Website

Question 4

To gain contact with the band we looked for their fan page on Facebook and sent them a message explaining what we were doing. It explained why we were using there song and where they could find the music video if they wished to do so. We also asked them for any ideas on what they believed the music video should include. Unfortunately we did not recieve a reply. When we did not recieve a reply over Facebook we sent an e-mail to them also explaining what we were doing. Again they did not respond, therefore we looked into the band and found other music videos they had created to get inspiration for their style.

To conduct our reasearch we used YouTube, Google and FaceBook. When researching Call Atlantis on YouTube we looked at Call Atlantis' YouTube Channel to find music videos which were the same genre as the music video we would be creating and used what conventions they used to create a music video which targeted their target audience. Also for research into the band, Call Atlantis, we looked on their Facebook page to look into the sort of clothing the band wears and how we could incorporate this into our band image. When researching we also used the internet for as much information as we could find. We looked on Google to see what information was recorded on Call Atlantis and the band members individually. We wanted to replecate the band image through adhering to the conventions we found from all the research methods we used through almost taking an illustrative approach towards the clothing and makeup shown on the band members.

When looking back at our preliminary production we took into account the lack of intresting editing techniques we used when using iMovie. So we decided to improve upon our skills in iMovie by, although using the same software, using many different editing techniques. To do this we looked on YouTube for tutorials on different and more interesting ways to use iMovie. Through editing the music video we have learnt and developed new skills which we didn't have last year. A skill we did not use last year with iMovie was syncing the track and the lyrics to the person on screen wether they were singing or playing an instrument. This was very difficult as sometimes the singer would be 0.1 second out of sync in one part of the music video, but if the 0.1 second was cut the rest of the musi video would then be put 0.1 second out of sync. So when we wanted to change a shot editing it to fit the song took a very long time and a high amount of skill. Due to the lighting outside the house changing we had to develop our skills in making the lighting match throughout by changing contrast and exposure. This is a skill we did not have to use in our other productions, therefore our skills in iMovie were improved and the technology we used to create the music video was more advanced. We also had to crop some shots to a size which only showed a certain part of the stage or certain member of the band.

 

We also developed our skills in camerawork and using the cameras we used. We filmed our production work on a camera which we used last year however we filmed a lot more footage so as all angles were covered and editing would be made slightly easier. However we also used a Cannon camera for our photoshoot and  we learnt how to set up our own portable photography studio, this allowed us to shoot proffesional looking head shots for our digipak. We learnt how to set up a photography studio with the lights, reflectors and a screen. This photography studio and proffesional camera allowed our digipak and also website to look proffesional due to the high quality photos.

However we did find some issues when using technologies one of these issues that we found was the issues within lighting a dark cellar without proffesional lights. Due to the lack of proffesional lights all footage was grainy and slightly too dark to see clearly. To correct this we refilmed in a different place with the use of proffesional lighting. This footage looked a lot clearer due to the lighting we used rather than simple and uneffective lights.

Our Digipak

Question 1

The task we were given was to create 3 promotional materials, which would promote an album release. First we had to choose the genre of music which our band would produce which would then be the basis for the conventions of our promotional materials. The genre we chose was pop punk and the band was 'Call Atlantis', a band which we found on YouTube and researched into to make sure they were unsigned. Once we had researched into the genres conventions we created a music promo, a digipak and a website.

To create our website we looked at other pop punk bands websites such as Paramore's website and Blink182's website. With the inspiration we gained from these websites we used some of the conventions which we saw were on the majority of pop punk websites. One of the conventions we used and developed upon was on the Paramore website. This convention involved having pictures of the members of the band near the top of the website, allowing fans to see the brand image straight away. However on the Paramore website the band pictures are not at the very top of the page therefore this is not the first thing which would catch the eye of the person viewing the website. To develop on this convention, we put a head shot of each band member at the very top of the website behind the band name. This allows anyone who views the website to see the band and their brand image as the first impression.

When we looked at the All Time Low website one of the conventions we noticed which was on most if not all pop punk website, was the digipak. A picture of the digipak was midway down the webpage which once the viewer of the website has seen the band members pictures their attention can then move onto the digipak. Therefore it promotes the band as well as their products and material, so like the All Time Low website we included a picture of some panels of the digipak. This develops the convention as although the digipak is shown on the website, not all panels are shown and this makes the fans see the brand image but can not see the songs which are featured on the album so they will be more inclined to buy the album and look for it in shops.

                                     



 

Another convention we developed was the use of promoting merchandise on the website. One website we researched into which promoted their merchandise was the Paramore website. This website has all of Paramore merchandise which have the bands name and logo on them. This again promotes the brand image of the band, therefore we decided to create a section on the homepage with Call Atlantis' merchandise on it. This shows us using conventions from another pop punk website but also shows how we have developed the conventions by adding merchandise which has synergistic links with the digipak e.g. the use of the newest song release being on one of the shirts which promotes the album as well as having the bands name on another item of merchandise.

 When we were researching into music promos we looked at conventions which we could adhere to but also which would prove theories. So as well as adhering to some conventions, we also looked into what attracted our audience demographic but subverted pop punk conventions. One element we included in our music promo was the use of a female being the main focus of the narrative. We decided on using a female as in most pop music videos a young female is involved. Laura Mulvey a feminist believes strongly in 'The Male Gaze' and believes that 'men see women actors and look ‘at’ her but when they see the male actor they see ‘with’ him. Women are therefore made to see in the same way as men.' We believed it was important to include the male gaze theory in our production as it will allow our audience to be broader. One pop video which uses the theory to an extreme level is Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' which shows female models in a very sexualised light through the nudity and objectification of them in the video. This video promotes the male gaze and therefore is very popular. So as well as adhering to the male gaze through the use of a main female part, we also subverted this theory by creating a more vulnerable actress who is not sexualised. The way we subverted this convention also allowed us to be more conventional of pop punk rather than the pop genre.

Another way our music promo is conventional of a pop punk promo is through the use of colour and the clothing the members of the band are wearing. When viewing other pop punk music videos we found that the members of the band would wear dark clothing to show the darker side and the rebellion against mainstream fashion of our genres target audience. One example of the use of dark clothing in a pop punk music promo is the All Time Low music video for 'Something's Gotta Give' . This music video shows all band members in black clothing, however as we wanted to show our band as relatable to a wider target audience we chose to have the members of the band in black, dark clothing  but with elements of white to show the purity of the main singer who is shown to go through a breakup. This allows our music promo to be relatable as well as still having a large amount of black clothing to show the genre of pop punk. We also included green in the clothing to represent the lyric 'zombies' as this is a colour very much associated with zombies. Also this colour is used as our main synergistic link between the 3 promotional products, which allows the brand image to be recognised by the viewers of the music video.

In the music promo we used shots which are not only conventional in pop punk but most music promos. We used close ups and mid shots of the band members and their performances in the music video, this allows the audience to see the band as a whole and the part each member has within it. In the music promo for All Time Low's song 'Something's Gotta Give' each band member is shown in a different type of shot, this shows the difference of instruments but also the members who play them. The shot we used for the singer, played by me, was a close up as it showed both my face and the microphone. This shot is conventional as it allows the viewer to see the singer performing and feel close to the performance itself. Close ups of the singer are also shown in the 'Something's Gotta Give' music promo showing the shot type as conventional of the genre, pop punk. 

However for the guitarist we looked into Paramore's music video for 'crushcrushcrush' and saw that a mid to long shot was used which showed the member of the band with his guitar. This allows the audienec to see the band member perform as well as see the person himself in shot. We noticed after watching other pop punk music videos such as All Time Low's 'Something's Gotta Give', that this shot is very conventional of pop punk, however we decided to develop this convention. To develop this convention we showed a very similar shot of our guitarist, however we believed that the female singer is conventionally the focus of the band e.g. Hayley Williams in Paramore is usually shown singing at the front of the shot. So we used a similar shot but in the background behind the singer so as the shot showed the band as a whole but made the singer the main focus.

The drummer in our music video is a session drummer for the band and this allowed us to show the separation between the band and the drummer in a clear light. To do this we looked at the way drummers are shown in other pop punk music videos such as All Time Low's song 'Something's Gotta Give' and a conventional shot which was used for drummers was a low or canted angle which included the top half of the drum set as well as the drummer. However the drummer would also be shown in the background of the band shots to show that they were a part of the band. Due to our drummer being a session drummer, as well as being conventional by showing the drummer and the top half of the drum kit, we used a high angle to show that the band have a bigger following than the drummer. Also to show that unlike most pop punk bands our drummer was a session drummer we did not show shots of the drummer with the band.

To create a digipak which was conventional and therefore would appeal to our target audience we used colours which are consistent throughout our website and music promo. We used green as our main text colour as it is conventional of a band to have a common theme in their digipak and website, and in our case also in the music promo. This theme means that the digipak and the bands other products can easily be seen and recognised by fans of Call Atlantis. One example of a band which have a recognisable colour scheme is 5 Seconds Of Summer, who have a theme of black and white with the website and the digipak being themed around these colours.

We also took inspiration from Green Day's 'Bullet in a Bible' album by including pictures of the band members performing, Due to Green Day being a very popular and well known pop punk band we decided to take inspiration from this and research more into other digipaks to see if including photos of the band performing was conventional. We found that it was conventional to include performance photos. We then looked into how we could incorporate them and found two ways which were inspired from other pop punk bands. The first of which was very similar format to Green Day's 'Bullet in a Bible' with a line of photos, however we included this below the 'about the band' panel of the digipak. The second way was to use a stand out picture of the band, as used on the Blink 182 album 'Australian Exclusive Tour Edition', but we decided a picture of on member of the band would be more impacting on the audience, so we developed this convention to create a album cover with one main member of the band on it, who the fans of the band would recognise.

(Line of performance photos)

(Album Cover)

Question 3

We conducted a focus group to find out what our target audience thought of our music promo, digipak and website. The focus group is below.

A quick summary of our focus group

 

 

Once we had conducted the focus group we looked at the audience feedback which had been texted into poll everywhere. The first question on the poll was 'What did you like about the music promo?' One response which also showed our music promo to be conventional of pop punk was that a couple of members of the focus group liked the variety of camera angles. In a conventional pop punk music promo camera angles and camera shots allow the viewer to feel like the music video has more of a party feel to it and therefore attracts them to watch it. Another response of our music promo was the use of the shots with the drummer in them as the lighting was imaginative and created a club like atmosphere. The drumming shots were lit with a phone flashlight which created a slight lens glare and made the shot different and much more conventional of a pop punk promo rather than a pop video.

 

We then asked the focus group to text in to the poll, what they liked about the digipak. One of the responses was that the 'Meet the band' section was very good. This section allows the audience to learn a little more about members of the band and feel closer to them as individuals. This is a convention which we subverted as pop punk bands are not known for having a lot of writing on their albums or websites, however we felt this allowed the band to be more relatable and therefore have a larger following. Another response we got about the digipak was that the colour scheme showed the genre of the band in a clear way. Due to pop punk being very well known for bright colours and neon hair we decided to develop this convention and use a colour scheme which showed the genre but with the use of white to create a less full on digipak which was too overpowering in the use of green.

 

The responses of the website were very mixed with some based on the text and some based on the design. One response was about the website being 'chatty' which showed the band as relaxed and open to a wider audience. This response shows that we created a website which although is aimed mainly at a pop punk audience still allows for other audiences to enjoy looking and reading through the website and the bands information. If the website appeals to a wider audience it can also allow for the digipak and music video to appeal to other audiences. Another response of the website was about the synergistic links between all three products and how it allows the audience to recognize the brand image. The white and green colour scheme on the website creates an easy to read format, as well as linking it to the green and white on the digipak and the white within the music promo itself. This brand image allows both our target audience, and other audiences to recognise any products and media texts from the band and begins to make other people want to look into the band and buy their products.



The written responses we received are below:

Question 2

 To promote Call Atlantis' newest album release, we have created a digipak and website. Both of these products have clear links with the music video and the band itself, one of these links is the theme which is created through the colour scheme of green and black but also the use of pictures of the band members.

The connections between the ancillaries and the music video varied between each ancillary task. One main connection we used was the use of screenshots from the music video which included in the digipak. This allows anyone who has seen the music video to see the relation between the band image and the digipak. Another connection was between the website and digipak as they also use the same face shots of the band members which creates a brand image. By using face shots of the band in both of our ancillary tasks the website and digipak will be recognizable to the fans of the band. The colour scheme in the music video, digipak and website was also connected with the theme of green and black. This theme shows a relation to the colours which are related to zombies and also the band’s latest song release which is has the word zombie in the title. This shows how we used amplification within the music video but also using the green themed house location and the green used on both the digipak and the website shows the synergistic links within the three media texts.
 Another connection between the ancillaries and the music video is that the digipak has a picture of high heels on the front of it, which has synergetic connections to the lyric in 'What if the Zombies came?'. One of the lyrics in the song is 'just put your high heels on', which we decided to take our main inspiration from. We decided this line could mean getting over someone by dressing up and making yourself feel better in yourself. Therefore we used a pair of high heels in the music promo but also as part of our digipak and our website.

To create a music video, digipak and website which work synergistically involved using a lot of the pictures taken during the photo shoot in the other media texts. One example of this is the website and digipak having pictures of the band members included in them. This promotes the 2 ancillary tasks and allows the audience to recognise band members, photos and information about the band. In the website and digipak photos from the bands photo shoot were used with a mise-en-scene which had all the conventions of pop punk bands. When researching into pop punk bands one of the conventions we found was that the female members would usually wear bright extravagant clothing or have bright coloured hair, therefore when I had my photos taken I had a bright blue shirt on. I also took the 'peace' pose to show although pop punk bands are seen by society as rebellious they only really want peace and to make the world a better place. When taking the photos of Sam, we decided on a darker approach to show the other side of pop punk, which is a lot more rebellious. To show Sam as a more rebellious member of the band he wore dark clothing consisting of black and greys, showing that although the genre is very colourful and bright, they also have a darker side which is interesting to the audience. Tom however was the member of the band we focused on the most. We decided on a more excitable and rock side to him because when we watched the footage for the music video back we noticed he seemed to rock out with his guitar a lot more than Sam. This meant when we decided on a mixture between the dark and brighter side of the genre. To show the dark side of the pop punk genre we asked him to create a pose showing anger but also in a way which would show how he is part of a band. After taking a few shots of Tom we decided on a pose which now appears on both the website and the digipak. However to show the brighter more vibrant side we chose clothing which was the colour scheme of bright purple.

The website has a picture of the digipak on it which is another way in which the products are synergistically connected. The website has a photo of the digipak alongside photos from the music video which shows the audience what they can expect from the band and may incline them to research more into the band on the website, buy their digipak or watch the music video as they are all advertised through the use of each other. Another example of this is the digipak has screenshots from the music video inside it. This also promotes that the band has not only brought the song out for sale but also that the music video is available to watch and will promote it to the audience and any pop punk followers. Also having the digipak on the website allows us to promote the digipak on the internet which is stereotypically used mainly by our target audience.
The music video will be available on YouTube and on music channels such as MTV and Viva which are aimed at our target audience. This allows us to promote our product on another platform as well as to our target audience. Also the website includes a picture of the digipak which will encourage anyone on the website, who likes the band, to buy the digipak.

I believe our music video advertises the other products well for a few main reasons. One reason for this is the music video uses one of the tracks, 'What if the Zombies Came' and by using one of Call Atlantis' songs this advertises the digipak by showcasing one of the bands newest and latest releases. Also the editing in our music video was very effective as the lip syncing was in time with the song throughout which due to filming the performance after editing all the narrative into the song was very hard to keep in time with the song. Another effective advertising point was that the narrative and performance were cut between equally and the shots were cut to the beat which allowed both the actors and the band members to be seen by the audience. This advertises the lyrics of the song which is based around a breakup between a girl and boy and the way she gets over him, which is shown by the performance. The breakup theme advertises the video to our target audience of teenagers as they will have similar issues throughout their teenage life, whether they are part of it or viewing it from an outsider’s point of view. The colour scheme matched well with the conventions of zombies, through the use of greens and blacks. We decided on Zombies as it is another convention of both teenage interests, due to video games, but also to the fans of pop punk who are seen as very lazy and are sometime referred to as 'zombielike'.

To make the music video available to the public and their material to be shown on more than one platform we decided it would be available on both TV and YouTube. TV will allow anyone who enjoys pop punk to hear it on a channel which is also aimed at them. This therefore means the target audience will be targeted on a platform which is aimed towards them as well. Putting our video on YouTube also targets a teenaged audience which is the age group we had decided would be the best age range to target for a pop punk genre band and any media texts they are involved in. To show who is involved in the band and what they do within it we decided on adding information to both the website as well as the digipak. This allows the target audience to find out more about the band and what they are like as well as finding out when tour dates are and when the next albums will be available for release.

Digipak