Digipak Production

This is a shot of my Digipak.

Outer Panels
Front: (Bottom Right)
I used this large image of the band on the front of my digipak, as it references to Audioslave, as it is of the band that covered their work. It also shows the audience what the band look like. I also used the large bold font on the front cover, as that is also a characteristic of the Audioslave Album Covers.

Back: (Bottom Left)
I used a large image of the production company, to add a professional feel to the Digipak and  to make the digipak look more authentic and professional. Also on the back cover of the digipak there is the list of songs that are on the CD. This tells the audience what songs are on the CD and they can choose what songs to listen to.

Also on the back is a Barcode, this makes the Digipak look more authentic and professional.

Inside Right: (Top Right)
I used a collage of images of the band for this page, as I thought it added a personal touch to the digipak, its also makes the digipak look better than having one larger image of the band. The Layout of the panell is upside down, because when the Digipak is produced it will be folded to create the two inside pages, this means that the two inside pages are now the right way up.

Inside Left: (Top Left)
I have used a basic layout for this page of the Digipak. The CD has images of the band and the Band title, and album name. The Background behind the CD is only a black square, as I thought to many images of the band would make the digipak seem repetitive and dull.

Editing Rough Copy

Below are images of editing the Rough Copy. 

Below is a image of the timeline for the rough cut video, this allows me to edit the video such as add cuts, fades and effects to the video. Doing so makes the video more interesting for the audience, whereas if the video wasn't cut and edited there would be overlap of clips and the video wouldn't be very good.

Below is a image of editing the timeline, here I am cutting out areas of the video, I don't think look good enough to be in the main video. Also I can use the cut function to move something over if it is slightly out of sync, such as i did with the soundtrack to lip sync.

Below is a image of me adding a fade to the video it allows the beginning of the next clip to fade into the frame instead of their being a sharp cut, that could potentially put the audience off the video. I can also use this tool for fade outs too, where I can fade the clip out of the frame instead of their being a sharp cut, there is a nice gently fade, it also fits the style of the music.

Below is a image of the effects folder, this is a pre-made folder that was already on Final cut, this folder allows me to add lots of different effects to the clip, to make the video interesting and more visually entertaining for the audience. For example I can use color correction and change the levels of colour in the clip, e.g the clip could become slightly lighter and more blue or darker, or maybe just a plain black and white effect.

Evaluation Question 1

Evaluation Question 2

Evaluation Question 3

What have you learned from your audience feedback?
First of all after creating and editing the final video, I put the video on youtube where I found that not many people were viewing my video.

After seeing that my video had 18 views and no comments of improvements, so I added the video to Facebook and asked my friends to comment on the video of what they thought, what was liked and what could be improved.

One of My Friends commented this on the page where the video was posted. In the post Mitchell comments about what he likes with the film, what he isn't fond on, and what he thinks could be improved.

Also I asked Adam Jones to look through my music video and comment on what he thinks about the video.

I learned from this feedback is that the audience like to have cuts that are in time/speed, as it makes the video more interesting and exciting for the audience. Also they like good lip syncing else the video looks out of syning, and it also irratates the audience if the vocalist is not in sync with the video. Also the audience like the close ups of the vocalist at the chorus as it adds a effect to the video, and makes teh video feel more dramatic and eye catching.

Evaluation Question 4

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Research

First I used the internet in the research of the band and their styles, for example I looked through the bands Youtube channel and viewed their videos to see the general idea behind their costumes, for example in the bands videos "Like a Stone" and "Revelations" the band are saw wearing very basic clothes such as shirts and vests with jeans and trainers. And after seeing this I incorporated this costume in my Music video, where the band members can be seen wearing shirts and stone washed jeans and trainers. Also I found in these videos that the band can be seen in a variety of different angles so that the audience can get a feel for the scene, I also incorporated this into my video, by viewing the band by a variety of angles. For example they can be be seen from:

Normal medium shot

(Image)

Close-ups

Long Shot

Roaming Shot

Planning

In planning the product, I mostly used the Internet such as Google and Youtube, to find characteristics of  Audioslave music videos and the main characteristics in the videos I would try to incorporate into the music video. For example in the Audioslave video "Revelations", the band are playing in front of a large black canvas

I have used this in my video as the band are playing in front of a large black curtain, as that was all that was available. Also the band has the lights focused on them so the Audience can identify the band members, and as shown in the image below, the lights are mainly focused on the band so their faces can be seen.

In Planning the Digipak I used Google Images, to look through the bands album covers and digipaks to find the main functions that they were using. For example in almost all of the bands album covers they have a calm scene, such as a ocean or space.

 And i aimed to use these kind of calm images in my Digipak to add a consistent feel between the real bands album covers and my bands Digipak.

 Also seen in all of the bands work is the large band name is a bold black font. 

I aimed to incorporate this font and color into my digipak design to further the consistency between Audioslave and my band, but also give the audience ability to read the band name.

In the Website Planning, I used the Rage Against the Machine Website as a Audioslave Website was not available. I used this website as a example, to try and find pages that would be helpful to the audience and beneficial to Audioslave if they were put on the website, for example the "Music Page" this page allows the user to listen to the bands music and to see if it is their type of band where as the "Music Page" will promote the band themselves. 

Construction

The main program that was used for the construction of the video was Final Cut Pro, I used this program to edit the video and tweak the parts that required tweaking. 

For example the lip syncing was originally off after filming then adding the audio so after slightly cutting and moving the audio in certain places, the lip syncing is almost perfect. It also allowed me to add cuts into the video, where without Final Cut I would have had to stop recording, move everyone to where they needed to be for the next scene and then continue to record whereas with Final Cut with a click of a button, the video will go to the next scene without the unnecessary messing about and stopping the recording.

For the Construction of the Digipak, I used Photoshop to edit the Images that I had taken from my video, also it allowed me to cut, rotate and resized the images that I had to make them fit onto each side of the Digipak. Also it allowed me to add other things to the digipak such as a barcode and a copyright sign, this makes the digipak look more authentic and original.

For the construction of the Website, I used Wix Website Design and Editing, this allowed to look through the already available design/ templates and find the design that was close to my designs, after choosing the template i was able to go through the site and editing bits that needed changing, for example the title needed to be changed, and also the background, as these were not in Audioslaves style.

Website

I have finished creating the website, and have added all needed information into the website, to make sure that the user is correectly informed when looking through the site.
Website URL= http://cshaun96.wix.com/audioslave

Below are screenshots of the Home Page of the Website.

This is screenshot of the scrolling gallery on the website, this allows the user to see images of the band playing and the Music Production company logo.

In this screenshot, there is a scrolling gallery with mouse control. Also in this screenshot is the news tab, this allows the user to get a taste of whats on the "News Page". In the screenshot there is a merchandise tab, where the user can see whats on the Merchandise.

At the bottom of the page is a video of the music video and links to the facebook, twitter and youtube accounts of the band.
The Home Page has been made to welcome the user to the Website, and to show the audience what is available on the page. Such as the News Tab that show the latest news on the band and the Website, this gives the audience quick access to the information that they need without opening the page that they require.
Also the Home page allows the viewers to get the general of what the website is about, so they are not looking through a website that they don't like, or don't want to be on.

Below are screenshots of the Music Page:

These images show the layout of the Music Page, this page shows the audience who the real band are and their music. This allows them to listen to Audioslaves tracks and see if they like the music, if the audience do like the bands music and their style, then there is a link at the bottom of the page where they can listen to more of the bands tracks and subscribe to the bands channel.

Below are screenshots of the News page:

These images show the layout for this page, the page allows the audience to keep up to date on the bands tracks and videos, and some other things that the band may want to share with their faithful fans. Also it allows the band to broadcast certain events and occasions to their audience, such as when they are touring and when their next concert will be and where they can get tickets. This page allows the audience to keep in touch with the band and keep up to-date with the bands work, but also it is a marketing page for the band as they can broadcast their concerts, album releases and other things to their audience.

Below are screenshots of the Photos Page:

These images show the layout of the Photos page. This page allows the audience to see images of the band at work, such as at a gig or at a shoot for their next video. This page was created with the audience in mind, so that if the audience what to see images of what the band have been up to lately, its already up on the website and is a click away. Also this page is beneficial to the band also as it allows them to feel closer to their fans and the audience, and feel that they are making a connection with the viewers and listeners.

Below are images of the Merchandise Page:

These images show the layout of the page, the page allows the audience to get hold of the merchandise that they would have missed if they hadn't gone to the bands gigs. It allows them to buy things that they may have missed the first time around. But also it allows the band to sell their top quality products to the audience, and make the band some profit at the same time. Also this page allows the band to broaden their audience range, as it allows them to sell their merchandise, not in one place where they are usually playing, but across the world to others that may also want the bands merchandise.

Below is screenshots of  the Contact Us page:

 This page allows the audience to email the band and ask them any questions that they deem appropriate to ask, such as "when is the next song out", and the band could reply to help keep the audience informed. Also it allows the viewer to email the creator of the site (me) about problems that they may be having with the site and its functions.

FInal Video

This is the final Edit of the music Video

Rough Copy

This is a Rough Copy of our music video there is still things that need to be done to make it perfect.
The Final Copy will be on the Blog tomorrow morning.
Thank You

Website Planning

After looking through other musicians and bands websites, I have been able to find good feature that should be put on to the website to make it more useful and beneficial to the user.
1st Page= The first page should be the "Home Page", this page should welcome the Audience to the website, and tell them about the band/musician that created the website. This page should also have examples of what is on the other pages, for example there should be a subtitle about the News Page, and so on. Finally the website should have links to the albums that the band have published.
2nd Page= The second page should be the "Music Page", this page should give the user examples of the bands music, for example 1 song from each album to give the audience a taster of the bands/musicians music, a try before you buy kind of concept.
3rd Page= The third page should be the "News Page", this page will keep the audience informed about the band, such as gigs/festivals/concerts that the band/musicians will be attending. It should also give audience about some of the bands particular events, such as calls for Game Shows or Reality T.V shows, or relationship status and so on, this keeps the audience in touch with the band and makes them feel closer to the band/musicians themselves.
4th Page= The fourth page should be the "Photos Page", this page will show photos of the band, album covers, photos of gigs etc. Also this allows the audience to see what the band/musicians gigs are like and see if it is their kind of gig. Also it allows the audience to see what the band/musicians look like. Some of the audience will use some of the photos as backgrounds on their desktop. Also the photos give the page a personalized kind of feel to it, where is if the page didn't have and band photos, it would look like the creators of the website have not put the effort in to the product.
5th page= The final page should be the "Contact Page", this page should give social network details, email details and so on. This allows fans to get in touch with the band and sometimes the band reply, also it allows the audience to send the band any questions that they may have. Plus this keeps the fans closer to the band instead of them feeling left our or far apart from the band.
Overall- All of the pages should have a working navigational system, that allows the audience to navigate the product and go through the pages. As if the site didn't have a functional navigation system then the audience would not be able to get from page to page, and would quickly lose interest in the website. Also the website should have some interactive elements to keep the user entertained whilst using their site, this keeps the user happy and intrigued about the website. Finally the website should be designed and build with the band audience in mind, because if the band audience is 16 year olds and the site is build with 61 year olds in mind then the fans of the band will not be interested and could lose interest in the band themselves.

I will take most if not all of these points into account when I create my website for the Audioslave band.

Digipak Design Research

Before designing the plan for my digipak design, i thought that it would be a good idea to look through some of Audioslave previous Album covers, so that I can get the same kind of design for the digipak. After looking through most of Audioslave's album covers, I found a pattern that can be seen through out the covers, they have the band name at the top centre of the cover, in a basic font so that it is easy top see and read. Then the cover is just a calm image, such a water, space or the stars. I think this is because their music is rather calming and is not fast paced or action packed. Its just calming and stress releaving.
Here is some examples of Audioslave's album covers:



Also as seen in two of the album covers shown above, they like to use the fire kind of image, I think that they use this because they are trying to tell the audience that they are pationate about what they are doing. They have FIRE in their stomach when it comes to their music, thats what i think they use it for. Also after looking at these album covers, it is very easy to notice that there is no album name on the cover, so the audience, this way the audience can identify the album by the cover and not the name, it also attracts more attention to the cover and not the name of the album.

Music Label Logo

I though that no music video is completely official without a music label, that the band can be referenced to, for example Audioslave are under the Interscope Record company, but they never have their logo in their music videos, which in my opinion is unofficial.

Above is a image of the Interscope Record Label. As you can see the logo is very simple and basic, so that it is easier for the user to remember and the next time the see the logo they will know the company that it is for. Also the image in the centre of the logo also references to the company's name, for example the company's name begins with a I so the image is a giant I.

So I have created a Record Label logo that will be put in our video, to make the video look more official and authentic.

Above is a Image of the logo that I have created for our video, I thought it should be very basic as the audience would only be able to see if for a few seconds, and if was very big with a lot in it then the audience would not be able to look at it all when they watch the clip.

Website Research

I researched for the Audioslave and there is not one that exists, so I went on both of their recording labels, and they are not on those pages either. Therefore I am using other band websites as examples for my research.
This is a screenshot of the first page of the Rage Against the Machine Website. As you can see in the centre of the page is the Name of the band, this is large text so that it will be remembered by the Reader after they have left the site. Down in the bottom left of the page is a button allowing the reader to purchase a copy of the album.

As you can see in the image above there are a lot of links, all of these links are in a bright red and of a reasonable size, so they are easy to read and visible on the black Background. This red color of the buttons makes them easy to see on the black background, The white text and red buttons are the bands main known colors as shown in the title. These colours also help the text stand out and is very easy to read on the black background, this is one main feature that must be taken into consideration when creating a site, because if the user can't read the text then they will not use the website for very long, whereas if the text stands out and is very appealing to the user then they will remember the design of the page.

Above is a screenshot of the upper part of the Home page of their website in this screenshot there is reference to news where the audience can hear the latest about the band, for example newer members among other things, also on the page is the store where users can purchase merchandise which is usually only available at their gigs. These are two good feature to have on a website, the news keep the audience informed about the band and what they will be doing over a certain time period and the store allows the audience to have some of the band merchandise and also makes the band some money at the same time. The title at the top of the page show some images of the band and can also play some of the bands most iconic tracks. This is a good feature to have on a website, this makes the site more interactive and interesting for the user. this is a feature that I would like to have on the website that I create.

Above is a image of a particular button on the website, when this button is clicked it will take the user straight to Rage Against The Machine's Record Label which is "Axis Of Justice". This is a good feature on the website, as it is quick and easy access to the bands label company website.

Above is a screenshot of the lower part of the homepage, this part of the page shows, photos of the band live at festivals and gigs, and the events that the band have and will be attending. The events part of the page tell the audience where the band are playing at a certain date, for example Rage Against The Machine are playing July 30th 2011 in Los Angeles, and then there is a little description of where the band is playing. This is a good feature as it keeps the audience in touch with the band, so they know where the band are playing and they can go and see them. The photos are a very good feature as it allows the audience to see what has been going on at the gigs. This is a good idea because it makes the site more interactive and more interesting for the user and makes the users experience on the site better.

Above is a screenshot of the lower on the homepage, as shown in the image the news section that started at the top of the page is still going. This is bad feature as the audience can't look at the as just a page they have to scroll down, to see more of the page, on the other hand, this is good feature because it means that more information can be put on the page because is bigger than usual, and it means that the band can put as much information as they like as the page don't have limits. Also on the page there are links to the bands other pages, such as the videos or the extras this gives the audience quick access to the other pages of the bands website.

Above is a better shot of the top of the homepage, this shows the store and the news page, section of this page, as you can see the store page allows the audience to purchase products with the "Rage Against The Machine" title or logo, some have song lyrics written on. The News page tell the audience about the bands latests releases, soon to come gigs and sometimes hints into albums that the band are producing, this provides good information for the R.A.T.M (Rage Against The Machine) fans, as they will know what is coming soon.

Above is a shot of the newest album that R.A.T.M have released, as shown written underneath the album is "Buy Now", this tells the audience that here they can purchase the album and get it sent to them. The only fault with link is that it is not in red as the other links are, it is in white so the users think that it is a text box and not a link to Amazon where the album can be purchased. Also on this page is a list of the songs that are on that album, this allows the audience to know what tracks will be in the album, some fans will buy albums just by the names of their songs, if they sound like there kinda songs.