Analysis of Digipaks

Analysis of Digipaks

Web Page Analysis

The official webpage for the band "Paramore" is a very colourful and attractive web page. This is obviously a good thing because it will then grab the attention of fans and other people who are interested in the band. The web page navigation is laid out in a simple yet groovy fashion, the tabs are different to what you'd usually see on a web page. They're not just square boxes or links, they slanted rectangles and this makes them stand out more, the images featured on them are colourful and interesting which will make the audience want to view them. There are many recent news articles that involve the band on the web page, this helps the audience stay up to date with what the band are getting up to and any new songs that have recently been released. The fonts used on this webpage link in with the typical conventions of an indie/rock music video because they reflect the type of music that the band produce. The denotation of the fonts used for particular headings are similar to that of graffiti but not as colourful, they're only black or white depending on the background colour. This connotes that the band are fairly simple yet still interesting, by the use of other colours used on the webpage. The font used for the tabs is the same sort of font that the band use on their album covers, this helps the band to become more well known within the industry because they're using the same fonts and colours on their logos and albums which will make them easy to remember amongst people.

There is a direct link to a music video by Paramore on their web page which gives the audience easy access to something they'd be interested in looking at. This makes the navigation on the web page very easy for the audience because they will be able to find the content they're after without all the hassle of clicking on lots of different tabs and going on YouTube to look at videos. The hero shot of the lead singer from the band is iconic due to the fact that it markets the band as a whole, the hero shot is in fact a music video which will then attract more people into listening to the band. In the bottom right hand corner of the webpage there is a small link to Twitter, this type of digital marketing helps people to become more aware of the band and what they're getting up to. This also links in with Blumler and Katz's Uses of Gratifications theory that people consume media texts in order to find out information about a particular thing, in this case people will follow the band members on Twitter in order to find out what they get up to when they're not making music and on tour.

The official website for the band "The Pigeon Detectives" is a very classical type of website due to the fact that the colours used are quite plain and neutral. The font used for the main title is very clear and attractive to the audience because it's in italics, this convention deviates from the indie/rock genre. The image on the website appears to be the same as the one on the album cover, this makes the band easily recognisable to the audience because they're using the same images and font to represent the band. This webpage won't grab peoples attention compared to the "Paramore" webpage because it's not as colourful and bright, however the simplicity of the webpage will attract a niche audience because it's not bold and 'out there'.

On the webpage there is a video, much like there is on the "Paramore" webpage, both webpages have used the same kind of advertising for their song. By putting it on the webpage their fans will be able to listen to it and download it, they'll also be able to follow the band on Twitter and like them on Facebook as there are social netoworking links at the bottom of the webpage. Having the video in the centre of the page makes the navigation to it much easier as it's right there in front of the audience, this makes it easier for the band to become more well known because the video isn't in the corner of the page where no one can see it.

Having tour dates at the bottom of the webpage is a good way to advertise gigs that the band are going to be taking part in, this will be of some interest to the fans so when they see tour dates they'll be keen to book tickets.

Biffy Clyro- Black Chandelier Music Video Analysis

The music video starts off with establishing shots of the surrounding areas to show the audience the location, these shots last for about 12 seconds before an extreme close up shot is used to show a guitar head stock. The camera then goes to another extreme close up of a speaker with something that looks like black tar dripping on it, this immerses the audience to the intricacies and technicalities of the band instruments, these shots are very common in indie/rock music videos. Soon after this camera shot the lyrics and music start to come in, "Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip" comes in when the tar like substance is dripping off a microphone, and another extreme close up is used to show this. The main colour used is black and this supports the genre because black is a dark colour that is usually associated with indie/rock music videos as it reflects the actual song.

A high angle shot shows the audience the lead singer who is making a clear use of direct address, this makes the audience feel as if the singer is aware of them and the music video itself because of the way he is performing the song. From this particular eye level shot we can see that the singer isn't wearing a shirt, this could be a way of attracting women to watch the video because his body is on show. This aspect of the music video isn't something that will feature in my own because I don't think it would be appropriate and it won't flow with the ideas my partner and I already have.

This birds eye view shot shows peoples shadows as if they're running somewhere, this gives the audience an enigma code into the other occurrences in the video, also making them wonder who these people are and what their significance is in the music video. For my own music video I could use this type of idea because it's mysterious and interesting as the audience won't know who the people are. This idea also fits in really well with the idea that my partner and I have agreed on of a cult worshipping a band, and travelling to where they are in order to worship the band. This shot almost shows the exact same thing, but obviously the audience can't be sure of it until they watch the rest of the music video.

This birds eye view shot shows helicopters flying above lots of cars and people running down below on the road. This sort of birds eye view shot reveals a lot to the audience because it highlights a problem in the video which the audience can then link to the people running in order for them to understand the music video better. The low key lighting is very dark which connotes the genre of the band and the song by making clear links with each other whilst also making the fans aware of what genre the song is.

This establishing shot shows the audience the people who seem to be running somewhere, and one of them is jumping over what looks like a concrete barrier. This connotes the eagerness and determination that these people have to get to where they're going. The lighting is still dark which further connotes the genre of the band and the song, and the only bit of real bright light is shining down on the people who are all covered in black, which connotes that they have some importance throughout the music video.

A close up shot is used to show the audience the drummer and a selection of his symbols, this will appeal to the target audience because it is a common conventions amongst the indie/rock genre of music and this is what the audience like to see in these types of music videos. They make the videos interesting and exciting to watch which is why they appear so much, the audience can clearly see what the band are doing without having to go to a live concert which would obviously be quite expensive. The video replaces that live concert feeling by relating a music video to a concert, giving it the same kind of feeling and atmosphere to a live concert by having close up shots of the instruments, shots of the actual band and low key lighting like there would be at a concert.

Evaluation of the Focus Group

In order to gain some feedback on our idea we organised a focus group to come in and talk to us about our idea, at the beginning of the focus group my production partner and I explained our ideas to the group, we did this because it would give them an idea of what our music video might look like. We then showed them three videos from the indie/rock genre to get them used to the sorts of conventions that are common in indie/rock music videos, this gave them a chance to look for regular occurring things in each video and make connections between the different videos. The videos we different in terms of the type of video but they all had key features that were common in each, we then told them why we liked those certain videos and what ideas we could take from each one to use in our own. After we'd explained why we liked each video, we asked our focus group which one they liked, this then helped us with our own ideas because if the focus group liked a particular convention we could then use something similar to it. Getting feedback from a focus group was really useful in the way that it helped my partner and I structure more ideas based on the groups likes and dislikes, it helped us to decide whether we wanted to make our music video simple or actually quite complex. In order for it to compete with other bands in the same genre we felt that our video would have to be unique and different in the way that it would reflect the ideology of the band, in order to do this we'd need to think outside the box when it comes to filming the footage. We decided to keep things simple yet interesting due to not having a big budget, obviously we'd need to be original with what we do and also make sure that every shot we get looks professional and effective when it comes to getting something across to the audience.

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Initial Group Ideas

As a pair we discussed all the different ideas that we had, and decided on the most realistic yet unique one which we both felt would make our music video look professional and exciting. Our ideas included:

• Having a narrative/performance music video which involve the band and their dopplegangers, this sort of idea stemmed from Thirty Seconds To Mars' video "The Kill", we both felt that this sort of idea would intrigue the audience into wanting to watch the video. We decided on showing the band while they travel to a studio and how they get on and what they get up to, the camera would go back and fourth between the band and the dopplegangers who were already at the studio and recording the bands song.
• We'd decided on using a filter for the video to make it look more indie and different, giving the video a retro feel to it, making it more interesting.
• Filming some of the music video in a field and showing the audience the bands relationship with each other, and how they interact with one another.
• Having the band and the dopplegangers meet at the end of the video, we thought this might be effective because the audience don't know what's going to happen next between both groups.
• The band and the dopplegangers wear different clothing and have different hairstyles so the audience can differentiate between the two groups, this also shows the audience that everyone has another side to them and their personality.
• Narrative camera shots, such as a point of view shot and over the shoulder shots, this will help the audience to relate with the band as they'll be able to see things through their eyes.
• Editing techniques such as fast forward and slow motion when the band are travelling to the studio, this will give the audience a chance to see how busy but also how laid back their lives are.

As a pair we also discussed other ideas, because after receiving feedback on our initial idea we realise that it might not be as realistic and professional as we once thought. So we thought of another idea which seemed more professional but also unusual:

• Having a narrative/abstract music video that involves different people waking up and getting ready, but all putting on the same clothes. Once these people are ready they leave their house and start travelling to an unknown location which then turns out to be a forest, upon their arrival the people realise that they're all dressed in the same clothes and that they're all going to the same location. Once they get into the actual forest the audience realise that the people are following the sound of a song that coming from within the forest, the people then arrive to where the band are playing and they all start worshipping the band and dance along to the song.
• We decided that using low key lighting would work best with this music video so we were going to film it during the early evening in order for the music video to look mysterious and unusual.
• Filming on the transport the people use will help the audience to understand that they're different to everyone else and that they're sort of the main characters because the music video revolves around them and their journey to the forest.
• A long shot can be used to show the audience the people walking into the forest, this makes the audience wonder what they're doing and why they're going into the forest.