Evaluation Question 2.

Evaluation question 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts? 

All of the products need to be linked in order to promote the band. I have kept the apocalyptic style throughout and made sure it is consistent in my music video, digipak and website. The photographes of the derelict house which feature in my digipak is where part of the music video was filmed which is a good way of linking both the digipak and music video together.

In the music video the colour pallet has a dark tone and gives an apocalyptic feel, so I kept this style in all of products to make sure they linked together. By editing on photoshop I was able to create the dark tone and similar style to the music video for my digipak. The website also has a dark colour pallet and has the derelict feature on the about page.

The setting used for the music video is popular in many apocalyptic films because of the overgrown countryside and derelict house. All of these conventions are prominent in all three of my products and this is a running theme throughout.

The website helps promote and advertise both the music video and digipak which helps get word out of the newly released album and music video. I have also been able to include photos from the day I was shooting and this includes one of the main scenes from the music video inside the derelict house and the countryside area. These were also used in the digipak.

Evaluation Question 3.

Evaluation Question 3: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

James have a wide audience from teens of about 16 to middle aged of about 40-50, which I found out in my earlier research. When creating my products audience feedback was key to improving my work. I was able to get feedback when working on my digipak, website and music video, which meant I was always changing and getting new ideas.

Getting feedback on the rough cut meant I was able to change different parts which could improve the final outcome. One way of being able to do this was showing my class mates the rough cut and seeing what they think should be improved. I then took this feedback and looked at how I could apply it.

From this feedback I learnt I needed to add more lip syncing, which I went on to do.

Facebook was a great of way being able to show people my music video. By sending it to some of my friends and peers, I was able to get feedback after improving the video. Posting the video on Facebook also meant people who are interested in the music by James would also watch and give feedback. Here are some of the comments I got about the video.

I also got comments on YouTube which means people have viewed the video not only on Facebook but other social networking sites. Here is one of the comments I got.

Taking these comments into account I now know what has worked and what people have liked in the video. Also the target audience who listen to James have given feedback which has helped. I also used the contact page on the lead singer Tim Booth's website, in which I asked if I could have some feedback as to what they think of the music video. I have also sent the video to the record company who I have previously spoken to.

I also filmed people reviewing the website and digipak to get feedback on what improvements can be made. This helped get a different opinion on the products and I was able to make some changes after to help improve them.

From these videos I have learnt what people have thought about my digipak and website and have given feedback as to what I could improve on. The main aspects of focus were changing the font on the spine of the digipak to fit in with the rest of the digipak and removing the 'Right side' title which I had forgotten to remove. Also making the website look more appealing and adding more decoration to liven it up.

By using SoundCloud I was also able to share feedback I had recorded from Adam, who is a fan of the band James. This meant I was getting feedback from my target audience.



After getting feedback from my fellow peers and fans of the band James, I have learnt what changes needed to be made to my music video, digipak and website, but also what people have liked about the three products. Being able to use different mediums such as YouTube, SoundCloud and Facebook has also meant a wider range of people have been able to view my products and give me valuable feedback.

Music Video Feedback.

I sent my music video to some friends for feedback and this is what I got back.

These YouTube videos are feedback for my digipak and website. They have helped me improve parts of both products.


By recording Adam talking I was able to get feedback for my music video and see what a fan of the band James would think to the video.

Evaluation Question 4.

Evaluation Question 4: How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Most of the work I conducted during the research, planning and evaluation stages was produced on a macbook. I used search engines such as Google, which was used to research not only the band, but also the products I have created.

Through Google I was able to find other bands and artists similar to James and which share the same genre. Google has both related searches and videos which then direct you to YouTube. I also used websites such as Wikipedia or the bands website http://www.wearejames.com/. I was also able to research the album sales, information on the band members and the record companies.

By using YouTube I was able to analyse music videos from Embrace, Oasis, Twenty One Pilots, Biffy Clyro and The Killers. These helped influence the final outcome of the music video. To research different bands I used social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and YouTube. To get influence for the apocalyptic side of the video, I used IMDB to find different films which uses the apocalyptic style. I was able to research both The Road and The Book of Eli.

Before creating my digipak I research digipak conventions to gain some influence to what my design will look like. Then by using Photoshop and photos I had taken, I edited the photos to look apocalyptic and destroyed. By going onto Google, I was also able to find a template for my digipak. To take the photos I used a Cannon DSLR camera, which produced high quality photos.

I researched other band's websites to get an idea as to what they look like and the conventions of alternative rock websites. This was a great way of getting inspiration for my own website and being able to see what other bands of the same genre have done. To create my website I used a site called Wix. This is a website builder which helps with templates ect. I was able to add my own photos and design the layout myself, which meant I could have a link between the digipak and website. Wix is quite user friendly and you can use templates or have your own design which helped.

By using Wikipedia I was able to find the record label for the band and request permission to use the song.







When getting feedback for my music video I used the website SoundCloud which is a great way of uploading sound clips and being able to easily listen and share them.

The music video was captured and edited on Final Cut Pro. I started by exporting the song Of Monsters and Heroes and Men on iTunes and then put the song into Final Cut Pro. Editing on Final Cut Pro offered a great way of syncing the clips to the song and being able to shorten some clips if they are too long. Changing the colour correction and adding a vignette which was also a great way of getting the apocalyptic style and this was easy and flexible to do.



To film the music video I used a Canon EOS 550D which was filmed in 50 fps so that the slow motion would work and look smooth. I also did not use a tripod so that the shots didn't look still. This gave the music video a more realistic look.

All of my work has been recorded on Blogger which has allowed me to keep all the work in one place and easy to find.

Digipak - Final.

This is the final design for my digipak. I chose to use photos of the derelict house which features in the music video. As the story is apocalyptic this fits in well. I tried to make sure the digipak design isn't too overcrowded and the text is easily seen.

Finished Website.

Here is a link to the finished website for the band James.

http://jakewootton.wix.com/jamesband

Evaluation Question 1.