boast an extensive range of content on their website and maximise aesthetics with their combinations of colours and images. As a band they are renowned for being ʻout thereʼ and this is reflected in their choice of design and layout. As we are trying to combine the ʻBritishʼ nature of Hard-Fi and the musical style of Digitalism, I felt that adopting the key qualities of both their websites would accentuate the portrayal of Digitizedʼs own unique, hybrid character.
The music produced by Digitized is explained to be experimental electro-dance and immediately I felt it was important to create the right ambience, beginning with the siteʼs homepage. Typical colours associated with a dance-floor and disco lights, the scene most likely to feature our type of music, are fluorescent pinks, yellows, greens and blues, so I used all of them throughout each page I have created. In tandem with the lively, vibrant colours on show is digitalised, techno-styled text as it really enforces the suburban party atmosphere we wanted to promote. The bandʼs name is written in this particular futuristic style and is featured prominently. Each time ʻDigitizedʼ is written on the website it appears in the same font so that it can be perceived to be somewhat of a band trademark.
Aside from the obvious features of aesthetics, the website contains many pages where fans can interact with the band, something I discovered to be particularly important in the social-networking society we find ourselves embracing in 2012, including a written blog and a podcast page. I felt it was important Digitized were available on more than just the mundane written platform, so there is a designated space for videos to be uploaded from the band in order to allow fans the opportunity to see each member in a day-to-day environment away from music. We created a podcast that tackled how the band formed and we requested site users to send in questions for us to answer via our official Twitter and Facebook accounts.
This, I hope, expresses my understanding of the importance of immediate
communication between band and fans in the digital age and therefore Iʼve made
Digitized available to be scrutinized by a global audience in a number of different
modes.
There is a lyrics page where ʻrecentʼ songs released by the band are featured. Pogo is among the songs where lyrics are available and the other is Digital Love, our fictitious first single. Accompanying that is a page with information on the album the band have taken Pogo from as the second single, entitled Digitage. A specific page dedicated to Pogo itself is also available and talks about the song. Other expected commodities on a professional musicianʼs/bandʼs website include images from ʻbehind-the-scenesʼ and there is a page which provides that too.
The website is very easy to navigate and isnʼt too extravagant in the sense that fans who are not as media savvy as others can still operate their way around it to find the content they want. I feel this is important because I donʼt want to restrict the number of people who log on to the site and make people feel as though they are isolated from the band if they donʼt understand the logistics of complex websites. Having said that, I didnʼt want it to seem basic, simple and ubiquitous so I divulged in ensuring the nature of Digitized was on show in each page of the site.
I feel the completed website retains all the features of a respected professional website without detracting from aesthetics and important content. The primary purpose of online space for a band is to promote themselves and offer an exclusive insight in to their life and I feel this has been achieved with the plethora of interactive platforms that have been embraced and offered to Digitized fans worldwide.
There is a lyrics page where ʻrecentʼ songs released by the band are featured. Pogo is among the songs where lyrics are available and the other is Digital Love, our fictitious first single. Accompanying that is a page with information on the album the band have taken Pogo from as the second single, entitled Digitage. A specific page dedicated to Pogo itself is also available and talks about the song. Other expected commodities on a professional musicianʼs/bandʼs website include images from ʻbehind-the-scenesʼ and there is a page which provides that too.
The website is very easy to navigate and isnʼt too extravagant in the sense that fans who are not as media savvy as others can still operate their way around it to find the content they want. I feel this is important because I donʼt want to restrict the number of people who log on to the site and make people feel as though they are isolated from the band if they donʼt understand the logistics of complex websites. Having said that, I didnʼt want it to seem basic, simple and ubiquitous so I divulged in ensuring the nature of Digitized was on show in each page of the site.
I feel the completed website retains all the features of a respected professional website without detracting from aesthetics and important content. The primary purpose of online space for a band is to promote themselves and offer an exclusive insight in to their life and I feel this has been achieved with the plethora of interactive platforms that have been embraced and offered to Digitized fans worldwide.
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Delay In Updates
It's been a very long time since I last updated my blog and that is down to a number of different reasons. The most significant factor being that we've been very busy filming and editing the footage we have attained thus far. When in the media department it is vitally important we utilise every moment we have by using the iMacs to edit film as opposed to updating the blogs we all run. In truth we had hoped to finish the production stage by now but we still aren't quite satisfied with everything and may need a final round or two of filming.
What we do have is exactly as we planned it to be and looks great. The shots work well and we've grown fond of the personas we've created for each of the leading roles. We realised though when we were out on location that spontaneity would suit our video and that we should just film us walking around the town. The footage of us doing that isn't as good as it could have been but we've detailed how we are now going to set that up and therefore we can obtain better versions in our final filming.
I've been busy polishing up my website and digipak over the last couple of months too and hope to coincide their completion with the conclusion of our filming. From that perspective things have tied together quite well. Both Scott and Cathy have said they feel my quirky theme suits the band's style and as a result I've not had to tinker with it too much. I'm pleased with the colour schemes and information included within each page so it is almost good to go!
I will post further updates as and when things are completed over the course of the next few hours and days.
(This is a group shot that we have taken recently that we quite like!)
What we do have is exactly as we planned it to be and looks great. The shots work well and we've grown fond of the personas we've created for each of the leading roles. We realised though when we were out on location that spontaneity would suit our video and that we should just film us walking around the town. The footage of us doing that isn't as good as it could have been but we've detailed how we are now going to set that up and therefore we can obtain better versions in our final filming.
I've been busy polishing up my website and digipak over the last couple of months too and hope to coincide their completion with the conclusion of our filming. From that perspective things have tied together quite well. Both Scott and Cathy have said they feel my quirky theme suits the band's style and as a result I've not had to tinker with it too much. I'm pleased with the colour schemes and information included within each page so it is almost good to go!
I will post further updates as and when things are completed over the course of the next few hours and days.
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