Research & Evaluation: Social network sites & how I've incorporated them

When researching into artists strategies to promote their music, it was clear that the Internet had a big part to play. Almost every signer now has an account on one or more of many social networking sites, allowing a personal interaction to be created between the artist and their fans. Taylor Swift has almost 6million followers on Twitter, 6million fans who know whats shes doing every day, what event shes singing at and when the release of her next album is. It is clear that in the last few years, it has been alot easier for artists to advertise themselves and their products due to social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and Youtube. On these interactive sites the artist can speak to their fans directly and a very personal feel is created for the audience, knowing that they can log on and see what is happening in the artists lives. The artist can also promote their music by putting videos and audio files on these sites and 'word of mouth' quickly gets around as news of what people are watching and listening to spread fast on these sites, as you can see what all your friends are watching and listening to. On Twitter, messages from celebrities becomes 'trends' and by putting a hash key in front of a saying, the message gets around quickly to every person using the site. For example, recently there #thewantedontour was trending, letting everyone know that boy band The Wanted were soon to be touring, making people aware and therefore more tickets being sold. Personal trends are also sent around, letting the public know what is happening in the celebrities lives, e.g. the current trend on Twitter is #getwellsoonnath, letting the world know that artist Nathan Sykes is ill, making them want to go onto his twitter to see whats wrong and therefore seeing his photos and videos that promote his products.

Tweets such as this allow the audience to know where the artist is that night and also create a 'personal' feel for the audience, they feel as if they 'know' her and as if she is talking directly to them. Before social networking sites, these artists were just seen as 'famous people' but now they have personalities. By their tweets and photos, the audience get a glimpse at their personalities and life behind what they see in music videos.

And this tweet not only shows the artists personality, but also tells the audience that he notices his fans and values them and he sees them individually and not just as a group of people who buy his albums, tweets such as this make the audience feel special and therefore will be more likely to continue to support the artist.

 This tweet is from a member of a very popular boy-band, and this shows another way that the audience can feel closer to the artist and can relate to them. By using 'text' language, the audience think they have something in common with the artist, creating a 'personal' feel. Boy band One Direction's target audience is 14-17 year olds, the most likely age to use text language instead of accurate spellings and the ones that will buy their album. If they feel like they can relate to the artist, they will be more likely to buy the album, thinking they will relate to their tracks too. This boy-band also have a very clever technique of getting the audience involved. They recently posted on their twitter that they are holding open auditions for 14-17 year old girls (their target audience) to be in their new video. This of course makes more girls want to go on their twitter and find out more about this, hoping they will get a shot at being in a music video and meeting the band. They will also become more likable by doing this because they are trusting their fans instead of getting a model to be in their video. This makes the audience feel special, like the band really care about them. By word of mouth, this will gain the band thousands of more follows from girls who want to also feel this way.

Retweeting fans is another way to make the audience feel valued and to make them think that what they're saying is being listened to by celebrities. The audience will think that if the artist retweets other fans, then there will be a chance they will retweet them. This will make them tweet the artist and visit their page more and therefore knowing about the artists upcoming events. Having a twitter account also allows the artist to always be in the audiences 'good books' as show by the second print screen here. There has been a rumor going around in the press that Nathan Sykes has a celebrity girlfriend, making him loose 300 follows within a few hours. However, by tweeting that it is only a rumour, Nathan was able to stop people unfollowing him and get his fans back on his side. Before social networking sites, it was alot easier for journalists to spread news about celebrities. Now days, the audience just have to click on to their twitter to see if it's true or not!

This 'information' box on twitter also makes the audience feel 'valued' and by having Harry Styles say 'I love you' girls will want to follow him, hoping they will hear more things like this. The artist uses gaze theory to help him get followers as he has an attractive photo as his display picture, making girls who don't even know who he is want to find out more about him and his band, hoping they are attractive too.

This is just one example of many artists that use Vlogs (Video Blogs). Vlogs are used by many artists on websites such as YouTube or on the artists official website, to make the audience feel closer to them. Vlogs allow the audience into the artists lives, letting them see what they're doing and who they're with. This is a clever technique used to gain a bigger fan base by creating a 'personal' feel. Also, if a member of the audience were to see the video and like the artists personality, the will want to go out and buy the album or subscribe to their channel. This particular Vlog is a thank you message to Taylor Swift's fans and by Vlogging her emotions, the audience feel closer to Taylor than

Via their websites, artists promote their other interactive features.

Here is a very effective way of gaining a bigger fan base. The Wanted have weekly 'WantedWednesday' Vlogs which show not only what they have been doing, but also what fans they have met. This would make other people watching to subscribe and become a fan, knowing that they could be in one of their videos too. This also shows that they care about their fans and 'know' them, almost like all their fans are their friends. Many of their target audience would also want to be their 'friends' so would continue to watch their videos, hoping for an insight on how to do so.

How I've incorporated social networking websites into my digipak
If my album were to be sold, it would need to follow the codes and conventions of a current album in the market. Many artists now add information about their social networking sites into their digipak, so their target audience can 'follow' or 'subscribe' to them and allowing their fan base and the ways in which they advertise their products to expand. To meet these codes and conventions, I have incorporated mentions of social networking sites in my digipak, shown in the print screen bellow:

Twitter in also mentioned in my digipak 'Thank you's' - "I couldn't have done it without you- or your tweeting! It's been amazing getting to know you all..." if the audience were to see this in the artists digipak, they would want to follow her, thinking she will get to know them too.

Planning, Development & Evaluation: From first draft to final product

I made a big mistake as I stared my production process because I didn't plan my work well enough. Although I had an idea what I wanted my digipak to look like because I have been inspired by existing products, I jumped stright into creating and didn't make a first pencil draft.

Because of this, my middle page looked unconventional and unprofessional as I didn't plan the style or motifs. I therefore changed my middle page.

Although I spent more time planning this page, my peers and teachers didn't like the way that the page was horizontal because this is not a common digipak convention. They did however like the Social Networking feature, so I incorporated this into my next plan.

I made this detailed plan to make sure I knew exactly what to include. This included the fonts and type of shots.

Here is my final page. My creating a pencil draft really helped me to getting the page looking conventional and professional.

I had the same problem with my perfume advert and my first draft looked bland because of this. I didn't plan the photography well enough and therefore used an inappropriate photograph for a glamorous perfume advert!

By planning the style, photography and features to include, I was able to create a conventional and professional final product.

Evaluation: Digipak comparison

I have chosen to compare my digipak with two others, one very similar and one very different to my own.

Taylor Swift - Speak Now

The first digipak I have chosen to compare mine to is the digipak for Taylor Swift's newest album Speak Now. I have chosen to compare mine to this one because they use many similar techniques to attract the audience but are, although in some ways similar, in many ways completely different and contrasting. This digipak and my own show that the same target audience can be attracted with two contrasting styles and how the same technique can be used in such differing ways. Although on a first glance this digipak looks nothing like my own, on a closer look it is clear they share many of the same conventions and styles to attract a similar target audience.

There are two motifs used throughout Taylor Swifts album that are unconventional and unique, motifs that are not used in other album booklets.

The digipak has the style of a 'novel' or 'comic book' throughout. There is a 'prologue' at the start of the digipak, letting the audience know what to expect throughout the album. In the prologue, Taylor states what the words 'Speak Now' mean to her and how, by making this album, is her speaking up for all the times in the past when she didn't say anything in situations which she should have in her past. This prologue tells the audience that by listening to this album, they will get an insight into life as she goes on to explain that her songs are directed at: 'The beautiful boy whose heart I broke in December. To my first love who I never thought would be my first heartbreak. To my band. To a girl that stole something of mine'. The audience feel like they are being let in on Taylor's secrets if they listen to this album and will know all the things she wanted to say. The 'comic book' motif continues throughout the product as many pages have a image/illustration with a caption, summing up what the song is about.
The second motif used throughout is the 'Secret messages' which are hidden in the lyrics. In every song's lyrics in the album, there are randomised capital letters that when put together, give the audience an insight as to who inspired that song. This motif would make the audience want to buy the album, hoping they will find out Taylor's secrets. This also makes Taylor's album more interesting and fun, so if the audience were to choose between this and a conventional album, they would perhaps go with Taylor's album because of this motif used.

My digipak also uses a motif throughout. The Polaroid photograph motif, unlike Taylor Swift's, is a convention of digipaks and was a motif that was used in many digipak's that I came across when researching. This motif allowed me to show all of the photographs taken, instead of using only one on a page. This motif makes my digipak stand out and breaks up the text, it also allowed me to include the name of the record label and artist in a new way, the font used looks like an autograph, this typography goes well with the collage style as it look as if someone has signed the photograph. All of Taylor Swift's albums have the motif that 'Speak Now' has, relating the products and creating consistency throughout her albums. Also, the audience would recognise this feature and would look for it if a new album was coming out. If our artist were to release a second album, this motif would be carried through, creating a sense of verisimilitude for the audience. The feature I've used of the book quote is a convention of other media texts as they also refer to other products to promote both products at once. This feature will let the audience know that Pixie Lott has a book, making them think that if they enjoy this album they will also enjoy the book.

Here is the lyrics page for 'Back to December' which has the same style as the music video for the song. This is shown by the mise en scene used, such as the artists hair which is straight and has a fringe and also is the colours used.

The delicate style is a feature that both this digipak and my own share. This style is shown here by the aritst in white which contrasts to her dark surroundings. Her necklace also shows this, as it is a locket, suggesting purity which is similar to the way we have used the ring in our photography, symbolising innocence.

My digipak also links to our music video as the artist is wearing the same coat and scarf. This image was used main collage in my digipak, creating consistency throughout.

A convention that both Taylor Swift's and my own digipak have are images that relate to our music video. Throughout my digipak, the photography used uses the same mise en scene as in our music video, creating consistency and letting the audience relate the two products straight away. The same delicate feel is created by the artists wavy hair and soft make-up, making her recognisable. If, in the digipak, she was wearing dramatic eye liner and black lip stick, she would not instantly be recognised by the audience as the same artist as in the music video. The artist is also wearing the same pastel colours in the digipak, making this even clearer to the audience and reinforcing the soft style. Taylor Swift's album also uses this convention by using the same style throughout her digipak that is used in many of her other products.

Like my digipak, Nadine Coyles digipak also uses the collage motif, with one main collage and a smaller one, as mine also features.

The scattered photo style is one that both this digipak and my own share however with a big difference. My motif I used to show the photography as I knew our images were strong and showed our style and message to the audience by its colour symbolism and delicate style. Nadine Coyle's digipak however has used this style to create a 'personal' feel for the audience as the image show the artist's personal photographs of her friends and family. This makes the audience feel like they 'know' the artist and Nadine is letting them see her in a new light because they have bought her album. This would make them want to buy more products of hers, thinking they would get to know her more if they did.

This page of the digipak gave me the inspiration for my own. I liked the way the text was broken up by the image and like how it wasn't over complicated but still interesting. This convention gave me that opportunity to show iconography of music in my digipak straight away.

A digipak is very important into letting the audience 'know' the artist and what the album is about. I think, by following the codes and conventions of these digipaks, that I clearly show in my product the personality of the artist my the mise en scene and style used throughout.

Evaluation: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Music Video


Before we started our filming process, we watched and made notes on different music videos of artists with a similar genre to our own. We found many shots that we wanted to use in our own music video as we thought these were effective in many different ways. From the mise en scene to the types of shots used, I feel our music video strongly meets the forms and conventions of a real media text.

Lighting
When researching, I noticed that the lighting in a music video is a very important aspect. It not only helps to define the narrative, but also to tell the audience how the characters in the narrative are feeling.
A shot that inspired the use of different types of lighting for our own video was various shots from Taylor Swift's 'White Horse', which tells the audience the mood of the artist. We thought this would be a good way to tell help the audience understand the narrative, and therefore used this in our music video. We also used lighting to show how the girl in the music video went from being the 'damsel in distress' to the 'hero'.

By the lighting used here, the audience knows that the artist is happy because the sun is shining on her and the room is bright.

This contrasts to the previous image. When she was with her boyfriend, the artist was happy. Now she is on her own, the lighting used is dark and dim, showing she is in an unhappy place.

Our shots used also show the artists mood. Here the light is dim, suggesting she is unhappy and doesn't want to be with her new boyfriend.

The artist here is 'walking into her future' and is finally happy, shown by the sunlight. This also shows the artist has gone from being a 'damsel in distress', shown by symbolism of loneliness, to the 'hero' of her own life, shown by the long shot which suggests she is looking ahead to brighter and better things.


Gaze theory
Gaze theory is used in many products, most often shown by the mise en scene, but for our genre shown also by slow shots.

Gaze theory is used in all of the videos I researched but presented in different ways. 'White Horse' and Cheryl Coles 'The Flood' use the technique of extreme close ups to create gaze theory for the audience.

In Pixie Lott's 'Broken Arrow' however, this is created by the mise en scene used such as her short dresses and in another shot where she is just wearing a oversized t-shirt. This attracts the target audience because they want to be like her and look like this and think that by watching the video they will learn how to be attractive and pick up tips.

In our own video, we used mise en scene and slow shots to create gaze theory, following the codes and conventions of current products. There is a shot in 'White Horse' when the artist hair is tied back and strands of hair fall around her face, making the audience inspire to be like her because she is able to be beautiful without trying. We used this in our video, as the artist is wearing very natural make up and has wavy hair, making her look attractive without trying too hard, as if she doesn't know that she is attractive. We used this because the target audience, teenage girls, also want to be attractive without having to try and will watch our video because they inspire to be like her. Another convention we followed to create Gaze Theory was also the types of shots we used. For example, slow zooms and pans so the audience are slowly focusing on the artists face, creating a romantic effect. If we were to have used quick cuts as our leitmotif, this effect would have not been created.


Mise en scene 
The style we wanted to create for our music video was soft and delicate. Therefore, we looked at other music videos with a similar genre to see how they had achieved this, then incorporated these conventions into our own music video.

In Taylor Swift's 'white horse' and Cheryl Coles 'The Flood', the mise en scene used creates a delicate style. In both videos, the artists hair is wavy and falling on her face, creating a soft feel. Her make up is also very soft and natural, if the artist were to have bright red lips and dramatic eye liner, the delicate style would not be created. The artists costumes also create this style, shown by the soft look created by the artist wearing a baggy jumper which softly falls of her shoulder. If she was wearing a tight top, a more 'sexy' feel would be created.

To create the same style and follow this styles conventions, we used mise en scene in our own music video to created the delicate style throughout. Our artist also has wavy hair and light make-up, creating a consistent style throughout the video. The delicate style is also created by the props used, such as the pen and paper. This created a gentle and vintage style and the white paper reflects the other light colours in the shot. If the artist were to be writing this letter on a laptop, this style would be ruined. Props are also used in the video to give the audience subtle messages about the artists life once the video has ended. In the bedroom shots, there is a black piece of clothing in the background which does not follow the style of the rest of the setting, as everything else is light. However, this is a message to the audience that when the artist is ready she will loose the 'damsel in distress' role and become a 'hero', by wearing black and becoming a stronger woman. We chose to use this subtle message because one similar has been used in Taylor Swift's 'white horse', when she is the 'damsel in distress' she is wearing light clothing and surrounded by soft and pastel colours. However, when she confronts her fears and goes to her boyfriend, becoming the 'hero', she is wearing black.

Here is another shot that inspired an idea for our music video to show the innocence of the artist. The prop of the teddy bear used in Pixie Lott's 'Can't make this over' shows this, giving the impression to the audience that although she is an adult, the artist is still vulnerable and child like and still needs love. The teddy bear shows that she is the 'goodie' because she still needs something to cuddle when she is feeling down. This also is the impression given in our video shown by the teddy and an 'innocent' representation is given. Also, this shot could show that the artist is still thinking about her old boyfriend or feeling guilty for not wanting to be with her new lover, as one of them could have given her the teddy bear. In is a convention of music videos to use mise en scene to show the personality of the characters in the narrative, a convention which I think my group and I have achieved.

Narrative Theory
Propp's character function is a technique used in many music video to make the narrative clearer to to define clear character roles. We used character functions in our music video, following the forms and conventions of current music videos. The mise en scene in our music video and the delicate style show that the girl in our music video is the 'damsel in distress' which reflects the sad and lonely song.

We decided to use this because it is used in many music videos we researched.

In Taylor Swift's music video for 'White Horse' colour symbolism helps define the character roles. The boy is wearing dark colours, showing the audience that he is the 'villian' and the girl is in light colours showing she is the 'damsel in distress'. Later in the video, the girl is in dark colours, showing she has now become the 'hero'. We know she is not a 'villain' because of her soft blonde hair.

Here shows how we used character functions in our own video, shown by the light colours the artist is wearing and her blonde hair and blue eyes, showing that she is the 'damsel in distress'.

Representation and Symbolism
Because of our target audiences age, we wanted our artist to be a good role model so that the parents of the target audience under 18 would be more willing to allow their child to buy the artists album and watch their music videos. To show that the artist is a good person, we have used colour symbolism in our music video and represented our artist as innocent person, shown by the stereotype used. We used this because after researching many videos of similar artists, we found that this was a common convention.

Here are screen shots from various music videos that use colour symbolism. The white background of the location gives the audience an insight into the artists personality and suggests innocence and purity. If the location was set in a prison cell, for example, the 'innocent' representation would not be put across.

We used the technique of colour symbolism in our own music video to represent the artist in a good light. For example, the artist has blonde hair and blue eyes which suggests she is a 'good' character, the audience can see this before the track starts. The delicate style used throughout also suggests this, if the style of our video was dark and rock n roll the audience may think that the artist is not the 'goodie' in the narrative. We also used our locations to show this, such as the white bedroom, following the forms and conventions from current media products. We also used very subtle symbolism to show the artists innocence and kindness, such as the pearl ring she is wearing throughout which symbolises these features.


When researching, I found the use of stereotyping is a good way to make the narrative clearer for the audience. Our artist is the perfect stereotype for a 'lonely girl' because of the mise en scene used and the way she looks. Colour symbolism comes into this- the artists blue eyes and blonde hair suggests she is fragile, whereas dark hair would suggest she is a strong woman. Her hair throughout the video is loose and wavy, showing delicacy. If the artist had her hair scraped back it would suggest she is a 'coper' and again a strong woman, shown by characters in media texts such as Lara Croft. The soft and pastel colours represent the artist as somewhat pathetic and weak whereas if she was wearing black leather she would appear dangerous and strong.

We decided to use stereotyping in our music video because when we researched similar sad songs, this is how many of the characters in the music videos are represented, following the codes and conventions and creating a sense of verisimilitude for the audience because they have seen this technique used in music videos before.


Motif
The black and white motif of our music video is a common convention of music videos, the majority of the use of this motif is to show the difference in the past and the present in a flashback form. This motif creates a clearer understanding of the narrative for the target audience, allowing them to define the passage of time straight away.

In Hilary Duff's music video 'Fly' black and white is used to show the leading up to an event, contrasting to the footage of the event which is shown in colour. This gives the music video structure, and is a common convention used in music videos to create a smoother narrative.

In our own music video the leitmotif of black and white is used to add structure and to make the narrative clearer to the audience. The black and white allows the audience to recognise that these are memories of the past, contrasting to the coloured shots which show the present day. The motif also shows the difference in the artists happiness, with the black and white shots showing her when she was happy and the coloured shots of her unhappy. This gives a clear narrative to the audience, showing that she is still in love with her old boyfriend.

Another motif that we used in our own video that is a convention of music videos is the use of fades and dip to white/black. These transitions are a common convention of our own genre and style as they add to the delicate feel and create 'soft' movement when there is a change in location. When researching into our genre and the style we wanted we saw that many videos with the style we wanted to create used these transitions and therefore decided to use them in our music video to follow the forms and conventions. Dip to black is used in Taylor Swift's 'White Horse' which is used to keep the 'smooth' and 'gentle' style of the video consistent when there is a dramatic change in location.

Here is a screen shot of how our media product has followed this convention, also to create a smooth transition and to keep the style consistent.

Verisimilitude 

The locations and shots used in our music video are ones that the audience can relate to and would have perhaps experienced themselves, making the video more personal to them. For example, the video uses very normal locations such as the bedroom, street, park, window and car. The target audience may have also experienced looking out of the widow when they are looking back on memories or may have good memories of laughing in the car with their old boyfriend. By using these shots, the audience can relate to the music video because they have experienced it themselves, creating a sense of verisimilitude for the audience.

Verisimilitude is a common convention of music videos and helps the audience relate to the media text:

By using a kitchen as a location, the audience can relate to the video as it is a location they are in every day. If the location was in a record studio, they would not be able to relate to the product as much because they have not experienced feeling what they lyrics are mentioning in this location.

By using the park, the audience can relate to the video because they may have also been to a park with their boyfriend/girlfriend or been alone in a park thinking about love. The audience would then want to watch this video more because they can relate to it or because they are in a similar situation to the artist and think that watching this video will help them cope and know that they are not alone. This 'personal identity' is part of Uses and gratifications theory and is a common convention used to make the media product relate to the audiences emotions and experiences.

We also wanted to use mise en scene that the audience could relate to and looked to Taylor Swift for inspiration...

The audience can relate to the artist because of her 'natural' look. Because of the way the artists hair is tied up, her natural make up and everyday clothing, the audience feel like they aren't that different from the artist and have something in common with them, meaning they also feel like they share the same feelings and thoughts. Due to some artists extreme clothing and make up, such as lady gaga, the audience feel like they cannot relate to artists such as this fully because they appear so different from their target audience, as if they share nothing in common.

Types of shots
A convention of music videos is for the type of shots used to match what the song is about and what emotions it gives. We followed this convention in our music video by using shots such as a slow rotation to create a delicate and soft movement and dip to white to show loneliness. These transitions have been used is music videos such as 'White Horse' and 'The Flood' because they give the audience a similar message to our own.


Perfume advert
- TWO-STEP FLOW.
My perfume advert uses this technique because of its review from a popular fashion magazine. If they audience see someones opinion on the product that they value and respect, they will believe it. This is a common convention used to attract the target audience and therefore I decided to use it in my product.

Please refer to my post 'Evaluation: Video dairy on gaze theory'. This post shows how my perfume advert follows the conventions of a real media product.