My Music Video Concept & Feedback

My Music Video Concept on Prezi

Homepage design - First Draft

I wanted my music artists website to have a medium shot of himself, so the audience can become aware of who he is.  I wanted his name to be written below him image in a handwritten/graffiti style so it looks as if the artist himself has written it.  This is so the website has a personalised look.  I want to include four main pages: about - which will include a biography of the artist, news - which will have all the latest updates about his music, music - which will have links to recorded songs and have lyrics to his songs etc, video - will have links to his previous music videos, vlogs of the actual music artist so the audience can see Demolisher outside of his music role, and a signup page - where his fans can sign up for newsletters and for the latest updates.  The background colour would be black and I would include a spray paint effect around his name to convey the grime genre.

Grime Music Artists Homepage Analysis

Grime Music Artists Homepage Analysis on Prezi

Researching other Grime music artists websites influenced my decisions for my website design.  I was able to see what colour schemes these artists use and the types of photographs, pages etc.  This research helped me decide what I will include on my artists homepage design.

DigiPak - First Draft Feedback

GoAnimate.com: digipak draft 1 by hannahmoghul

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DigiPak - First Draft

This is my first draft of my Digipak for my unsigned music artist - Demolisher

On the 'inside behind cover' I put a picture of the artist in a sketch form so it is blurred into the background.  I did this so it conveys the 'grime' genre as it is usually associated with dark colours which is why I have also chosen to do the background black.  I then put a short introduction of the artist, just so a new audience can get to know a little more about him.  On the 'infront of CD flap' I have a long shot of Demolisher himself looking straight at the camera.  This is so the audience can see him dressed in designer clothing, however the background has graffiti in the background on the bench to convey the grime genre.  This may also appeal to people who are from the same area as him and inspire to be like him as he is from a working class background however has made success because of his music therefore he is dressed in designer clothing.

On the back cover I have chosen to use another image of the artist himself and have the names of his songs go around his body.  Again he is seen wearing designer clothing so his audience can inspire to become successful like himself.  He is looking directly at the camera but not in a intimidating way, he looks quite calm and relaxed which makes it easier for the audience to relate to him.

My CD cover - Second Draft

I created a second draft of a CD cover and added any changed according to my Media teacher. 

 I added a picture of the artist as my teacher advised me to, as the audience can become more aware of who he is as he is a new and unsigned artist.  I kept the font basic and bold so its easy to read.  The colours I used were quite basic as I was going for the simplistic look.  I chose the background to be black so the image of the artist stands out more, and a white bold font so it is visible to read over the image of the artist. 

My teacher thought the idea of having three images of him wasnt interesting enough.  He liked my sketch version for a CD better however as I changed artists, I didnt feel the CD cover would be suitable for Demolisher.

Change of Artist

I had found a grime music artist whose name was Vemedy.  I contacted him and asked if he was willing to be part of my media project, he was happy to do so.  Although he was an unsigned artist he was known by many people and attended gigs at clubs to perform.  As a music artist he had a very busy schedule due to gigs, photo shoots, and studio sessions, he was not able to meet up on the dates I required.  Therefore I had to overcome this issue and find another unsigned artist.  I was searching for someone preferably in the grime side of music.  I came across a grime unsigned music artist whos name was Demolisher.  I contacted him and asked if he was willing to be part of my project and asked him if he was available on filming days.  He was available and was also willing to take part in my project.

Feedback for First Draft of Cd Cover

My CD cover - First Draft

I had contacted an artist called Vemedy and asked if he was interested in being part of my Media Project.  He had agreed to take part and sent me his song which is called '4 seconds'.  As he is a grime artist I created the following as my first draft Cd cover:

• The plain white background makes the black stand out which is why I chose to do this.  I created a minimalist cover to show he is proud of where he is from and his music supports his area.  I also wanted to portray my artist to show that he is more interested in his music rather than his appearance.
• I did a silhouette of the estates as grime artists are normally from poor/working-class areas.  Grime music videos are also filmed in their hometown (estates) to show that they are proud of where they have come from.
• I chose a street style graffiti font to convey the genre of Grime.
• The silhouette of the estates also suggests that the artists lyrics are going to be about his roots and some controversial issues.  
• The splats of spray paint suggests underground, graffiti which also conveys the genre of Grime.

Album Artwork Analysis - Kano - Home Sweet Home

Another grime artist which I looked at is Kano

• Kano is dressed wearing a hoodie which is normally associated with someone who is from a rough area/estates.  He is not dressed in designer clothing, just inexpensive clothing which connotates that he may be from a working class background.  Therefore an audience from a working class background may be able to relate with his music and him as the artist.
• Behind him we see a projection of a couple of guys leaning against a bricked wall.  This suggests that Kano may be from there and is looking back at where he is from, hence the album's name: Home sweet home.  He is proud of where he is from and will not forget his roots.
• The album cover is quite dark and so is his clothing.  This may suggest that Kano does not care much about appearance but focuses more on his music. 
• The font he has used is quite bold and basic, however the word 'sweet' is written in a curly and handwritten style font.  He may have made it look like he has handwritten this word to show he loves his 'home' - where he has come from.

Album Artwork Analysis - Devlin - 'Bud, Swear & Beers'

As my unsigned artist is a grime MC, I have decided to analyse the album cover of another famous grime MC - Devlin 

• Devlin himself is dressed very simple, and casual.  He may have done this so he can relate to anyone, and not just a particular group of people.  This suggests that his music may target everyone in a particular way.  It also suggests that Devlin may not care so much about his appearance and more about his music as he is dressed very minimal and all in black.
• He is wearing a Fred Perry polo top which is a British brand.  This connotates that Devlin is a British MC
• Him leaning against a brick wall suggests he may be from a poor working-class background.  Therefore a working-class audience may enjoy Devlin's music and be able to relate with it. 
• 'Bud, Sweat & Beers' has been written in a handwritten font.  This looks as if Devlin has written the name of the album himself.  This makes the Cd feel more personal to the purchaser.  It also suggests that Devlin's lyrics may be quite serious and personal to him due to this.

How this research will help me in my campaign for my unsigned artist

After I have conducted a research and asked the public of all different age groups what they look for on a Cd cover, and the amount of people who actual purchase Cd's, I am now aware of what I need to do in order to create an effective Cd cover.  Having this knowledge I can now apply it to my task, therefore increase Cd sales for my unsigned music artist.  

Results of my Questionnaire

I handed out my questionnaire to eight participants, two participants for each age group.  This way I would get varied results.  After I conducted my questionnaire my results showed that:

2/2 people aged 30 and above DO purchase Cd's

1/2 people aged 25-29 DO purchase Cd's

0/2 people aged 20-24 DO NOT purchase Cd's

0/2 people aged 15-19 DO NOT purchase Cd's

My results state that older people aged from 25-30 do purchase Cd's, however the younger generation aged 15-24 do not purchase Cd's.  This may be because the younger generation are now able to easily use the Internet and download music or listen to it on YouTube etc.  Whereas the older generation may not be fluent at using the Internet and being able to do this, therefore they purchase the CD.  The older generation also prefer to have a physical copy of the CD as they like looking at the artwork used.

Research on CD purchasing

I carried out a questionnaire and asked a number of people to see if people purchase CD's and if so, why?

Album Artwork Analysis - Grace Jones - 'Slave to the Rhythm'

- After looking at this album cover I guessed the genre was Punk, this was because of the artists mohawk hairstyle as this was a hairstyle which the subculture of Punks used to have.  However the genre is actually electro, dance.

- The artists mouth is very large mouth (editted), which suggests masculinity and also that she may be singing about social issues which may upset some people.

- Through this album cover, the artist does not conform to the mainstream. As, females are stereotypically known for being pretty and attractive, however Grace Jones has not shown this through her album cover.  Instead she looks masculine through the way she is posing and her mohawk hairstyle.

- The broken glass surrounding her shows forms of aggression, aggresiveness -> yell of rage, power of her voice, nature.

- Her large mouth suggests her lyrics are more important 

- Minimalist cover makes her stand out more than the album name and her name on the cover.

- There is not much colour used on the cover.

- The artist herself, Grace Jones, looks very unfeminine as she is wearing no earings, she has a mohawk,  no jewellery, large mouth which all suggest masculinity.

- 'Slave to the rhythm' - this has a controversial and political edge.

- Facial expression suggests aggression -> this is emphasised and exaggerated by the long face

- She doesnt appear to look scared or in pain, shes yelling -> this suggests that her voice is powerful

- The cleff lines going across her mouth shows she has multiple tongues which could suggest the different topics/issues she sings about.

- Plain background is different to mainstream artists -> white background makes her stand out.

Album Artwork Analysis - The Clash - "London Calling"

- The genre is conveyed through the image - it is clearly Punk

  -> Values: - The artist is shown expressing anger and frustration

  -> Rebellious - This is shown as he is smashing his own guitar

- The word 'Clash' suggests they are against the mainstream

- Image - Agressivemess, anger, suggests their own values and beliefs.  

  -> Black and White - suggests negative emotions 

  -> Connotations of sharp and crisp means sophistication and wealth however if it was grainy and blurred that would connotate authenticity -> It has deliberately been done 'High Finish'.  This suggests that the artists passion is more important than the actual image of the artist.

-The name of the album appears bigger than the actual name of the band.  This suggests that image is not as important as the music.  

- The image is a shot from a live gig which connotates that the artist is passionate about their music.

- We are not able to see the artists face - values of the artist are that the music is more important than the image.

Audience

- Targets older people as its from the 1970's, therefore audiences would have been different in terms of taste and likings.

- Targets people who like to be 'different' and not follow the mainstream.

Analysing Album Art

When analysing album artwork, look at:
- Images
- Fonts
- Portrayal of Artist


How the artwork conveys:
- Emotional response to the music
- Genre
- Star image (values and beliefs)
- Intended audience
- Uses and gratification
- Message about social group


Album covers as an art form
- Ambiguous or intriguing imagery - could be interpreted a number of ways (always interesting to look at)
- Shocking - mainly punk artists do this - deliberately controversial to grab attention 
- Visually dense (lots of images, lots to look at)
- Minimalist - unusually sparse or empty (why have they done this?)


Having and understanding of what is expected of a CD cover and how it should convey specific messages about the artist, I am able to apply my knowledge when I am creating my own digi pak.  To broaden my knowledge I analysed a few CD covers to see how other artists convey their genre and messages.